Branch Builds

Challenge: After 55 years in business, Roanoke, Virginia-based Branch & Associates, a general contracting firm, was facing tremendous competition in three markets where it has offices: Richmond, VA; Herndon, VA (Northern Virginia/metro DC); and Charlotte, NC. In the highly competitive construction field, name recognition is essential to winning new business. Senior leaders recognized a need to reintroduce the company in these new markets in order to grow business opportunities. Branch & Associates became Branch Builds – a name that better reflected the firm’s work and could highlight their expertise.

Solution: As part of the new brand rollout, Branch Builds understood the importance of finding creative ways to engaged new and existing clients. Based on extensive research, Gray Ryan Communications launched the “Branch Builds Legacies” campaign, which reinforced the company’s previous success and sparked curiosity among potential clients. This strategic communications campaign included eight primary tactics: (1) Key messages were used throughout the campaign and repurposed for all channels; (2) a website refresh with new copy and design to reflect the key messages and legacies theme; (3) internal and external email communications that explained the rebrand and highlighted successful projects; (4) media relations outreach, including a press release about the rebranding and proactive pitching to cover Branch Builds’ expertise and values; (5) blog posts that explored the company’s values and legacy of success; (6) social media strategy and content to reinforce key messages, drive traffic to the website, and launch a teaser campaign to build interest in the rebranding announcement; (7) two dozen digital ads that showcased local experience and were deployed in rotation on sites highly trafficked by our target audience; and (8) a microsite promoting experience by industry sector and location. 

Bottom Line: Reinforcing the campaign theme about legacies across multiple channels delivered impressive results. The digital ads, microsite, and published stories provided a consistent stream of content highlighting the company’s vast experience and significantly raising its profile in Richmond, Northern Virginia, and Charlotte. Media outreach resulted in 108 placements about the rebranding and Branch Builds’ expertise, including nine feature articles. The legacies microsite and digital ads were the #2 and #3 referral sources to Branch Builds’ website in Q1 2019. Most importantly, client inquires in target industries increased by 12%.