Back in March, we sat down and talked marketing and branding tips with Marvin Joles, owner of WisCoat and Dubuque Asphalt Maintenance & creative asphalt marketer Blacktop Banter. It’s early in the 2022 season in Wisconsin and snow starting to melt. As Marvin heads out to complete some estimates, we’re going to talk about branding and how he uses the 800 numbers in Wisconsin & Iowa to drive his company and Blacktop Banter brand.
Marvin explains, “Branding is going very well here at WisCoast and Dubuque Asphalt Maintenance. Both of those companies are side by side as far as geographic area. We have 800-BLACKTOP. It’s been pretty epic to have both side by side because it’s on a state line. And it allows people who do travel back and forth over state line to see the 800-BLACKTOP number on both sides of that line. They can call it from there, it’s going to come to us. They can call it from here, it’s going to come to us.”
Why not just rely on your own company office number? “So 800-BLACKTOP really set us apart. We used to have a regular phone number and to remember all those numbers on the fly when somebody sees us driving around or a yard sign, it was kind of a pain, right?
It’s a lot easier to remember 800-BLACKTOP than it is to remember a bunch of digits. And I have seen an increase in our call volume.”
Why don’t you rely on your company name, WisCoat or Dubuque Asphalt Maintenance? Marvin explains, “People used to always say, oh, WisCoat. Yeah, I think I’ve seen you. But now people say, yeah, 800-BLACKTOP. Yeah, we know.”
How does your 800-BLACKTOP number drive brand recognition? “We’re in a pretty rural area here in Wisconsin. And I can’t say enough about the ease of marketing with the 800 branding. We’re able to put 800-BLACKTOP on all our equipment, hats, safety vests, shirts, yard signs and then we also put it in our ads. It’s really easy, you just style 800-BLACKTOP and add our company logo.” Marvin then educates us further by explaining that with the simplicity of the 800 number as one of the most memorable and effective marketing tools, “I can’t say enough about it. We’ve had a great experience, especially with the team there at the 800 Pavement Network. It’s been great.”
Any final thoughts on branding? Marvin chuckles, “If you’re thinking about it, I would do it because nobody in your area has that kind of immediate powerful branding, it is something that, for a low cost, will be advantageous to your business as a dominant branding tool. It sets you apart and easy to remember.”