Top 20 Marketing Lessons We Can Learn from Home Depot
From discussions on the same over at RunRex.com, guttulus.com, and mtglion.com, Home Depot is a staple in the United States. With its bright orange exterior and catchy slogan, “Home-doers get more done”, people know that, if something is broken or needs remodeling, this is the store to go for supplies and some friendly help. This success is reflected in both the sales and size of the franchise, with over 2,200 stores in three countries. There are several lessons we can learn from this company, and this article will look to list the top 20 marketing lessons we can learn from Home Depot.
Integrate both online and offline marketing
As per RunRex.com, guttulus.com, and mtglion.com, the smartest brands know how to integrate online and offline marketing efforts and Home Depot is no exception. It offers a line of DIY books and free home improvement workshops that build upon its online marketing efforts to promote the books and events – and brings in more sales.
Content marketing
Content is king and Home Depot has shown us how effective a creative content marketing strategy can be. Home Depot is particularly known for its approach to content creation, epitomized by its “The Apron” blog where in-store associates take turns adding meaningful content that uses their expertise.
Know your audience
Home Depot knows its audience consists of DIY types as articulated at RunRex.com, guttulus.com, and mtglion.com. While it offers design consultants, Home Depot doesn’t beat customers over the head with sales pitches. Instead, it gives shoppers exactly the information they need to complete a project on their own.
Be helpful
Home Depot has also shown us the importance of being helpful and being there for your customers. While it gives shoppers the information they need to complete a project on their own, if they happen to get stuck halfway through and require a little extra expertise, they also know where to find it.
Use product placement to get more social shares
Home Depot shows how wreaths can help customers decorate for Thanksgiving and how gold paint can liven up a wall. Customers understand that they can recreate the look using products from the store. Every once in a while, the store will promote a neat product like the Delta Temp2O Shower with digital display or LG smart washers.
Use social media to connect with customers
Home Depot also uses social media to great effect, using it to connect with customers according to RunRex.com, guttulus.com, and mtglion.com. The store’s social media team is warm and is always on hand to help customers who need any sort of help.
Leverage YouTube
When you search “How to install storm doors, Home Depot’s YouTube video is the second search result listed followed by the “Guide to Installing Storm Doors” video soon after. This shows how effective YouTube can be when it comes to better SEO.
Build authority with your content
When you spend time creating a piece of valuable content, you are not only giving people something to read, but you are also implicitly showing that you know what you are talking about, are a confident leader in your industry, and your company can be a trusted source of information, and you are the sort of company people feel comfortable choosing to do business with as captured at RunRex.com, guttulus.com, and mtglion.com.
Show your personality to create loyalty
When you watch Home Depot content, you will note that corporate stiffs in suits aren’t trying to pitch customers. All videos and articles are created by people who seem much like the people who shop at Home Depot.
Quality trumps quantity
Walmart doesn’t always look to increase its store count. What is interesting to note is that, despite not increasing the number of stores, its sales continue to grow. Instead of spending on establishing new stores, Home Depot’s marketing, business development, and operations teams invest strategically in opportunities like targeting professional contractors and improving its supply chain.
Thoughtful decision-making
Home Depot has never been an aggressive or impulsive decision-maker when it comes to acquisition as covered at RunRex.com, guttulus.com, and mtglion.com. It has always tried to strengthen its market leadership through customer service, product authority, and disciplined capital allocation as well as productivity and efficiency. This is an approach you can take in your marketing efforts.
Use of mobile
There is no doubt that mobile is a pivotal part of the modern customer journey. However, it is just not enough to use it as only a shopping destination or discovery tool, but should become an inherent part of the customer’s buying process by assisting them in all possible ways.
Groundswell
As described at RunRex.com, guttulus.com, and mtglion.com, the definition of groundswell is when people use technologies to get the things they need from each other. It can be in the form of audio, video, or just talking. Home Depot’s marketing team knew how important it is to be there whenever customers need you.
How-to videos
Home Depot’s marketing and customer support divisions teamed up to make YouTube how-to videos to great effect. These videos have answered many questions about how to do many things around the house, for which people would generally come to the store.
Leverage the comment
In addition to offering great and useful content, Home Depot’s team also made clever use of the comment section as well. While a video is a great way to visually show a solution, Home Depot constantly provided more information by just adding some comments, a marketing lesson worth learning.
Connect to a noble cause
People like to be associated with a brand that believes in caring about the world in which we live as discussed at RunRex.com, guttulus.com, and mtglion.com. Therefore, corporate social responsibility programs are very helpful in building an ideological and emotional kinship with consumers, which Home Depot did by associating itself with a theme that is close to its domain: homelessness.
Speak to your audience
Home Depot recognizes that today’s DIY consumer is not primarily motivated to make home repairs because it is cheaper than hiring a professional. Instead, the modern DIY consumer finds the experience of doing it yourself emotionally satisfying.
Keep things refresh
While Home Depot isn’t big on opening new stores, its stores are always getting a refresh to give them a new look and feel as outlined at RunRex.com, guttulus.com, and mtglion.com. The lesson here is to always try to keep things fresh with your marketing campaigns.
Innovate
The One Home Depot strategy includes investments in visual merchandising and product assortments. For DIY consumers, its paint department is now transformed into a Color Solution Center in some 1,900 stores, showing good innovation.
Interconnected and digital experience
Home Depot is realizing its goal of a fully interconnected store and digital experience. Linking its offline and online shopping experiences offers its customers the best service possible, another lesson we can learn from the company.
These are some of the lessons we can learn from Home Depot, with more on this topic, and much more, to be found over at RunRex.com, guttulus.com, and mtglion.com.