Home Depot Branding

As a young, out-of-work, and new home owner, I am constantly stacking up do-it-yourself projects because I simply can’t afford to pay someone to handle the maintenance and upgrades to my home.  I have no formal training in construction, but I am handy and seem to be able to accomplish any of the home tasks I take on.  This is all thanks to The Home Depot.  They have branded themselves as the place to go online to:

11)      Educate yourself on how to accomplish a task.

22)      Find information about the best materials to use to complete your project.

33)      Ask questions of knowledgeable Home Depot staff about the project.

44)      Order the supplies needed to complete the project and arrange for delivery or in-store pickup.

55)      Ask questions of knowledgeable staff should any issues arise while working on the project.

66)      See number 5.

I have worked with their website and Facebook quite a bit over the past three years and have noticed some trends that, in my opinion, make their online branding rather strong.

Their Facebook often features information on home improvement projects that many people take on at specific times of the year.  For example, this past Tuesday they posted about creating more space in your garden for flowers.  It included a link to a video on their website that is a “How to:” on building a new garden bed, and when someone asks a question in the thread, someone knowledgeable from Home Depot replies.

             

The questions range from what products were used during construction, to what flowers were/should be planted.

While this isn’t a traditional product offering (many of the products in Home Depot can be found at other stores for similar or lower prices), I believe it still follows the CDJ strategy has given Home Depot a strong online brand.

I have viewed countless websites that provide information on how to handle a project, but nothing seems to compare to Home Depot.  They have quick response to questions posted, and will often refer me to a store associate (at a local store) that can be of further assistance. While I tend to go straight to Home Depot now, I spent a long time looking at different sites and stores for the products needed to complete my projects.  I examined the service attached to the company, and determined how effective the online knowledge was for me.  My first project was a success due in large part to the guidance I received from the staff at Home Depot.  I now advocate anyone undertaking a home improvement project go to Home Depot, and I continue to shop there.  This is all due to the large amount of help the staff was able to provide during my endeavors.