Historically many concrete repair contractors begin their season by booking home shows and other venues where they can kick start their business for the year. It would appear that option will not be available in 2021. This thought had me thinking about other changes in marketing tactics that may be appropriate in the Covid 19 environment we all now live in.
A SAMPLE OF THE TRENDS
At HMI we often talk about the Mega trends and work our way to what lessons can be learned and what tactics we can recommend in the contemporary.
- Last week, Red Pointssurveyed consumers throughout the United States, reporting that nearly 60% of those surveyed have increased their online shopping spend since the pandemic was announced. A slew of marketers have quickly responded with the launch of new ecommerce sites, digital advertising, and a flood of email marketing tactics.
- Recent research suggests that consumers are in favor of COVID-19 specific messaging. More than 85% of U.S. consumers approve of brands running campaigns focused on:
- Brand response to the crisis, including customer help and support
- Practical information and tips to deal with the situation
- Promotional offers and loyalty perks for customers
- There have been scores of articles about on line burnout in the new Covid environment. That is total screen time with: work from home, social media, and online shopping has consumers looking at and being influenced by traditional alternatives beyond online digital promotion.
THE CONCLUSIONS
Based on the above we would recommend HMI customers consider:
- Deploying a mix of marketing initiatives in 2021. Reliance on only online digital marketing may be ill advised given the explosion of digital promotion and the anticipated consumer retaliation.
- Emphasizing your sensitivity to Covid 19 in your promotion and emphasizing the fact that your work is done outside with minimal risk to your customers.
WHAT SHOULD YOU DO
- Make sure you are taking advantage of HMI’s Foamjection program.
- Consider replacing historic HOME SHOW activity with smaller opportunities for demos to: consumers at HOME DEPOT stores, invitation only lunch demos for DOT officials and Commercial Property Managers.
- Experimenting with card deck programs to launch the season. Contact “Value Pak” and get a quote.
- Mine the Data in your Estimate Rocket or CRM system and identify the zip codes that have yielded the best results for you in recent years. Then contact a local direct mail house and experiment with direct marketing in those rich environments to supplement your on line presence.
- Lever your Estimate Rocket or CRM data base and prepare an email program to ask prior customers for referrals to start the year.
- Consider whether this is the time to experiment with radio or call your local Television provider and meet with their representative to learn what can be efficiently done on TV to support your company.
REMEMBERING THE OBVIOUS
A reminder, the HMI marketing department can help with every one of the recommendations above. Send us an email or give us a call. We will probably have samples of all of the above to help.
As I was drafting this blog I could not help consider two quotes from my favorite consultant:
“If you do not do something – don’t expect anything!”
“If you have not tried something new in the last 12 months – you may be dead and don’t even know it!”
