As far as the size of the indoor air quality industry is concerned it is not huge. Take a look at the size of the memberships for such related trade associations as the Indoor Air Quality Association (IAQA), Environmental Information Association (EIA), American Industrial Hygiene Association (AIHA), Restoration Industry Association (RIA) and The HVAC Inspection, Maintenance and Restoration Association (NADCA). None are enormous compared to some other industries.
What I'm trying to get at is for anyone involved in this industry, branding oneself is a doable and powerful tool for building an IAQ related business. There are thousands of professionals in our business, but not hundreds of thousands of us. This makes the challenge of branding a person that much easier.
Think back to the last industry conference or event that you attended. As you walked around I suspect many of you recognized certain faces from a distance. These recognizable faces weren't necessarily because you have worked with them in the past or meet with them on committees or social events. Many of them were because these people, or marketing pros working for them, have done a superb job of branding the individuals.
Now some people may be asking how branding a person results in building a business. Quite simply the increased exposure leads to increased opportunities to build a business. If you have been branded as the expert on pathogenic fungi, Chinese drywall, dirty ducts, mold remediation or any other specialty then you become the "go to" expert for cases involving those things.
So if you are part of the 98% of the industry that perhaps doesn't fall into this category of being branded what are your options? First off the branding of an individual is quite similar to the branding of a product or service and one of the essential things required for doing any type of branding is exposure.
Here's a short case study: Back in the 1990s when I first began working with Aerotech Laboratories we were at the time a small local IAQ laboratory. When we began marketing the company nationally we found that one of the areas we were weak in included the fact that the 'big name' IAQ laboratories of the time all had a well known face followed by the Ph.D. designation.
Not having one of our own, we too hired an extremely intelligent and powerful mind with those same credentials, but no one in the IAQ industry knew him. So we went about branding this individual by having him author a number of articles that the laboratory published, looking for speaking opportunities to showcase his expertise and having him conduct IAQ consultant training. Within a short period he became a recognized IAQ expert and was from then on regularly asked to speak, provide expert witness services and write articles for industry publications. Objective accomplished.
Now think back to why those individuals you recognize within the IAQ industry stand out to you. Chances are it's a combination of reasons. These individuals likely have mastered the following:
- Publishing articles & press releases
- Holding industry association positions
- Public speaking, especially at industry events
- Becoming an industry trainer
In a nutshell these branded professionals are involved and by being involved they get noticed. Getting noticed is the key to getting more business whether you are selling cars, real estate, furniture or even IAQ services and products.
Cochrane & Associates, LLC, the environmental, mold, HVAC and indoor air quality industries' only dedicated marketing, public relations and business development consulting firm works with clients to develop ways to maximize their marketing efforts and ROI. We also invite you to visit our newest venture, the IAQ Video Network www.IAQTV.com and submit any videos you may have for inclusion on the website.
For more information about how Cochrane & Associates can help your business, contact us at:
[email protected]
602-510-3179
www.cochraneassoc.com