Kitchen Marketing

Back in the olden days, just before the turn of the century, I began working with kitchen and bath professionals.  Marketing was a difficult sell; all I ever heard was “I don’t need to market or advertise; all my business comes from referrals and yellow page ads.”  I actually spoke to one person who said he wished he had the money to advertise, but he spends about $50k a year on yellow pages ads!!!!

Times have changed, yet each year kitchen and bath professionals [for the most part] are easy targets for yellow pages ad reps… because every year, without thinking, they are sucked into overspending their budgets in an antiquated “technology”.  Perhaps it’s ingrained in our psyche.

Now, I won’t tell you yellow pages are a waste of money… but think about this subject logically.

1. Ask your employees, clients, friends, and strangers on the street – “do you use the yellow pages?”   “What do you typically look up in it?”
2. Have you ever used the yellow pages for a high ticket item… sure, I can see using the book when looking for new tires, a plumber, electrician or HVAC guy – in an emergency (but I am over 50, and grew up using the book) … but for a new dining room suite, a new car or a new kitchen?  Not likely.  Consider this scenario – ‘morning honey.  Ya know we could use a new kitchen.  Think I’ll look in the yellow pages and we can go get one this afternoon.  Knowing what you know about your clients and their buying habits, is there any validity to this?

The yellow pages are confusing as “heck” to buy… does this conversation sound familiar?

• You tell the rep you want to cut back on your yellow pages this year.  “What’s the cost if I down-size the ad?”  The response is that you’ll actually be paying more because last year “you got a great promotional deal” – the yellow pages will not publish rates.  Everything is a “deal”.  And perhaps (but I don’t know for sure) at the discretion of the sales manager, based on his/her bottom line sales goal.
• So then you say that maybe you’ll just cut the yellow pages out altogether, since most people are using the internet now.  The rep agrees; the yellow pages are antiquated which is why they are offing a “deal” with the book and their online together.  Hmmm, they agree they are selling a useless [almost – makes a great door stop, along with your 386 computer] marketing vehicle, in conjunction with their internet option.
• Your response… I don’t know anyone who uses the yellow pages online, everyone I know uses Google, Bing or another search engine.  Again, the rep agrees with you… and tells you “that’s why we make sure we come up with a high listing on all the search engines”.  Your response back, “so to get to me, they need to search twice – once with the search engine, and then again on your site?!?  If that’s the case, wouldn’t my money be better spent with a SEM (pay per click) program?”
• And by the way, they may also “guarantee” x number of click throughs each month.  Not that I am making accusations, but anyone can sit at a computer and click to your website.  Generally I have found that their claims don’t agree with Google Analytics’ stats.
• And just for the back of your mind… how many different yellow page publishers are in your market?  How many different books do each publish based on geographical boundaries?  In how many different categories do you feel obligated to be listed or have an ad… kitchens, bathrooms, contractors, countertops, etc.?  It adds up; suddenly spending $50,000 seems quite possible.

My take-aways…

1. STOP spending on the yellow pages and put your money into other marketing venues.  Taking my $50k a year example from above.  If he had spent $50,000 in TV, Radio, Magazines and Pay per Click on the internet – people would KNOW him, his name, his business and IF his potential clients needed to find a phone number, the white pages or free listing in the yellow pages would certainly suffice.
2. If the internet is the new yellow pages, take your current yellow page budget and be sure your website is second to none, optimized for search engines and you are spending on a pay per click campaign.
3. If you MUST run yellow page ads, try the following – tell the rep you have x number of dollars to spend each month, which categories are vital, and in this specific order of importance.  Rep – “you come back with the best deal you can offer.  Then I’ll decide what to do”.

Agree?  Disagree?  Have your own horror stories, or perhaps success stories – this is the place to share.  Feel free to link back to your website – it helps with your SEO.  Call (919-932-4600) or email if you’d like to continue the conversation “in person”.

And – Z promotion & design is offering a GREAT incentive to update your website – follow the link… www.kitchenmarketing.com

This entry was posted on Saturday, November 21st, 2009 at 12:55 pm and is filed under kitchen and bath dealer, Kitchen and Bath Media Buying, Kitchen and Bath Professionals, kitchen design marketing, Marketing. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.