Electrical Safety & Training Company Builds a Strong Marketing Foundation and Increases Digital Presence Through Strategic Marketing Leadership

Client story graphic featuring Jason Esler, Founder & CEO of EPSCO, with the EPSCO Electrical Power & Safety Co. logo.

“The first time we talked to Authentic was unique. We were shown a full plan of attack and not something that was soft and hard to define. It gave us confidence that things were going to be consistent and actually get off the ground.”

Jason Esler, Founder & CEO, EPSCO

EPSCO at a Glance

  • Company Size: ~50 employees
  • Industry: Engineering / Architecture / Construction
  • Business model: B2B, Regulated Industry
  • Business scenario: Privately Held Companies
  • Headquarters: Baxter, Minnesota

The Challenge

EPSCO is an electrical safety testing and training company serving industrial, healthcare, and educational facilities. From arc flash studies to infrared scans and safety training, they help organizations mitigate electrical hazards and comply with regulatory standards. Despite their technical excellence and market relevance, EPSCO had never embraced marketing as a strategic function.

EPSCO’s sales operations were almost entirely driven by cold calling and word-of-mouth referrals. Without a dedicated team or marketing strategy, early efforts amounted to little more than random acts of marketing.

The Solution

Authentic embedded a Fractional CMO to build a comprehensive marketing foundation, working in close partnership with an eager internal champion. The work included:

  • Messaging and Positioning: Conducted voice-of-customer research to clarify brand messaging and identify viable marketing opportunities (e.g., trade shows, publications).
  • Digital Visibility:
    • Cleaned up SEO by disavowing 12,000 harmful backlinks.
    • Created a categorized video gallery using EPSCO’s underutilized video assets.
  • Google Presence: Re-engineered the Google Business profile, doubling visibility.
  • Social Engagement: Relaunched LinkedIn presence after a two-year hiatus with a focus on posting authentic, in-field content contributed by engineers and trainers.
  • HubSpot Overhaul: In partnership with an Authentic Ally Network partner, the team revamped the CRM setup, standardized reporting, and enabled campaign tracking.
  • Mentorship: Provided ongoing coaching to the marketing team.

“I really felt like working with an Authentic Fractional CMO was a mentorship. I learned a lot and having the support of an executive leader was a great experience.”

Emily Bonar, Lead Project Coordinator, EPSCO

“I wish I would have reached out to a Fractional CMO sooner than I did. While it felt like a leap of faith at the time, our Authentic Fractional CMO was able to cut through the fluff of everything else that was happening, get us in front of the right people at the right time,” and was able to translate their process to help me understand that marketing was going to be helpful for my business.”

Jason Esler, Founder & CEO, EPSCO

The Results

EPSCO emerged from the engagement with a clear marketing roadmap, stronger internal marketing capabilities, and dramatically improved digital performance:

  • SEO: Website views doubled and halved bounced rates.
  • Reputation: 5-star Google reviews quadrupled and the visibility of the EPSCO Google Business Profile doubled.
  • Social Media: Authentic content creation boosted LinkedIn engagement and reach, doubling followers.
  • CRM Excellence: HubSpot became a strategic tool, supporting the full marketing-to-sales funnel and tracking.
  • Marketing Maturity: EPSCO’s marketing team is now equipped with the tools, knowledge, and vendor partnerships to carry the strategy forward and the newly promoted Marketing Director is empowered to lead future efforts with confidence.

“When we saw Authentic’s approach, it was just so well aligned with us that it was really easy to go into the engagement with trust. There weren’t any promises [from the sales process] that we didn’t see fulfilled. And the ROI – I mean, it worked with our business. My marketing spend was having a really positive correlation on the profitability of my company. For us with Authentic, it just worked.”

Jason Esler, Founder & CEO, EPSCO