Brand Spanking New

Branding is not about spending big dollars to get yourself on television.

15 MIN READ

You may think that a name alone will do the trick. But marketing experts point out that so few home improvement companies have a tag line that when you develop one, you immediately stand out.

“People search by name or need,” says Kris McCurry of Brave New Markets, a marketing firm in Owings Mills, Md., which includes home improvement clients such as S&K Roofing, Siding & Windows, and Shiner Roofing. “So if you’re out there with your name and what you do, that says a lot. And you need a solid tag line that instills a sense of that. A one-sentence Who We Are statement. It gets to the point and everybody gets it,” McCurry says.

BRAND CONSTRUCTION Branding doesn’t happen in an instant. It’s a strategy for acquiring long-term recognition in your market. And just as important, if not more so, is having the right name — that is, one that’s easily recalled and worthy of being constantly reiterated. Management at Statewide Windows, in Mukilteo, Wash., came to that conclusion a year or so ago, when it set out to re-brand one of the largest replacement window companies in the U.S. The company opted for a new name — Penguin Windows — and hired an agency to develop marketing materials and a media campaign. “‘How much do you want to invest in your name?’ That was the first thing they asked us,” says Vaughn McCourt, general manager.

Statewide Windows undertook its re-branding campaign after a discussion about whether or not the $41 million company could continue to meet its lead requirements, given the increasingly restrictive and competitive marketing climate for home improvement companies. “There’s been such a huge increase in canvassing,” McCourt notes. “Which leaves us with conventional media, shows and events, and direct mail.” Thus, Statewide set out to leverage well-developed marketing, sales, and installation systems with a name it could make synonymous with quality. McCourt says Penguin Windows aims to do nothing less than make itself “market-dominant” in the long term. TV will be the medium.

Market dominance is something Bill D’Andrea, owner of DeBell Window Systems, in Reno, Nev., knows about. There aren’t a lot of home improvement companies in Reno, and DeBell’s hefty share of mind and market builds on longevity with a multilayered marketing approach using eight forms of advertising. These — including the Internet and direct mail — drive traffic to the 13,000-square-foot building on Reno’s main street that houses DeBell’s offices and showroom. Last year DeBell Windows had a 10.2% marketing cost across all leads, with TV (22%) and radio (20%) costing by far the most.

But because electronic media can do double duty promoting the name DeBell Windows — “It’s a branding commercial, not designed to make you jump for the phone,” D’Andrea says — they’re worth the cost. The building was a recent investment, but the thinking behind it was a long time coming. “Most home improvement companies are in a back-alley situation,” D’Andrea notes. “And credibility is what makes my company grow.” This year that growth is targeted at just over 20%: from $5 million in sales last year to $6.2 million in 2007.

LEADS VS. BRANDING? In the home improvement industry, most marketing exists for one purpose: to generate a lead. That lead becomes a sale, and the sale becomes revenue. That explains the tendency of many home improvement company owners to view branding as an expensive distraction. So-called “instant branding,” in which companies dive into television to get their name out, can consume whole marketing budgets and produce little or no revenue.

But it’s a mistake, marketing experts say, to confuse that kind of approach with branding as an overall marketing strategy. Branding helps you create customer contacts long term rather than short term. A smart branding strategy feeds and enhances lead generation. “It’s one thing to do push marketing,” McCurry says. “But if you’re not branding, you’re missing an opportunity to get your name out there so you have top-of-mind awareness when somebody’s searching for you.”

She suggests splitting your marketing budget, with 70% going to lead generation, the rest to branding efforts. Branding, by the way, includes not just “image” ads but all kinds of promotional items, from company calendars to trucks signs and crew clothing. “It’s about keeping your name out there in all manner of ways,” McCurry says.

Meehan suggests that about 80% of a home improvement company’s marketing budget go to direct response/lead generation, and the remainder to branding. MWS/True North, for instance, had never used radio advertising until recently. Now the company is on the radio with branding messages, part of a multi-prong marketing strategy to generate both awareness and leads.

About the Author

Jim Cory

Formerly the editor of REPLACEMENT CONTRACTOR, Jim Cory is a contributing editor to REMODELING who lives in Philadelphia.

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