 Anyone can sell building materials, but not everyone is a hundred-year company. Welcome to the Smarter Building Materials Marketing Podcast, helping you find better ways to grow leads, sales, and outperform your competition. All right, everyone, welcome to another episode of Smarter Building Materials Marketing, where we believe your online presence is your best salesperson. I'm your host, Beth Popnikolov, and in the studio with us today, we have a fellow marketer who has been heading up a family-owned distributing company for quite a while and has got some great insights to share, and maybe even a little bit of contentious input. So I'm really excited to welcome Cassie Nealum into the studio. She's the director of marketing for Deedering Company. Welcome to the show, Cassie. Thank you for having me. I'm so excited to be here. So before we get started, just take a few moments, if you will, introduce yourself and the Deedering Company to our listeners. My name's Cassie. I have been working at Deedering for coming up on 12 years now. I grew up in Houston. I left when I was 15 and went to boarding school, and then college, grad school, made my way back home when I was 27 and started working at Deedering. I started in a hybrid HR marketing position, which we have come a very long way since then, and I focus mostly on marketing for the last 10 or 11 years. I feel like I've spent the majority of my adult life working at Deedering, and it's really been an exciting adventure. I work with my family, my dad, and my brother, and I all own the Deedering Company together. We are a third generation building materials distributor in Houston. We also have a brick and masonry company called South Texas Brick and Stone that has offices in Houston and Austin and a showroom in San Antonio, and historically, we are a millwork-only company, but this summer, we are opening the lumber arm of our company and we'll be opening our new lumber facility, which is about a mile from our current facility on July 1st. So, an exciting time. Yeah, for sure, thank you. And for our listeners, we've just opened registration for this year's Building Products Customer Workshop. You can head to venvio.com slash 2024 if you're interested in signing up. Cassie, what I remember from meeting you is you said, like, I just found out about the Building Products Customer Workshop and I turned this around in, like, 48 hours. Found out about the event and showed up 48 hours later because you were like, it's a marketing and sales event specifically for building products. I have to make this happen. Marketing is so funny in our industry. Building materials to me is so different than any other industry out there. It's like the least sexy. For us in particular, we sell molding and stair parts and doors are exciting, but like in the raw form, there's not a lot there, you know, to be like, yes, this product is so much better than this product because of, you know, and once you see it finished, it's so much easier to talk about why this crown molding is so great or whatever, but should we tell the listeners that I'm having new windows installed from D-Ring today? Yeah, this is building materials in real life. Cassie's walking the walk right now and having her windows replaced. I know at our event in Denver, when we were talking, I think it was you who mentioned that similar idea, which is, you know, when you all have the same type of product, it's really difficult. If you're just focusing on the, you know, millimeters that mine is better than yours, it ends up being erased to the bottom. It's just whose price is cheaper. But when you talk about what happens on the front end and what happens on the back end and you make that the whole project, that whole experience is part of what you do, you're able to have a more strategic conversation that suddenly moves away from price and moves into partnerships. And I think too, there are always going to be those people that are buying for price. You are probably not going to capture those people every time, not saying that we're not the lowest sometimes. We definitely are, but when we're not, I think we just have to accept that and that's okay. But there are plenty of other people who care about that service, those relationships. And especially, I mean, you're really, whether you're a homeowner or a builder or a modeler, you're really trusting your salesperson to get it right because these are people's literal dreams, right? Like this building a home, remodeling a home is not for the faint of heart and it's very expensive anyway you slice it. And so you really, I think want someone that is going to be looking out for your best interests because this is not just like a new pair of jeans. Like this is a very big purchase. They're not small decisions. And so in my opinion, you want someone that is looking out for you. How are you measuring success for your marketing? This is definitely something that we could be doing a lot better. We have like a very informal process. I think right now it's sort of like, we're growing year over year, you know? Like we're capturing that market share. So it's really easy when times are very good to kind of like not worry about it, but times aren't good forever. So I think that this will be something that we'll be working on over the next couple of years, kind of how to formalize tracking our marketing success. Do you get DMs with specific requests or that are turned into actual leads? Yeah, occasionally we do. And it always like brightens. Getting a DM is like my favorite thing, especially if it's not a bot. You know, I'm like, oh my God, someone asked if that was a wide oak door and you know, they want it. And so yeah, we get a couple here and there. We don't have a ton of followers, but I do, I love interacting with customers and potential customers on the gram. What marketing channel is working the best for you? Right now I'd say probably Instagram. We're on Twitter, we don't really tweet. We have a Facebook page that stays pretty active. I teed us up that we've got at least one controversial topic. So let me present my case that we've said a lot. This won't be news to any of our listeners, but we have a saying that your number of years in business is not a value proposition. I know you a little and I know how you guys do business. And so I know that what you do is genuinely really intentional and thoughtful. And I do think that that's a product of you all being in business for a long time. But we tend to see that as that's not why someone's on your website is the place where I'm coming from. My understanding is that you have a different stance and frankly as someone on the front lines, I feel like you're warranted your own opinion. So I'd love to hear from you how that lands with you and what your thoughts are on that. Yeah, I mean, I definitely see what you're saying. And I don't disagree. We've worked with professional marketing companies over the years that have said the exact same thing. And I get it. I don't think that people are Googling hundred year business. Like I wanted to business with them. Like of course not. But I think where our number of years in business comes into play is if you do land on our website because you have Googled exterior doors or crown molding or new baseboards or whatever that seeing that legacy and history might tickle something in your brain that otherwise would not have happened. We're a relationship based business. I think that people like the idea of doing business with people that have showed continuity that have been consistent, that have survived multiple downturns and are still out there. Like the number of independence in our industry shrinking at a clip. And so I think that it really says something about who we are that we're still in it. And not only are we still in it, but we're growing. Yeah, like maybe it's not for everybody but to me it's such an important part of our story. Right? Like we don't just sell building materials. Anyone can sell building materials but not everyone is a hundred year company that's still family owned three generations in and is queuing up the next generation. My oldest is seven, so we've got a ways to go. But I think especially now more than ever with all the murders and acquisitions that are taking place in our market that it might be relevant to people to buy from an independent, to buy from someone who has been in business for 96, 97 years. I mentioned earlier that kind of stuff's important to me and maybe I'm an anomaly. Maybe I'm biased because it's my own experience but I don't think it's not important. I think it's a piece of the puzzle or like a tool in the toolbox, you know? I don't think that you can rely on being having been around for 97 years but I think it's important to mention. I think it shows long-term success. That's fair. The place where I would offer is there's a lot of work that that puts on the people that come to your site to infer all of what you said. Because I completely agree that everything you said is what people want, especially when I start to think through if I have a problem, I'm gonna call Cassie and Cassie's gonna make it happen because her maiden name is Deedering. Not if I have a problem, I'm gonna call Cassie and she's an outsourced rep for this multi-billion dollar distributor who's gonna have to push it up the chain and they don't care about that person because they've got 400 outsourced reps and this is the 30th call that they've had that needs to get escalated today. I think that is really compelling. You've got skin in the game so you're a lot more inclined to make something happen and put it in your own truck or whatever it takes, not just because you're a good person but because you've got consistent history of that and what I hate to be missed is that is for people to be like, you've been in business for 97 years, don't care. What else you got? Versus you being like, no, if you have an issue, like I can make product show up on your doorstep tomorrow and like the nimbleness and I, I guess the other thing I would say is I'm surprised to hear how you guys apply your 97 years because and this could be the millennial in me, we all have our own biases that we bring to the table. The millennial in me sees 97 years and I'm like, that is some outdated concepts that I am about to engage with enough. That's cause I don't know, if I didn't know you and all of the really cool, thoughtful things that you guys are doing, that's easy to say from my seat, I don't do what you do every day. One of the things that we like really value at Benvio and on the SBMM podcast is organizations being able to showcase their value and the number one thing that I would, that I, that frustrates me is really cool organizations that are not getting the credit and the limelight that they should simply because others are just out marketing them in a way that is not necessarily difficult or even very clever, it's just being done. Do you know what I'm saying? Of course. I mean, I think about this a lot actually, but again, like I'd go back to like just, this is a part of our story that I feel like is worth sharing. I think your perspective like a fellow millennial here, you know, I had never thought about that people might be like, oh, like how outdated is this place? And I think that that, you know, hopefully that is upended when they go, do go to our website and do see, you know, what we're putting out there. I just think that it's, you know, telling our story has served us well, at least in my tenure. Also your story is really what is differentiating you and that's not to be overlooked. You are competing against just monstrosities who do have a story like it's not for nothing. It's not that they're, you know, they're not just machines and conglomerates. We're not saying bad things about them, but your story is really what's unique about you. And so we, for sure, I would never tell anyone to move beyond your story and get to the facts, but just how is the story being presented in a way that your customers can perceive it or like digest it? We've worked with some really cool video companies over the, or video one video company over the last couple of years. We have two videos that are really amazing. The company is called Chispa House and they have done such a nice job of like highlighting the story, the story, you know, while I think really showcasing our value proposition and like this like service oriented model that we present to customers. And so that's been really great. And that's, you know, that's on our website. On our website, we recently tweaked it a little bit, but there's like an about us page where you can, if you feel so inclined, you can kind of go back and read the story about my great grandfather opening his grocery store and then my grandfather opened Deedering on the same site and we moved locations in 2014. And I think that there's a lot of interesting stuff there that's available for the taking, but also like if you just want to quote or some trim, like it's there too, you know? We can do that too. But I think, you know, we do a lot with our builders association here in Houston and that's been very successful and kind of goes back to that like brand recognition and being front of mind. And I think that in that like face to face, like relational context is where telling our story really shines. And so that has been really helpful for us in that like networking piece. I think people do really love hearing more about Deedering like directly in like present time, face to face. So that's been a big success for us really like putting some of our time and energy into the builders association where we are really active on the Custom Builders Council and the Remodellers Council. And just getting to know some of our customers there and being able to share our story, who we are, what we do, like, you know, just in front of a crowd of people on a monthly basis basically. So, you know, y'all are the digital marketing professionals and I feel like our digital marketing is definitely a work in progress but we've also had a lot of fun with it and it's because we are limber and because we are flexible, I think it has allowed us to try lots of different things without an enormous fear of failure, right? Like, we're not, I mean, our marketing budget gives me a lot of room to play with things to see if something works and if it doesn't to do a quick pivot and try something else. And, you know, I think I'm hoping that our marketing team will continue to grow over the next couple of years and then we'll really be able to allocate more time and resources to like specifically digital marketing and social media and, you know, those kinds of things and, you know, it's just progress over perfection, right? I bet there's a way to do both. I think that's the key. For you guys, when it matters, it matters. For so many people, it's the default and it's not thoughtful. And what I'm hearing from you is it's thoughtful, it's intentional, we've continued to evolve and develop but we've also butted heads against change when change didn't serve us and serve our customers and I think that's the part of the story that is really, really valuable. It's not an all in or all out. It's not a, hey, just tell me what, you know, tell me what problems you solve and let's get down to brass tacks. But it's like, how do you make the story resonate in a way that showcases how thoughtful you've been? You can't just like lean into, we are 100 year company and that's why you should buy from us. That does not work. And so in that case, we completely agree with each other. My life motto is it's both and, like nothing is either or. Yes, absolutely. Like literally everything is both and. And so, you know, you can be both an excellent company providing amazing service and top of the line material as well as a 100 year privately owned local company. Like those can coexist. And I think that that's one area where we've really gotten it right. It's like finding that sweet spot where we tell our story, we share our story. It's a very big part of who we are. It is not the only thing. It is not the only reason that you should buy from us. And I think that that's a really important distinction. I completely agree. And I am also a huge believer in both and we're a digital marketing company who goes to trade shows to meet people face to face. Like we're a digital marketing company who believes in the importance of sales reps and customer service and all of those other things. It's not about forsaking one for the other but making it all work like a cohesive system. I 100% agree with that philosophy. I think that it's really important that people understand that you can be both. That you can be a multi-generational company that has a wonderful legacy and a great story and you can effectively market your products to your customers in a way that is going to make them want to buy from you. Cassie, thank you so much for your time. If any of our listeners want to reach out, get in touch, pick your brain. What's the best way for them to get in touch with you? So you can find the Deedering Company on basically every social at the Deedering Company is our Instagram handle, Facebook, LinkedIn and I am there on all of them. Thank you so much for your time. Again, this was awesome. Thanks for letting me challenge some stuff in for pushing back. If for our listeners, if you want more great content like this head to benvio.com slash podcast to subscribe. Until next time, I'm Beth Papuquola. Thanks everyone.