This week on The Home Builder Digital Marketing Podcast, Brent Niemuth of J.Schmid joins Greg and Kevin to discuss how home builders can start building an authentic, well-defined brand story that resonates with customers and is recognized in the industry.
There is often a misperception of what a brand is. Having a brand goes much deeper than just creating a catchy company slogan and symbol. Brent says,
“…when you think brand, you think logo, maybe a color palette, a tagline perhaps, and that’s about it, and that’s just not accurate. It’s not true. That is the outward representation of a brand. It’s what people interact with and see. However, a brand simply is the impression of what someone has of you and your company. It’s the idea in their head. It’s what they think of when they hear your name.”
Every home builder has a brand whether they have established one themselves or not. Brent explains,
“So, an important thing to note here, you can do nothing, literally nothing, and you will have a brand. Because people will make up their own minds of who you are, wherever they interact with you, again, website, a phone call, a social media post, whatever it is. If you’re doing nothing, no effort at all to build your brand, there’s still going to be an image that they’re going to have in their head. It’s not going to be a very good one, but they will form an impression. We can’t prevent that. So, you will have a brand. The point is that you should try to control it the best you can, put your best foot forward.”
Brent provides five guiding questions that home builders can utilize when constructing a brand story, but the most important aspect of a brand story starts with authenticity. Brent says,
“When we craft the answers to these questions or when we decide what our brand is going to be about, we shouldn’t fabricate something that isn’t real. We shouldn’t make something up that we’re trying to become. It can’t be too aspirational. Ooh, I want to be perceived as this, I want to deliver a brand experience at this level. But if it’s not true and authentic to who we really are, we’re going to be faking it. So, don’t fake it. Don’t create something that’s not attainable. Just be who you are. Just identify what those attributes are and then just be yourself. It’s much easier.”
Listen to this week’s episode to learn more about building an effective and genuine home builder brand.
About the Guest:
Brent Niemuth is President & Chief Creative Officer at J.Schmid in Kansas City, a leading creative and branding agency specializing in direct-to-consumer marketing. Brent has gained a national reputation for challenging industry norms and is known for his strong belief that brands need to be “more human.” He is an award-winning designer and highly sought-after speaker on the topics of creativity, design and branding and has been helping build brands such as Disney, House of Blues, Reebok, Jockey, Orvis, Microsoft and multiple Las Vegas resorts for over 35 years. And he still claims to be the fifth Beatle.