Sweetwood Smoke & Co.

Digital Marketing Overhaul

The Challenge

For two years, Sweetwood relied on an in-house team to manage its eCommerce operations. However, the team was overburdened, and digital marketing efforts lacked the consistency and strategy needed for long-term growth.

This reactive approach made it difficult to scale their eCommerce operations effectively. Opportunities like delivering personalized customer experiences, using data-driven insights, and refining digital touchpoints went untapped. Sweetwood realized that short-term fixes wouldn’t suffice—it needed a unified vision, a well-defined growth strategy, and a clear roadmap to reach its full potential.

Labyrinth’s Services

Email Newsletter Strategy
Lifecycle Flow Strategy
Content Calendar Development
Platform Migration & Setup
Reporting & Channel Performance Insights

The Solution

Labyrinth Digital identified key areas to improve Sweetwood’s digital marketing and, from there, crafted a scalable, holistic eCommerce growth strategy. This strategy emphasized building the marketing framework from the bottom of the funnel upward, creating a solid foundation for sustained growth and optimizing conversions.

To address shortcomings in email and SMS marketing, we transitioned Sweetwood’s sporadic newsletter approach to a strategic, planned model. Campaigns were mapped out three months in advance and integrated with lifecycle communications tailored to subscribers’ journeys, ensuring consistent and relevant engagement at every touchpoint.

For long-term customer loyalty, we introduced a subscription-based program supported by a customized communication plan. This encouraged reorders and deepened customer relationships.

We revamped Sweetwood’s SEO strategy by targeting high-impact keywords, refreshing metadata, creating new content, and optimizing existing long-form content. This comprehensive approach provided a solid foundation for sustained organic growth.

In paid advertising, we shifted the focus from brand awareness to driving conversions. We began by ensuring accurate performance tracking with properly configured conversion tags. With the infrastructure in place, we updated Meta ad creative to resonate with audience preferences and utilized Google Ads’ Performance Max campaigns to expand reach and efficiency. This combination attracted high-quality traffic and significantly boosted conversion rates across channels.

The Results

The strategic changes delivered outstanding year-over-year growth for Sweetwood across multiple channels. Repeat customer rates increased by 37%, reflecting stronger brand loyalty and engagement. eCommerce revenue surged by 118% YoY, with Shopify revenue alone climbing 81%. Organic revenue saw an extraordinary 3,149% growth from January to May 2024 compared to the same period in 2023.

The overhauled email program also drove substantial audience growth, adding a 112% increase in new subscribers between September 1, 2023, and September 1, 2024. Through these efforts, Labyrinth Digital transformed Sweetwood’s digital channels into significant drivers of both revenue and customer retention.

This success culminated in Sweetwood’s acquisition by Conagra, one of North America’s leading packaged foods companies and the parent of iconic brands like Hunt’s, Healthy Choice, and Orville Redenbacher’s. The acquisition underscores the transformative impact of Labyrinth’s work in strengthening Sweetwood’s market position and digital presence.