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Retail & Products

Black River's Digital Marketing Transformation

Key Metrics

Black River - Key Metrics 1

+288%

Revenue

Black River - Key Metrics 2

+464%

Sessions

Black River - Key Metrics 3

+3110%

Top 10 Keywords

For any B2B company venturing into the direct-to-consumer (DTC) market, generating brand awareness with a new audience can be unfamiliar territory. Competing against established brands with loyal followings can be daunting, but that’s the hurdle Summit Products faced when they launched Black River, their new line of high-quality truck accessories designed for outdoor enthusiasts.

This case study explores how focusing on organic rankings in the search engine results page helped Black River differentiate its product offering with customer-focused content and used targeted campaigns to build a new audience from scratch.

About Black River

Based in Altoona, Iowa, Black River designs rugged, reliable roof racks and truck toppers that make hauling gear a breeze. Built for outdoor enthusiasts, off-roaders, and gearheads, Black River blends innovation and durability to make adventure more accessible. From truck toppers and UTV accessories to all-weather storage solutions, Black River helps customers roam farther, carry smarter, and explore tougher.

The team at Logical Position has been instrumental in bringing our vision for the Black River product line to consumers. From fine-tuning the messaging to identifying our key differentiators, it’s been a collaborative effort that’s been educational for our staff and impactful to the business.

— Marshall Allen, Director of Marketing, Summit Products

Objective

The goal was to drive targeted traffic, but Black River needed to directly engage a new consumer audience and establish a national brand identity. Without the help of traditional retail, it required rethinking conventional strategies and setting new expectations with a digital-first approach.

Strategy

From an SEO perspective, our team focused on optimizing two main site pillars: category pages and individual product pages. The former aimed to rank for broad keywords (e.g., “Truck Bed Toppers”) to capture attention in the awareness/discovery phase of the buying journey. Alternatively, product pages covered users in the conversion phase with specific keyword targets (e.g., “Matrix ST Truck Topper”) to ensure Black River ranked for a wide range of search terms throughout the shopping/buying process.

Additionally, we developed a blog content calendar to address common customer questions and drive visibility. This content established Black River as a resource for users in the buying journey, drove organic traffic, and positioned the brand as an authority in its niche.

Black River - Advertisements

Results

December 2024 Performance (12-month comparison)

Black River - Metrics

Impact

This shift from traditional sales to digital marketing exemplifies how even well-established companies can evolve to meet the demands of the digital marketplace, ensuring continued growth and success.

Tips For Achieving Similar Results

Conduct regular website and SEO audits

Invest in organic rankings to support paid media campaigns

Target top converting keywords in paid search for organic rankings

Cater to shoppers throughout each stage of the buying journey

Is your company ready to rack up the business opportunities and top the competition? Reach out to our team of marketing specialists today to explore how we can help your business.

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