O’Brien Lifting Solutions has been a trusted crane and material lifting product manufacturer since its founding in 1963. More than 60 years later, having merged with Source Industrial Services to become O’Brien|Source, a part of the Flatiron family of crane companies, they continue to lead the industry in Canada in service and quality.
In 2022, years before their merger with Source Industrial Solutions, O’Brien Lifting Solutions was ready to take the steps to grow their business.
The Challenge
O’Brien Lifting Solutions had a strong reputation for their stellar service and product quality, their brand was getting stale and needed a refresh. They contacted CM2 Media to help.
They needed help in these key areas:
- A rebrand, including a new logo and updated website
- A revamped Social Media & Search Strategy
- An increase in qualified leads and conversions
The CM2 Plan
CM2 conducted a thorough business, market, competitor, and brand review. From this process, a series of actions were recommended and implemented:
- Brand identity refresh
- Redesigned website
- A new Search Engine Optimization (SEO) strategy
- A Search Engine Marketing (SEM) strategy (Google Ads and LinkedIn)
- A robust social media strategy
For O’Brien Lifting Solutions, there were several aspects to their story and business that helped to define and differentiate their brand…
- A family business for over 60 years emphasizing customer service and quality
- The largest inventory of parts
- 24-hour emergency service
All of these aspects culminated in a campaign strategy of: Getting you up and running FAST – illustrating the benefit of minimizing their customers’ downtime so they can get back to business.
Since initiating work in 2022, CM2 continues to provide ongoing website, SEO, social media, and SEM activities, helping O’Brien|Source grow their business and maintain a leading position in the industry.
The Results
Since the campaign launch, O’Brien Lifting Solutions has seen tremendous growth in online metrics, sales, and leads.
- Since working with CM2, O’Brien Lifting Solutions has experienced a 3 X increase in quality monthly leads
- The website now ranks top-of-page organically for competitive, relevant keywords. Traffic has increased by 235% compared to the previous year.
CM2’s ongoing work since the campaign launch, including their “Gets you up and running FAST” program, has helped O’Brien Lifting Solutions become an industry leader in Ontario. This has set the stage for success beyond what was imagined back in 2022, including:
- Acquisition by Flatiron Cranes in April 2023
- Merger with Source Industrial Solutions in December, 2024
O’Brien|Source has been on a tremendous growth trajectory over the past 3 years. And the strength of the brand that was reimagined back in 2022 has helped shape the new O’Brien|Source brand going into 2025.
Reflections on this project
Working on this business has been a tremendous experience for us. Dan, Steve, Tim, Marc, Steve, and Randy have been amazing to work with. We really feel like we’re a part of the family.
From the original brand strategy to their website and social campaigns, it’s been a privilege to have contributed to their incredible growth. And now, as their trajectory continues upward as part of the Flatiron family of companies, we’re excited for even bigger things!