My marketing background and years of working on brand campaigns from Valvoline oil to Oldsmobile cars
has given me an idea. I thought I would bounce it off all of you.
I am going to start this fall by branding two of my upholstery offerings ( solar screens and RV awnings ) by giving them a brand name and then pushing that product. What I want to do is create a unique name for each one and then start marketing them to my unique market.
I have a non descript business name which has nothing about what I do in the name. This was by choice as I wanted the freedom to be able to move into whatever market I wanted without being tied down to an individual name.
I was just wondering if anyone has ever created a product and branded it in the upholstery business. While my solar screens and awnings are not unique I still feel by branding them that the name will stick and move through the RV industry. Well, on second thought they are a bit unique because of the extra sewing I do on each product and the fabric and materials I use as a combination.
What sells my products is the extras I put into it. Yes, I do charge a premiuim over my competition and Florida is loaded with solar screen makers but OMG do they turn out some junk. I want to brand my products to set them apart and give RV'ers a name that will stick in their minds.
Any comments would be appreciated. Also if you have any ideas for names that would be MOST welcomed. Just make them short names. :)
Chris
Still on my first coffee but can already see the ad campaign for BLACK KNIGHT (blocking the sun--dark,knight etc) "uncompromising strength and quality fit for royalty"
GOLD STAR also has some connotations
Why not use MoJoScreens MoJoShades
Unique and descriptive.. kinda like Gucci...
Chris,
Great Idea! I really like the names that Cheryl came up with. Mojo is Cool sounding!
About branding your products, great idea! Because Graphic Design, Screenprinting & Embroidery have been a part of the services I offer for a long time, I've done much of this type of work for my customers.
For a label that you put on every product, it's a good idea to put your phone number along with whatever name brand you choose to use too, that will bring lots of orders when people see your work and want it! A web address is a good idea too. Or, just a web address and then put the rest of the information on the website.
I'm not doing this myself right now, but plan to do it soon. The shop I worked in last did this and most of the calls we got everyday were from people who saw our canopy covers being used and they used the info from the labels to call and place orders. I'd say about 90% of those calls (or better) resulted in a sale. Pretty good return for the investment (cost to produce a product label) and the quality of your work speaks for itself. "Win Win" I say!
Mojo Screens- Shade Is Our Trade!
It's all yours if you like. But just so you know I write it on the dirty company truck sometimes.
Most of what j do is done by many others do k don't think o could
make it my own. I have tried marketing r top shAde extentjons but it's not A big thing
ng and all the parts ca. Be had by anyone maybe I do t understNd name Brandi g but all my work generaly bS a made by lable.
hehe
how about Mojo 'one shady character'
:o
Made in the Shade
I sat down and went over some names with my wife and blew them by a couple friends that are corporate people with backgrounds in marketing.
The two names I came up with and that everyone liked was:
WearForce Awnings
&
Solarforce screens
I wanted to keep the name " Force " in both the names. I am also hoping that the two names will blend and play off each other. One of the reasons why I wanted to brand my two products is because the market is so crowded. My feeling was to come up with something that made mine stand out from the rest. Quality was one but I wanted a name that would flow through the RV industry.
We shall see if I have any marketing brain cells left and if this idea will work.
Any more comments ?
Chris
Everything around here is PRO Stitch and/or Sew What? . People on Facebook right now are winning Sew What? T-shirts courtesy of PRO Stitch. My mugs are all over. The van, business cards. All the same name, all the same message. I've been asked if I'd sell mugs and T-shirts to people. I laugh and give them one. BUT, hey. Someday people may want to Sew What as part of their fashion. Joe's Crab Shack does it.
I don't have a particular product. It's the PRO Stitch quality in an interior I try to push. I'm working on the mindset in people that when someone says "I need to have my seat fixed" rather than say to go to an upholstery shop, people automatically say "Take it to PRO Stitch."
I got sucked in years ago trying to "brand" ouselves among the masses. To the radio sales rep it was a contract for multiple spots. For me, it was a waste of mucho dinero. I don't want that kind of branding. Everyone and their brother doesn't need to know my name (until we start selling T-shirts for profit). But I want that brand recognition among the car elite in my area.
Russ:
We are in different operating modes. I do not do marine, furniture or auto work but rather focus strictly on RV's. I offer other services such as custom covers but my main focus is on solar screens and awnings. With both of these products I only offer one type using specific materials. So I believe branding is the way to go for the the being.
In your case every job is different, the materials vary as does the design. It would be impossible to brand your work. It is next to impossible to brand an ever changing product with so any variables. So
your form of advertising ( T-shirts, coffee mugs and facebook works ). For me those would never help me because of the demographics of my customers. Hell, many have never heard of facebook. :)
In regards to traditional ad avenues, radio has seen a huge drop in their audience since the advent of Ipod's and XM radio. Now they are making radios with jump drives so you can now download your favorite music onto your jump drive and plug it in the radio and go. Even print media isn't what it used to be and circulation for most media outlets is down. People are getting their news on the internet instead of having it delivered to their door.
Traditional methods from the past that many businesses used for advertising are becoming a waste of money. Even TV ad's are not what they used to be since many people have DVR's and watch taped TV shows. I myself never watch a live TV show anymore because I enjoy being able to fast forward through commercials. :) Whatever the marketing people learned 20 years ago can now be thrown out the window. Everything has changed along with consumer habits which really throws a monkey wrench into the works.
I have studied my customer base and market and it is a tough one to get a foothold in. They are transient and only here for a few months a year. Their needs are unique and their expectations are very high. They are a very tight knit community which either helps you or kills you. You do a great job and everyone knows. You do a bad job and it can kill future business. Unlike the classic car arena that you practice in where owners love individuality, the RV people see something and want the same exact thing for their rigs.
I could be completely wrong on this branding issue, but after working dozens of branding campaigns with Fortune 500 companies over the years, I think my doing this cannot hurt. I will either come out a hero or a zero. :)
In your situation what you are trying to achieve is name recognition which is something totally different then branding a product. Your business is not a product but rather an entity. Your focus is on overall service where as my focus is on two products. Each one takes different marketing strategies. If I was in your shoes I would be doing many of the same things as you but with more focus on driving hits to my website and less on facebook.
:)
Chris
I lik e that "forfe'
Quaintance has. Forcefield hurricane protection co and I think it's a good name.
Well whatever you choose Chris....May The FORCE be with you!
Dave
Chris, when you say branding, do you mean getting a trademark for the name? I did that with a product that I make. I figured I couldn't copyright the product, but I could trademark the name so no one else could sell a copy under the same name.
Rich
Chris, are you able to make the screens from customer supplied dimensions, or do you fit them to the RV as you are building? If there were preset sizes, you could have sets available for sale at the various campgrounds, under the SolarForce moniker.
I like your name ideas. The only thing that pops up to me right off is possible confusion that customers begin thinking the material is solarforce instead of the finished product being Solarforce screens.
One thought, have the brand "Name" start with a letter found at the front of the alphabet so it shows up earlier in yellow pages, business pages, and any other alphabetical listing. My last name starts with a "T" and I know I've missed business just because someone elses name came earlier in the alphabet.
Yellow pages? What is this yellow pages of which you speak?? Ohhhh, the pages in the phone book on which my dog does his business. LOLOLOL.
I don't worry about Yellow Pages or any kind of business listing. People have stopped using them. Or the ones that use them never know which category to check. For a Lawyer or Doctor, sure. But when the yellow pages people decide to put upholstery under Auto Services and Auto Upholstery, or Upholstery, and there's no rhyme or reason, it's useless.
I have the webpage, which is static but has an e-mail link, and I get my name out and new stuff out using Facebook.
Funny you mention the yellow pages.
I typically take my new book and toss it in the trash. Instead I go online to find the business I am looking for. Also you can search for the type business you are looking for and not only will the listing come up but also customer comments. ( That can be scary ). I also like to look the companies website over to see if it was done with professionalism. :)
I am very selective in my work. I chose to concentrate on the RV industry and most of my work is concentrated in a few large RV resorts so advertising is easy. I go after the higher end RV parks because my customers there tend to spend more and pay in cash. Some of the other parks are a little dumpy and I stay away from those. :)
I do want to start getting more into online ordering though as I feel I can pick up some business that way. I will tap that market through the many RV forums I belong to.
All of my sales are through word of mouth which is why I bust my ass to turn out a top quality product. I had a customer last spring who went with another company and ordered solar screens. Someone in the park asked me if I was PO'ed over it because I knew this customer very well. I said Nope. It was a big help to me because I can send potential customers to my previous jobs and then send them down to this guys rig for them to look them over. That in itself will sell my work. :)...Trust me.......They are bad. Real bad. And this guy had them done at one of the largest RV dealers in the USA.
I just have this little niche business and am happy in my own little world. :) I will let the rest of you tackle those big jobs like marine and auto. I am to old for that crap anyways. :)
Chris
Quote from: Mojo on November 11, 2010, 05:12:56 am
I do want to start getting more into online ordering though as I feel I can pick up some business that way. I will tap that market through the many RV forums I belong to.
Forums are an great marketing tool. Nearly all my business is from online sales. I have sold seat all over the country and many internationally because of the internet and forums. Forums and also do great things for your websites search engine results. Love the internet!!!! ;D
I enjoy the forums and you are right they can be a huge boost for business.
But they are tricky. It takes a little knowledge and know how in regards to participating without being an outright salesperson. Many forums have rules that ban on line pitches for business and RV forums are very strict about plugging your business. I myself try and walk the line and not get myself into trouble.
I never mention my business name and instead just try and answer questions and help people with their problems. That in turn gets me PM's and business. I stay away from saying " I carry this product or can do this for you " and rather deal with a person out of the forums prying eyes and through PM's.
I have no problems with following their rules and it does make sense. Otherwise you will end up with bartering, selling and marketing products in a forum where people come for information instead. It gets even worse when you have 2 or 3 people who all carry the same product or service and they all pipe up and make offers in the middle of discussions.
If I see someone who is need of something I will PM them and keep the sales crap out of the forum.
On some of the forums I belong to I have seen members warned and then banned for selling products or services on some of these sites.
Chris
one forum I remember Is irv2.com