Branding Your Inspection Business

Transcription

1 InterNACHI Branding Yur Inspectin Business Branding Yur Inspectin Business by Nick Grmick, Ben Grmick and Jessica Langer S, yu ve started a great hme inspectin business. But n ne knws abut it. Wh are yu? What des yur cmpany d? Why wuld I hire yu instead f any ther inspectr? Answering thse questins is part f wrking n yur branding. Branding is all abut wh yu are and what yu d. It s abut hw yu want t be knwn. It s abut hw yu want yur clients t remember yu. This article is excerpted frm the "Hme Inspectin Business Curse," a free nline curse fr hme inspectrs prvided by InterNACHI. It's nline, free, and pen t everyne. Branding vs. Marketing Finding ptential custmers and reaching ut t them with yur message t attract them t yur business is called marketing. Many inspectrs are very gd at the technical aspects f perfrming inspectins but are lusy at the marketing prcess. They d nt enjy it. They d nt think it s imprtant t their business. Many inspectrs fail within the first year because they d nt invest enugh time and energy int marketing their business. The gd news is that marketing yur inspectin business des nt have t be time-cnsuming and can, in fact, be ne f the mst enjyable aspects f yur business. Marketing des nt have t be expensive. It s fairly simple and straightfrward. Fr example, wrd-f-muth marketing is the best, mst pwerful type f marketing technique. It s simple t d, and it s nt expensive. Branding Is NOT Marketing Let s make ne thing clear: Branding is nt marketing, and marketing is nt advertising. Branding is identifying yur business, marketing is the larger cncept, and advertising can be a small part f marketing. Paying fr an advertisement in a lcal newspaper can be part f yur marketing strategy. Paid advertisements are an expensive way t prmte yur business. There are several ways t prmte yur business that are efficient and inexpensive, including: creating a website; designing custm brchures, flyers and literature; netwrking with ther business wners; netwrking with real estate agents; using InterNACHI lead-generatin tls; giving clients incentives t spread the wrd; writing annuncements r stries fr lcal media; ding live presentatins, and participating in trade shws and seminars; and listing yur business in directries. There are simple ways t advertise yur business that are affrdable and effective. As a cnsumer, yu are bmbarded with marketing every day. Yu prbably knw mre abut marketing and advertising than yu think yu d. Page 1 f 8

2 InterNACHI Branding Yur Inspectin Business Branding, Marketing and Advertising Gt all that straight? There s branding, marketing and advertising. They are all imprtant. And they are nt the same. Each is different and plays different rles in building yur business. S, let s cntinue with learning a little mre abut branding. What is Branding? Branding is all abut wh yu are and what yu d. It s abut hw yu want t be knwn. It s abut hw yu want yur clients t remember yu. Branding Exercise The fllwing exercise will help yu decide what yur brand is, what yur cmpany stands fr, and what yur tagline will be. List three areas in which yur cmpany is the best, and why: List three things abut yur cmpany that everyne shuld knw abut: List the tp five benefits fr cnsumers wh decide t hire yur business: Nw, ask five real estate agents what they think are the mst imprtant aspects f wrking with a hme inspectr: Lining Up with the Needs f Yur Clients A key t building a successful business is ffering a service that yur clients need. Effectively cmmunicating t yur clients that yu can deliver exactly what they need is critical. If yur inspectin business is the best at Page 2 f 8

3 InterNACHI Branding Yur Inspectin Business prviding hme inspectins, then yu want t cmmunicate that. If yur business is nt knwn fr what yu d best, then there s a prblem in yur marketing. Fr example, if yu think yur business is the best at writing reprts, but yur clients are mre interested in great custmer service, then yur business is nt in alignment with yur clients' expectatins. If yu think that yur experience is yur greatest strength, but yur clients believe that same-day reprting is mst imprtant, then yur business is ut f alignment with yur clients' needs. The mst successful business is the ne that understands what is mst imprtant t its ptential clients. Yur Brand Shuld... Yur brand shuld: cmmunicate t yur ptential clients what yur business stands fr; and match the tp five things that are mst imprtant t yur clients. Yu culd write dwn yur brand message as a big paragraph, r it culd be biled dwn t just ne shrt sentence r tagline. Yur Brand Tagline Nw that yu ve put time int understanding what yur clients need and what yu shuld d t match yur services t thse needs, it's time t have sme fun. Think abut a tagline. A tagline is ne sentence that represents what yu want yur cmpany t be knwn fr. This is nt critical, but it sure is nice when yu ve created ne. It helps yu cmmunicate yur brand in ne shrt sentence. Fr example, Have it yur way is a tagline frm Burger King. M m! M m! Gd! is a tagline frm Campbell Sup. FedEx has When it abslutely, psitively has t be there vernight. Write dwn five ideas fr yur tagline: Nt easy, huh? Yu culd ask yur family and friends fr help. Yu might be amazed by what they cme up with fr yur tagline. Once yu have a list f ptential taglines, chse ne that fits best. G fr it. Yu can change it later. The Right Inspectr, Right Away Use this great inspectr tagline. It is a registered trademark fr use by InterNACHI members. Visit fr this tagline. Anyne else is just lking arund. Use this great tagline t prmte yur inspectin business. It is a registered trademark fr use by InterNACHI members. Visit fr this tagline. Bringing Clean Air t Life Use this great tagline t prmte yur indr air quality inspectin services. It is a registered trademark fr use by InterNACHI and IAC2 members. Visit fr this tagline. Page 3 f 8

4 InterNACHI Branding Yur Inspectin Business Branded Lgs Lgs cnvey the lk f yur business name. They are imprtant t yur brand. We all recgnize McDnald s lg, the Disney lg, and the Apple lg. But thse are natinal brands. And yu re prbably nt creating a natinal brand. S, n pressure. It s a great idea t hire a prfessinal designer t create a business lg fr yu. Dn t simply steal smene else s wrk frm the Internet. Dn t dwnlad an image frm Ggle either. Thse images are likely cpyrighted. Start frm Scratch It s best t start frm scratch and create a new business lg. InterNACHI's Member Marketing Team can help yu create a lg that cmmunicates wh yu are t help make yur business lk prfessinal. InterNACHI's Marketing Team will design a new lg fr yur inspectin business r re-design yur existing lg, and design and custmize yur business cards, flyers and brchures. It's all free. Yu ll get t wrk clsely with InterNACHI's Design Team t create a custm lg and a design fr yur cmpany that fits just right. Cntact the Inspectr Marketing Department tday by visiting nachi.rg/marketing. T see the design wrk InterNACHI has dne fr its membership fr free, please visit marketing.nachi.rg/prtfli. Same Lk, Feel and Message Successful branding is when everything has the same lk, feel and message. Page 4 f 8

5 InterNACHI Branding Yur Inspectin Business The key is t have everything that riginates frm yur ffice, including yur website, business cards, flyers, etc., t have the same lk, the same feel, and the same infrmatin and message. Yur business lg, tagline, and marketing pieces shuld be the same, and never differ frm each ther. Yu want yur ptential clients t receive the same message n matter what they re lking at. If they are visiting yur business website, yur Facebk page, yur blg, yur , yur business card, yur newsletter, yur inspectin reprt, yur hme maintenance bk, yur flyers, brchures, r rack cards, yur envelpes and letterhead, yur inspectin vehicle, yur shirt and hat, yur invices, and s n--all f them shuld lk and feel the same and have the same message. Cmmit t this image f yurs--yur brand and yur lk--and stick t it. Design Examples Here are a cuple examples f hw everything shuld lk and feel the same. InterNACHI did the design wrk fr free fr the fllwing members' inspectin cmpanies (a free benefit fr all members): K-Twn Hme Inspectins lg: K-Twn Hme Inspectins flyer: Page 5 f 8

6 InterNACHI Branding Yur Inspectin Business K-Twn Hme Inspectins business card: K-Twn Hme Inspectins business card sticker: K-Twn Hme Inspectins vehicle magnet: Page 6 f 8

7 InterNACHI Branding Yur Inspectin Business Here's anther example f the design wrk that makes everything lk and feel the same. All the design wrk was dne fr this member by InterNACHI's Marketing Team fr free. Visit Magpie Prperty Inspectins lg: Magpie Prperty Inspectins business card: Magpie Prperty Inspectins brchure: Page 7 f 8

8 InterNACHI Branding Yur Inspectin Business Magpie Prperty Inspectins website: All InterNACHI Certified Inspectrs can take advantage f the free business marketing design services prvided by InterNACHI s Marketing Team fr FREE! Fr mre details, visit Branding Summary Nw yu shuld have a gd idea abut what yur brand is, what yur cmpany is, and what yu d. Yu shuld have at least three sentences that summarize yur cmpany. These are develped by matching what yu re the best at with what is mst imprtant t yur clients. Yu shuld have a tagline, which is a single sentence r phrase that summarizes wh yu are. Yur lg shuld be prfessinally designed and wrk well with yur tagline. And remember t keep yur branding the same. InterNACHI's Free Online "Hme Inspectin Business Curse" This article is excerpted frm the "Hme Inspectin Business Curse," a free nline curse fr hme inspectrs prvided by InterNACHI. It's pen t everyne. Visit t take curse, which is free, nline, and pen t everyne. Page 8 f 8