Considerations in a
Rating Marketing Plan

Rater Marketing
Tool Kit

Considerations in a
Rating Marketing Plan

PowerPoint
Presentations

EPA ENERGY STAR
Marketing Materials

RESNET Lenders
Corner Web Site

Fannie Mae Energy
Efficient Mortgage
Consumer Fact Sheet

Sample of Energy
Rater Web Sites

How to Write Effective
News Releases

How to Define Value
of Ratings

EPA ENERGY STAR
Advertising
Partnerships

Definition of Rating
Services

High Performance
Homes Public
Awareness Campaign

Any successful business has three parts:

• Doing the Business
• Running the Business
• Getting the Business

As a market-driven initiative, a home energy rating services must be run like a business.

What is a Marketing Plan?

Getting the business is marketing. A marketing plan is a strategy for getting the attention of the media, housing industry and consumer. Specific messages that are communicated in a strategic way will encourage local newspapers, radio, business journals, consumer magazines, and even television stations to cover your  story. A successful rating marketing plan must address:

• Selling The Need for Your Services
• Selling Your Services
• Selling Your Self

An effective rating business plan must address the following issues:

• Define Your Services
• Define Your Potential Customers
• Define How Your Potential Customers Will Know About Your Services
• Define Your Target Growth for the First Year, Year Three, Year Five
• Define Your Annual Budget, Income & Expenses

Telling Your Story - Why Should Anyone be Interested?

Your partnership with the Minnesota State Energy Office and Fannie Mae is News

Your participation in the Minnesota High Building Performance Project represents a voluntary and pro-active approach to help the environment, the national security, as well as consumers. It also builds a relationship with the State of Minnesota and Fannie Mae. Your participation says that you are collaborating with the state and the nation=s largest mortgage financing institution to find the best approaches to energy efficiency, affordable housing, and pollution prevention through efficient construction - something your customers and stakeholders will appreciate.

Energy efficiency is important to people

Energy efficiency is emerging as a key concern in the building industry. An awareness is growing concerning the link between energy consumption and the creation of air pollution, acid rain, and the greenhouse effect. Therefore, energy efficiency is not just about efficient products and reduced energy costs, but also about environmental benefits like clean air and water. These environmental benefits, and the manner in which your homes are contributing, are aspects of your rating services story that will appeal to everyone.

Energy efficiency is good for the wallet, good for the environment, and makes for a good news story

Everyone knows that using energy wisely saves money. What is not as well known is that energy efficiency is good for the environment. This fact makes your rating services newsworthy. The connection is easy. Energy is often generated by burning fossil fuels. When fossil fuels are burned, they release atmospheric pollutants into the air such as carbon dioxide, sulfur dioxide, and nitrogen oxide. The result is air pollution. However, as we use energy more efficiently, we burn less fuel and pollute less. So your high performance, energy efficient homes are doing more than just saving your home buyers on their monthly operating costs -- Reap the benefits.

Defining Your Services

In defining your services it is critical to strategically think of the services in terms of profit centers. Ratings offer the following business opportunities:

• Applied Building Science Solutions
• Builder/Buyer Quality Assurance
• Reduce Call Backs
• Access to Preferred Financing
• Added Homeowner Comfort
• Qualifying More People for a Better Home
• Healthier Homeowner Living Environment
• Building Performance Diagnostics
• Environmental Stewardship
• Verification for ENERGY STAR
• Identification of Cost-Effective Improvements

Defining Who Are Your Customers

The following should be considered as the primary customers for rating services:

• Builders
• Home Buyers
• Lenders
• Home Owners

Getting the Word Out

The following are strategies that should be considered in letting your potential customers know about your services. Remember that the approach, that you, will have to use will have to change with each audience:

• One-on-One (Cold Calls)
• Referrals
• Offering Free Introductory Ratings
• Promotion
• News Releases/Earned Media
• Home and Trade Shows
• Seminars/Presentations/Workshops
• Advertising
• Participation in Housing Association Meetings
• Write Articles in Trade Association News Letters
• Post Your Own Rating Web Site
• Ad in Yellow Pages
• Ads in Home for Sale Fliers/Magazines

Finally you need to target your growth rate. This means projecting how many customers and what services you need and what you will need to charge for the services so that you will be able to:

• To still be in the same business for the next year
• To meet your target revenue projections

Remember ... If you don’t know where you are going ... any road will get you there.

RESNET wishes to acknowledge the contributions of Energy Rated Homes, John Livermore of Conservation Services Group, and the Environmental Protection Agency to this page.

Last Updated: 05/25/04