Stand Out from the Competition With Mediagistic

On this episode of the Profit Roadmap, we’re talking with Eddie Childs, Director of Corporate Marketing, and Michelle Caston, Director of Media Planning and Buying, both from Mediagistic.

In this episode, we cover:

How to stand out in a crowded market
The importance of brand storytelling
Smart ways to use marketing automation
Tips for creating an effective website
How to improve customer experience

Backgrounds

Eddie Childs brings a wealth of experience to the table as the Director of Corporate Marketing at Mediagistic.

He’s been with the company for nearly a decade, starting in copywriting and social media before moving into other areas of marketing like demand generation, email, and inbound leads.

Over the years, Eddie has taken on a more consultative role, helping clients shape their digital strategies and improve their marketing performance.

Michelle Caston, the Director of Media Planning and Buying at Mediagistic, has almost 20 years of experience in her field.

She’s been with Mediagistic for 14 years, joining the team when she moved to Tampa from Miami.

Michelle is an expert in helping businesses make the most of their marketing budgets and ensuring they have a strong brand presence in their specific markets.

She leads a small but mighty team that handles all the mass media and traditional media planning and buying for the agency.

Standing Out in a Crowded Market

Eddie and Michelle share some key tips for making your business pop at the local level:

Wrap your trucks: Your vehicles are like moving billboards
Offer great customer service: This helps with word-of-mouth and online reviews
Tell a value-based story: Focus on what customers really care about
Be consistent: Keep your brand image the same across all platforms
Educate your customers: Share helpful tips and tricks

Michelle says, “Making sure your brand image is consistent, whether you’re doing broadcast radio, that sound, you know, having your tagline in there, or if you have an attached TV spot video, that the logos are the same from the truck to the video, just making sure that whatever efforts you have going on in the local market, they are consistent so that you can remain memorable.”

The Power of Brand Storytelling

Eddie says that good brand storytelling is about connecting with what customers really care about:

Focus on customer needs: For HVAC, customers care about their homes, families, finances, and time
Make the customer the hero: Tell stories that put the customer at the center
Offer solutions: Show how your business solves customer problems
Highlight your unique value: What makes your business different from others?

Smart Ways to Use Marketing Automation

Our guests also talked about how to use your customer database for better marketing:

Clean your data: Make sure your customer information is up-to-date
Use lookalike audiences: Find new customers similar to your current ones
Target specific areas: Focus on neighborhoods where you already have customers
Personalize your messaging: Use customer data to make your marketing more relevant

Michelle says, “You can take your current database, clean it, plug it into a system. We can now use a lookalike audience type tool where you’re targeting people in the same neighborhood.”

Creating an Effective Website

Eddie shares some key ingredients for a great website:

Make it fast: Customers won’t wait for slow-loading pages
Use custom photos: Avoid stock images that everyone else uses
Make it easy to contact you: Keep your phone number and “Schedule Appointment” button visible
Write clearly: Use simple language that’s easy to understand
Make it mobile-friendly: Most people browse on their phones

Improving Customer Experience

Eddie explains that customers want four main things:

Someone to answer the phone
A technician to show up on time
Fair pricing
Their problem solved

He suggests using technology to improve these areas:

Use AI for phone answering: This ensures calls are always answered
Send automated updates: Let customers know when technicians are on the way
Use tech to explain pricing: Show customers why you recommend certain solutions
Follow up after service: Make sure everything is working well

Wrapping Up

Marketing your field service business doesn’t have to be complicated.

By focusing on consistent branding, telling good stories, using your customer data wisely, having a great website, and providing excellent customer service, you can stand out in your market and grow your business.