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📍 Background

Portwest, a global manufacturer of high-performance workwear and PPE, is expanding its presence in the U.S. market. My role as a digital strategist was to craft an inbound marketing strategy and execute a lead generation campaign tailored to industrial buyers—ranging from manufacturing engineers to safety heads.

🎯 Objectives

• Understand Portwest’s U.S.-based B2B and B2C personas
• Map the digital buyer journey in a safety compliance-focused industry
• Develop a full-funnel content marketing strategy
• Create real lead generation assets: emails, blogs, landing pages
• Track KPIs to support traffic, engagement, and conversion goals

👥 Personas & Buyer Journey

🚒 B2C Persona: Manufacturing Engineer (“Ethan Hunt”)
• Needs: Comfort, safety certification, affordability
• Pain points: Heavy gear, poor fit, frequent replacement

🛡️ B2B Persona: Safety Manager (“Gabriel Macht”)
• Needs: OSHA compliance, vendor trust, budget control
• Pain points: Regulatory changes, repetitive purchases, staff training

Mapped Buyer Journey (for B2B): - Awareness: Safety audit reports reveal non-compliance.
Consideration: Compares vendors, reviews testimonials, seeks cost breakdowns.
Decision: Requests quotes, evaluates supplier onboarding support.

🔍 Social Listening Insights

• Amazon Reviews: 80% 4+ star feedback on Steelite safety boots
• Pros: Comfort, durability
• Cons: Slightly heavy (steel toes)
• Instagram: High engagement with reels, but limited product education
Opportunity: Emphasize comfort/durability in marketing; address weight concerns in product design or messaging.

🌎 Competitor Research
• Dickies: UGC + storytelling builds emotional connection
• Tranemo: Thought leadership via case studies + whitepapers
• Blaklader: Certification-focused education & brand partnerships (Red Bull, IHF)
Recommendation for Portwest: Blend UGC authenticity with technical credibility. Position as a compliance-forward yet user-friendly brand.

📅 Content Strategy Highlights

The campaign included a structured content plan to target various stages of the buyer journey. Educational blogs were published weekly to support SEO and build thought leadership. Product reels were created weekly to deliver visual content for decision-stage buyers. Webinars were hosted monthly to drive lead generation and showcase industry expertise. Safety tips were shared bi-weekly to boost engagement and establish authority, while compliance kits were distributed bi-weekly via email as gated downloadable assets to capture leads.



KPI Goals: - +20% website traffic - +10% conversion on brochure form - +15% content impressions - +100+ leads from webinar signups


📧 Email & Blog Campaign Breakdown

Email Campaign
• Offer: Download the “Next-Gen Safety Gear” e-Brochure
• CTA: Link to gated landing page
• Lead Capture: Email + role segmentation

Blog 1: “Safety Tips for Manufacturing Success”
• Focus on culture, training, communication
• CTA: Webinar invite for safety leaders

Blog 2: “Selecting the Right Safety Gear”
• Focus on comfort, fit, compliance
• CTA: Download full brochure (lead magnet)

✅ Final Outcome & Takeaways

This case study exemplifies a comprehensive, insight-driven approach to inbound marketing and B2B content strategy. By aligning persona research with channel-specific tactics, the campaign successfully demonstrated how strategic content planning can drive awareness, engagement, and lead generation within a compliance-focused industry.

From mapping buyer journeys and conducting social listening to deploying gated content and SEO blogs, the project showcases a full-funnel execution model backed by measurable KPIs. The deliverables—ranging from e-brochures and email campaigns to webinars and blog content—can be readily adapted for live implementation in industrial and safetywear sectors, serving as a blueprint for scalable digital growth.

Tools Used: Canva | SEMrush | HubSpot | LinkedIn | Turnitin | Google Analytics