Founded in 1912 and based in Croydon, Harris & Bailey is one of the longest‑standing independent builders’ merchants serving the South East of England. Spending more than a century equipping the building and plumbing trade with a wide range of quality products, unrivalled industry knowledge and first-class customer service are cornerstones of the business.
The Challenge
Building momentum and creating cut through in a crowded industry
But the Harris & Bailey team decided they wanted to be more than one of Croydon’s trade secrets and raise their industry profile. With no dedicated in-house marketing or PR function, we started media relations activity from scratch and while posting on social media had been something that the team had implemented, a lack of resource had impacted consistency and effectiveness.
In a highly competitive market dominated by bigger, multi-site, national merchants, we focused on Harris & Bailey’s history, industry knowledge, team experience and commitment to going above and beyond for customers to set them apart.
Our Solution
People, products and partnerships that power PR
We began with a key messaging workshop with the Harris & Bailey senior management team and created a positioning playbook; refining exactly what they offer to focus our communications efforts on priority audiences, and hone in on addressing their pain points.
An extensive audit of Harris & Bailey’s own social channels meant that we could make recommendations to support growth and engagement. Creating uniformity across all platforms, with monthly flat plans and content plans supported by community management, ensured greater clarity and visibility of brand and message.
In making it our mission to get under the skin of the business, we were then able to build a comprehensive PR plan that would deliver impactful results from the outset.
Through a combination of targeted trade and local media relations activity, developing content pillars for social media and a schedule of consistent posting, our plan raised brand awareness and positioned Harris & Bailey as an industry thought leader.
The Results
12-months of targeted PR
- Secured 17 pieces of coverage in high-value key trade, sector and local media
- Achieved a total reach of more than 78 million
- Created five external newsletters to grow customer database
- Created LinkedIn newsletter, added155 subscribers
- Created a new Facebook page and surpassed the follower KPI by 104%
- Organically grew social platforms through consistent and strategic posting
- Strengthened two key supplier partnerships through content collaboration
”Target has been brilliant at raising our profile. They have helped us to focus and refine our message by thinking about what our customers value. We then worked closely together to use our knowledge and expertise to give us a bigger voice in the industry and in our local community which in turn, has enabled us to build on our relationships with customers and suppliers."
Chris DackDirector of IT – Harris & Bailey