How an Industrial Oil Manufacturer Established Their Marketing Growth Engine

KLONDIKE Lubricants Case Study

The Company

For over 35 years, KLONDIKE Lubricants has been redefining industry standards as Canada’s top independent lubricant brand. With more than 1,400 dealer locations, KLONDIKE offers a portfolio of over 700 SKUs across 10 product families, from packaged and bulk oils to industrial lubricants and chemicals. Their impressive revenue growth has been driven primarily by the Canadian market. 

The Challenge

In 2023, KLONDIKE set its sights on expanding into the USA market. To succeed, they needed a deep understanding of their product needs, users, and market dynamics, as well as a robust demand generation program. To achieve this, they sought strategic marketing leadership to develop a comprehensive Go-to-Market strategy.

The Goal

KLONDIKE aimed to:

  • Boost revenue by 2.5x within 36 months by targeting three key areas for Canadian growth.
  • Successfully enter and establish a presence in new US markets.
  • Refine messaging and tactics in digital campaigns to surpass traditional branding efforts.

The Results

KLONDIKE leveraged Able & Howe’s Fractional CMO and Fractional MDS services to elevate brand awareness and drive growth in new markets. Key initiatives included:

Developed a comprehensive Go-to-Market strategy matrix

Created marketing growth frameworks for US & Canadian markets

Upskilled internal marketing team on core messaging and positioning

Our Key Responsibilities

How Able & Howe helped KLONDIKE Lubricants:

 

  • Conducted a comprehensive martech audit.
  • Executed multiple market research projects.
  • Analyzed new market opportunities.
  • Conducted in-depth interviews with employees, customers, and prospects.
  • Developed and executed a customer survey for eCommerce needs analysis. 
  • Created a detailed Go-to-Market strategy matrix.
  • Developed comprehensive buyer personas.
  • Completed a UI/UX website audit with actionable insights for improved conversion and user experience.
  • Provided leadership and oversight for the internal KLONDIKE marketing team
  • Delivered coaching and training on brand messaging and content creation.
  • Conducted a B2B eCommerce needs analysis.
  • Completed an SEO audit with actionable insights.
  • Collaborated with CEO and executive team on strategic initiatives.

How it Happened

Working closely with KLONDIKE’s CEO and executive team, we initiated a series of marketing initiatives to optimize their brand messaging, enhance their digital presence, and build a scalable demand generation engine tailored to both the Canadian and US markets.

Evaluate

Strengths

KLONDIKE Lubricants boasts a strong presence in the Canadian market with of 35 years of history and a diverse product line of over 700 SKUs across 10 product families. As innovative market leaders with global certification and numerous OEM approvals, KLONDIKE serves a range of markets including heavy-duty industrial equipment, automotive, agriculture, markine, construction, manufacturing, food-grade, and oil and gas.

 

Their extensive distribution network includes over 1,400 dealer locations, contributing to industry-leading revenue growth of over 25% year-over-year since 2015. This growth has been driven by their unique consultative selling approach.

WEAKNESSES

KLONDIKE had the opportunity to gain deeper insights into the US market to refine their Go-to-Market strategy. By enhancing strategic marketing leadership, they could effectively tailor their approach for this new market. Strengthening their internal marketing team with additional training and support would further enable them to execute strategic initiatives successfully. 

Function Gaps

Developing a detailed Go-to-Market plan for the US market, including market needs assessment, competitor analysis, and customer persona development, presented a significant opportunity. Enhancing the internal team’s expertise in optimizing digital campaigns, developing targeted messaging, and implementing advanced marketing technologies would greatly benefit their efforts. Additionally, upgrading their website to support future eCommerce functionality and improve user experience would align with their growth objectives. 

Create

  • Developed a Go-to-Market strategy matrix designed to guide KLONDIKE’s entry into the US market.
  • Created detailed buyer personas based on market research, customer feedback, and demographic data to inform marketing strategies, messaging, and targeting efforts.
  • Formulated and optimized marketing messages to better engage and convert potential customers.

Evolve

  • Partnered with the CEO and executive team to refine strategic initiatives and align marketing efforts with overall business objectives.
  • Completed a market analysis of new and existing markets to identify growth opportunities and market dynamics in US and Canadian markets.
  • Completed a CRO audit on the KLONDIKE website and provided strategic recommendations for alignment with brand identity, conversion optimization, and UX best practices.
  • Completed several market research projects to gather crucial insights into market needs, customer behaviour, and the competitive landscape.

Activate

  • Completed a B2B eCommerce needs analysis project to identify the tech stack and the features and functionalities needed to elevate the KLONDIKE website to a fully functional B2B eCommerce platform.

Enable

  • Completed a martech audit to assess and optimize the KLONDIKE marketing technology stack for better efficiency and integration.
  • Provided leadership and oversight of the internal KLONDIKE marketing team, offering guidance and support on key marketing initiatives.
  • Provided coaching and training on brand messaging and content creation.