Get the Message Out

Putting together a media plan that targets the best audience can make or break an otherwise great marketing program. And it may not include traditional media.

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Make sure your marketing plan reaches its full potential. Many times, you can get more bang for your buck by looking beyond traditional advertising to better target your specific customers.

The ideal media plan depends on three key factors, says Phil Zaleon, president of Z Promotion & Design in Chapel Hill, N.C.

• The size of the community to be reached (whether that's neighborhoods, suburbs or key city sectors).
• The type of work on which you will focus (siding versus whole-house remodeling).
• Desired traffic.

"If you want to fill your showroom with people or have the phone ring off the hook, you'll do different media than if you want to close a high percentage of your leads or do only certain kinds of projects."

The goal, he says, is to "develop a plan that allows you to be everywhere you need to be, and nowhere you don't want to be." By the same token, it's best to advertise in good times, when you're too busy to accept more work. "If you get more work, you can raise your rates, be more selective or grow your business," he says. "It also helps ensure that you'll still be busy in six months."

Set a Budget
Determing a budget can be difficult, and many contractors underbudget, particularly those with showrooms to promote. Zaleon's rule of thumb is for new contractors to budget 7 percent to 10 percent of revenues to become established, young companies to spend 5 percent to 7 percent, and established companies to set aside 3 percent to 5 percent. The first year of the program should be funded with an additional 2 percent to 4 percent due to one-time expenses, such as funding literature pieces, Web site development and print or broadcast ad production.

But media placement doesn't need to be the sole focus. Peggy Mackowski, vice president of Quality Design & Construction in Raleigh, N.C., focuses a lot of attention on public-relations programs, and her budget "grows every year," she says. Her program includes a variety of awards competitions, direct mail, home shows and other alternative media. She also uses targeted media, such as New Homes & Ideas magazine, an edition of which is published in her area. These sources often work better for niche contractors than general-interest media such as TV ads or Yellow Pages.

Quality Design & Construction's direct mail pieces are targeted using local Internet-based list sources that provide neighborhood addresses. These homes receive mail whenever the company is working in the area. Zaleon suggests focusing even more, using mail pieces to alert homeowners that a project will soon be started in their area. This can be followed with an update during the project. When completed, a follow-up card can go out, suggesting neighbors walk by to see the work.

Home Tours Bring Leads
Quality Design & Construction also makes use of a local home tour, in which a dozen recently remodeled homes are visited in a one-weekend program. The company has participated for four years, and it's proven successful. "The response afterward has given us good leads," Mackowski says.

Those on the database receive updates on news as well as awards the company has won in national and local competitions, which Mackowski tracks and systematically enters. The company also solicits magazine editors, and alerts its mailing list whenever the company is featured. Fall mailings remind readers of the home tour, held in October, and others discuss the company's participation in the local home show, held each spring and fall.

She also sends out year-at-a-glance magnetic calendars, featuring the company's name and logo, during the holidays. "Cards are good for one day," she says. "With a magnet, we'll be there all year."

Any program should reflect the company's approach to the market and the customers with whom it wants to do business, Zaleon stresses. "A media plan should help the contractor get to the next level of being professional and help show how you're going to get there."