A strong brand can make all of the difference for your plumbing company. A good memorable brand makes your company feel familiar and less threatening to consumers, resulting in more calls for less marketing expense. So, what really matters when you build a brand and brand image in your market? Here are six things that matter from the simple to the complex.

1. Colors matter

Select a color scheme that is bold and unique in your market. At the very least, make it unique among plumbing companies. Your goal is to associate a color or combination of colors with your company brand so strongly that when people see the color, they think of your brand.

When selecting a color combination, make sure they contrast. A good test is to desaturate the colors and view them in greyscale. If they contrast there, you’re set.

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2. Differences matter

Build your brand around a unique aspect of your company. What do you do that no one else in your market does? What is your specialty? It could be the type of work, type of customer, geographic area or something else. How are you unique or how could you be unique?

Find your uniqueness and craft a short unique selling proposition (USP) or advertising tag line. Then, use it over and over and over. Do not change it. About the time you, your spouse, and your team become sick and tired of your USP, your customers are just becoming aware of it.

3. Vehicles matter

Most plumbers under market. Their marketing spend is trivial. Fortunately, many make up for it with their truck wraps. Follow good graphic design and branding practices with your truck wrap. Be bold.

Each of your trucks gets more than 30 thousand impressions a day. These are rolling billboards for your company if you design them correctly. Your fleet is your best advertising, best marketing, and best branding vehicle.

4. Consistency matters

Your branding needs to be consistent across your vehicles, advertising, social media, uniforms, business cards, everything. If someone sees any collateral material from your company, he or she should be able to instantly connect it. Promotions and offers may come and go, but the underlying branding should be consistent.

Build your brand around a unique aspect of your company. What do you do that no one else in your market does? What is your specialty? It could be the type of work, type of customer, geographic area or something else. How are you unique or how could you be unique?

5. You matter

Like it or not, you are the public face of your brand. Thus, how you conduct yourself in your market, reflects on your brand. If you are active in the community, support local charities, belong to a service club, are active in the local chamber of commerce, and so on, you are building your company brand. You are the brand ambassador.

6. Your people matter

Your people, especially when at work and when in uniform, represent your brand as well. Whoever answers your phones represents the first point of customer contact. Whoever wears a company uniform or polo and eats out at lunch is impacting your brand.

Your people are the most complex part of branding because they are least in your control. It is incumbent on you, as business leader, to constantly remind every member of your team that they are brand ambassadors when representing the company, driving branded vehicles, or wearing company apparel.