The secret to success may be the tool you’re not using

Let me clue you in on a poorly kept secret: Traditional advertising is expensive. I know, this isn’t exactly shocking. Depending on your market, a month-long rental of a billboard could cost five figures. A week’s worth of 15-second radio ads can run up to $8,000 — and that doesn’t include the cost of producing them. And television? Forget it.

In 1995, I founded what’s now KickCharge Creative, which has become one of the nation’s most successful marketing firms for small and mid-sized businesses. We’ve helped more than 2,000 companies create new brands and better connect with their customers. A big chunk of our clients are home contractors — plumbers, electricians and HVAC companies. They’re hard-working, talented professionals, but most don’t have the deep pockets to dive headlong into those costly advertising opportunities.

Here’s another secret. An actual secret this time. If you build a great brand, your service vehicles can be more effective than any billboard. A vehicle wrap featuring an eye-catching brand is the best ROI you’ll ever get — a moving billboard that travels through the neighborhoods you aim to serve.

The truth is, most home service contractors aren’t great at branding. Smaller operations devote their attention to doing a great job for their next client and the one after that. The bigger ones have to keep up with hiring, training and retaining employees on top of offering great customer service. While providing quality service and maintaining a qualified workforce are essential to a business, entrepreneurs can’t get tunnel vision on just those issues.

Too many home contractors don’t spend enough time thinking about their brand and how it’s presented to potential customers. The proof is the sea of white contractor vans swarming America’s roads and highways. They blend together, which is the complete opposite of what they should be accomplishing. These vans and trucks are driving into their customers’ neighborhoods. If they’re not grabbing people’s attention, it’s a missed opportunity.

But the complacency of those other companies can work to your advantage. Distinctive mascots, icons and color schemes stand out more when competitors fail to develop their own brands. Those features can help you build your own unique brand story, informing customers about your company’s culture and value and why you’re the perfect fit for them.

Each brand story must be unique. That’s partly because no two companies are exactly alike, and partly because the most effective branding stands apart. I see too many brands using the same colors and messaging. At a quick glance, they can’t be distinguished from one another. Drivers have only a few seconds to notice your brand before passing by. If it doesn’t stick out, they are not going to remember you when they need your services.

Businesses also need to keep their audiences in mind when they create their brand. It should speak directly to customers, not the business owner. Usually, these go hand-in-hand, but an owner looking for an intimidating brand may need a reality check.

Think about it. Which mascot is more likely to get a call from Mrs. Smith, the 56-year-old librarian who lives down the street? A sullen vigilante or the smiling kid carrying his father’s toolbox? Remember, first-time customers are letting strangers into their homes. A smart brand builds a relationship around something that makes them feel comfortable.

If all that isn’t enough, the final brand needs to be clean and simple. Vans offer a lot of space to get your message across, but we routinely see companies stuff too much information on them. The messaging becomes illegible, which defeats the purpose of having a branded vehicle in the first place.

One of the tougher parts for my clients to wrap their arms around is the need to disrupt the status quo. We’re communal creatures who can get uncomfortable when we stick out from the crowd. Small business owners invest so much of themselves into their companies that shedding part of the identity they’ve already built can be scary.

But that’s exactly what needs to happen for a successful brand to take off. The good news is the discomfort starts to fade once the new brand hits the streets. An imaginative mascot or logo turns homeowners’ heads and calls start to flood in. It’s common for our customers to see their revenues explode in the months and years after rebranding.

Look, branding alone won’t make a business successful. That takes a dedicated team that does great work day in and day out. But great branding makes it easier to succeed. And the companies that are succeeding without great branding are just handicapping themselves.