Contractor Marketing: Branding Vs. Lead Generation ? bannersyok ...

Article b? Damion Rutherford

Wh?n ?n advertising rep comes t? ???r office ?nd ?t?rt? talking ?b??t branding, wh?t?s th? first thing th?t pops ?nt? ???r mind?

I know wh?t pops ?nt? mine?

? a brand ?n th? backside!

M??t advertising reps push heavily ?n th? ?d?? th?t ??? h??? t? ?g?t ???r brand out th?r??, ?g?t people t? know wh? ??? ?r??, ?nd ?? ?n.

Wh?t a bunch ?f garbage? sort ?f. Advertisers ??? branding ?? ?n ?escape route? wh?n th?? didn?t deliver enough leads t? m?k? th? advertising worthwhile.

W?r?t ??t, w? trust ??r rep, ?nd th?n write another check t? g?t ?branded? ??m? more.

S? ?? branding b?d? I? ?t g??d? Sh??ld ??? b? thinking ?b??t ???r ?brand?? L?t?s talk ?b??t th?t?

Wh?t I? Branding?

Jon Jantsch (Duct Tape Marketing) offers a simple definition th?t I l?k?:

?Branding ?? th? art ?f becoming knowable, likeable ?nd trustable.?

Notice three key points here. Being knowable, being likeable ?nd being trustable.

S?, ???r advertising rep ??n h?l? ??? w?th th? ?knowable? ??rt. B?t, h?w???r, wh?t ??n th?? d? t? h?l? ??? w?th being likeable ?nd being trustable?

Wh?t C?n Branding D? F?r Y??r Contractor Business?

I?ve seen branding d? ??m? ?m?z?ng things, ?nd ?? h??? ???. Here?s a g??d example. Wh?t d? ??? blow ???r nose w?th? Facial Tissue? Nope, ??? ??? a Kleenex.

Th?t?s h?w ??? know branding d??? work. Wh?n th? product name ?? ?? closely associated w?th wh?t ?t d???, ??? don?t even realize ????re using th? brand name anymore.

Well, th?t?s gr??t ?f ??? h??? millions ?f dollars t? spend ?n advertising. B?t th?t l?k?l? doesn?t apply t? ???r company.

F?r th? average contracting company, th?? ???r???h t? branding simply isn?t viable, ?? n?t ???r? person wh? hears ???r message ?? ???r potential buyer.

S?m? people w?ll never want ???r product/service. S?m? w?ll never b? ?bl? t? afford ?t, ?nd ?? ?n.

B?t, f?r th? ones th?t ??n ??? ???r company, branding ??n h??? a pretty b?g impact. I?ve personally seen a direct impact ?n Closing percentages, ?nd average sale amount due t? efforts I?ve h?l? w?th t? brand a company.

Wh? d??? th?t happen? A? Jon Jantsch mentioned, branding ?l?? m?k?? ??? likeable ?nd trustable. Wh?n someone l?k?? ??? ?nd trusts ???, th?? b?? fr?m ???. And th???re OK w?th buying a lot fr?m ???.

Th?t, m? friends, ?? th? b?gg??t benefit branding ??n h??? f?r ???r contracting business. Lowering th? anxiety related t? buying fr?m ???.

Many ?f ?? feel th? ?third party? lead referral companies generate crappy leads. Want t? know a b?g reason wh?? Y?? guessed ?t, th? branding factor. B?????? th?r? ?? n? branding ?f ???r company compared t? th? ?th?r companies th? customer gets referred t?, ??? won?t b? seen ?? ?n? more likeable, ?r trustable th?n th? ?th?r guys. Thus, sales resistance ?nd anxiety w?ll b? high ? ?nd price typically ?? th? b?gg??t motivator f?r th? prospect?

Wh?t Branding C?n?t D? F?r Y??r Business

B? wary though, branding isn?t th? magic pill th?t m?k?? ???r business skyrocket. Branding alone w?ll n?t h?l? ??? w?th lead generation. L?t m? ???l??n ?t t? ???.

I conducted a test marketing similar companies ?n similar areas t? prove th?? point. Th? first company ?? well established, spends a lot ?f money ?n advertising ?nd branding. Th? second company w?? newer ?nd wasn?t well known ?n th? market.

In a yellow page ad promotion, both companies generated similar amounts ?f leads fr?m full page ads th?? w?r? running. Th? well branded company d?d n?t d? better th?n th? n?-name guy wh?n ?t came t? lead generation. Th?? d?d, h?w???r, d? MUCH better ?n th? sales ??rt??n ?f th? business. W? attributed th?? t? many things, ?nd branding w?? one ?f those factors.

S?, ?f branding doesn?t bring leads, th?n wh? bother w?th branding ?t ?ll?

Y??r Work I? Y??r Brand

Th?? ?? th? one th?t m??t contractors miss th? m?rk ?n. It?s th? one th?t advertisers don?t want ??? t? th?nk ?b??t.

Ar? ??? ready f?r th??? Repeat ?ft?r m?:

?Y??r Work I? Y??r Brand.?

Wh?n ??? h??? a modest t? medium sized marketing budget, pursuing branding alone ?? a sure fire way t? g? out ?f business. If ??? succeed ?n getting people t? know ?b??t ???, b?t n? one contacts ??? t? g?t ?n estimate, ????re out ?f luck.

B?t th?nk ?b??t ?t. H?w many times h??? ??? h?d those gr??t word-?f-mouth referrals fr?m a past customer? W?r? th?? pretty easy t? sell t?? W?r? th?? h???? t? meet w?th ??? ?nd excited t? see h?w ??? ???ld h?l? th?m? D?d th?? trust ??? b?????? th??r friend/relative/neighbor recommended ????

Th? ?n?w?r ?? yes. Wh?n ??? d? gr??t work ?nd promote yourself through th? work ??? d?, ??? g?t th? best branding ??? ???ld ??k f?r.

Y??r work ??n g?t ??? known. Th? recommendation m?k?? ??? likeable b? th? potential client, ?nd trustable b?????? a h???? past customer referred ???.

Balancing Branding & Contractor Lead Generation

S?, w??ve discussed g??d things ?b??t branding ?nd wh?t ?t ??n d? ??? f?r ???r contracting business. W??ve ?l?? discussed th? things ?t ??n?t d?. S? wh?t ?h??ld ??? d? ?n th? ?nd?

I heard a gr??t saying fr?m a fellow marketing friend ?f mine th?t sums th?? article up nicely:

?Generate lead flow daily, build branding over time.?

I th?nk ?t?s a g??d ???r???h f?r m??t ?ll contractors t? ???. G?t leadflow going first ?? ??? h??? a pipeline ?f potential customers coming t? ???r business.

D? quality work th?t w??ld m?k? ???r customers want t? refer ??? t? others. Th?? w?ll g?t ???r ?branding train? ?t?rt?d down th? tracks.

Finally, devote more effort (?nd marketing dollars) later t? build ???r brand awareness, wh??h w?ll further h?l? w?th ???r sales efforts.

Damion Rutherford ?? ?n 11 Year Vet T? Th? Construction Marketing Industry. H??s Personally Generated Over 150,000 Leads Generated & MILLIONS In Revenue F?r Home Improvement Contractors A?r??? Th? Country. Learn H?? Insider Secrets T? Construction Marketing ?t www.Contractor-Marketing-Tips.com

Source: http://bannersyok.com/2011/10/contractor-marketing-branding-vs-lead-generation/

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