www.ecao.org 10 T Building Brand Awareness through JEPP By Sherri Haigh The Joint Electrical Promotion Plan (JEPP) funds several training and certification programs to help ensure ECAO contractors and IBEW electricians have the right skills and knowledge to compete in the marketplace. But building your brand and raising awareness of your value proposition is also essential to any successful business that wants to continue to grow. That’s why one of JEPP’s major goals is to help build the brand and profile of the ECAO/IBEW team in order to support your efforts to increase market share. In the fall of 2016, I was hired to help achieve that goal and have been busy working with your members to create various marketing initiatives that have ranged from commercials to stakeholder events and government outreach. Marketing alone won’t build your business but it is an important element in supporting your growth and your competitors know that. ECAO contractors have a long history and impressive track record that includes working at some of the most iconic structures in Ontario. Through our promotional programs we want to highlight those achievements. In other words, let’s get your brand out there as the best choice for any purchaser of electrical contracting services. This also includes supporting your association’s efforts in educating decision makers and government about policies that can support as well as harm our industry. Local initiatives An important part of JEPP is its support for contractors at the local level. Joint boards (comprised of your area contractors and IBEW representatives) can apply for funding to create and implement a marketing initiative within your region. We have enhanced our application process to ensure money is spent wisely and transparently. I can also play a role in supporting those efforts. I help negotiate TV contracts, create ad concepts, edit content and, for example, when it comes to TV commercials I will be on hand to direct the shoot from start to finish. These are services that many local boards wouldn’t be able to afford but are free to you if a JEPP funding application is approved. A recent example of a JEPP-supported initiative is the Electrical Contractors Association of Ottawa along with IBEW Local 586, who have their own commercial running throughout May on the local CTV and CBC news affiliates. The commercial features several key institutions in the community including the Heart Institute, the Government of Canada’s West Block and a national museum. Marketing activities like this one can also enhance relationships with customers who benefit from the promotion of their institutions. Another example includes a Central Ontario joint board initiative that took place last fall. They received funding to support the creation of a video as well as host a stakeholder appreciation night in Waterloo. The event and video were also used to highlight their long history of support for Habitat for Humanity. H for H spoke at the event praising our local contractors, IBEW electricians and retirees. Political representatives were on hand to present plaques to our members in front of more than 200 attendees. Social media and mainstream news We try to take a multi-faceted approach to our marketing to ensure reach and to target our audience. As part of that approach, we will be publishing a series of five articles over the next few months in the National Post to highlight our brand and to address issues important to our industry. Those articles will also be promoted through social media. Last year, we developed a website – poweringcommunities.ca – which focuses on positive stories about the work of our contractors and their IBEW team. It also links to our videos, including the first commercial I helped produce last year which received more than 70,000 views on YouTube. It was also shown on CTV, Global and CBC. I encourage all local boards to take advantage of JEPP funding and to ensure they are enhancing their business objectives through marketing. Please feel free to contact me for more information about local funding or if you have an interesting project/success story that I can promote. Sherri can be reached at sherri@haighcommunication.ca.