Branding is a process that can help a home inspector’s services stand apart from the competition. Branding is traditionally thought of as the company name, logo and slogan. These are important to a home inspection business, however, the branding of the inspector themselves is the most important part for a home inspection business. Since they are the one showing up each and every time to conduct the inspection, they are the brand. Their brand becomes their corporate identity.

Create a Name and Logo

If a home inspector is starting a new company, they should consider hiring a professional to help them envision and create their branding and marketing strategy. They will want to create an attractive name and logo that works for them, and perhaps a tagline, or short statement that describes who they are or what they stand for. An existing home inspection company may feel that they could have done a better job with developing their brand and may want to consider re-branding as an option. Re-branding does not make sense for every home inspection company, due to costs and issues surrounding re-branding a well-established company, but some companies choose to re-brand from time to time if their name and/or logo feels out-dated or loses its appeal.

The Inspector is the Brand

With home inspection companies, the home inspector is the brand. They are the company. There may be other people involved with the business, but the home inspector is who clients are seeing. That is why it is important for the inspector to focus on their appearance. This means that they should always be dressed appropriately for the job. Their shirt should be clean and have their company name on it. The appearance of their vehicle is important as well. Do they drive a nice truck with their company logo and information on the side? Or do they drive a rusted van with trash everywhere? An inspector can perform a fantastic inspection for a client, who walks away very happy with the service, but if the inspector has an unprofessional appearance they will be less likely to get a referral. The client is taking a risk when they recommend you to a friend or relative. It is important that you do everything you can to lower the perceived risk, and being highly professional in appearance helps accomplish this.

Give Away Freebies

If an inspection company has a great logo and brand, they can increase their company’s branding by offering their clients merchandise with their logo and contact information on it. Such items include shirts, mugs, coasters, hats, magnets, pens, stickers and the list goes on. Giving these items away as token gifts to clients and potential clients will insert the brand into their daily lives and into the minds of their friends and relatives. When a home inspector enters a home for an inspection, it’s a good idea to leave a magnet on the fridge with their business card. Or they could leave a couple of pens behind with their logo and telephone number on them. Another great place to include their company name and logo is on the side of their vehicle or the lid of their laptop. A good brand will take it from there, producing a return on investment by its own appeal. It creates name and logo recognition and recall, increasing the likelihood that they come to mind when the need for a home inspection arises.