Portland, OR, July 11, 2017 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Seven-location dealership Mid-State Equipment was originally established in Columbus, Wisconsin by founding owners Curt and Linda Hanson. With its roots in John Deere farming equipment, the dealership group now has stores all over the southern region of the state. Business has grown tremendously since Mid-State Equipment’s beginning in 1974.
Over four decades ago, Curt Hanson was living in Central Wisconsin and working as a territory manager for John Deere. Hanson saw a need for agricultural equipment products back in South Wisconsin after a local area dealership went out of business – that’s where it all began.
To no surprise, the original Columbus location began as a John Deere dealership, and to this day all seven locations are full-line John Deere dealerships. Agriculture has always been the company’s biggest focus, but the business has vastly expanded into additional product lines and manufacturers over time. Mid-State Equipment has also grown to include utility vehicles, lawn and garden, commercial, and light industrial equipment. Today, the dealerships are operated by the second generation of the Hanson family – Curt and Linda’s son and daughter-in-law, Bryan and Erin Hanson; and the couple’s daughter and son-in-law, Chris and Scott Frodel.
“What sets us apart from other dealers in our area is that we make it a ‘Mid-State’ experience,” says Beth Halverson, who was the Marketing and Advertising Coordinator for the company during its launch with Dealer Spike. “It’s a family-owned business, and that’s a big part of the culture. We strive to carry the best products in the industry, and we make sure our customers are well taken care of when they need it.” The business is known to expand hours during planting and harvest seasons, as well as having service technicians on call for farmers’ needs when out in the field. “That kind of thing is important to us,” Halverson explains simply.
A little over a year ago, Halverson began considering a revamp of the Mid-State Equipment website. The company’s web provider at the time had some issues with timeliness – Halverson says that changes weren’t always made in a swift manner, which was an issue with constantly updating inventory and information. It was important for current customers to find the information they needed when they visited the store online, and crucial for potential customers to see that Mid-State Equipment could fulfill their equipment needs. Halverson started looking at websites for other dealerships, not only for equipment but also in auto and other industries, and that’s where she found Dealer Spike.
“Dealer Spike had the promise of a whole support team available to make changes within twenty-four hours, which was a really big deal to us,” Halverson says. “We were also looking for a cleaner and more streamlined design – bold, but easy to navigate.”
Halverson and her team signed on with Dealer Spike in December 2016 and haven’t looked back. “Our website is probably the most important method of advertising that we do,” she says. “We’ve received a huge amount of leads since our launch, and they are legitimate leads.” Halverson says that her team has seen an impressive close rate overall on those that come through the website, and they see the potential to keep growing with their new digital marketing strategy in place.
“Agricultural and heavy equipment dealers are beginning to see the value in a strong online presence, and we are impressed with dealerships like Mid-State Equipment that are really taking the initiative as leaders,” says Jay Mason, CEO of Dealer Spike. “We are proud to partner with these industry front-runners, and we only see bigger and better things coming for Mid-State and others who have made a wise investment in the future of digital.”
One of the biggest changes Halverson has seen in comparing the old and new websites is the amount of traffic that comes in. “Customers are finding us through organic search,” she says. “The content on our website is a huge help.” Before, Halverson says that Mid-State Equipment didn’t really receive any online leads, and they didn’t even have forms on their website to gather that kind of information. There was no way to track anything. Now, it’s the first resource for both current and new customers.
The Mid-State Equipment team has great ambitions for their company’s future with digital marketing. Halverson predicts that it will continue to grow and have a stronger presence in the equipment sales industry in the years to come. “It’s the most important way to spend our marketing dollars,” she says. “There’s no question in my mind that we are on the right track with that, and with Dealer Spike as our partner.”
ABOUT MID-STATE EQUIPMENT
Mid-State Equipment has grown to seven locations throughout Southern Wisconsin with over 200 employees. The company takes pride in offering first-class service and support for customers after each sale. “You Can Count on Us!” is the company motto, and the entire staff work hard to live up to Mid-State Equipment’s Mission and Core Values.
http://www.midstateequipment.com/
ABOUT DEALER SPIKE AGRICULTURE
Dealer Spike is a world-wide digital advertising company focused on helping dealers increase sales and service profitability through online digital advertising and training. We provide innovative, powerful, distinctive web solutions and tools to thousands of dealers worldwide. Our expertise comes from real-world dealership experience and a passion for listening and responding to our dealers' needs in the marketplace.
http://www.dealerspikeagriculture.com/