March 6, 2010
It will be a busy week for me with two speaking engagements -
- Eastern Carolinas Chapter NKBA
Tuesday, March 9. 5:30 – 8:00PM at A Southern Season in Chapel Hill, NC
“A Southern Season of Social Networking”
- SEN Design Group – Spring Conference
Thursday, March 11. St. Augustine, FL
Part of a panel discussion on “Getting the Green Out of Your Marketing”
For additonal 2010 speaking engagement dates visit: http://www.kitchenmarketing.com
If you would like to talk with me about speaking to your NKBA chapter or other group, email me: phil@kitchenmarketing.com
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Integrated Marketing, Kitchen and Bath Professionals, Kitchen and Bath Web Marketing, Marketing, NKBA, National Kitchen and Bath Association, SEN design group, Social Media for the Kitchen & Bath Industry, kitchen and bath dealer, kitchen and bath integrated marketing, kitchen design marketing | Tagged: facebook, Integrated Marketing, Kitchen and Bath Industry, kitchen and bath marketing, Kitchen and Bath Professionals, kitchen and bath social media campaign, kitchen dealers, kitchen design sales, kitchen marketing, kitchen sales, kitchen website marketing, National Kitchen and Bath Association, NKBA, SEN, SEN design group, social media, web marketing, youtube | 
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Posted by zpromotion
March 6, 2010
In January I wrote about Google’s Local Business Center. Today I want to say a few words about some of the other local business listing sites that should prove beneficial to Kitchen and Bath Showrooms (as well as other businesses).
Bing: The Bing Local Listing Center (http://www.bing.com/local) allows you to add or edit your profile, including categories, specialties, products carried, a description of your business, your positioning line, hours of operation, and more. The listing is verified by actual humans, and you are sent your PIN verification via snail mail – so this is not an instantaneous listing. Be patient. It’s worth being correctly represented on Bing.
Yahoo!: You will want to go to the “add a new business” page (http://listings.local.yahoo.com/csubmit/index.php) and follow the instructions. As with Bing and Google, you have the opportunity to include a lot of information and photos. Yahoo! appears to be reviewed by humans, as well. As of this writing, I am not sure how long that takes…. When I find out (if I remember), I’ll add that info as a comment.
Yelp: http://www.yelp.com/ I am new to this, so if you have experience and can add to the discussion, please do! Yelp appears to be a hybrid of “traditional” social networking sites such as Facebook or MySpace and Search Engine Maps (business listings). Your showroom can have a local listing and you can connect with friends, customers and others (local to you) to discuss the best places to eat, shop or get your kitchen remodeled. Search for your showroom, as you likely already have a listing that will only require tweaking.
Try to keep up… I dare you! Here is a great site to help you in those efforts- http://mashable.com/
1 Comment | Integrated Marketing, Kitchen and Bath Professionals, Kitchen and Bath Web Marketing, Marketing, Social Media for the Kitchen & Bath Industry, kitchen and bath dealer, kitchen and bath integrated marketing, kitchen design marketing | Tagged: facebook, google adwords for kitchens, Integrated Marketing, Kitchen and Bath Industry, kitchen and bath marketing, Kitchen and Bath Professionals, kitchen industry websites, kitchen marketing, kitchen showroom, kitchen website marketing, showroom marketing, social media, web marketing, youtube | Permalink
Posted by zpromotion
February 20, 2010
Kitchen and Bath Professionals are being told to get on the social networking band-wagon… and why not? Growth is way up in the right demographics, it’s easy enough to do yourself and it builds relationships – which we all know is how you actually sell your services.
OK, I convinced you, you’re going to begin Tweeting, Friending and Linking-In. That’s great! Now, what’s your primary objective (for each social media site)? What do you hope to accomplish? Ultimately, you want to pick up new clients.
Traditionally, how has that been done? In many cases, your business was founded on referrals – happy customers tell their friends. The friends come to see you and they like you – your designs, your personality, your knowledge, your quality, your expertise, your… whatever else they value in a kitchen and bath professional.
So, your social media objective is the same – use the power of online relationships to build your client base. Here are some steps for Facebook (your best first stop):
- Create your Facebook Business Page – http://www.facebook.com/home.php?ref=home#!/pages/create.php – you must first have a personal Facebook account in order to create a business page.
- Invite your past clients to become Fans – your goal is a minimum of 100 fans in order to get an easily marketable URL (http://www.facebook.com/Zpromotion) – prior to 100 fans your URL is a series of numbers and letters making it difficult (nearly impossible) to promote outside the web
- Add your Facebook URL to your existing marketing materials, ads, TV spots, business cards, website, email signature, etc.
- Develop and offer “Fans Only” incentives.
- Post happenings and events at your showroom – Seminars, Manufacturers’ Incentives, etc.
- Post new project photographs.
- Post testimonials – ask your fans to talk about the project you did for them.
- Add Videos – snippets of your seminars, time-lapse of a project, a tour of a finished project, etc.
- Engage in discussions to help your fans understand you, the business, the project or the industry better.
- Add posts that personify the business – give your showroom a personality and a face.
Do you have a Facebook page? How are you using it? Post your ideas here.
Leave a Comment » | Kitchen and Bath Professionals, Kitchen and Bath Web Marketing, Marketing, Social Media for the Kitchen & Bath Industry, kitchen and bath integrated marketing, kitchen design marketing | Tagged: facebook, improved business, Integrated Marketing, Kitchen and Bath Industry, kitchen and bath marketing, Kitchen and Bath Professionals, kitchen and bath social media campaign, kitchen dealers, kitchen design sales, kitchen marketing, kitchen showroom, kitchen website marketing, social media, twitter, web marketing, youtube | Permalink
Posted by zpromotion
February 13, 2010
I have been preparing for my upcoming talks on social marketing and doing some online research to see what’s new. As you might have guessed, online communities are growing and Facebook is aging –according to InsideFacebook.com, the fastest growing demographic is Women 55+. When my 2nd grade teacher “friended” me, and my aunt put up a profile (and I’m no spring chicken, myself) I knew Facebook was graying – of course my college-age kids had the same feeling when dad put up his profile.
I have been talking about a communication paradigm shift for the last several years. As it relates to marketing, consumers are no longer unwitting recipients of a monologue – they are true partners and participants in a dialog. The internet introduced us to the concept… social media is taking it to a new level.
As a participant, the consumer now has the power to respond to your marketing messages and critique your livelihood – today there must truly be “truth in advertising”. Consider the client whose cabinetry finish is not quite what they had expected. How will you make them happy? What would happen to your business if you ignored the complaint and your client posted his/her feelings on their blog, their Facebook page, to their Twitter account – thousands, if not millions of potential customers would know your name and would likely avoid you like the plague. But, what if you went the extra mile to make the client happy – those same thousands, if not millions of potential customers would know your name and likely try to get you to do their renovation. I am not just talking to showroom owners; manufacturers, wouldn’t you like to be known world-wide for taking excellent care of your customers?
Never forget that your clients are online and talking to their friends. If you have a Facebook page for your showroom, ask your clients to become fans and add a testimonial. Market to your fans by offering incentives, seminars, specials and other “fan only” benefits on a regular basis, there is a payoff. Social Media is not a kids’ toy… use it to stay in touch, to listen, to learn, and to bond with your customer base.
Post your thoughts and experiences. Become a Fan and Z promotion & design!
Leave a Comment » | Integrated Marketing, Kitchen and Bath Professionals, Kitchen and Bath Web Marketing, Social Media for the Kitchen & Bath Industry, kitchen and bath dealer, kitchen and bath integrated marketing, kitchen design marketing | Tagged: facebook, improved business, Integrated Marketing, Kitchen and Bath Industry, kitchen and bath marketing, Kitchen and Bath Professionals, kitchen and bath social media campaign, kitchen dealers, kitchen design sales, kitchen design websites, kitchen marketing, kitchen sales, kitchen showroom, kitchen website marketing, showroom marketing, social media, twitter | Permalink
Posted by zpromotion
January 2, 2010
Happy New Year!
Two related issues caught my eye on the internet over the holiday… one was a blog entitled “10 B to B Marketers Predictions for 2010”, the other was an ongoing discussion in the LinkedIn group “Kitchen and Bath Industry News” (worth joining, if you haven’t already).
The blogger, Paul Dunay, pointed out in his prediction #4 that “corporate websites will become less important due to the rise of social media” (YouTube, Facebook, Twitter, etc.). The LinkedIn thread, while outwardly a revolt against spamming in discussion groups, carried the underlying message that kitchen and bath professionals are tired of “social media” – the term, the concept, the sales pitches and the confusion surrounding the legitimacy and validity.
To Paul… your insights are (in my opinion) on the money, even for the consumer-oriented kitchen and bath professional. In the kitchen and bath industry, the website will remain the address for “official product or service related content”, while social media sites can become the primary source for displaying new designs, “in the news” features, a place to display your personality (so important in landing the contract) and more. As a website designer (and updater), I hate to toss business aside, but wouldn’t it be easier and more cost effective if you could show your new project on your Facebook page, rather than sending it to your webmaster? NOTE: I will also argue that it is important to [eventually] add it to your website, but that’s for another day.
To the kitchen and bath professionals so fed up with “social media” – don’t bury your heads in the sand! As an industry we were late adapters to websites, so keep abreast of the advances in social media. There is a place for both. Just as your website became a marketing tool alongside your print ads, brochures and commercials, your Facebook page, YouTube account and timely Tweets should be added to your overall Integrated Marketing Campaign.
Let me direct you to some effective social media examples from integrated marketers in the kitchen and bath industry.
Daniel Lumber Company on Facebook - http://www.facebook.com/DanielLumber
Artisan Kitchens and Baths on Facebook - http://www.facebook.com/ArtisanKitchensandBaths
Artisan Kitchens and Baths on Twitter – http://twitter.com/ArtisanKandB
Designs by bsb on Facebook - http://www.facebook.com/home.php?ref=home#/pages/Atlanta-GA/Designs-by-BSB/108953626689?ref=nf
Designs by bsb Blog - http://designsbybsb.com/blog/
As always, I am happy to discuss via the blog, email or phone (919-932-4600).
Join me on Facebook – http://www.facebook.com/Zpromotion
Follow me on Twitter http://twitter.com/zpromotion
Have a great 2010 (enjoy our New Year’s Greeting), and let’s be careful out there!
Leave a Comment » | Integrated Marketing, Kitchen and Bath Media Buying, Kitchen and Bath Professionals, Kitchen and Bath Web Marketing, Marketing, Social Media for the Kitchen & Bath Industry, kitchen and bath dealer, kitchen and bath integrated marketing, kitchen design marketing | Tagged: facebook, improved business, Integrated Marketing, Kitchen and Bath Industry, kitchen and bath marketing, Kitchen and Bath Professionals, kitchen and bath social media campaign, kitchen design sales, kitchen design websites, kitchen industry websites, kitchen marketing, kitchen sales, kitchen website marketing, showroom marketing, social media, twitter, web marketing, youtube | Permalink
Posted by zpromotion
Book: A is for Advertising… B is for Branding…