BUSINESS AND TRAINING 17
How to create a strong brand for your plumbing business
By
Charles Freedman from Servcraft
Have you thought about your brand ? Or do you see branding as something bigger companies do ? Charles Freedman emphasises the importance of strong branding for your plumbing business .
If you ’ re like me and hear the word " branding ," you probably think of big names like Nike or Apple . But here ' s the thing – every business has a brand . Even plumbers .
When someone mentions peri-peri chicken what brand do you think of ? If it ' s just chicken , then why did Nandos pop into your head first ? That ' s the power of a strong brand .
Having a strong brand means customers are more likely to pick your business . Why ? Research shows that when customers feel connected to brands , 57 % of consumers will increase their spending with that brand and 76 % will buy from them over a competitor .
So how can you create a strong brand for your plumbing business ? Let ’ s find out .
What is a brand ? Your brand is more than just a logo or a catchy slogan . Your brand is everything your customer experiences of you . How you look , what you say , how you act . It ’ s your company ’ s personality and the thing that makes you unique from all the other plumbers in your market . Coca-Cola has one of the most recognisable logos around the world . Its classic red and white letters , vibrant artwork , and distinctive font have kept our attention for over a century and helped them build a multi-billion-dollar business .
Why is a brand important to plumbers ?
• Grow your top line : Are the big national plumbing brands better than you ? Then why can they charge more ? As we learned above , building a trusted , reliable and quality brand influences purchasing decisions . It can help you sell more at a higher price , to more customers .
• Stand out from the crowd : If you and all your competitors are PIRB certified and IOPSA members , then what makes you different ? It ’ s a busy market out there . Being easily recognised and standing for something in the market will set you apart from the competition .
• Build foundations to grow : Building credibility and trust in your brand means that you can start to grow bigger than a one-man business . Instead of customers asking for “ Jacques ” they ’ ll ask for your brand . From there , the sky is the limit .
Define your brand Like most things worth doing , defining your brand takes a bit of effort and forces you to answer questions that might stretch you out of your comfort zone . So put the kettle on , sit your team ( if you have one ) around the table and whip out the brand identity matrix .
Taking the time to talk through and answer these questions will add huge value to how you and your team see yourselves as well as provide great input into all the things that bring your brand to life in the market . Make sure you write down the answers somewhere .
Internal
External
General
Mission and vision
Culture
• What gets us excited about our work ( mission )?
• Where are we headed , and what inspires us ( vision )?
• How do we act and work together ? What are our attitudes ?
Competences • What are we really good at ?
Value proposition
Relationships
Position
Expression
Brand core
Personality
Charles Freedman .
Supplied by ServCraft
• How do our main offerings appeal to our customers and partners ?
• How should we connect with important customers and partners ?
• Where do we want to be in the market ? What ' s our intended place ?
• What makes the way we communicate different or special ?
• What are the main values that define our brand ?
• What human characteristics or qualities describe our business character ?
April 2024 Volume 30 I Number 2 www . plumbingafrica . co . za