The
IICRC has had one of the largest - and yet strangely ineffective - marketing budgets for as long as I've been certified. And their committee of one for years created no trackable results for the hundreds of thousands spent each year.
It's image advertising, and technical focused (what the technoweenies like to read with no idea what is compelling to consumers).
And ... it is not direct response, and it is not trackable. It's throwing money in the wind.
I remember pleading with the then marketing director Ruth to please put different phone extensions in ads so they could at least be tracked to see which was more effective ... and explaining some of the basics of marketing to the group back then (which included Lee) - was like talking Spanish to English speakers.
A commercial on Oprah? Are you serious?
Why not spend a fraction of that amount on hiring an actual marketing expert to force advertising that is trackable and can show you what each and every dollar is generating in return in terms of calls.
If
IICRC could actually show the performance of their advertising then they could create some cooperative advertising opportunities for certified firms wanting to generate even more jobs.
I have not received a referral from
IICRC for years ... probably because I need to shut my mouth on this.
Oprah. TV ads. Movie house. Ads in Good Housekeeping. Give me a break.
It's not where you advertise that's the
IICRC's problem - but the people they are hiring (PR agencies) to create the crappy campaigns they role out. PR agencies don't track results because then that would show that they have been a waste of money. Press releases with names of who is the new president, or a new certification course, or who now gets to work for Wool Safe, yeah ... that's really going to interest consumers. No ... it's going to feed some fat egos and spend those millions coming in from cleaners for their course certifications, expanding fees, and whatever else they can come up with to charge you for.
There have been some good changes on the
IICRC board this past quarter - and I am optimistic about their path from a
certified firm standpoint ... but I gave up on their marketing ability ages ago. The past marketing director stunk ... and the new president needs to get someone who has actually successfully marketing ANY type of business in that role. I'm sure there are many other choices besides someone who is not in the cleaning business at all and is a hold-over from the old regime.
So here's a free piece of marketing advice for you ... pull all of your off-line efforts off the table ... concentrate on-line since 75% of consumers look for service businesses on-line ... and take those extra hundreds of thousands of dollars and offer scholarships to cleaners to get more training - the more cleaners you have touting the
IICRC locally and explaining the benefits of that to the consumers, to educate them.
There is not a single homeowner in my city who would be able to tell me
IICRC exists, except cleaners I run into. So the ones who are seeking out the information ... and seeking it on-line - that's where to start.
Television ads will make a marketing report look good to the board and puff the director's feathers ... but it will be a complete waste of money in this case. Give an exam fee rebate back to cleaners instead - or a voucher toward a course.
You know what ... that's a great idea ... why not reward those who've been certified for a long time, who have spent thousands on courses, fees, CEC, and advertising
IICRC on their own locally - and give them a customer appreciation gift of a voucher, thanking them for allowing the infrastructure of millions that has created financial support and opportunities for some - and then give all of the volunteers who've never gotten a dime vouchers too, since they are the biggest supporters and course attenders out there.
What do you think?
Lisa Wagner
