Success Story: Driving Food Industry Lead Generation Through SEO and Digital Strategy
Food and Beverage contract manufacturer has $1 million introduced into sales pipeline and achieved 2X revenue growth and 3.5X EBITDA
Client Profile
This client is a contract manufacturer in the food and beverage industry, specializing in powdered product solutions. They work with brand owners and private-label companies to develop custom formulations and provide end-to-end services.
Business Situation
A contract producer of powdered food and beverage products came to Athena with strong technical capabilities but a stalled path to new business. Nearly half of their production capacity sat idle, and they lacked the internal sales infrastructure to support effective food industry lead generation. Their only tools for attracting prospects were an external outbound firm and a basic contact form on their website, which produced few opportunities and offered limited visibility into buyer intent. They needed more: an SEO program, CRM, list development tools, and a structured follow-up process to effectively track activity and build a predictable pipeline.
Todd Zielinski, Athena CEO, approached the company’s leadership to introduce Athena’s inbound process. While leadership recognized they needed a stronger digital foundation to reach food and beverage brands earlier in the buying cycle, they were skeptical that an outsource firm could specialize in food and beverage. However, curiosity and hope for success led company leadership to take a risk on the partnership.
Athena would develop an SEO-driven approach that improved online visibility, strengthened food industry lead generation, and created a more consistent path for new business.
Expanding Market Visibility
Inbound activity had been inconsistent, and the website offered limited support for long-term lead generation. Athena introduced an SEO program to strengthen visibility among brands searching for contract manufacturing resources. The program included technical SEO, site SEO fundamentals, keyword research, monthly SEO and content development, conversion rate optimization, and ongoing website development. As food industry lead generation increased, leadership gained direct visibility into emerging product development activity. Inbound inquiries reflected the real-time market. This demand positioned the company as a knowledgeable resource, with customers regularly seeking perspective on what is trending across the industry.
In addition, Athena set up and managed a dedicated Pipedrive CRM to provide pipeline visibility and sales coordination to reconnect the company with prospects who had become unresponsive after an initial meeting.
Refining Market Positioning and Strategic Direction
Consistent food industry lead generation provided leadership with confidence to sharpen strategic focus. Earlier efforts served a broad range of markets. Over time, insight from inbound demand supported a deliberate shift toward higher-margin, regulatory-intensive functional powder products.
The visibility from SEO activities reinforced the manufacturer’s capabilities in these specialized areas, helping the market recognize the company’s strengths in manufacturing these products. Clearer positioning strengthened credibility and aligned business development activity with long-term objectives.
Expanding In Year Two With Targeted Outbound
After a full year centered on food industry lead generation and inbound lead growth, Athena introduced a targeted outbound component to support specific capacity objectives. Athena built a focused outreach list and layered targeted outbound prospecting on top of the existing digital program.
This addition created a balanced approach to new business development, combining digital visibility to capture early interest with selective outreach to target specific opportunities. The expanded model supported a steady, controlled flow of qualified conversations, providing a more rounded, consistent approach to new account development.
Results From Year One
During the first year, the program delivered measurable gains in visibility, pipeline activity, and qualified conversations. Athena booked 29 introductory meetings, and the active pipeline grew to more than $1 million in potential profit, giving leadership visibility into near- and mid-term opportunities. One opportunity converted into awarded work with a value in low six figure range.
Search visibility improved steadily throughout year one as website impressions grew by more than 300 percent, up to more than 11,000 per month. Top 5 search result positions grew from 17 to 120, and Top 10 positions increased from 24 to 191, contributing to the stronger inbound results.
Form submissions has exceeded expectations, as well. The company has seen 6 to 8 times the number of submissions since working with Athena, with 46% worth calling on and 24% converted to meetings. In addition, the company receives 1-2 phone calls a month originating from the website.
Beyond metrics, the engagement supported meaningful business evolution. Revenue increased 2x and EBITDA grew 3.5x during the partnership period. Multiple factors contributed to this growth. Athena’s role strengthened market visibility, improved credibility, and better-informed strategic decision-making.
The organization operates today with clearer positioning, sharper focus, and deeper insight into industry trends than it had at the start of the engagement.
