Industry Specific Marketing Advice

Marketing a Gas Plumbing Equipment and Supplies Business

It's becoming more and more difficult for gas plumbing equipment and supplies businesses to rise above the clamor of the marketplace. Innovative marketing strategies may be your best bet for out-promoting -- and outperforming -- the competition.

Need to improve the effectiveness of your marketing channels for your gas plumbing equipment and supplies business? We're not surprised. Many small business owners in this industry aren't happy with their current marketing scheme and are desperate to identify a path for improvement.

A lack of marketing experience can sometimes be overcome through persistence and innovation, two key features of gas plumbing equipment and supplies business marketing success.

Discounts

People like to feel like they're getting a discount, so not surprisingly gas plumbing equipment and supplies business consumers fit the pattern and factor discounts into their spending decisions. Orchestrated discount programs communicate value because they create the perception that the customer is getting more for less. But in the gas plumbing equipment and supplies business world, value discounts need to be attractive when stacked against the competition. Strategic leaders often incorporate discount campaigns into their annual marketing calendars, scheduling the most appealing discounts for non-peak business seasons.

Public Relations Strategies

If marketing is a stock car racing full throttle toward a consumer audience, PR is a vintage Cadillac teasing consumers and inviting them to take a closer look. For example, if you buy a premium mailing list and use it to conduct a direct mail campaign, that's marketing. On the other hand, if the Sunday paper runs a story about your gas plumbing equipment and supplies business, that's PR. Since PR leverages media outlets, it may cost nothing to acquire media placements that feature interesting storylines about your products and brand. The trick is learning how to pitch storylines to media professionals without sounding too promotional or sales-oriented.

When It's Time to Rebrand

There are many reasons why it might be time to begin a rebranding initiative - but a lack of alternative tactics is not one of them. The most successful rebranding initiatives are the culmination of a deliberate process. For a gas plumbing equipment and supplies business, owners are often inspired to rebrand after analysis has demonstrated that the current brand is losing its impact in the marketplace. If rebranding is unavoidable, it's important to update the brand while maintaining the elements that make it recognizable to consumers.

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