Evaluate Your Brand
In my experience, successful contractors have a consistent brand. This means 1) your brand matches your preferred identity, and 2) your branding elements are consistent in their design and application.
First, let’s discuss matching your brand with your preferred identity. Suppose your brand is a visual representation of your company that creates a memorable and lasting impression. In that case, these visual elements must be consistent with the image your company wants to project. For example, McDonald’s was historically a fun place for families to go for a quick meal. So, their visual identity was bright colors like red and yellow with cartoon characters. Now marketed as a casual food option for everyone, most McDonald’s restaurants have been remodeled with a more adult beige and yellow color scheme. Their new visual representation is much better suited to their target audience.
What do you want to be known for as you examine your brand? Are you driven by affordability, quality, or speed? Different colors and visual elements mean different things, so design accordingly. Try to focus on just a few characteristics; a clear, simple message is better than a complex and confusing one.
Do you want people to know you as a traditional company or a contemporary one? Your answer dictates the elements of your brand identity. For example, consider your preferred customer and design a brand that appeals to them. If you want to emphasize financing or “cash deals only,” create your brand accordingly. Or perhaps you want to establish your company as value-driven. No matter your focus, these all play a role in establishing your brand identity.
Next, once you solidify your brand, portray it consistently throughout your business. Obviously, this holds for visual elements, but consider how you answer the phone, show up at customers’ homes, etc. For example, you may want your brand focused on quality. However, even one slip-up in your communications can ruin the idea of quality in the consumer’s mind.
Equally damaging would be investing in identifying and developing your brand and not using it across all your front-facing communications. So, take some time and review your marketing for consistent use of imagery, colors, taglines, and designs for a meaningful and memorable brand. Again, a unified front of branding makes it easier to stick in a customer’s head.
So, develop your identity, then represent it consistently in everything you do. People like to make judgments and stick to them, so create a positive first impression and let your brand shine through.
Todd Miller has spent his entire career in the metal building products manufacturing industry. He is president of Isaiah Industries, an organization recognized as one of the world’s leading metal roofing manufacturers. Todd is currently Vice President of the MRA (Metal Roofing Association) and a Past Chair of MCA (Metal Construction Association). Through his website, he strives to raise the bar on standards and practices to provide property owners with the best possible products for successful roofing projects.
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