One could argue that, among all small businesses, home service contractors face the biggest challenges earning trust from potential customers. Think about it:
- Many people have felt ripped off by a contractor or heard about someone else’s awful experience.
- Families are not eager to allow strangers into their homes to work.
- Contractors with unmarked, beat-up trucks and without uniforms or business cards do not instill confidence.
Home service contractors with strategic branding have a clear advantage over their competitors without it, because a brand can convey a professional, trustworthy image that breaks down the first barrier to getting the job. It allows you to control how your target audience perceives your company when they encounter it for the first time.
If you’re proud of the honest, high-quality service you provide, your brand needs to portray those qualities. Otherwise, how would anyone know what you offer?
What Does Your Brand Say About Your Business?
Your brand is more than just your logo. It also encompasses your company name, colors, typography, tagline, reputation, and voice; they work together to represent what you do and how you do it. When all of these components are crafted strategically, and in sync, potential customers who see your brand know what services you provide and what you promise about the experience they could expect to receive. Branding should characterize the quality of work you do and the nature of your relationships with customers.
Reflect on what your brand says about your company. Are you proud to hand someone your business card? When people see your truck parked in a neighbor’s driveway or pass the sign outside your office, does it attract any attention (for good reasons)? To a stranger, does your company look any different —or, more importantly, any better — than your competitors? Or, could it be easily confused with “the other guys” whose building is a few blocks away?
Tell Your Story
The first step in a rebranding journey involves defining your company’s identity.
- What makes you unique?
- What are your core values?
- What is your customer service philosophy?
To help answer these questions, consider your company history, the characteristics of your service area, your expertise, words your team would use to describe their workplace, guarantees you offer, the top priority you’ve mandated for every customer interaction, how you envision your business in five or 10 years, and your opportunities for growth. Perhaps also consider ways you don’t want people to think of your company. This brainstorming exercise can help you focus on the traits your brand should embody.
After identifying your strengths and differentiators, it’s also important to take inventory of the existing brands in your market. Your brand needs to look different than the others: Avoid the same color palette, names that sound too similar or logos with a common theme.
A strong brand is a powerful communication tool. Decide the message you want yours to send. For example, your brand could give customers a warm, fuzzy feeling or clearly state that your company is sophisticated and high-tech.
Hire a professional to ensure your branding accomplishes your goals. Another crucial component to effective branding is its execution — it needs to be used appropriately for the space where it appears, and it needs to be consistent across platforms. For example, if the logo and lettering on the side of your truck are illegible from a distance, they’re useless. If they’re distorted or use the wrong colors in a print advertisement, your brand power is diluted. If the wording on your website doesn’t sound like the personality your mascot or logo depicts, visitors will notice a disconnect. Branding and marketing experts are best equipped to handle these details.
Enjoy the Attention
When your brand stands out among competitors and evokes a positive feeling about your company, it’s also going to be much more memorable. People don’t always need a plumber or an electrician. When they do, you want your company to come to mind. If you have a catchy name with a corresponding logo and a polished presence that turns heads in your neighborhood, people will recall your company when they need you. They’ll search your name and find your well branded website to confirm they’ve found the correct business.
A professional image suggests your company is going to be around for a long time, so homeowners will feel comfortable that they can rely on you now and for future needs. Businesses that invest in their brand, equipment and marketing look like they’ll have longevity and stability, which bolsters people’s trust.
Contractors with strong branding also have more success recruiting dedicated employees seeking a long-term career. Just as longevity and stability are important to potential customers, they also encourage people looking for a steady job to join your team instead of working for a company that looks less established.
Get Ready to Grow
Creating and implementing professional branding requires an investment of time and money, but a strong brand reaps boundless rewards. You’ll enjoy a higher return on every investment you make when it’s backed by good branding. If you are competing for market share and struggling to grow without a brand strategy, stop and focus on building your brand foundation. The people in your service area who are searching for a home service contractor they can trust will thank you for making their lives a little easier.
Dan Antonelli is president and creative director of KickCharge Creative, a successful, award-winning 20-person design studio. He is the author of three logo design books on small business branding, including his newly released third book “Building a Big Small Business Brand.”