O.C. Taylor Smart Exterior Solutions

O.C. Taylor Smart Exterior Solutions START-UP SUCCESS: RECOGNIZING WHEN THE OWNER IS THE BRAND

ABOUT O.C. TAYLOR

O.C. Taylor is a premier siding company based in Raleigh, NC. The owner and founder, Brent Taylor, is at the heart of the O.C. Taylor brand.

Before starting O.C. Taylor in 2016, Brent worked in the industry for more than 20 years, helping clients with siding installations, roof replacement services and window and door replacements. The depth of his knowledge is rooted in his years of experience in the industry, including working with the top two residential exterior remodeling companies in the area, and his own successful custom home building company.

Brent envisioned a company that was large enough to be recognized but small enough to maintain its reputation for outstanding quality and service that can only come from personal, hands-on oversight of every project, from start to finish and beyond.

Brent also desired to offer only the best exterior solutions at affordable prices, and his search led him to the LP^® brand of siding and exterior solutions including their most popular product, LP^® SmartSide^®. LP^® siding is a superior product compared to Masonite and fiber concrete siding products. LP^® products come with the best warranties for labor and replacement, siding and trim in the industry, which Brent proudly offers to his customers. He is the only master-rated LP^® installer in the Raleigh market, which helps him to fulfill his goal to offer exceptional quality and service with worry-free results.

SITUATION OVERVIEW

With his business model and unique value proposition in place, Brent now needed to develop a strong marketing strategy to launch the O.C. Taylor brand and fuel promotional efforts that would grow awareness and recognition for the new company. As a small business starting up in a highly competitive market, Brent decided to outsource the marketing and branding expertise he needed to bring the O.C. Taylor solutions to top of mind for prospective customers needing exterior services.

OBJECTIVES AND FIRST STEPS

Brent asked Able&Co. to deliver a clear, consistent brand and message to use as the foundation of his marketing and selling efforts.

The brand needed to reflect the Taylor name’s lasting tradition of exceptional quality and value. O.C. Taylor is one of the latest of a long line of trusted North Carolina- based entrepreneurial family businesses owned and operated by generations of Taylors since the 1890s.

In addition, the brand and messaging needed to serve as an extension of Brent himself to set the tone for the kind of experience a customer could expect: a worry- free project using the best solutions possible that were recommended by an approachable, trust-worthy, knowledgeable expert with a great sense of humor.

SOLUTION, STRATEGY & CONCEPT

We developed the tagline Smart Exterior Solutions to differentiate O.C. Taylor’s approach to exterior remodeling and explain what was offered. The tagline drove much of the messaging, allowing us to segment his values into three definable descriptors:

Smart – A smart choice for homeowners. Your solutions will work harder to protect, beautify and add value to your home. It is long-lasting and helps save you money in the long run. This was also a reference to the LP^® SmartSide^® product.
Exterior – All of the company’s solutions focus on improving the exterior of your home, whether that be siding, enclosures, windows, doors, roofing or a custom solution.
Solutions – Brent and the O.C. Taylor team’s dedication to customer service and customized approach means he will help you find the best solution for your home.

The headline “Brilliant Service. Beautiful Results” was developed to focus on the company’s dedication to customer satisfaction and its commitment in the quality of the final results.

It was clear that Brent IS the brand, so a touch of humor was incorporated into the messaging’s tone of voice to reflect Brent’s own natural sense of humor. The messaging also wove in Brent’s expertise, gained by his years of industry experience. This combination positioned Brent and his team as industry leaders who were authentic, approachable, friendly and trustworthy experts.

From a visual standpoint, we looked to Brent’s grandfather’s hardware store’s signage for inspiration. O.C. Taylor’s new brand logo has a distinctive retro-inspired look that conjures up traditional values with a slight modern quirkiness. Our work for the O.C. Taylor logo was recognized with a Merit award at the 14th Annual SIA Awards.

IMPLEMENTATION AND TACTICS

A key component to success for a small startup is a functional, easy-to-use website that helps a prospect through the sales funnel. We built live chat features, lead capture forms and more into the O.C. Taylor website. The website earned a Silver W3 Award in 2017.

Awareness tactics included a direct mail campaign, eblast campaign, a media plan for radio spots and a social media plan for posts and blogs.

Able&Co. is the agency of record for O.C. Taylor. We continuously improve the O.C. Taylor marketing plan by reviewing and analyzing metric reports.

RESULTS

Since 2016, we’ve watched the transformation of O.C. Taylor from an idea to a thriving business. O.C. Taylor continues to grow, with Brent in the center as a living embodiment of his brand. He regularly receives 5-star ratings and outstanding reviews from satisfied customers. As a remarkably knowledgeable and well-spoken expert who loves to educate, Brent’s been a popular featured contractor in LP^®’s social media, videos, blogs and on local radio shows. As a recognized subject matter expert, he’s been featured in industry publications such as Journal of Light Construction, Pro Remodeler, ProBuilder and has appeared six times in Engineered Wood Magazine. Brent’s even a television star and appeared in an episode of Lifetime’s “Designing Spaces”.