Curbio is a technology company that focuses on home renovation and assisting realtors and their customers with home preparation in order to improve seller profits and reduce days on the market.
We talked with Olivia Mariani, VP of Marketing of Curbio, about the origin of their brand name, why they picked Curbio.com as a domain, and what is new and exciting in their future plans.
Can you tell us a little bit about yourself and how Curbio got started?
I am VP of marketing at Curbio, which is a technology-enabled home improvement company helping homeowners get their home fixed up for sale, with no payment due until the home sells. Our founders, successful entrepreneurs, formed Curbio after experiencing a very negative renovation project prepping for sale, and realized that the industry was ripe for disruption and needed streamlining. After doing more diligence, they realized it’s a real problem for realtors, and homeowners and there the company was born!
What was the process of selecting a brand name like? When did you know this was the one?
Actually, Curbio stands for “curb appeal inside and out”, which is a perfect representation of what we can do (anything on the inside or outside of a home) and what’s needed to sell a home quickly and for the best possible price (curb appeal!)
What was the reason to get the domain name Curbio.com for your brand?
As soon as we came up with the brand, we knew we had to grab the domain. This was a marketing decision, but the company was already formed at that point by our founder, Rick Rudman.
How has owning Curbio.com affected your business? Do you own any other domain names?
Nope, just Curbio.com – this is the full-time gig and we’re all in! We do plan to buy an additional domain eventually when we start a blog for all things home improvement and renovations.
What was the vision and purpose of your company when it first started and how has Curbio evolved as a brand since?
The vision and mission of the company have not changed since its founding 6 years ago: to get every home on the market and sold for more with a dramatically better experience for homeowners & realtors! However, the brand has evolved to lean more into our technology-enabled approach. We rebranded late last year and launched a new design system in January, and we repositioned slightly to reflect our product changes which included dropping project minimums, making the contract simpler, and adding more value to realtors with our platform and service.
How do you value your brand?
Our brand and company solve a real problem in the market. There is a mismatch in the market for getting a home fixed up and sold, and finding the contractors, upfront cash, and time to do it all. We make it accessible and simple, which is why our brand is also simple and approachable.
Has the pandemic affected your company in any way? What has changed since?
Actually we have been thriving! We are still fully remote and employee satisfaction is high, productivity is high, and we’re helping more customers than ever (we have grown year over year and plan to double from 2021 to 2022. We also were able to step back when COVID first emerged and take a look at our positioning and customer insights to reshape our brand for the better, supercharging demand and sales!
What do you do to make sure your marketing is effective?
We use data – both quantitative from campaigns & metrics, and qualitative from customers & surveys – to inform everything. We also test a lot and have a dedicated budget for experimenting with new creative concepts, formats, messaging, and channels. Then we pour resources into what’s working.
What would your advice be to entrepreneurs who are just starting out?
Invest in your positioning and define the product-market fit early. Then, once you have proof of concept, get to marketing.
Olivia Mariani – VP of Marketing , Curbio
I feel like a lot of brands don’t invest in marketing & brand early enough and doing so can really cement your position in your category.
What do’s and dont’s can you share when it comes to branding and naming?
DO: make sure the brand has some tie-in to your value proposition. DO: make sure it’s short, memorable. DONT: choose a word that is difficult to pronounce.
What is next for Curbio?
With our recent capital raise, we plan to invest in our platform technology including launching a mobile app, launching 6 new markets, we’re forming more partnerships with brokerages and the real estate space, and we’re investing in marketing to drive awareness in our 27+ markets.
Last thing, if some of our readers have more questions. Where can they reach you online?
You can follow Curbio on Linkedin, Twitter, Instagram or visit their website to find out more about the platform.
How does your brand name match your company vision? What new horizons can a better name open? Get in touch if you feel your brand deserves a better name, we are always happy to help.
branding Curbio domain name domains interview Olivia Mariani
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