Take Control of Your Message
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I keep hearing that remodelers are cutting back on print advertising and marketing, in favor of targeted (and often email-based) appeals to their existing clientele. That’s great, but I suggest you rethink the design and placement of your marketing collateral before you abandon print altogether.
Here’s a look at an advertising campaign we launched this year in the Southwest Journal, a community newspaper that serves an affluent, largely liberal, and generally educated part of the city (which fits our profile).
Community papers are full of information. You read them because you want to know what’s going on, or maybe you’re killing time waiting for a friend at the coffee shop.
We’ve learned from experience that large photos of high-end projects do not inspire people to call us. Ads that look like ads are easy to acknowledge and leave behind.
So we set our sights on a fun, content-rich ad series. Basically we created our own community communication page. Not only is this page being seen, but it is being read and talked about.
The positive buzz that this campaign has generated has benefited us not only in picking up projects, but also in projecting strength in a time of uncertainty (among clients as well as competitors).
Our first such ad generated three phone calls and two projects the day it hit the stands. Subsequent ads have generated emails from old clients who just wanted to say hi, as well as other remodelers who called to say “nice ad.”
The other version shown focuses on the economy. I was a little worried, but it’s been really well-received. A prospect the other day even said the ad made them feel extra confident about remodeling, based on our “now is the best time to remodel” message.
No offense, but remodelers and builders generally run crappy ads that are little more than business cards with a list of services. We see ads as a reinforcement of our place in the community we serve – and as a small piece of a diversified marketing portfolio that reinforces our brand with every touchpoint.
More about this campaign in the July issue of Remodeling. In the meantime, what do you think?
Michael Anschel is the owner and principal of Otogawa-Anschel Design Build, a nationally recognized and award-winning design and build firm and a committed leader to the Green building movement in Minnesota. He blogs for REMODELING on Tuesdays and the occasional Friday. Michael also serves on the board of Minnesota GreenStar and is CEO of Verified Green, Inc., which consults with builders, remodelers, architects, and state and city officials on Green building. To read Michael's other posts on Green remodeling, click on the link to the right, at the bottom of "about the blogger."
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