We work across a lot of industries and brands, but one that hits really close to home (pun intended) is our partnership with Fowler Brothers Company Home & Patio.
Now, what you might not know is that Fowler Brothers Co. was formerly known as two separate businesses called The Patio Shop and The Furniture Shoppe. One single store, with essentially two separate brands.
Initially, Fowler Brothers Co. was outsourcing all of their marketing to multiple agencies. One handled social media and digital advertising, one handled website design and management, one handled radio and TV, and so on. That setup created brand inconsistency, added cost and caused unnecessary hassle. Several vendors, and no one steering. This is where Spectruss came in.
Streamline your marketing
We were brought in to be their full-service marketing and advertising partner. The reason to put one team in charge is simple: all of your marketing can run through one plan instead of being touched by many different parties. It’s like the game of telephone everyone played as kids. You whispered something to your neighbor, they passed it to the next person, and the last person was supposed to repeat the original message. It never turned out that way. Too many people were involved in telling the story, so the message got lost. The same thing happens in marketing when too many hands touch your branding and messaging.
As mentioned, Fowler Brothers Co. was not always known by that name. Our first course of action was to bring all of The Furniture Shoppe’s marketing into one strategic monthly campaign. We took over their digital and print advertising, social media, monthly TV campaigns and overall brand awareness. Not only did we save them time and money, we boosted their sales with a 24% increase in foot traffic by streamlining all of their marketing efforts.
Don’t be afraid to rebrand
After a year of this partnership, we found there were many challenges in having one store with two separate brands. After strategizing and researching, we decided it would be best to consolidate the two names into one. That would eliminate confusion for customers, strengthen the brand and let every marketing dollar work harder.
We started working on a rebranding pitch to turn The Patio Shop and The Furniture Shoppe into Fowler Brothers Company. Our goal was “One name. One Store. One Company.”
Fowler Brothers Co. has a history in Chattanooga that goes back nearly 140 years, and we wanted to honor the past while moving toward the future. Out of respect for the family-owned business, we created a new logo that stayed true to the original vision, one long-time patrons would recognize. We also developed a new website, an e-commerce store and a unified social media presence, so the brand experience is consistent from one channel to the next.
The rebrand went on to win an ADDY, and Fowler Brothers Co. has grown from 7 figures to 8 figures. You can read the full story in our Fowler Brothers Co. case study.
Use e-commerce stores to your advantage
It’s easy in the furniture business to hyper-focus on getting people through the door. That will always be important, but you have to know the direction the world is moving. Gone are the days when people only bought furniture by walking into a brick-and-mortar store and browsing for hours. That will always be the preferred method for some, but others love the convenience of shopping online for home decor. Don’t let this scare you.
The site we designed for Fowler Brothers Co. features interactive pages that let customers select their style and the rooms they’re furnishing to get a customized interior design recommendation. Product visuals are everything for online shopping. Build the best online buying experience you can for your customers. In fact, the ease of your e-commerce store might prompt customers to stop by and try out the products before they purchase.
If you’re in the furniture industry and want to get more out of your marketing, book a 15-minute call with us and let’s talk about where your business is headed.
