Belonging to the service sector, plumbing companies simply can’t afford to let their branding efforts fall short of expectations. In such a competitive space, if you don’t have a proper brand strategy, you run the risk of being dismissed from the get-go. Here are 7 branding mistakes you must avoid to make 2022 easier for your business.
Ignoring local customers
Plumbing service is one of those businesses that are largely dependent on local customers. And failing to prioritize the local audience can result in a severe loss of future business.
Let’s say, a plumbing company markets its services to a national clientele (plumbing company in the US), rather than focusing on local business (plumbing company in San Francisco Bay Area), and ends up with leads from all over the country. This would lead to a complex supply chain because the company will need to rely on subcontractors to meet the demand.
This sudden growth will force the company to expand their brand before they are equipped with sufficient resources, which can open up a can of worms.
As branding experts, we always advise plumbing businesses to establish a strong local presence. That means using local SEO to gain exposure in the neighborhood.
Not working on increasing your brand exposure
Plumbing companies are notoriously bad at putting themselves online. Many a time, they don’t know how to or don’t have the time to focus on their online audience until they are in need of business. But if you aren’t increasing your brand’s visibility using PPC, you are wasting precious billable hours.
PPC advertising is an incredibly effective way to get brand exposure. They are measurable and extremely targeted, which is why they have a better chance of attracting customers for you. PPC ads are also a great way to reach your customer without invading their privacy.
Therefore, when you don’t use pay-per-click in your branding strategy, you miss out on the opportunity to not only increase your brand exposure but also stay competitive in the market.
Not having a brand voice
A brand voice is one of those terms that sounds deceptively simple but turns out to be tricky to define. It is often said to mean “the personality of your brand.”
But a brand voice has a personality of its own. It has its own character, its own way of speaking. And that’s not something that can be created in a focus group. Your voice should, to use a cliche, set you apart.
Since a brand voice is part of a brand’s overall identity, you need to work on creating something that’s uniform across your company and relevant for your audience.
Content is a brilliant way to find your voice. Not only can you use content to test different voices but you can also measure which channel of communication is working the best for you and consequently, focus on the one with the highest ROI.
Getting comfortable with an inconsistent brand image
The brand equity of any company is fluid. It can change easily and unpredictably. The reasons for this are several.
First, your brand is what people think it is. A bad review, a bad experience, or a simple mistake can be enough to damage your brand. Second, your brand is what other people say about your brand. If people talk badly about your company, your brand name, or the way you do business, then your bottom line will take a hit.
Branding includes everything from logos to advertising to customer service to the owner and employee’s reputation. So, if you don’t present your customers with a consistent brand image every time they interact with your brand, they will struggle to understand you and avoid doing business with you – especially now, in 2021, where customers are being judicious with their money.
Keeping employees uninformed about the brand philosophy
Branding philosophies are ideas that define your company, explain why you do what you do, and guide your company’s actions. So, when you inform your employees about your philosophy, it motivates them to be more understanding and empathetic towards your short-term and long-term goals.
The reason is simple; they feel like they are part of something bigger than themselves and are making a change by working with you, which allows them to be more productive and sometimes even makes them better problem-solvers.
Not using existing clients for branding
If you are like most plumbing companies, you may be getting most of your work from repeat clients. If you do something well, you will probably be able to do it again for the same customer or their peers.
Simply because customers don’t like to go plumber-hunting every time they have a plumbing issue. They would much rather call the same plumbing services that fixed their problem the last time.
Since there is so much reliability and trust, it pays for you to ask your existing clients for testimonials as well as referrals. Testimonials can help prospective customers get a better idea about your service and assure them that you know what you are doing – making it easier for you to build your brand.
Not refreshing your website with time
Your website is your business’s online storefront. It represents your company to potential customers and serves as a useful resource for existing customers. Therefore, your site has to do many things: it has to look good, be easy to use, and communicate effectively. If it fails in any of those things, people leave.
That means you have to focus on leveraging technology relentlessly, including investing in faster servers, learning better ways of organizing content, and obtaining better ways of storing data.
But many plumbing companies are guilty of neglecting good web development practices. From outdated layouts to slow page loading time, this is one branding mistake that can kill your online business completely.
Fortunately, Cyrusson can help! We can not only update your website but also revamp your entire branding strategy the right way. Let’s talk