Colewell Automation
“[Marketing Metal] You are f*cking fantastic!”
In January of 2022, we launched a Rad new brand for Colewell Automation that reflected the way Steven and Dustin show up with customers: direct, thoughtful, pragmatic, and genuinely invested in helping manufacturers grow without making automation feel intimidating or out of reach.
Since then, their team and facility had more than doubled in size, they were landing bigger, more complex projects, and were gearing up to display at a trade show for the first time ever. Colewell was just warming up and they had a big vision to continue that growth. It was time for a brand update and for them to start leveraging all the marketing foundations we had built for them.
With a prime location at FABTECH EXPO and a fun vision to build a robotic system that would challenge visitors to a game of Connect4, Colewell needed a killer booth display complete with a highlight reel of their favorite projects, cool giveaways, new handouts, and a social media strategy leading up to, during and beyond the show so they could make a big splash.
In general, Colewell wanted to step up their social media game, especially on LinkedIn, to increase visibility and engagement with ideal prospects and job candidates. They wanted a system that would help them show up consistently and feed their content machine, especially in the months leading up to FABTECH. One that empowered the sales team, engineers, and leadership to participate naturally, and carry forward long after we stepped back.
They didn’t even think twice before reaching out to us to help set them up for this next phase. Not only because we knew their brand so well, but also because they loved our process. Because it’s focused, collaborative, and FUN. It left their team energized instead of drained.
Shaping the Brand Materials
We made strategic updates to their website and messaging so it better reflected the range of automation work they’re doing today, without overwhelming prospects who are still early in their automation journey. The goal was clarity without complexity. Confidence without chest-thumping.
We also went back to Iowa with cameras to record two new case study videos. One was revisiting a customer we met last time who had since purchased two additional systems from Colewell because they were so awesome to work with. The other one was an awesome story about how Colewell helped an electronic components manufacturer bring production back from overseas–and saved them a whole bunch of money and headaches in the process.
Then came the activation.
Sharpening the Marketing Skills
Instead of acting as Colewell’s voice like most agencies do, we focused on helping them find and trust their own. So they can continue to capture real people, real conversations, and real projects in real time, without having to hand-hold on an external agency.
We got them started with our stupid simple content system, which included social media, PR, and blog posts, then trained their team to carry it forward. Part of that initiative included developing a Linkedin Challenge that got their whole team competing for prizes, earning points by sending out connection requests and engaging with Colewell’s posts.
Over that three-month LinkedIn activation period, Colewell saw dramatic increases in visibility and engagement:
25,872 impressions (+14,037%)
652 reactions (+32,500%)
201 page searches (+94%)
283 page views (+14%)
125 unique visitors (+9.6%)
But the real impact showed up where it always does — in conversations and commitments.
This year alone, the team has already quoted more than 200 projects. For comparison, they only sent out about 400 quotes in the first 5 years of business, which means their leads have more than doubled in that time.
At FABTECH, they scanned roughly 130 badges. Around 60 of those turned into legitimate, qualified leads, with 10–15 hot opportunities requiring immediate follow-up. Two verbal PO commitments alone represented about $1.2M that were expected to close shortly after the show.
Shining Beyond the Feed
As Colewell’s visibility increased, so did Steven’s presence beyond LinkedIn.
With encouragement and support from the Radical Shop Leaders Club, he began showing up on podcasts and panels, contributing to bigger conversations about automation, manufacturing, and leadership. Not as a talking head, but as a practitioner who’s been in the trenches, learned the hard lessons, and is willing to share what actually works.
That credibility compounds. And prospects feel it.
Magnetizing and Winning
Colewell Automation isn’t winning just because they’re posting on Linkedin more. They’re winning because their brand foundation is magnetic and authentic to who they are.
The messaging sounds like them.
The photos and videos feature their team and customers.
The system is simple and empowers the whole team to participate.
Marketing stops being a chore when you feel good about the story you’re telling. And now, Colewell isn’t dependent on an outside agency to keep the lights on. They have a rhythm. A voice. And a process that works for them. Which is exactly the point.
Ready to start magnetizing your people?
Schedule a quick 15-minute call with Emily HERE to figure it out. No sales pitch, no gimmicks, just a quick introduction to see how we jive.
Learn more about our Radical process HERE.
