Since the terrorist attacks of 2001, spending on home improvement has trended progressively upward as homeowners attempt to increase the comfort and value of their real estate rather than traveling.

Whether the decrease in distance vacationing, to fear of terror, or the increased difficulty traveling now presents, the truth is that the focus on the home as been a boom to the Do-It-Yourself industry.

Consider the extreme popularity of cable’s home improvement shows, of which there are now literally dozens of competitors and even entire channels devoted to educating homeowners on improving their investments. With that kind of market interest, regional product and service providers are at record levels of competition but are they marketing any differently than they were ten years ago?

Girl Power

In a survey conducted by Sears, some 83 percent of female homeowners said that working with tools made them feel independent and a similar percentage reported that they admire women proficient in home repair.

The big-box, national retailers have not ignored the women’s market and neither should your Route 422 business. Single women, after married couples, are the largest group of homebuyers in the U.S., responsible for 20 percent of all real estate transactions according to a Fannie Mae study. Women tend to study a purchase and gather information more than men so your marketing should provide answers to questions. Similarly, women generally appreciate trends in design and sophisticated presentation while men are more impulsive and focused on the end results. As your landscaping, renovating or building offering attempts to attract new customers consider that, from decision-influencing to purchasing, women are an influential market to directly target.

Regional Opportunity

We have a client preparing to roll out an innovative home organizational product line whose strategic plan went from national distribution on launch to a tri-county effort. The fact is no other part of the country currently has as much new home growth as we’re expecting in the suburban Philadelphia region.

The current urban sprawl in the counties surrounding the metropolis is a windfall for planners and any regional company directly marketing to affluent homeowners. Give your marketing budget a performance boost by focusing on a tighter region and narrow your effort on specific targets within.

Green Scene

Since global warming has been elevated from buzz phrase to official symptom there is going to be more and more individual effort to make smart choices and smart purchases in improving their home. Many companies surrounding Route 422 are zeroing in on environmental marketing while retooling their offerings to include green products and energy-saving services that are choices in 2007 but may in fact be compliance issues in the near future.

The government has provided green performance programs than local businesses can market around. LEED for Homes is a voluntary rating system that promotes the design and construction of high performance green homes. A green home uses less energy, water, and natural resources; creates less waste; and is healthier and more comfortable for the occupants. The net cost of owning a LEED home is comparable to that of owning a conventional home and as a marketing message from Kyoto to King of Prussia, after the recent report from the world’s leading climate scientist, nothing is more compelling.

The home improvement markets are, without doubt, highly competitive but – with a strong plan and a sharp focus your do-it-yourself marketing effort will hit the nail on the head and drive home increased sales.