RENE FLORES

Unifying Brand Alignment Across 450 Storefronts Without Mandating a Thing



Johnstone Supply



Johnstone Supply is a leading wholesale distributor of HVAC/R equipment, parts, and supplies for contractors across the U.S. and Canada. Built on the core mission of Making it Easy for the HVACR Contractor to do Business, Johnstone operates through a network of 450 multi-regional storefronts serving two distinct audiences: HVACR business owners who rely on Johnstone for parts and supplies on active job sites, and local store managers who serve as the frontline distribution layer between corporate and the contractor community.

In my role on the corporate Advertising team, I led social media strategy and digital marketing campaigns across all storefronts; building a cohesive, scalable social presence for a trades audience that was just beginning to take social media seriously as a business channel.


Social Accounts I Led




The Challenge

When I joined Johnstone Supply, the company operated as a co-op with storefronts that were independently or regionally owned and operated. I had no formal authority to mandate how stores managed their social media presence. So every storefront was doing its own thing, which led to inconsistent branding, inconsistent posting frequency, no shared content direction, and no visibility into what was actually working across the network.

The challenge was more than fixing the content; it was building a system compelling enough that 450 independent business owners would choose to participate. That required a service-oriented approach: make the on-brand path so easy and valuable that adoption becomes the obvious decision.

There were also two very different audiences to serve simultaneously:

  • HVACR contractors: the primary buyers, mobile-first, practical, skeptical of anything that feels like a sales pitch, and loyal to brands that speak their language
  • Store managers: the secondary audience and distribution layer, slow to adopt social media as a serious business channel, and needing guidance, tools, and ready-to-use content to participate consistently

What Wasn't Working and Why It Was Hard to Fix




Before the first social strategy was implemented, the program faced three core problems:

  • No centralized platform: each storefront managed its own accounts independently, resulting in fragmented brand voice and inconsistent messaging across the network
  • Bloated content process: corporate was producing 30+ posts per month with no clear ROI framework, marketing products for vendors without a paid structure in place
  • Poor data infrastructure: no UTM tracking, no centralized analytics, no way to measure what content was actually driving contractor engagement or store traffic

To begin solving the alignment problem within the co-op structure, I introduced VoiceStorm as the first centralized social media management platform, giving corporate visibility into storefront accounts and giving local stores a structured way to receive and schedule content. Because participation was voluntary, the value had to be immediately obvious. Ready-to-use content, clear brand guidelines, and reduced production burden for store managers made adoption the path of least resistance.


The Fix: A Scalable System Built for Two Audiences


When Johnstone Supply converted from a co-op to an LLC, the structural change gave corporate the ability to formalize platform requirements across the network. I migrated the program from VoiceStorm to RenderSEO, a more robust social media management platform that gave us three capabilities we hadn't had before: corporate-level visibility into every storefront's social performance, local stores to customize content within brand guardrails, and corporate-level visibility into storefront SEO performance.

The new strategy was built around three pillars:

Audience-first content: Shifted from free product marketing to a paid-only post strategy focused on promotions, deals, and limited-time offers. This content speaks directly to how HVACR contractors make purchasing decisions on the job site.

Division of labor: Corporate designers handled national product specials, vendor promotions, and contests pushed across all store accounts. Local store managers focused on community-level content relevant to their specific market. Each level of the org had a clear, manageable role.

Centralized asset infrastructure: Built an internal online asset portal, accessible to all 450 storefronts, where store managers could download brand-aligned materials, native files for customization, and current campaign assets without waiting on corporate. Combined with a fully updated social media guideline book covering policies, best practices, content creation standards, and platform-specific guidance, the portal made brand consistency a byproduct of the process rather than something to chase.

On the production side, I created static graphics, carousel posts, and short-form video content using Adobe Creative Cloud, and implemented a UTM tracking system through GA4 and Looker Studio to measure what was actually driving contractor engagement and store traffic — replacing the guesswork with actionable data.


Setting the Standard Across 450 Storefronts



The updated social media guideline book replaced an outdated 2018 document and set a new content standard across all 450 multi-regional storefronts. Sections cover platform policies, content creation standards, brand voice guidelines, visual identity, and best practices for both corporate and local teams. Available for download through Johnstone's internal knowledge portal, ensuring every store manager had access to the same tools and standards regardless of location.


Results

  • 120% increase in storefront social media platform onboarding; earned through voluntary adoption in a co-op environment where participation could not be mandated
  • Brand inconsistencies eliminated within two months of asset portal launch across all 450 multi-regional storefronts
  • 80% growth in social media engagement and 30% increase in monthly follower reach targeting HVACR contractors and tradespeople
  • 95% CTR goal achieved across digital campaigns, with video content driving an additional 10% lift over static among contractor audiences
  • 20% sales lift through social media in the first year; confirming the strategy was converting audiences, not just building them

Campaign Work

I also took part in developing marketing campaigns.



Recommendation



Hank L, MBA

E-Commerce & marketing Communications Manager

5 of 5 stars


Rene has been very good and his work is highly regarded by both internal and external customers and provides a crucial resource to our internal programs. He's is very responsive and supportive of our customers.