April 5, 2024
You opened a rental operation because you love what you do — providing a valuable service to customers who are looking for your equipment and expertise. Marketing your business, however, can be complex and costly. The American Rental Association (ARA) offers services to help you better position your rental business in your market.
Through its wide range of resources, from websites, research, digital advertising and classes, ARA can help you build an effective marketing strategy for your business.
The place to start is ARArental.org. Make sure to login to see all the resources available to you.
ARA Certified Sales and Marketing. This program is designed for rental equipment employees who are responsible for customer interactions, digital marketing and more. The course covers all aspects, from an introduction to sales, inside and outside sales to marketing, consumer behavior and communication beyond words. This course is ideal for your sales team, customer service representatives and office managers. When a team member completes the program, that person will earn a professional designation (ECP-SM) for ARA Certified Sales and Marketing.
RentalHQ listing. ARA drives more than 100,000 users per month to this site with paid advertising. More than 50 percent of all users search for a rental store. Make sure your listing is up to date on this site as it is completely free to members.
FindaCERP locator. When one of your staff members becomes a Certified Event Rental Professional (CERP) program graduate, you will be sent marketing materials that are designed to help you raise awareness of the designation among your current and potential customers. You also will be added to the FindaCERP locator. Be sure your listing is up to date on this locator. ARA has an AdWords campaign driving traffic to the site monthly. Check it out on FindaCERP.com.
Born For This. ARA just unveiled this comprehensive project during February at The ARA Show™ in New Orleans. There are two commercial videos, one for the event segment and one for the equipment segment, which follows two people from their childhood hobbies to their present work in the industry — work they feel they were “born for.” Rental workforce and awareness videos will be available later in 2024 that ARA members may customize to their businesses. Stay tuned.
Consumer research PDFs. There are five that offer insight from an expansive consumer research study ARA conducted on how to reach specific customers. Topics cover a wide range, from how to sell to professional event planners and professional contractors to do-it-yourself (DIY) homeowners and DIY party planners. All rental segments are highlighted so you can gain key insights to reach these different consumer markets.
Other resources on RentalU. Check out ARA’s education learning platform to find other videos, including everything from the free and comprehensive Marketing Minute series that covers all aspects of the marketing process through to developing a marketing plan that will boost your bottom line, as well as videos on how to develop masterful networking and enhance your telephone customer service skills — all important marketing avenues that make a difference with your customers. To access RentalU, go to ARArental.org and select “RentalU” under the “Learn” tab.
If you have questions on any of these offerings, contact ARA member services at membership@ararental.org.
