Case Study — SteelFrame Innovations

Case Study — SteelFrame Innovations

How a mid‑sized steel framing contractor grew revenue, shortened sales cycles, and shifted to scalable digital channels in 12 months.

Business Statement & Objectives

Business statement: SteelFrame Innovations delivers turnkey light gauge steel framing (LGFS) solutions for commercial and mid‑sized residential projects, emphasising speed, structural integrity, and transparent costing.

Base revenue
₹4.00 Cr
Target revenue (12 months)
₹6.30 Cr
Target margin
17%
Digital lead share
35%

Problem Statement

Low LGFS awareness
High
Referral dependence
Majority
Avg sales cycle
5.5 months
Procurement volatility
Medium

Strategy Breakdown

1. Brand & Positioning

Defined UVP: "Partner‑certified steel, code‑compliant builds, transparent estimates, 30% faster delivery than RCC alternatives." Produced 6 case studies, 1 whitepaper, and client testimonial videos.

Content assets
6 case studies
Thought events
2 webinars
Demo builds planned
3

2. Demand Generation

Combine high‑intent search ads with LinkedIn outreach to developers and architects, plus social video campaigns showcasing time‑lapse builds.

3. Operations & Sales Enablement

Implemented Zoho CRM, standardized procurement SLAs with two steel partners, templated proposals, and introduced prefabricated wall panels to reduce on‑site labour.

Tools Leveraged & Use Cases

  • Zoho CRM — central lead repository, automated follow‑ups, pipeline forecasts and custom proposal templates used by sales to reduce response time.
  • Google Ads — capture high‑intent search queries and drive immediate demo requests; conversion tracking tied to CRM for accurate attribution.
  • LinkedIn Ads & Sales Navigator — targeted outreach to architects, developers and consultants; used for ABM lists and Sponsored Content to promote whitepapers.
  • Ahrefs & Google Search Console — keyword research, content gap analysis, and monitoring SERP positions for LGFS keywords.
  • Asana — task-level project plans for demo builds, procurement milestones and cross-functional handoffs to ensure on‑time delivery.
  • Google Analytics & Looker Studio — unified dashboards for marketing performance, channel CAC, and funnel drop‑offs; weekly reporting to leadership.
  • Video production & design — time‑lapse build videos, case study edits and short testimonial reels used across paid and organic channels.

Marketing Spend & Rationale (12 months)

Total marketing budget: ₹32,00,000 (≈8% of base revenue ₹4.0 crore).

ChannelAnnual Spend (₹)%Why / Expected Outcome
Google Search Ads8,00,00025%Capture high‑intent enquiries; immediate demo requests.
LinkedIn Ads & Outreach3,84,00012%ABM and outreach to decision makers; nurture high‑value accounts.
Social Media Video Ads (YouTube/Instagram)5,76,00018%Showcase time‑lapse builds and testimonials to reduce perception risk.
Content & SEO3,84,00012%Build organic visibility, lower CAC over time, support thought leadership.
Events / Demo Builds4,80,00015%Physical demos to win architect trust and shorten procurement approvals — priority channel.
PR & Partnerships1,60,0005%Third‑party validation and editorial features.
Tools & Production1,60,0005%CRM subscriptions, analytics, creative production costs.
Testing / Contingency2,56,0008%Channel experiments and creative testing to find scalable plays.
Events budget
₹4.80L (15%)
Paid search
₹8.00L (25%)
Video ads
₹5.76L (18%)

Notes: Allocation increases emphasis on trust‑building demo builds and events to directly influence architects and procurement teams — a deliberate choice to shorten cycles and improve close rates.

Results Achieved (12 months)

Revenue (after)
₹6.30 Cr
Revenue uplift
+57.5%
New orders (marketing-attrib.)
₹2.30 Cr
Operating margin
17%
  • Leads & Conversions: Total inbound leads increased from ~80/month to ~320/month (+300%). Qualified leads from digital channels: 110/month.
  • Conversion rate (qualified→contract): 4.5% → ~5 contracts/month from digital leads.
  • Sales cycle: Reduced average lead→contract from 5.5 months to 3.6 months.
  • CAC (Customer Acquisition Cost): With increased spend, average CAC (paid) ≈ ₹1.45L per closed contract (based on ₹32L spend and 22 digital‑attributed contracts). SEO reduces CAC over time.
  • AOV (Average Order Value): ₹82,00,000 per contract.
  • Digital share of qualified leads: 38%.
  • Brand & Content: 6 case studies published, 2 webinars (combined attendance 180), website organic traffic up 140% YoY.

Key Success Indicators (KPIs)

Qualified leads / month
110
Digital % of qualified leads
38%
Average deal value
₹82L
Avg CAC (paid)
₹1.45L
Sales cycle
3.6 months
YoY revenue growth
+58%

What Worked — Quick Takeaways

Paid + SEO mix
Immediate + Long‑term pipeline
Operational changes
Margin uplift + speed
Video & demos
Perception risk ↓
CRM + templates
Sales cycle ↓