McKeon Stone
The Challenge
McKeon needed to emphasise the unique characteristics of its limestone. To do this, it drew on the experiences of sculptors and artists both in Ireland and across the globe, focusing primarily on the quality of the stone, but also describing the support that sculptors and artists had received from the company. Artists who had already used McKeon Stone needed to be kept informed of developments in the quarrying technology, as well as the availability of the stone in stock, but even more important information about the limestone had to reach those sculptors, masons, and others who had either not heard of McKeon, or who had not yet tried the stone. Emarkable, therefore, needed to show a range of completed works by famous artists that demonstrated the gradations in colour, the detail, and the versatility of McKeon Stone so that potential clients would realise that it could be suitable for their own planned projects.
The Strategy
Emarkable has developed a six-stage process to assist businesses such as McKeon. The first stage involves research, which uncovered that Kilkenny Blue Limestone was not receiving the recognition it deserved. Many potential customers were unaware of the stone’s versatility and thus did not consider it a viable option for their projects. To address this, Emarkable focused on the art community, increasing awareness of several well-known completed works, including some created at McKeon’s workshop in Stradbally, County Laois.
The next stage of the process is to drive traffic to the website, which was achieved through search engine optimisation, blogs, an email campaign, news updates, and case studies, particularly those featuring works of art produced using McKeon Stone. Case studies were a large part of this engagement, funded in part by Enterprise Ireland.
User traffic analysis of the website guides the fourth, fifth, and sixth stages of the process. The fourth stage comprises Calls to Action, with the ultimate goal of converting leads into sales. Detailed analysis of website responses is carried out to ensure potential clients are aware of the most suitable stone for their styles and talents, encouraging them to examine the work of other artists from an informed perspective.
The sixth and final stage involves the collection and collation of data on all aspects of the campaign and its presentation. This data is intended to assist McKeon in directing and improving its own marketing strategy based on what was learned during the campaign.
Emarkable’s six-stage process helped McKeon to increase awareness of Kilkenny Blue Limestone’s versatility and suitability for art projects, drive traffic to the website, convert leads into sales, and collect valuable data for future marketing efforts.
Emarkable's six-stage process helped McKeon to increase awareness of Kilkenny Blue Limestone's versatility and suitability for art projects, drive traffic to the website, convert leads into sales, and collect valuable data for future marketing efforts.
