We heard the Herd’s concerns and went right to work
Overview
Buffalo Construction, Inc. is not a typical construction company. They’ve got more culture than greek yogurt, and the brand is just as bold. They’ve landed exclusive contracts with some of the largest restaurant concepts in the country. We were proud to work with the Herd for years, and proud to have served as their Agency of Record.
The Problem
A Foundational Challenge
The company's reputation in the restaurant industry was great, but if you checked them out online, you were met with an underwhelming presence. The website was outdated, the branding didn’t fit the company’s unique personality, and the messaging didn’t communicate their breadth of skills. They simply didn’t look like the company you heard was at the top of its game. They knew there was a disconnect, which led them to us.
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The Solution
Rebuilding the Brand
Our team has a strong background in the architecture and construction industries, but we still started from the ground up, learning about what they do, and how they differentiate from the competition. The results of our extensive research was pulled together in a polished brand positioning document, complete with company values, design guidelines, a new logo and marketing messaging.
Framing Up the Website
With a brand foundation laid, we started our own blueprint of the website. The Herd had a tremendous amount of restaurant experience, but they knew in order to grow, they needed to expand their portfolio. We strategized on how we should position the work they had to enter the retail, hospitality (specifically, hotels, not just restaurants), and healthcare markets. We built the architecture of the site to weigh these markets equally, so people exposed to the brand for the first time were greeted by a construction company that worked in “Hospitality, Retail, Wellness and Convenience.”
Working under the guidance of our new branding documents, our designers created a website that went above and beyond the punch list. The robust portfolio section showcases all of the Herd’s recent work, complete with large, high-res photos and a detailed descriptions of each project. You can even sort the projects by industry. The website also includes a fun look at the Herd’s team, with each person having a caricature and bio written in Buffalo Construction, Inc.’s bold brand voice.
Building Buzz About the Buffalo
The Herd loved working with us so much, they brought OOHology on as their Agency of Record. For years, our team handled all advertising, marketing, and even recruiting efforts for this construction giant. Running an expansive nationwide recruiting and marketing campaign, we’ve helped the company continue to expand.
2016 was a banner year for the Herd. All of this new business they were bringing in meant they had a serious need for more bodies. Actually, not just bodies, they needed highly qualified people who aligned perfectly with their culture. The Head Hunters were charging the Herd a fortune, but they had to hire. So we asked them to give us what it would cost to hire just one employee and let us see what we could do.
The Herd’s Brett Norton gave us exactly the type of person they wanted: a rockstar Superintendent who had at least 10 years in big-time retail construction, preferably somewhere in Colorado. We put a digital marketing plan to work, we brought 41,818 website visits to the site, drove about 6,000 impressions on LinkedIn, and well over 250,000 impressions on display ads. All of these eyeballs converted: The Herd hired five new employees for the cost of one. Oh, and that rockstar? We hit the exact description Brett wanted.
Grazing on the Competition’s Turf
These guys and gals are aggressive. They wanted to double the company’s payroll in just a few years. When we started working with them, they had 75 employees. By the end of 2017, they met that goal, and plan to do it again in five years. They’ve also met the goal of successfully expanding into two new verticals: They’ve contracted their first hotel and are currently moving into healthcare. All of this led to the national construction company being named the No. 1 General Contractor in the Business First’s Book of List, a title earned by year-over-year growth and revenue.
At the Buffalo Construction, Inc. holiday party in 2016, we were honored to be recognized as one of their Vendor Partners of the Year. Our team was recognized for helping the Herd find its brand voice, showcase their team’s phenomenal work, and expand into new markets. We are humbled to be considered among the best, especially considering the Herd works with over 200 vendors nationwide. We were sorry to see them roam on to greener pastures when they took their marketing and advertising initiatives in-house in 2018.
The Numbers
High fives all around
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26%
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#1
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500%