Making Marketing Work for a Petroleum Jobber
What I’ve learned about building a modern marketing engine for an old-school industry
Before we go any further, a quick disclaimer. I am not a marketing expert. Not even close. This post is written for a very specific, probably microscopic group of people who run small, traditional, B2B or brick-and-mortar businesses that sell things like diesel and DEF. If you came here expecting a deep dive on funnels, branding, or influencer strategy, you’re in the wrong Substack.
Marketing is a tricky thing for small businesses like ours. Especially ones that are B2B, service-based, and limited by geography.
Our sales cycles tend to be long and our relationships with customers tend to last a long time. That’s a great thing, but it also makes marketing harder.
When I first started with our company, marketing was like throwing noodles at a wall and hoping something would stick. We were spending a lot for results that were un-trackable. We had no way of knowing who came from radio, TV, or social media ads. And impressions mean nothing if those impressions aren’t buying diesel.
So we did what a lot of small and mid-sized companies do.
We just quit marketing.
It was expensive, the agencies were often out of touch with what we did, and it all felt too squishy.
Then something shifted.
When I started thinking about marketing as a way to generate actual inbound leads, everything changed. We partnered with an agency that understands traditional, brick-and-mortar businesses like ours and set clear, measurable goals.
The goal was simple: get quality leads in my inbox that we can convert.
Paid Ads That Actually Work
Paid ads now make up most of our monthly spend.
One thing I’ve noticed is that Google and Facebook behave very differently.
Leads from Google tend to be high quality but fewer in number. Facebook brings in more leads, but many of them aren’t a good fit. We’re constantly working with our agency to find the right balance, focusing on high-intent searches and tight geographic targeting.
The biggest change? We’re intentional. Everything we do now is backed by data and grounded in our actual service area, not just broad “brand awareness.”
Taking SEO Seriously
I finally admitted that I was both too busy and not smart enough to do SEO on my own.
So, we brought in help.
We’re now a year into publishing blogs, getting backlinks, and improving the content on our site. The goal isn’t to have a pretty website. It’s to show up when customers are searching for what we sell.
Every blog, every update, every word on our website is built around one goal: drive real leads into my inbox.
Redesigning the Website (With a Purpose)
Our old website wasn’t terrible, but it wasn’t great either.
So, we started over. Not to win design awards, but to make the site work. Want to see it? Click HERE.
The redesign focused on three things:
• Making it easier for customers to contact us
• Giving visitors a reason to stay long enough to reach out
• Creating clear calls to action on every page
Now, the site includes pop-up forms after a set amount of time, click-to-call buttons, and simple forms that make it easy to request quotes or service.
The result: real inquiries from real customers.
A good website isn’t about looks. It’s about what it produces.
Building Relationships Online
This part is a bit more personal.
Writing here on Substack and sharing thoughts on LinkedIn has been one of the most rewarding things I’ve done.
I’m a firm believer in the power of relationships. And the best part about writing online is how it compounds. The more you put out there, the more people you meet, and the more opportunities you create.
Just last week, I talked to a young guy down in Mobile who’s getting into the mobile refueling business. We can’t work together right now, but we both learned something. And that conversation never would have happened without putting myself and our company out there.
Relationships compound, just like anything else. The sooner you start investing in them, the better you’ll be.
What I’ve Learned
For traditional businesses like ours, marketing used to feel like a luxury, something for the big players with big budgets. But it’s not. It’s a necessity.
You don’t need to do everything at once. You just need to measure what matters, focus on what drives real results, and stay consistent.
The truth is, marketing today isn’t about spending more money. It’s about spending it smarter.
When you treat marketing like a profit center instead of an expense, the whole equation changes.
And now for a shameless plug. But not of our own business but of our marketing partner. Market Veep has been a critical partner to us in all of this and has real knowledge of how to work with businesses like ours! No referrals, no kickbacks, they just rock.