Website Awards

Klein Steel Services, Inc., in Rochester, New York, won a Gold Stevie® Award for its company website in  the Website Awards categories of The 2014 American Business Awards.  Finalists in the 2015 competition will be announced on May 7.

Laura Ribas, the VP of Marketing at Klein Steel Services, Inc., has been appointed Chair of The 2015 American Business Awards Final Judging Committee for the Website Awards categories. We asked her for her thoughts on what winning a Stevie® Award has meant to her, what she is looking forward to in judging the 2015 Website Awards, and more.

On winning the Gold Stevie® Award for the Klein Steel website in 2014, Laura Ribas had this to say:“Our team was thrilled to win a Stevie Award,” Laura told us. “We put a lot of time and effort into our website, from the high-level strategy to the navigation and content. While we were certainly proud of our results, the external validation from The American Business Awards judging panel was cause for celebration.”

Meeting Objectives

The Klein Steel website was updated in 2014 using the design services of Dumbwaiter Design in Rochester, New York. According to Laura, the main objectives in doing this were to:

a) differentiate Klein Steel from the competition (i.e., it’s not about the metal--it’s about you);

b) de-commoditize the company’s services and elevate the conversation (i.e., Klein Steel can help you meet your critical needs: speed to market, process control, availability, on-time delivery, quality, cost reduction);

c) better reflect the Klein Steel brand (i.e. highly professional, values-based company; the team you want on your team; winner of prestigious Industry Week and Rochester ethics awards; ongoing investment in processing equipment); and to

d) drive leads and engage the audience using bold images and stronger copy.

Strong Results

The website showed a 50% increase in monthly unique visitors within the first two months of its launch. Visitors found the site friendly, easy-to-navigate, intuitive, and visually pleasing. The new site had a scale-able, maintainable foundation; and it maximized search engine optimization.

New Marketing Tools

We asked Laura what new technology or services she has found most useful in getting the news about her company out to into the world. She told us that she maintains the traditional marketing and PR channels, but that, over the years, there have been changes. “Our company has incorporated greater marketing automation tools and a more robust social media strategy—including frequent blog feeds to LinkedIn—to get the news out about Klein Steel,” she explained.

Teamwork

Laura relishes her work. “I work at a well-run, highly driven organization that places a strong emphasis on values, culture, and teamwork,” she explained. “I hit the ground running every day because it’s a pleasure to come to the office and work hand-in-hand with my team members to accomplish our goals.”

The team is justifiably proud of its new website. Adds Laura: “It was quite an honor for Klein Steel to be recognized among such highly esteemed, global organizations.” She is looking forward to reviewing the 2015 Finalists in her role as Chair of the Website Final Judging Committee.

About Laura Ribas:

Laura Ribas is the Vice President of Marketing at Klein Steel Service Inc., in Rochester, New York. She has over 25 years of progressive and diversified experience in management consulting and marketing strategy. Laura is a leader and mentor who thrives in team- and values-based environments which are professional, motivating, and fun. With an ethical foundation and positive attitude, she brings a focus on delivering results with fiscal responsibility. She is passionate about bringing brands to life by using data-driven insights to derive strategy, employing killer creative, and engaging storytelling to bring the right, actionable message to the correct target audience. Her mission: the betterment of people, processes, organizations, and brands.