Building a modern digital footprint for South Africa's oldest chemical manufacturer

AECI Chemicals rejuvenates its online presence with a digital visibility project engineered by Auxo Digital

The oldest AECI Industrial Chemicals manufacturing plant dates back to 1908. The company, a South African original with a rich heritage and product portfolio, has been around for more than 100 years with a track record that speaks for itself. After over a century in operation, AECI wanted to move into the digital environment, creating a footprint that would showcase its capabilities, products, innovations, and history, and Auxo Digital was the perfect partner for this project.

Short on time?

Here are the bite-sized takeaways:

Auxo Digital worked with AECI Industrial Chemicals to create a robust online presence.

This included:

Bespoke product search tool across entire portfolio of chemicals, driving lead generation

A social media presence covering 8000+ followers, garnering 150,000+ impressions annually

Clear visibility into online performance through personalised analytics dashboard, offering immediate insight into engagement and reach

SEO-driven visibility in Google search

Quintuple digit website traffic annually

Creation of digital marketing material, including brochures, flyers, product info overviews etc.

Building a
digital
foundation:
The start

The oldest AECI Industrial Chemicals manufacturing plant dates back to 1908.

The company, a South African original with a rich heritage and product portfolio, has been around for more than 100 years, and its track record is exceptional. The company wanted to move into the digital environment, creating a footprint that would showcase its capabilities, products, innovations, and history, and Auxo Digital was the perfect partner for this project.

The challenge for many companies within the manufacturing sector in South Africa is that they lack a digital presence and often have low digital adoption. AECI Industrial Chemicals had zero digital footprint, barring a simple website with no contact information and no social media. The company was engaging with potential customers through more traditional methods such as trade shows and brochures, and needed a digital presence to uplift its engagement and traction in the market.

AECI Industrial Chemicals had developed a new, digital-first strategy designed to drive awareness, build traction, and create an ecosystem that could connect with the market through traditional physical channels and digital ones.

To further this objective, the company engaged with Auxo Digital for six months, building an exceptional online presence and implementing and executing a robust digital marketing strategy.

World class manufacturing meets global connectivity

The project required a complete reimagining of the AECI Industrial Chemicals brand online. As the original site had little to no information on it, the Auxo Digital team had to engage with stakeholders throughout AECI Industrial Chemicals to source insights and sales points. It was important that the website capture the company’s unique selling propositions (USPs), capabilities, expertise, and history.

The key to success lay in Auxo Digital’s determination to move into the mindset of the business and collaborate closely with leadership and stakeholders. The team helped AECI Industrial Chemicals to unpack their wisdom, recognise their value and communicate clearly to the outside world.

The website now offers:

An exceptional search function that allows for users to search products by industry type, or to simply search using a single term that will then direct the user to the right section.

Detailed product descriptions that give users more visibility into the depth and scale of AECI Industrial Chemicals’ portfolio.

Rich SEO that has given AECI Industrial Chemicals superb visibility through Google and search tools.

A website that has been built to meet and exceed the best practice standards set by competitors in the industry.

Auxo Digital also expanded the images, built a superb library of data, and revitalised the company’s online presence. Auxo Digital has managed to grow these social media accounts organically from zero to more than 8,000 followers in six months, while the website garners more than 1,400 visitors a month with a total of 27,500 in less than a year.

A digital transformation solution

From a sparse page to a richly populated site, the team shifted the narrative of the company into a digital environment that's slick, accessible, and informative.

It consolidates the business into an online home, a space where even employees can find out more about what their company can do, and who they work with.

The goal of building a layered, vibrant, and engaging website was easily met by the Auxo Digital team.

As a result, the company has an agile and engaging lead generation tool in the form of its superb product descriptions, SEO, and intelligent search tool. Potential customers can quickly assess the AECI Industrial Chemicals portfolio and its relevance to their needs and easily get in touch.

The website, social media, lead generation, search tool and online presence for AECI Industrial Chemicals was built in just six months and is exceeding ten thousand views a year, making this an incredibly successful project that has sustainable value for the company.