1. Stop Telling Consumers What You Do.

When it comes to cleaning a pool or cutting grass, most homeowners are well aware of the provisions. But, when it comes to branding, not many home service companies are promoting value propositions that help them stand out amongst the pack. This is why price point tends to be the determining factor for most. If you’re simply conveying standard services and not promoting the customer experience, you’re simply throwing yourself into a bucket of options. So, think of new ways you can communicate how you make your customers feel instead. This can be done in a number of ways, but the first step is making it a priority for long term success.

Showing potential customers what you can do for them is a far better alternative. Think about this next time you’re investing a few hundred dollars on a print advertising campaign or handing out a business card. Create a unique message that speaks to the customer instead of aligning with the rest of the industry. Aside from promoting original imagery and content, here are some additional ways to stand apart from competition.

2. Create a Brand Culture and Champion it.

Most home service companies train their people on how to do a certain job and measure their performance based on completion. This is why the landscaping and pool service market intrigues me. There’s not much of a “wow” factor when it comes to cleaning a pool or trimming hedges. But, there can be if you create it. Don’t develop a tagline just to create a tagline. Establish a culture with a brand promise that all of your employees are held accountable for on a daily basis. Not only does this streamline the hiring process, but it sets the standards of service without exception.

3. Brand the Experience by Creating Memories.

Now that you’ve set the expectations, it’s time to step outside of normality and create an impression. One of the most powerful ways to increase reach is to build a review system. There are plenty of ways to ask customers if the job is satisfactory. You can leave a door hanger with a link to your Facebook page or ask them to leave a Yelp review. You could ask the homeowner to fill out a printed review form as the work is being done.

Even if the customer is annoyed, they know that their business is important to you. You can pick up the reviews when the job is complete and have your guys take a picture of it with the yard or pool in the background – then post it on social media! Anything done out of the ordinary lets the customer know they’re appreciated. Creating a lasting impression establishes loyalty and allows your company to be remembered positively even when you make mistakes.

4. Promote Your Team and Their Competence.

When landscaping or pool service is being completed, you have to acknowledge the sense of insecurity involved. Most interaction is with wives or children and they’re essentially allowing strangers on the premises. As a father of 4, I value being able to trust these people. Any additional insight gives me a peace of mind and allows my family to feel safe, secure and satisfied. Take a step back and create a little vulnerability for your business. Get to know the people you hire and promote their ability to serve your customers. Present a weekly or monthly employee spotlight or list everyone on your website. When customers know your team, relationships tend to be made.

This also gives your employees a sense of purpose and worth within the culture. They’ll feel obligated to uphold the brand standards because they’re valued for the work they put in. Not only does this enhance cohesion but allows you to attract quality candidates that are more reliable. In turn, customers take notice and will be willing to pay extra for your transparency and commitment. This improves your bottom line by avoiding hiring costs while holding onto more customers throughout.

5. Capture and Promote the Work You Do.

How will you ever know that a job is well done if you’re unable to see the quality? For some reason, there is only a handful of pool service and landscaping companies in Phoenix doing this. When it comes to larger jobs such as resurfacing or pavers – why wouldn’t you want to showcase the results? You can even take before and after photos with the company truck included. Take it a step further and have your guys take a team selfie! Most everyone has a smart phone these days and it only takes a few seconds to capture the completed work.

Not only does this show ownership that the job is satisfactory, but it creates appeal for potential customers. Who wouldn’t want their beautiful yard or pool showcased on social media by a professional home service company? This is just another way of establishing competence while ensuring the work you do is satisfactory and worth investing in. Moreover, brands that take pride in their work and personalize the experience tend to garner the most recognition.

1. The Way You Communicate.

Communication plays a big role in your ability to persuade potential customers that you’re capable of satisfying their needs. Generally speaking, a brand communicates via voice (conversation), written copy (one way messaging), and media (visual imagery or video). Aside from consistency, a brand should speak to it’s customers in a specific tone of voice. Understanding how and why your brand is communicating will help you determine how to position the voice you speak in.

Some companies like to be heard as encouraging or empathetic – while others prefer to be more direct and precise. Either way, there needs to be a purpose behind the way you articulate your verbiage. This function headlines my top 5 branding characteristics because the way you correspond impacts the way you’re perceived. Moreover, it sets up your marketing strategy moving forward.

Take this a step further, and consider how word of mouth factors in. As people begin talking about your brand, you’ll want to ensure they convey an accurate representation. In the long run, this is immeasurable.  But, without a cohesive message across all channels, it’s rather difficult for those aware of the brand to promote it accordingly.

2. How You Differentiate the Brand.

Uncovering the uniqueness of your brand can be done in a number of ways. But, I would recommend looking at leadership’s experience and origin. Every single person has a story and corresponding experiences. Harnessing these events and funneling them into the aura of a brand can be uber credible and often appealing.

The second aspect of differentiation surrounds the branded “why.” Promoting your reasoning for coming to market gives your audience a chance to relate to or get behind the provision you’re presenting. What does the brand mean to the company? What would you like it to mean to the industry and it’s consumers? Having a strong “why” can always be a sound differentiator.

Lastly, what makes the brand memorable or worthwhile? It’s important that every business focuses on the customer experience and the culture within. How have you altered processes? How do you make people feel a part of the team or culture? What does the company bring to the table that no one else can boast? How are you following up with customers after they’ve bought in?

You can’t detour from this if you’re looking to attract a loyal following that understands and appreciates the environment you’ve created. Aside from revenue, differentiation helps you attract talent that adds to your ability to serve.

3. Values and What You Stand For.

When writing these top 5 branding characteristics, I wanted the content to flow in a way that made sense. Although you might think values fall in line with #2, I consider beliefs to be a choice – not necessarily experience. What you stand for plays a big role in the identification of a brand. People identify with certain things. Setting the parameters of your business will set the bar for expectations.

You might value an open working space that encourages frequent communication or even conflict. You may find that employees are more effective with confined office spaces. You could stand for a laid back fun-filled atmosphere or promote a stone faced culture of seriousness. I’ve worked for an agency that stood for full autonomy as well as a corporation that required me to wear a suit jacket on a daily basis. Neither are wrong, but preference was there for a reason. It worked for both.

Take some time to figure out what’s important – or what factors into the success (or differentiation) of your business. Whether it’s faith, company hierarchy, employee benefits, or the way you manufacture products or happy customers. Knowing what you value and stand for makes a heck of a difference in the way you’re perceived as a brand.

4. The Brand’s Vision and Goals.

If you listen to my podcast, you’ll find that I’m pretty passionate about transparency. Believe it or not, allowing your audience to be aware of your brand vision and what you’re setting out to accomplish encourages them to be apart of the journey. This also rolls into differentiation by consistently conveying what you bring (have brought and will bring) to the marketplace.

Providing insight on how the brand is accomplishing goals and where you’re being forced to make pivots establishes a sense of trust and integrity that viewers can feel. Once you’ve tuned into the emotions of potential buyers with your messaging, it’s a good idea to harness the cognition that drives conversion. Giving consumers an idea of where you’re going creates a peace of mind and enables them to intuitively make a decision in your favor.

In addition to targeting customers, this approach also builds awareness for potential partners or influencers that believe in the vision and goals of your company. Aligning with other businesses that compliment your value not only strengthen yours but it enhances the reach and support of the brand.

5. The Aura of Your Brand.

The last of my top 5 branding characteristics refers to the mystic and aura of the brand itself. Now that you’ve taken the time to develop a number of factors that play into your identity, it’s time to create the essence of the brand. In this step, you’ll want to harness all of the aforementioned factors to determine how you want to present yourself – as well as be perceived.

If I were to give one form of advice, I’d recommend avoiding promotions that are outside the persona you’ve created. If you spend a lot of time attempting to drive relevant traffic (publishing blogs, implementing SEO, or posting randomly on social media) – then pause it. It’s imperative that you focus on brand perception before exposing yourself to potential customers. Ask yourself how you want people to feel when they see your brand. If this isn’t executed prior to marketing, then you risk a skewed perception.

So, How Do You Establish an Aura?

In order to put all of this work into action, you need to have a presentational plan. Consider your style of imagery, videos or designs. Think about your on-site or print media typography even. Look into the events you attend or the companies you align with. If you want to be taken seriously, but use chalkboard typeface and partner with those that aren’t really trusted, how can you be?

Let me use my company as an example. I want potential clients to know that I don’t place them into a general process that’s equal to or less than other clients. I want them to know there’s a way to PreFocus and be effective no matter their budget. It’s all about being purposeful and caring for their success. In my latest podcast, I hosted Kelsey Tainsh who speaks on her passion for others. I’m not going to host an entrepreneur that focuses on persuasively making money or selfish ambition. It just won’t work.

I want people to see the strategic value I bring to the table and how I put together an identity that fits and makes sense. Not only does this differentiate my provisions, but it creates a seamless referral network that cares about my success. This is the aura of my business. No matter what I’m working on, there’s fulfillment in knowing that I’m providing businesses with value they can implement on their own. In the long run this increase their loyalty, influence and marketshare.

1. Establishing Branded Appeal

Most business owners seem to believe that appeal refers to how “cool” or “relevant” their brand is. In reality, society is shifting towards more believable messages that relay quality and competence. You can tell the customer over and over that you’re their best solution, but until you’re able to show them, it’s going to be an uphill battle.

Establishing appeal shouldn’t focus on how funny or entertaining your company is. Although witty leadership may resonate with some, most are looking for the most competent and trustworthy company to handle their immediate needs. Seeing a picture of a CEO fishing in the Bahamas isn’t really going to drive a conversion – even if most of their audience enjoys fishing.

How Can You Establish Appeal as a Small Biz?

Creating appeal begins with a small business’ story. Discussing “how” and “why” you came to market may seem boring, but targeting people with like-able content isn’t necessarily going to establish credibility for the actual value you provide. If you’re a small business and you’re marketing mirrors global chains or informative producers then I urge you to reconsider your strategy. Going anywhere outside of your unique personality and the relationship you have with your local audience can be a recipe for wasteful spending. Moreover you’re allowing the company to be compared to larger institutions that have the money to invest in reach campaigns.

Search results and relevance have taken content marketing by storm over the last 5 years but consumers are beginning to see through the BS. Although I cannot speak for everyone, I know younger generations are beginning to look past the fluff and read into substance. If you’re trying extra hard to persuade, then maybe you’re in the wrong business. Or maybe that’s simply what you’re conveying. To me, that’s not very appealing. Especially when I’m searching for answers or a local solution and only finding opinionated bias without any relevance to my search.

You can promote appeal simply by showcasing the work ethic or personalities or your people – or leaders. You can be perceived as appealing by highlighting first impressions or a preview of the customer experience like the imagery below.

2. Reinforcing an Ability to Solve and Serve.

As I dovetail with my initial reasoning, I want to reiterate the importance of competence. After being a part of the marketing agency realm for a few years, I started to realize that content strategies were being formulated based on consumer interests instead of needs. Agencies were attempting to place brands in front of potential customers before they were needed.

Although this is a solid complimentary strategy, not all small businesses have the capital to afford the results of this approach. Especially now that there are eerily similar blog articles throughout different industries. Don’t be misled – in the long run, consumers want to understand the experience they’re preparing to take part in, not necessarily how much a pool company knows about pool party decor. What bothered me the most was that many clients viewed blog content as a success because they saw an increase in traffic. But, how can you monetize consumers that are simply reading your articles for information? In most cases, they aren’t bookmarking you.

Reinforce Abilities With Reason

Taking the time to reinforce an ability to serve and solve problems creates a peace of mind while setting the bar for consumer’s small biz “shopping” experience. Although some brands are remembered for their content, it’s imperative that small businesses hammer down their brand personality and efficiencies so they’re remembered for those. If you didn’t start a business to entertain, then don’t focus on entertaining until it’s something you can afford. In most cases, this is after you’re able to sustain and scale the business. A recently launched small business should harness authenticity to the fullest extent to save on the front end.

Take pride in leveraging customer testimonials or even authentic videos of company processes to give consumers insight on the brand. You can still optimize these forms of content in order to be found for specific searches. Moreover, you’ll be able to create different forms of content and media to maximize the reach of your provided value across multiple channels. Being original and authentic allows you to promote what you know and what you do by positioning it in a way they appreciate the most. Discussing what you do best is a great reason why small business should harness authenticity for content production. Here is a simple way to do just that:

3. Generating Trust and Loyalty.

The last point I want to make pertains to what most small business are chasing – residual income or return customers. For the most part of the last decade, companies have been focusing on keeping their audience engaged on social media or through email marketing. Thing is, you shouldn’t need to remind previous customers of their experience or incentivise them to return. Your competent appeal and ability to serve will inevitably persuade them enough.

When brands focus more on retaining customers through persuasive tactics instead of harnessing and maximizing their value – it hinders their believability and (aforementioned) competence. Stop trying so hard. Be authentic and transparent with your product or service and inform followers on your commitment to them. At the end of the day, this is what matters – right?

How Does PreFocus Help with Loyal Acquisition?

When it comes to branding, we attempt to create an experience that not only resonates with consumers but allows them to trust the process. Providing insight on every layer of the business gives customers confidence in the brand to satisfy their specific needs. Not every business can address all customer concerns. No matter how hard you try, the further you extend your value reach, the harder it’s going to be convey believable competence.

Inevitably this hinders brand trust. It’s important that small businesses focus on what they do extremely well so they can drive loyalty in that area first. The easiest way to solidify this is to promote the identity and personality of the brand on a consistent basis. Show what you do, how you do it, and why you’re doing it. Tell people about your pivots, overcome conflicts and other success stories. People can and will relate to an established persona they can identify with. This is my main reasoning for why small business should harness authenticity. Marketing with purpose helps garner traction for the perceived speciality of the small business.