Marketing & Branding Your Company From the Ground Up Part 3: Getting in Front of Today’s Customer

In the most recent entry of our “Marketing & Branding Your Company From the Ground Up” series (see BPN’s October 2024 issue), we discussed how you can identify your business’s differentiator — why you and not the competition? That’s the “why” of building your brand. But there’s also the “how.” What are the different tactics you can employ to reach people who are looking for your services? 

There is a wide array of tools in the marketing toolbox, and each serves a specific purpose. Some means of communication can be adapted to many different functions, while others are more applicable to a particular audience. In this article, we’ll discuss how particular sales tactics fulfill the marketing needs of delivered fuel and home comfort businesses — plus, how you can most effectively employ and calibrate your overall strategy. 

Diverse Marketing Tactics for a New Customer 

Many tactics that revolutionized 20th century marketing — like direct mail — remain relevant today. However, the early- to mid-1900s were dominated by print ads, door-to-door sales, billboards, radio spots and, later, broadcast TV ads. Many of these are no longer the most effective ways to communicate with prospective customers. 

Today’s consumer has more access to information than ever. We carry powerful computers in our pockets and engage with numerous digital platforms before making a purchasing decision. So, it’s crucial that you employ several marketing channels to reach consumers at multiple points on this journey. 

Pay-per-click (PPC) ads place your marketing high on web results when people search for terms like “propane delivery near me” and “HVAC installation.” PPC offers you the ability to get in front of an audience that is actively interested in the services you offer. In effect, you are pressing your active branding to an inbound audience that is inclined to receive it. 

Facebook ads can be directed at a huge audience and refined based on location, demographics, search activity and other parameters. You can use these ads to increase your brand’s online presence, drive traffic to your site, promote your services and more. 

Display advertising embeds your business’ marketing on other websites. Also called banner advertising, these ads appear at the top, bottom or side of webpage content and “follow” potential customers in their online journeys. 

Video marketing lets you narrate your own story. You can drive your differentiator, spotlight a particular product or impart crucial information. Then, you can broadcast this engaging content to targeted audiences on YouTube, Facebook and other platforms. 

Targeted email campaigns can be deployed to a tightly curated audience of prospects and/or current customers. Working with a marketing partner, you can target this messaging to a precise kind of consumer with specific income, home size, interests, etc. Nine out of 10 consumers check their email daily, so whether you have a special offer for new propane sign-ups or want to encourage existing customers to get a tank monitor, email is still an outstanding and effective marketing channel. 

Print collateral can cover a wide range of options. Consider these popular campaigns our clients prefer: 

• Postcards advise households and businesses of limited-time offers. 
• Door hangers greet new homeowners with your branding and sales pitch. 
• Statement stuffers combine your invoices with enticing specials. 
• Letter mailings can encourage customers to sign up for high-value programs like service plan protection, monthly budgets and price caps. 
• Truck wraps broadcast your branding in vibrant colors on the road. 
• Newsletters have four times the readership of a traditional ad. They’re an effective way to build an ongoing relationship with current customers and increase the number of services they purchase from your company. 

Smart Tools to Calibrate Your Brand Strategy 

Crafting a persuasive message and identifying the right channels to deliver it are only two components of a winning campaign. You also need to target the best audience for this message and have a way to assess the results accurately. 

This is where having a trustworthy, experienced marketing partner who knows your industry is so critical. An experienced agency will develop a high-value distribution list targeted to the optimal region, income level, age group, etc. They’ll ensure you aren’t delivering your advertising to spam folders and bots. And they will keep you informed about your campaign’s performance so you can adjust to ensure the best return on your investment. 

Employing today’s smart technology can give you an edge in the branding race. For example, our agency has developed a client portal that employs advanced AI-powered tools to analyze calls, flag leads, track which campaigns are the most productive and nurture customer relationships. A data-driven tool such as this can streamline how propane companies monitor and assess the success of their marketing. 

Speaking of which, our final entry in this series will cover how you can interpret and act on the consumer data you get from your campaigns.