How Partnerships Evolve: Beginning and Maintaining a 10+ Year Client Relationship with Bradley Mechanical

Growing a Business During the Digital Boom

In 1969, Dempsey L. Bradley founded Bradley Mechanical, a local plumbing company . Over the years, it evolved into a plumbing and HVAC company run by Dempsey, his wife and son, Gayle and Brad. As the company grew to provide home performance and electrical services, Dempsey handed over the reins to his son, Brad Bradley.

Throughout the 2000s, the organization grew while the online marketplace expanded at a rapid pace. More than ever before, people sought out and discovered new services and businesses through websites, digital advertisements and search engines. To enhance Bradley Mechanical's digital presence and keep up with the competition, Brad recognized the need to improve the company's website, digital advertising efforts and operational processes. Additionally, the company was having a difficult time adding staff to handle busier months, in part because they could not maintain that same number of staff during slower months. Attracting, securing and maintaining the right people was a top priority for Bradley Mechanical, as more staff meant they could handle more business and grow over time.

"Back then, we wanted to grow and needed a way to have consistent business during the entire year to support adding permanent team members," said Brad Bradley, owner and CEO of Bradley Mechanical. "We needed a partnership that would handle our marketing efforts and help us grow, especially on the digital front."

Building a Foundation of Trust

Web Tech Fusion, a full-service marketing agency, began working with Bradley Mechanical in 2013. As Bradley Mechanical's marketing partner, Web Tech Fusion has been on a mission since day one to identify and address top pain points for the company, as well as areas that could be enhanced with digital transformation.

While Web Tech Fusion made significant strides in helping Bradley address current issues, the team was also dedicated to establishing a trustworthy relationship with Brad and his family. Over the last decade, Web Tech Fusion has focused on five critical areas, including:

1. Refreshing the Company’s Brand. Web Tech Fusion worked one-on-one with Bradley Mechanical to develop consistent branding and messaging across all channels in an effort to solidify who Bradley Mechanical is and what the company is capable of. This was a crucial step toward embracing the new Bradley Mechanical and maintaining a recognizable and familiar image across all platforms.
2. Updating the Website. Bradley Mechanical's website was outdated and lacked the necessary information that would show potential customers all the services they provided. This impacted their growth in more ways than one. Before working with Web Tech Fusion, Bradley Mechanical was hesitant to invest in more advertising and marketing because they felt their website did not accurately represent the company and its offerings, nor did it provide customers actionable next steps. Web Tech Fusion worked closely with the team to rebuild the website, add new content, implement communication tools for customers to reach out and hear back within a short period of time, and effectively promote the brand's image.
3. Improved Google Search Rankings and Implementing Ads. Before working with Web Tech Fusion, Bradley Mechanical was not appearing in Google Search results for local HVAC and plumbing experts. By updating the website with fresh, relative content and following SEO guidelines, Web Tech Fusion was able to now begin ranking on page one search results for important keywords that customers were actively searching for when seeking a repair and mechanical company. Similarly, Web Tech Fusion made a concrete argument for Bradley Mechanical to utilize Google Ads by reallocating their advertising budget to incorporate traditional media like TV and radio while adding digital ads that reached the right audience where they were on their purchasing journey.
4. Organizing and Consolidating Data. While updating Bradley's brand, website and overall organization, Web Tech Fusion identified a need to collect and organize the company's data and channel logins. There were system details scattered around, without true ownership of certain platforms and it was difficult to understand any type of marketing attribution. As a core part of Web Tech Fusion's partnership model, the teams worked together to organize and consolidate the information to ensure the leaders of Bradley Mechanical had full access and transparency into their data and workspaces.

Reliable & Consistent Growth

Over the course of 10+ years of working with Web Tech Fusion, Bradley Mechanical benefited from the following results:

Growth in Revenue & Consistent Business

Today, the partnership has resulted in growing Bradley Mechanical’s AAR by 550%. Web Tech Fusion did this by focusing on revenue growth and prioritizing advertising to generate the most quality leads possible. After shifting their advertising dollars to accommodate digital search ads, Bradley Mechanical saw a significant increase in their revenue directly tied to online advertising. This work has generated over 21k in leads in 2023 alone.

Omni-Channel Marketing

Web Tech Fusion has always been on a mission to be omni-channel with consistent messaging in a cyclical way to align with business demand during certain time frames. “We focused in on messaging that promotes a family organization that wants to provide quality whole home solutions to properly take care of their customers,” said Matthew Hickman, CEO of Web Tech Fusion. Today, Web Tech Fusion manages Bradley Mechanical’s entire marketing and advertising spend, making up around 10% of the Bradley's annual revenue. By properly utilizing Google Ads, Bradley Mechanical gained consistent business revenue, enabling them to hire more team members, funding and fueling the company's overall growth. The company now has over 200 high volume keywords on page one of Google, which resulted in 4,000 search engine conversions in 2023. Additionally, Web Tech Fusion delivered 23 million impressions with traditional media (television, radio, etc.) and another 22 million with streaming and digital platforms.

Increased Leads

The first edition of the new website saw a huge uptick in traffic that continued to grow month after month. This version of the website was also built to show Bradley Mechanical where the traffic came from and how they can continue to expand in the future. Since its launch, Web Tech Fusion has undergone two additional website redesigns, containing 240,000 computations of personalization. This custom personalization engine dynamically delivers a tailored user-experience for the visitor based on their service type of interest, the current weather and the current season. It also allows for dynamic customer scheduling that loads directly to their dispatch system. Understanding the why and how behind the growth was a major shift in this business model, allowing Bradley Mechanical to grow into the most profitable areas. This meant they were receiving more qualified and relevant leads vs. fielding random inquiries that may not be a suitable option.

Better Accountability

Online reviews are a popular and increasingly important way customers choose to vet a new company. While Web Tech Fusion brought clarity into Bradley Mechanical's assets, they also uncovered an area lacking attention: customer experiences. Without a proper calling or online feedback form to funnel in customer experiences and address issues promptly, Bradley Mechanical could not effectively and consistently gauge how the company performed. They also needed a way to effectively show potential customers what it was like working with them with proof of quality service. Web Tech Fusion helped integrate a review solicitation program that encourages customers to leave reviews. The program uses an integrated SMS review solicitation solution, improving the company’s overall image and reputation, creating a 257% increase in customer reviews. Additionally, the program drove accountability, ensuring their employees followed protocols and received proper recognition.

System Integrations

In addition to the SMS solicitation program, Web Tech Fusion implemented a system allowing customers to dynamically schedule appointments which are then placed in Bradley’s dispatch system. Other system integrations include dynamic phone number attribution and user-experience personalization, curating website content based on the customer’s current weather situations. “These programs result in making Bradley Mechanical one of the most efficient and advanced mechanical companies in the area,” said Hickman.

Complete trust.

Over time, Web Tech Fusion gained the company's trust and shifted conversations from a stance of why they should invest their funds in digital marketing to earning complete trust and having meaningful operational discussions on how they can improve business divisions to allow for more growth. "One of our top priorities at Web Tech Fusion is to work closely enough with our clients that we become a trusted member of the team and not just another vendor," said Hickman. "We're proud of the relationship we have with Bradley Mechanical, and it was completely due to building a solid and trusting foundation within those first few years. We've had the pleasure of working with the team for over 10 years now, helping them to grow their business and thrive year after year."

Like all of Web Tech Fusion’s clients, the overall marketing strategy for Bradley Mechanical is constantly evolving. As Bradley Mechanical grows, new needs are formed and priorities shift. From advertising to production to reputation management to website maintenance to system integrations and even business consulting, Web Tech Fusion is focused on adapting to whatever the client needs. “Our number one goal is to always be enhancing our overall marketing strategy over time, which we do by becoming an extension of their organization,” added Hickman.