When talking about home improvement, it’s important to note that there are two separate consumers – DIYers and Pros. We spend a lot of time discussing how to engage the DIYer, but let’s focus a little on how to successfully market to the professional audience.
What Are the Basics of Marketing to the Pro?
It’s important to know the specific professional contractors (there’s typically over 10 trades involved on one basic jobsite) and understand their unique trades as they are all specialized and want to be addressed in their specific skillsets. Make sure to speak directly to them in their terms and language and provide solutions and improvements for their specific needs. Basically, help them get more jobs and make more money! Don’t be afraid to get into the jobsite weeds, either, including researching the following: demographics, locations, unions, trade associations, languages, general contractors, specialists, licensed versus unlicensed, vocational schools, commercial versus residential, new construction versus repair/remodel, how/when/where/what/why they buy, etc.
What Makes Pro Marketing Success So Critical?
The importance of the Pro can’t be understated. According to experts, Pros are one of the main reasons that The Home Depot leads the industry over Lowe’s. The Home Depot attributes 45% of sales to professional contractors compared to only 20–25% for Lowe’s. Whereas Lowe’s has catered to the homeowner with consumer-oriented, entry-level and affordable brands, The Home Depot has integrated skilled and non-skilled shoppers with a balance between high-quality and value. Home Depot not only sells the quality brands that Pros prefer (the same brands that homeowners recognize and aspire to own), but also makes it part of their business to promote professional services such as design and installation. In short, if you own the Pro, you own your market!
What Makes for Pro Marketing Success?
Pros’ most critical needs today are quality materials in job-lot quantities, especially now that inventory has normalized for materials. Between big-box and industrial supply houses, service levels have grown to VIP experiences with the emergence of loyalty programs, all seeking favoritism from high-volume Pro customers. And that means dependable, bulletproof products that will avoid callbacks and extra trips are the priority.
Also, note that most Pros bill the cost of materials to the project, so pricing promotions are less effective in influencing where Pros shop. Status Pro brands and a sense of VIP treatment are the significant draws. For example, Home Depot has the power tools lead over Lowe’s with big-box exclusive brands that Pros are drawn to. It’s similar to the automotive truck industry. The brand of truck that you drive to the jobsite provides a bit of street cred, and Ram, Ford and Chevy are the leaders. For Pro street cred, you basically need one of these trucks. In the home improvement retail power tools category, DEWALT, Milwaukee and Makita are the big three. These products are essentially extensions of the Pros own identities. And since Home Depot has big-box exclusives with Makita and Milwaukee, this has a major influence on their Pro market share over Lowe’s. Are you starting to get the picture?
Should You Ramp Up Your Pro Marketing?
Catering to the professional audience needs to be a top priority for your brand. While the Pro is already an influential audience for many home improvement brands, the extent to which you market to them may differ.
As a rule of thumb, do not blend homeowner and Pro campaigns. That is a total turnoff to the Pro, similar to December babies receiving only one gift for their birthday and Christmas. But if your brand is in a category where durability, reliability and reputation are important, you need dedicated and specific Pro marketing campaigns. Pros live and breathe from status and recognition, both customer referrals and peer recognition, and their work is a legacy extension of themselves that ideally lives on for generations to come. With that, the ultimate endorsement is high-profile, celebrated peers doing videos on installation and success with projects, and clients using your brands and products.
The key to success here is a brand-specific Pro value proposition and a very clear messaging articulation of that. Success will come from a blend of product quality, ease of use and installation, backend support, dedicated Pro loyalty efforts, Pro recognition from your brand, peer Pro-organic voice and advocacy on the jobsite, and frequent engagement.
How Well Do You Know Your Pros? Download Our Free Pro Persona and Find Out.
Double-check your Pro appeal with our free Pro persona. It was developed during the strategy phase of a completed marketing campaign and includes insights collected from multiple Pro interviews we conducted.
At Porchlight, we help home improvement retailers and brands stay top-of-mind, enhance digital experiences and make products shine brighter on shelves. If you know anyone needing our expertise and support, please forward our emails to them. This goes for both the DIYer and the Pro!