Use Customer Profiles To Tailor Your Remodeling Marketing

Marketing should not be a one-size-fits-all approach—that simply wastes ad exposure. Instead, consider using consumer profiles to directly reach potential clients.

A consumer profile is a segment of customers who share certain characteristics and preferences. You then group together people with similar mindsets and backgrounds and develop specific marketing strategies for this group.

Categorizing Consumers

At Mosby Building Arts, we gather information about consumers and place them into one of three categories. We do this based on demographics, psychographics, and behaviors.

Demographics are straightforward; it can be age, gender, marital status, and family size.

Psychographics is the psychology behind what motivates someone to make a purchase. This can be personality traits, attitudes, opinions, values beliefs, lifestyle, and hobbies. In remodeling, a psychographic could be someone who comes from a large family who values family time, hosting, and entertaining.

Behaviors are how a consumer interacts. What are their buying patterns? Experience preferences? Do they prefer in-person visits? Texting? What are their spending habits?

Not Too Broad, But Not Too Specific

Some people say everyone is their target market because everyone can buy a kitchen—but is that really your target market? On the other hand, you could have a specific target market and forget about the other consumers.

Let’s say you sell grab bars. You could think your target market is people aged between 70 and 90 who will use grab bars. But really, there’s two additional target markets available: the children of the elderly consumer and doctors with patients who need grab bars.

How can you market to the children caring for their parents? How can you reach the doctor so that they can refer you to patients?

Benefits of Consumer Profiles

This process takes extra time, but we see three major benefits: efficient use of budget, increased leads, and brand loyalty.

You only have so much money. If you're spending, spend on the things that work. It reduces waste on broad advertising and ensures you utilize channels preferred by your target profile.

Concentrating efforts on consumer profile strategies means you reach the customers you want. More honed in marketing creates more qualified leads, which improves customer interactions, boosts close rates, and leads to more revenue.

And consumers stick around if they feel a brand understands them.

An Example: HENRYs

A common consumer profile are high earners, not rich yet—HENRYs. HENRYs are:

• 30 to 40 years old (a subset of Millennials)
• Either single or young family
• Highly educated, but often with student debt
• High income, but cash poor with no accumulated wealth
• Affluent lifestyle: nice cars, high value home, travel often, and love luxury
• Conditional loyalty: will switch brands for a better value
• Tech savvy
• Socially conscious
• Enjoy personalization and convenience when they shop

Marketing to a HENRY

HENRYs are constantly on the go and want everything mobile. To market for a HENRY, ensure your website is 100% mobile-friendly. Add share buttons to your project photos and galleries. Add mobile appointment setting and offer texting as a way to communicate.

Your social media presence is everything to HENRYs. They grew up with social media and use it to inform buying decisions.

Turn a designer, or yourself, into an influencer for your brand. Give a designer the freedom to talk, post, and create a brand for themselves, which helps you attract HENRYs. Or consider working with a local influencer to run a contest, or work with an influencer to complete a remodeling project as they document it.

On social media, videos must be short, entertaining, and educational. HENRYs value quality and trust—so make sure there’s an educational element. You could document a renovation project on YouTube, but feature Millennial clients and team members, because they’ll see people like them and that will resonate.

Suggest ways to design and build a high-end space, but for less money. There’s a trend online for “dupes” or cheaper duplicates of high-end brands. HENRYs may not have the money or want to pay for high-end but want to look like they do. Translate it into remodeling a kitchen: “How to Get a High-End Kitchen for Less.”

HENRYs work a lot, they’re always on email, so consider custom email campaigns. But keep it short, tailored, and on point.

A drip campaign could be customized based on email campaign clicks. If they click the article on kitchen dupes, the next email includes more details about kitchens. Then if they clicked on mid-century modern, the third email will be about mid-century modern kitchen inspiration.

HENRYs love exclusive events with high-end brands. They’re aspirational, they want to mix in with luxury. You could host an invitation-only private tour of a client’s luxury home. Bonus if the client is a HENRY themselves and you only invite HENRYs.

Host an exclusive event at a trendy, HENRY-approved restaurant or art gallery. Or host HENRYs at a high-end charity event and have them bring another couple.

With images and messaging, always emphasize luxury, customization, and brand expertise. Consider hiring a stylist and photographer for “after” photos. Elevate these images to show dramatic transformations, highlight emotional moments, and stick with sophisticated imagery to impress HENRYs.

Develop Your List

Gather with your team and ask about the top consumer profiles you want, then make a list of everything you can do to speak to them, including images and copy. Try it all out—trying hurts nothing.