Case Study: Mathis Trailers & Equipment Sales

We’ve been working with Mathis Trailers and Equipment Sales since November 2019 and have loved creating campaigns, videos, and social media content for them. We also had the pleasure of updating their logo. Since we touch so many aspects of their business, we make sure to fully invest ourselves into their brand, developing a customer persona so we can speak to their audience in a way that converts.

Branding

Our first step was revamping their logo. Their old logo was created when they started the business, and the Mathis family wanted a logo that looked better on shirts and other merchandise. Our design team developed two logos, a primary logo for most use cases, and an alternative for applications that needed a simpler design.

What we came up with were two versions. Their main logo, a circular one, was inspired by a cattle brand, calling back to the business that started it all for them: their feed store. Within that circle, there are also some elements to speak to the fun and casual nature of working with them, including a small tractor and ampersand.

Because it represents their brand so well, this is their primary logo. However, because of the more unique shape and detail, we have a simpler, text-only version that we use on more complex graphics or graphics with less room.

Their logo lives on every graphic we post on their Facebook pages, further reinforcing their brand.

Another huge aspect of Mathis’ branding was completing a Brand & Style Guide. One of the most important things you can do for your brand is to establish consistency. Not only does all of your content feel more professional and polished, but if your audience sees that you value small things, like the appearance of graphics or correct spelling in an ad, then that same attention to detail and dedication to your mission will extend to the rest of your business.

Social

Right after the logo, we jumped into managing Mathis’s two Facebook pages, one for their Rome, GA location, the other in Leesburg, AL.

Their previous strategy was boosting constantly. Boosting Facebook posts can be valuable, but it’s hard to have consistent success without strategy. With boosting, you have no control over ad placements thanks to limited targeting options. Decisions like that require marketing expertise. Digital marketers know to consider many factors, like what Facebook dictates as poor ad images and subpar ad copy. Quality Facebook ads also require effective CTAs (calls-to-action) to close the deal and get people to accomplish the goal of the post.

Once our team got into their Facebook accounts, we were able to grow both audiences on each page by paying attention to the above items while also implementing a variety of posts, like a brand-awareness commercial sharing the Mathis story & giveaway posts. For their Rome location (their original location), we increased page likes from 1,290 to over 1,500. For Leesburg, the increase was from 437 to 556. However, audience isn’t everything. Mathis’ goals weren’t just to cast a wide net, they needed to catch some fish (and sell those fish some tractors), so engagement was key. Thanks to our team’s expertise, they saw a 520% increase in social media engagement!

Outside of numerical success, figuring out a voice was important for Mathis. We wanted each post to sound like Mathis & sell like Mathis, and there were a few ways we had to approach social media content to make that happen. In their Brand and Style Guide, we also established how Mathis’ pages would sound. That starts by knowing their audience.

When discussing ideal customers with the Mathis team, they told us about hobby farmers. While there are people who farm for a living and have large farms, their target customer farms for different reasons. This person owns a couple acres of farmland and wants to keep their land looking nice. This person wants to be self-sustainable, and farming — while hard work —  is relaxing for them. After doing more research, we established a customer persona for Mathis who we called “Hobby Farmer Henry”, who you can learn more about in this blog post.

Another piece of this puzzle is word choice. Thanks to our team’s work in getting to know and understand the customer, we know generally what to say and how to make sure Mathis comes across in every caption. This includes using phrases they use. For example, Mathis and their customers are often from the South, and use colloquial language. So, we incorporate that into their content. Using words and phrases like “y’all” and “give us a holler” are things we’ve heard from the Mathis family (it helps that many members of Team Romega are also from the South!)

A lot of the more fun aspects of voice are used on their Instagram, which we began managing in August. It features a combination of content from both Facebook feeds, as well as more “office culture” pieces, and a more fun and casual voice (hello, emojis!). Family news and even more personal connections can be seen here. With a more visual-heavy platform comes new opportunities, ones we are excited to take on.

Website

The Mathis family’s main goal for their website was to turn online leads into in-person contacts. Once they’re in-store they know their team can handle closing a sale.

With all of the great work happening with Mathis’ social profiles, we knew they needed a great website to match. Our team designed a site that was friendly and inviting, making good use of photos and the new Mathis logo.

We focused on making it easy for customers to find information on the tractor, trailer, or equipment they need. The inventory section on the site features simple image-based navigation for tractors, golf carts, implements, trailers, and more. Once a customer clicks on a product they’re interested in, they can see a large photo and technical specifications, plus send a question to their nearest Mathis location if they’re interested.

Another bonus was combining both Mathis locations into one site. Previously, each location had its own website, resulting in a lot of duplicate information. Now, visitors go to a single site to learn about the products Mathis carries, but can still easily find hours, maps, and contact information for the location closest to them.

The site has proven to be successful for the Mathis team, generating multiple inquiries from potential customers every week. Analytics data show that on average visitors spend about 2 minutes on the site, and the bounce rate (how many people visit the site and leave without going to another page) is fairly low at around 40%.

Video

One of Mathis’ most important additions was adding Club Cars to their inventory in their Rome store. They were the first non-golf cart dealer to be signed, and in their first year, they had a goal to sell 50 Club Cars. In order to make that goal a reality, we needed to utilize the most convincing medium: video.

The first large project was a commercial-style video which we could break down into clips perfect for social media. Each of these clips call to specific aspects of the vehicle in question, the Club Car XRT.

As of October 2020, the entire video reached 3500 people, and engaged 108. Collectively, each shorter video reached 3000 people, and engaged 57.

Perhaps the most impressive part of this project was a DM from the brand itself, Club Car. They loved our video and asked to share it on their accounts to an audience of more than 30,000. This was a HUGE win for Mathis and for us. It’s incredibly rewarding to have our clients love our work, but to get that same recognition from huge brands was exciting for everyone.

Photography

In order to create the most effective marketing content, high-quality, professional photography is key. When building their website, we wanted photos of the actual store featuring actual employees and customers, and these photos also serve as great content for social media. Not only does this feel more genuine, but current customers recognize these photos are real, and are more likely to interact with content featuring familiar faces and locations.

Mathis wanted a photo-dominated website with their own photography, not stock. Right off the bat, when entering their website, viewers meet the people who help them in-store. For current customers, the familiar faces strengthen connection. For new and potential customers, this is a strong introduction to the brand as a whole: personable and knowledgeable.

Thanks to the talents of our incredible photographers, we’re able to capture images on-site fairly often. This means photographing actual equipment that’s on sale, with the people who sell it. These images became incredibly important on social media. On average, we typically see a 56% increase in engagement when we post pictures of Mathis family members – that personal connection is invaluable!

Newsletter

We utilize MailChimp for all our clients, including Mathis. The newsletter serves a few different functions. Not only is it essentially a highlight of current offerings and information shared on social, but it also contains a message from the Mathis family right at the top, adding to the personal connection they have with their clients. Framed as a “Letter from the Editor”, they can discuss deals as well as life on the farm, striking even more similarities between their lifestyles and their clients’ hobbies.

The data reinforces the importance of these elements. Their newsletter gets 267 views on average. With an audience of 851, this puts them at an open rate of 31%. That puts them above the 23% average open rate for those in the agricultural industry. Once readers open the newsletter, they interact with included information as well. Their average click rate is 2.97%. Compared to the industry average of 2.94%, they are right on target with their success rate.

Results

“Choosing Romega was one of the best business decisions we have made for our company.  We no longer have to use our time to promote our business because we can truly depend on them to take care of us in a personal way. Romega has definitely taken us to the next level in the digital advertising world. Thanks.” — Robert and Sabrina, Owners of Mathis Trailers & Equipment Sales

Mathis Tractors might be one of our favorite clients to work for just because we touch so many aspects of what they do. Since we have the honor of knowing who they are, who their customers are, and what they care about, it gives us the in-depth knowledge needed to create incredibly impactful & helpful marketing solutions. It helps that they love what they do. That enjoyment and level of care extends to our team, which is equally important and empowering.