Website Review — Warranties, Certifications & Branding
Overview
Working session with SBSWI (Brandon/Chris) and Melissa Cusumano to review in-progress website content. Primary focus areas: clarifying warranty differentiation messaging, reorganizing certifications layout on the About Us page, establishing a copywriting collaboration workflow, and kicking off the new logo rollout for email signatures.
Next scheduled review: March 23rd.
Key Decisions
1. Warranty Messaging Strategy
The current site does not clearly distinguish between SBSWI's 2-year workmanship warranty and the manufacturer's warranty (10–20 years). These are fundamentally different products and need to be treated as such in copy.
Manufacturer's warranty key selling points (for large commercial clients):
- Covers both labor and materials — not just the contractor's work
- Provides security if SBSWI were to go out of business (manufacturer stands behind it)
- Transferable if the building is sold
- Signals that SBSWI has been trained and approved by the manufacturer
- Available from four manufacturers: Genflex, IKO, Geico, Sherwin-Williams
- Higher cost, but positioned as a premium option for facility managers and institutional buyers
"When big companies look for a roofer, they're looking for someone who can outlast them. A manufacturer's warranty is that tool." — Brandon
Decision: Create a dedicated FAQ page to explain the difference between the two warranty types and articulate the value of each. Brandon will draft the content; Melissa's team will refine the copy.
2. Certifications Carousel on About Us
Current state: certification and affiliation logos are scattered across the About Us page in a disorganized way ("glooped on").
Decision: Consolidate all logos into a single scrolling carousel, with general supporting copy about what manufacturer certification means — rather than IKO-specific boilerplate.
Carousel will include three categories of credentials:
| Category | Logos / Items |
|---|---|
| Manufacturer Warranty Providers | Genflex, IKO, Geico, Sherwin-Williams |
| Industry Memberships | NRCA (National Roofing Contractors Association) |
| Individual Training | Brandon's personal certification |
Supporting copy will explain the general benefits of being manufacturer-certified (not tied to any single brand), since the value proposition is consistent across all four.
3. Copywriting Collaboration Workflow
Brandon will continue sending technical notes and content ideas to Melissa's team. Melissa's team is responsible for refining that raw input into polished, professional copy — avoiding the "clunky" tone that results from technical experts writing their own marketing content.
"I'd like you to help us say things better. If I give you a long paragraph, you can make it sound a little less like some dummy wrote it." — Brandon
This is an ongoing, collaborative model: Brandon supplies domain expertise; Melissa's team supplies wordsmithing.
4. New Logo Rollout — Email Signatures
Brandon wants to begin using the new logo immediately in email signatures to establish brand consistency between outgoing communications and the new website.
Requirements:
- Format: Vector files (for scalability across uses)
- Content: Logo + phone number + website URL only (no physical address)
- Variations: Several options for different marketing contexts
- Platform: Google Workspace (Gmail)
Decision: Melissa will package vector files with company contact info. Physical address will not be included on any branded assets.
5. Post-Launch Marketing Strategy
The website must function as a lead generation tool, not a static brochure. Google Ads and other traffic-driving strategies are on the roadmap.
Decision: Have the marketing strategy conversation before the site launches so a plan is in place at go-live. This will likely be the meeting after the next review.
Action Items
| Owner | Action | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Brandon | Draft FAQ content on warranty types | Focus on differentiating 2-year workmanship vs. 10–20 year manufacturer's warranty |
| Brandon | Continue sending technical notes and copy ideas to Melissa | Maintenance program notes already sent |
| Melissa | Provide vector logo files with phone + website | Multiple variations; no physical address |
| Melissa | Implement scrolling certifications carousel on About Us | All logos consolidated; remove scattered layout |
| Melissa | Draft general copy on benefits of manufacturer warranty certification | Not IKO-specific — applicable to all four manufacturers |
| Melissa | Refine website copy from Brandon's notes | Ongoing copywriting support role |
| Both | Meet March 23rd for next scheduled review | |
| Both | Discuss Google Ads / traffic strategy before site launch | Likely the meeting after March 23rd |
Transcript Excerpts
On why manufacturer warranties matter to commercial clients:
"It is the manufacturer that's saying, hey, we are going to inspect this roof and we're going to stand behind it if these guys go out of business. That's what a manufacturer's warranty is. It covers the labor and material." — Brandon
On the FAQ approach:
"What's the difference between a manufacturing warranty and our warranty? That actually would be a great [FAQ]." — Melissa
On the certifications layout problem:
"NRCA and Geico don't really go together, right? They're just different things... it all looks like it's kind of glopped on the page in a very weird way." — Brandon
On the copywriting dynamic:
"We are not great wordsmiths. We say things kind of in a clunky way. If you can help us say things better — if I give you a long paragraph and you can make it sound a little bit less like some dummy wrote it — that's what I'm trying to get across." — Brandon
On the website's purpose:
"I want to see how we can get people to actually call us from the site. Not just have a site for people to go to and visit." — Brandon
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