how many of you guys work on branding your company?
- Thread starter davegillfishing
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So Steve, how important do you feel branding is when starting your business? Do you think it is important from day one to be working on your brand...your image, or do you feel that the begining is not the time for that?
Mikey P
Administrator
Welcome Wayne..
I feel it's pretty important to establish at least a logo/company colors or just a font if you're from Alabama..
Have your "look" on your trucks, shirts, website, businesses and invoices
Ultimately the more memorable you yourself are, assuming you're an owner op, the less you have to worry about creating a memorable image. Does that make sense?
In this business most home owners are looking for Mr Right. They want a person or company that they can trust to be in their homes alone, unsupervised.
Your workmanship is not nearly as important. Get out the big spots and get it dry in under 24 hours and most will be thrilled.
If you can get that across in your early relationships with your referral sources and marketing methods, it wont matter how bold your wrap, how big your truckmount of OP unit is or how groovy your web videos are.
Now if you can do a stellar job and be Atticus Finch...you're gold.
I feel it's pretty important to establish at least a logo/company colors or just a font if you're from Alabama..
Have your "look" on your trucks, shirts, website, businesses and invoices
Ultimately the more memorable you yourself are, assuming you're an owner op, the less you have to worry about creating a memorable image. Does that make sense?
In this business most home owners are looking for Mr Right. They want a person or company that they can trust to be in their homes alone, unsupervised.
Your workmanship is not nearly as important. Get out the big spots and get it dry in under 24 hours and most will be thrilled.
If you can get that across in your early relationships with your referral sources and marketing methods, it wont matter how bold your wrap, how big your truckmount of OP unit is or how groovy your web videos are.
Now if you can do a stellar job and be Atticus Finch...you're gold.
renegade_cowboy
Member
Lets say you are opening your own potato chip company.. you already perfected the chip, so now you have to bag it. You will be able to sell SOME chips that are in a paper bag.. but its the well thought out wrapping of the bag that will SELL A LOT more. Of course it cost more money to get that nice bag with the cool graphics. The other thing is make your bag have a cool selling point.. be it all natural angle, mom and pop ran or countless other ways to have those cool selling points. So in conclusion you will sell more bags of chips with a well thought out bag, than a brown paper bag that offers little to the consumer on why they should choose you. Branding is choosing and using symbols to reflect what you value.. branding is not saying how great you are, its showing what you find to be great.
tmiklethun
Member
I look at it from two different angles:
1. Branding as a method of lead generation (where people who haven't used you, naturally think of you when they think of carpet cleaning): I think unless you have deep pockets and run multiple trucks this is a complete waste of time. I am not going out brand Stanley Steemer, Zerorez ect.
2. Branding as a method of client retention (making sure clients who have already used you never forget you name): This is a key factor in building a business to me and it begins on the first call they make to you company, through you actual service and into the value that you continue to offer them after the check is collected.
1. Branding as a method of lead generation (where people who haven't used you, naturally think of you when they think of carpet cleaning): I think unless you have deep pockets and run multiple trucks this is a complete waste of time. I am not going out brand Stanley Steemer, Zerorez ect.
2. Branding as a method of client retention (making sure clients who have already used you never forget you name): This is a key factor in building a business to me and it begins on the first call they make to you company, through you actual service and into the value that you continue to offer them after the check is collected.
OK. so here goes my 2 cents
branding and marketing go hand in hand. branding is recognition, not reputation. For instance, if I showed you a pic of golden arches you would know immediately what company that represents.
For years I was in the corp. world /middle management. I must admit they RUINED my taste, desire and opinion of marketing.
This has led me to believe that I would rather the clients recognize my company and think of me first, simply because I have a funny jingle or a cool looking logo. That gets my foot in the door. Then I can show them how AWESOME we are!
I do, however , believe the size of the market does come into play. We are in a small market in the south, which means you ask mama, or your neighbor, or fellow churchgoer who they use for their carpet cleaning needs! That's when reputation and word of mouth take over!
branding and marketing go hand in hand. branding is recognition, not reputation. For instance, if I showed you a pic of golden arches you would know immediately what company that represents.
For years I was in the corp. world /middle management. I must admit they RUINED my taste, desire and opinion of marketing.
This has led me to believe that I would rather the clients recognize my company and think of me first, simply because I have a funny jingle or a cool looking logo. That gets my foot in the door. Then I can show them how AWESOME we are!
I do, however , believe the size of the market does come into play. We are in a small market in the south, which means you ask mama, or your neighbor, or fellow churchgoer who they use for their carpet cleaning needs! That's when reputation and word of mouth take over!
Mikey P
Administrator
Great answer..
Steve Toburen
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- Steve Toburen
Absolutely, Wayne. IF you want to ever grow beyond the "middle-class owner-operator working alone in his truck" business model (not that there is anything wrong with that) you should "start with the end in mind".
Just like with training your children or most anything else start right from the git-go! After all, you have to wear a shirt, letter your truck and market your services. (At least I HOPE you are doing all three of these things!) So why not "coordinate" this stuff (same colors, logo, tag line, image, etc.) and get a synergistic ROI?
Steve
PS Don't over complicate branding. Just try to "differentiate" yourself consistently. Even by trying you will be "different" from 95% of your competitors. Of course, Big Billy Yeadon loves to "over complicate" anything related to marketing and that includes branding!
