June 4, 2011
We all know that selling a kitchen or bath design project is not like selling a widget – it’s a process that is based on a potential customer finding you, learning about you, meeting you, trusting you, and accepting you. In this unstable economy it’s a long, and time consuming process.
Before the “great recession” it was different… remember? Money flowed more freely, opulence was in vogue, and customers were willing to wait until YOU were ready to begin their project. The tables have turned. Money is tight, cost is driving design decisions and you are now one of a dozen “remodelers” in the mix.
It seems many kitchen and bath professionals are not willing to accept the new reality. They are not willing to spend money to make money, as the old adage goes. There is a feeling among many professionals that a single marketing avenue will bring in new business. Are you among them?
- If you think your Facebook page alone will bring new clients, you are incorrect.
- If you think your Blog alone will bring new clients, you are incorrect.
- If you think Search Engine Optimization (SEO) alone will bring new clients, you are incorrect.
- If you think Search Engine Marketing (SEM) alone will bring new clients, you are incorrect.
- If you think your Website alone will bring new clients, you are incorrect.
- If you think your TV Commercial alone will bring new clients, you are incorrect.
- If you think your Magazine Ad alone will bring new clients, you are incorrect.
- If you think your Direct Mail Piece alone will bring new clients, you are incorrect.
See the pattern? The answer you are looking for is known as Integrated Marketing. It is just what it sounds like – it is integrating all your potential marketing and advertising avenues together under a single message based on your competitive advantage. Think of it as the place where traditional media, the Internet and newer marketing technologies come together to engulf your market with your message. If it sounds scary, it’s not really – you may just need a guide.
35.957625
-79.047142
Like this:
Be the first to like this post.
Leave a Comment » | 
Blogging, Google TV, Integrated Marketing, kitchen and bath dealer, kitchen and bath integrated marketing, Kitchen and Bath Media Buying, Kitchen and Bath Professionals, Kitchen and Bath Web Marketing, kitchen design marketing, LinkedIn, Marketing, Search Engine Optimization, Social Media for the Kitchen & Bath Industry, YouTube for Kitchen and Bath | Tagged: adwords, blogging, facebook, google adwords for kitchens, Integrated Marketing, Kitchen and Bath Industry, kitchen and bath marketing, Kitchen and Bath Professionals, kitchen and bath social media campaign, kitchen dealers, kitchen marketing, kitchen website marketing, marketing recession, showroom marketing | 
Permalink
Posted by zpromotion
May 28, 2011
The Kitchen & Bath Channel Smart Phone App is a FREE app providing homeowners and consumers instant access to over 15,000 Kitchen & Bath industry professionals from their smart phone. It is also a unique and effective marketing tool for members of the Kitchen & Bath industry.
The Kitchen & Bath Channel Smart Phone App has been available for a little over a month on Android and iPhone, less on the BlackBerry platform. It has been exceeding expectations… some stats…
- The iPhone version has quickly received a “5 Star” rating in the iTunes Store
- There are already 650 users who have used it almost 5,000 times.
- iPhone users spend an average of 1.5 minutes using the app; 1.9 sessions per day
- Droid users spend an average of 1 minute using the app; 1.7 sessions per day
…and received the following testimonial:
“I purchased the Platinum subscription for the new Kitchen & Bath Channel Smart Phone App for my San Francisco showroom. It’s a new marketing concept using cutting edge technology and within the first month, it brought in a lead we wouldn’t have seen otherwise. I think the Kitchen & Bath Channel is the right idea at the right price. This appears to be where marketing is heading and I want Gilmans Kitchens + Baths to be in the forefront!”
Larry Lowenthal
President
Gilmans Kitchens + Baths
If you are a kitchen and bath professional and want to see real results from your marketing investment, like Larry visit The Kitchen & Bath Channel website.
If you are a homeowner considering a kitchen or bath remodel, and want to being your search from the geo-locator services of the app or just learn more, visit the website too.
Like this:
Be the first to like this post.
1 Comment | Android, android app, apps, Blackberry, iPad, iPhone, Kitchen and Bath Professionals, Mobile Apps | Tagged: adroid apps, apps, blackberry apps, droid smart phone, iPhone, Kitchen and Bath Industry, kitchen and bath marketing, Kitchen and Bath Professionals, kitchen design sales, kitchen marketing, mobile apps, smart phone apps | Permalink
Posted by zpromotion
May 28, 2011
I was surprised this past week when a business I am following posted a question I considered to be confidential, somewhat proprietary information. The question the owner posted to his followers was innocuous enough, or so it seemed on the surface. But it was seeking a response regarding a possible business alliance – would the follower consider this an opportunity worth pursuing? What the business owner likely didn’t realize was that among his followers were competitors, members of the press and dozens of others he probably didn’t even know. Add to that his, and all his followers privacy settings, their ability to tweet and repost and you are set for a world-wide announcement, you may not be ready to make.
If you are going to use social media, use it responsibly. I hate to sound like a PSA for alcohol, but if you’re going to participate, understand the risks.
Facebook has taken off among Kitchen & Bath industry professionals. Spend time on any of the LinkedIn kitchen and bath industry discussion groups and you’ll see that “liking” one another’s Facebook pages are among the most “discussed” discussions. Be sure you know who “likes” you. Your customers and their friends – that’s who you are looking for; or your competition (local or regional).
As a marketing professional, I encourage my clients to first and foremost determine their competitive advantage in their marketplace.
How?
Among my suggestions – snoop on your competition to determine what they do, how they do it, how successful they are at it, etc.
Snooping is getting easier with new technology. In the “olden days” you needed to watch for TV commercials, find brochures, search for ads and maybe wait for a home show. Today just “like” them on Facebook, visit their website(s), Blog(s), follow them on Twitter… what’s next?
Are you making it easier for your competition to size you up? There is a fine line between enticing your customers to come visit to learn more and putting it all out there for the world (your competitors) to see.
As Stg. Phil Esterhuas of Hill Street Blues always said – “Hey, let’s be careful out there.”
Like this:
Be the first to like this post.
Leave a Comment » | Integrated Marketing, kitchen and bath dealer, kitchen and bath integrated marketing, Kitchen and Bath Professionals, Kitchen and Bath Web Marketing, kitchen design marketing, LinkedIn, LinkedIn groups, Marketing, Social Media, Social Media for the Kitchen & Bath Industry | Tagged: blogs, 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 design websites, kitchen industry websites, kitchen marketing, kitchen website marketing, selling kitchens online, social media, twitter | Permalink
Posted by zpromotion
April 23, 2011
Tomorrow I leave for KBIS in Las Vegas… I truly enjoy the city, well the strip. Of the dozens of times I have been to Las Vegas over the years, I have left the strip one time (not counting the convention center) – to experience Fremont Street. Give me Roulette, Blackjack and the occasional Slots… and I am a happy camper for a few days.
However, this trip to Las Vegas will be different from my past adventures – this time I will be gambling for real. For the first time I, along with my partner in The Kitchen & Bath Channel, have a booth at KBIS (C5627).
We are betting that The Kitchen & Bath Channel Smart Phone App is the perfect marketing partner for the kitchen and bath professional looking for an affordable way to market themselves. This unique marketing tool literally puts the kitchen and bath professional into the hands of the consumer while they are out shopping.
Imagine if you could show your potential customer your location on a map with turn by turn directions, links to your website and email, an auto-dial phone feature, the ability to be instantaneously added to your customer’s contact file AND a way to display project photos and videos on a Smart Phone all for only $300 a YEAR or less?! We are betting you’ll jump on it!
And the consumer feedback we are getting is great!
Important Links:
About The Kitchen & Bath Channel
Download the iPhone App
Download the Android App
Kitchen & Bath Channel Video Overview
The Kitchen & Bath Channel Facebook Page – “Like” us
Blackberry App is under review and coming soon
Our Booth @ KBIS is C5627
Like this:
Be the first to like this post.
Leave a Comment » | Android, android app, apps, Blackberry, Integrated Marketing, iPad, iPhone, KBIS, kitchen and bath integrated marketing, Kitchen and Bath Professionals, kitchen design marketing, Marketing, Mobile Apps, National Kitchen and Bath Association, NKBA, SEN design group | Tagged: blackberry apps, improved business, Integrated Marketing, iPhone, KBIS, Kitchen and Bath Industry, kitchen and bath marketing, Kitchen and Bath Professionals, kitchen marketing, National Kitchen and Bath Association, NKBA, smart phone apps | Permalink
Posted by zpromotion
April 16, 2011
In the time and place we find ourselves, we are all struggling to bring in business. What is our competitive advantage, what will give us the edge over our peers in attracting customers?
I don’t know the answer for every Kitchen & Bath Professional out there – if I did, I’d have that fortune we aspire to.
But I will tell you this – to stay a step ahead of the competition you need INNOVATION – you need to think beyond your competition, originate, and establish the new reality for your market.
I did. And my innovation can help your next client find you.
The Kitchen & Bath Channel Smart Phone App
I am talking about
The Kitchen & Bath Channel. Together with my partner, Max Isley, CMKBD, we developed the Kitchen and Bath Industry’s first Smart Phone app that puts you in the palm of your customers’ hands WHILE they are out shopping – Literally!
Have a Droid? Download your FREE App now to try it out. When you love it, give it a 5 Star review!
Have an iPhone or Blackberry? The apps are in the review process and will be available within days.
Our subscribers have the opportunity to stand out from their competition! Subscribe yourself at The Kitchen & Bath Channel
Visit The Kitchen & Bath Channel @ KBIS – Booth C5627
Learn more about Z promotion & design @ www.KitchenMarketing.com
Like this:
Be the first to like this post.
Leave a Comment » | Android, android app, apps, Blackberry, Integrated Marketing, iPad, iPhone, KBIS, kitchen and bath integrated marketing, Kitchen and Bath Professionals, Kitchen and Bath Web Marketing, kitchen design marketing, Marketing, NKBA | Tagged: app, apps, improved business, Integrated Marketing, iPhone, KBIS, Kitchen and Bath Industry, kitchen and bath marketing, Kitchen and Bath Professionals, kitchen marketing, kitchen showroom, marketing recession, mobile app, NKBA, showroom marketing, smart phone apps | Permalink
Posted by zpromotion
March 26, 2011
Yesterday not a soul on the planet (or beyond) visited my blog. It’s not the first time, but it just seemed weird. Perhaps, because it coincided with other “slumps”.
- KitchenMarketing.com visits were at a monthly low. Did the kitchen and bath industry take the day off from Marketing concerns and I missed the memo?
- Duke lost in the Sweet 16 – and for the huge Duke fan that I am, it was very abrupt and quite unexpected – shocking actually. Slump-inducing for us fans? Is there a shrink in the house?
- It was the week I officially sent Internet Explorer packing for draining too many resources from my computer – welcome Chrome… I am still getting use to your idiosyncrasies, but “I think this is the beginning of a beautiful friendship” - as Rick said to Louis walking into the foggy night at the end of Casablanca.
- …and this morning, to top it all off – I have nothing to say in my blog, as you can tell.
Some days, some weeks are like that… but as Harry Chapin so aptly said in his song “Greyhound” – “It’s got to be the going, not the getting there that’s good. That’s a thought for keeping, if I could”
So each little slump over the past couple of days is a part of life’s ups and downs and as I think about it, each slump was countered by a highlight –
- Since I switched to Chrome, my computer hasn’t locked up… b-bye IE
- Yet still nothing can salvage the NCAA Tournament for me… EXCEPT my schedule has freed-up, as I am no longer tethered to CBS, TBS, TNT & TruTV… whoever wins this year, wins …please… just don’t let it be UNC – again! (that little sentence just assured them an NCAA Championship… UNC fans – thank me later).
So perhaps you will read my blog, visit KitchenMarketing.com, subscribe to The Kitchen & Bath Channel Smart Phone App and with a bit of luck the Apps will find their way to the apps stores this week and Kyrie Irving will forgo millions of dollars to stay at Duke [at least] one more year… then maybe, just maybe next week’s posting will not be so maudlin.
++++++++
Make plans to stop by the Kitchen & Bath Channel booth at KBIS (Booth C5627) and say hello!
Like this:
Be the first to like this post.
1 Comment | Integrated Marketing, iPhone, KBIS, kitchen and bath dealer, kitchen and bath integrated marketing, Kitchen and Bath Professionals, Kitchen and Bath Web Marketing, kitchen design marketing, Marketing, Mobile Apps | Tagged: blogging, blogs, Integrated Marketing, KBIS, Kitchen and Bath Industry, kitchen and bath marketing, Kitchen and Bath Professionals, kitchen marketing | Permalink
Posted by zpromotion
March 19, 2011
I recently returned from New Orleans and the semi-annual SEN Design Group conference. This is my company’s 10 year anniversary as the marketing, advertising and creative services vendor to the group and our 19th consecutive conference. During my tenure, I have seen the group evolve from the “kitchen and bath industry’s first buying group” to its current incarnation as “the kitchen and bath industry’s premier business education group” – the living vision of its founder, Ken Peterson, CKD.
If you consider NKBA the ultimate industry organization for kitchen & bath design/designers; SEN is the ultimate industry organization for kitchen & bath business professionals. And, without a strong a business, there is no need for design, is there?
What struck me after ten years is how the SEN Design Group has evolved over time. Looking at it through the eyes of the “great recession” we have experienced solidifies the group’s importance to the industry. Those SEN Members who took advantage of the numerous business education aspects are not only still in business, but many have seen increases in profits and revenues, as well as the overall health of their businesses, while many of their peers have shuttered their doors.
As a marketer in the kitchen and bath industry, I receive a number of calls each week from kitchen and bath professionals looking for the “magic marketing bullet” that will salvage their business – you know what, there isn’t one. But in these still difficult times, more and more I send these callers to the SEN Design Group – I firmly believe that if the professionals running SEN Programs cannot help, a new profession may be in your future. I have heard it time and again, and my conversations with the recession survivors – make that thrivers – coupled with the phone calls I receive, precipitated this posting.
Without sounding like a commercial, SEN offers one-on-one business coaching with an accredited licensed professional business coach, an ongoing series of business webinars, boot camps, seminars, marketing and sales tools, and of course the buying group rebate program, among a myriad of other tools and schools designed specifically to help the kitchen and bath professional improve their overall business; operations, sales, budgeting, marketing, showrooms, the list goes on…
If you think your business could you a boost, take a look at the SEN Design Group
++++++
Kitchen & Bath Channel Smart Phone App ALERT!!!!
To take advantage of our pre-launch 25% annual subscription discount – act quickly! Once it hits the app stores (it looks to be the week of 3/21) the discount goes away…
View the Kitchen & Bath Channel powerpoint overview
Subscribe to The Kitchen & Bath Channel
The Kitchen & Bath Channel will have a booth at K/BIS – C5627
Like this:
Be the first to like this post.
Leave a Comment » | Android, Blogging, Integrated Marketing, iPhone, kitchen and bath dealer, kitchen and bath integrated marketing, Kitchen and Bath Professionals, kitchen design marketing, Mobile Apps, National Kitchen and Bath Association, NKBA, SEN design group | Tagged: improved business, Integrated Marketing, Kitchen and Bath Industry, kitchen and bath marketing, Kitchen and Bath Professionals, kitchen dealers, kitchen marketing, kitchen showroom, SEN, SEN design group, showroom marketing | Permalink
Posted by zpromotion
March 5, 2011
It has been too long in the making and even longer in the planning, but we have been told that the Kitchen & Bath Channel Smart Phone Apps and accompanying web site (KitchenBathChannel.com) are nearing completion.
In my opinion, the app is the most innovative marketing tool to hit the Kitchen & Bath Industry since the Pony Express delivered the first direct mail offer – “Free wood for your oven with the purchase of a new kitchen!” But, I may be biased, so view the PowerPoint by clicking the image below and judge for yourself.
View the Kitchen & Bath Channel Smart Phone App PowerPoint
If you are a Kitchen and Bath Professional, a subscription offer of 25% OFF is in effect until the apps are securely in the three app stores – I urge you to take advantage of the savings! Subscribe to the Kitchen & Bath Channel.
If you are interested in downloading the free app for your smart phone, check back shortly as I will announce the launch here!
Questions or comments are always welcome phil@kitchenmarketing.com
Like this:
Be the first to like this post.
Leave a Comment » | Android, Integrated Marketing, iPhone, kitchen and bath dealer, kitchen and bath integrated marketing, Kitchen and Bath Professionals, Kitchen and Bath Web Marketing, kitchen design marketing, Marketing, Mobile Apps | Tagged: android app, blackberry apps, improved business, Integrated Marketing, iPhone, iPhone app, Kitchen and Bath Industry, kitchen and bath marketing, Kitchen and Bath Professionals, kitchen design sales, kitchen marketing, selling kitchens online, showroom marketing, smart phone apps, web marketing | Permalink
Posted by zpromotion
February 6, 2011
One of things I truly love about blogs is that fact that one can shamelessly self-promote and blather on about anything and everything. Well this sunny, warm(ish) Sunday February morning in North Carolina is going to be just that – shameless self promotion.
Within the next week or two, my partner Max Isley, CMKD and I are scheduled to officially launch the Kitchen & Bath Channel Smart Phone Mobile Apps. These are [unabashedly] the greatest marketing tools to hit the kitchen and bath industry since the advent of direct mail, if not ever!
These apps are free to the consumer. They include a database of over 15,000 kitchen & bath and remodeling professionals. When your customer launches the app (on the iPhone, Android or Blackberry), the phones’ geo positioning locates the closest kitchen and bath professionals on a map. From that map they are able to access each professional’s profile. In addition, the consumer can search for a kitchen and bath professional through a number of queries including, city, state, room they want to renovate, profession of the remodeler, accreditation, products and more!
So, as a professional, how do you stand out from the crowd? You take top priority among your 15,000 peers through “Gold” or “Platinum” annual subscriptions.
- With a free, standard listing you are placed in alphabetical order, with a contact name, phone number and address.
- An upgrade to Gold moves you to the top of the list, gives you a link to auto dial, an interactive map for directions, your website on the phone’s browser, a link to send an email and the ability to be linked to the user’s contact file.
- If you upgrade to Platinum, you receive everything a Gold subscriber does PLUS the ability to include up to 5 photos and 5 videos of your choosing and you appear above the Gold Subscribers in the list of results. Click here for more information.
In addition to the apps for the customers “on the go” – the website KitchenBathChannel.com is a database of professionals where your customers begin their research!
I’ll post again when the apps are ready for download – but in the meantime, if you are a kitchen and bath professional become a subscriber BEFORE the apps are launched and SAVE 25%!
Like this:
Be the first to like this post.
Leave a Comment » | Android, Blogging, Integrated Marketing, iPad, iPhone, kitchen and bath dealer, kitchen and bath integrated marketing, Kitchen and Bath Professionals, Kitchen and Bath Web Marketing, kitchen design marketing, Marketing, marketing with video, Mobile Apps, YouTube for Kitchen and Bath | Tagged: blackberry apps, improved business, Integrated Marketing, iPhone, Kitchen and Bath Industry, kitchen and bath marketing, Kitchen and Bath Professionals, kitchen dealers, kitchen design websites, kitchen marketing, mobile apps, smart phone apps, web marketing, youtube marketing | Permalink
Posted by zpromotion
January 28, 2011
Every now and then I run across something that excites me… Xobni is one of those things. A client turned me on to it a day or so ago, but apparently it’s been around for a while – just under my radar.
Xobni, which is inbox spelled backwards, is a free add-on to Outlook (also a paid version, but I haven’t discovered the value of a purchase… yet).
It has been loaded on my computer for about 48 hours, so I don’t yet know the full extent of its capabilities, but Xobni already does enough to warrant some excitement.
- Search for an email – type a topic and it will locate all emails with your query – faster than outlook
- Search for an individual – it will find them in your contacts, and your messages
- Schedule a meeting with the click of a mouse… Xobni reads your schedule and prepares an email with potential meeting times
- Incoming email – when an email arrives from anyone you automatically see the following:
- All emails with that individual, all files/attachments exchanged and people in his/her network
- You also get a profile of the sender including all email addresses, phone numbers, Skype information, statistics about your interactions such as how many incoming and outgoing messages, where they rank in frequency of all interactions with all contact, etc.
- Plus …and this is where it becomes a great marketing tool…
- LinkedIn – you can see if the contact is part of LinkedIn and if not you can link directly from the application
- Facebook – the same
- Twitter, Hoovers, YouTube, Flickr and more social networking connects are part of the application.
If you use it… let’s talk about the benefits and drawbacks. If you have the $30 upgrade… was it worth the additional expense – after all every penny counts these days. Let’s use this blog to communicate and talk about this product. In the meantime, as I learn more I’ll post the info here.
Like this:
Be the first to like this post.
Leave a Comment » | Integrated Marketing, kitchen and bath dealer, kitchen and bath integrated marketing, Kitchen and Bath Professionals, kitchen design marketing, Marketing, Social Media for the Kitchen & Bath Industry, Uncategorized | Tagged: improved business, Integrated Marketing, Kitchen and Bath Industry, kitchen and bath marketing, Kitchen and Bath Professionals, kitchen and bath social media campaign, kitchen marketing, showroom marketing, social media, twitter, youtube marketing | Permalink
Posted by zpromotion
The Kitchen & Bath Channel – Smart Phone Mobile App
Book: A is for Advertising… B is for Branding…
