August 7, 2010
In preparation for an article I am writing for NKBA Magazine, I ran across some statistics worth a few insights.
According to Nielsen Research, in June (2010) more than 10.2 Billion videos were streamed in the US – a 4% increase over May’s figures. That is 74.9 streams (videos) and 194.6 minutes (3.24 hours) per viewer.
Our viewing habits are definitely moving to the internet; perhaps not at the expense of television, but in addition to it. On that I can only speculate. Regardless, we are accepting online as a viable “TV Channel”
These figures begin to justify the validity that Google TV, upon its acceptance, will change the very face of marketing by allowing individuals to deliver their own content to TV sets around the world. For the kitchen and bath industry this provides each manufacturer, showroom owner and individual designer the opportunity to own a TV network.
I direct you to the Kitchen & Bath Channel. While still in its infancy, the Kitchen and Bath Channel is quickly becoming a destination for viewers, as well as a portal for industry videos. If you have an interest in getting your video on the channel, or need assistance with production – we are here to assist.
Call me at 919-932-4600 or phil@kitchenmarketing.com
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Posted by zpromotion
July 31, 2010
I had an interesting conversation this week with a couple of professional photographers. As kitchen and bath design professionals, you may or may not be aware of the [potential] complexity of copyright rules and your rights to use professionally shot photographs – so a couple of “rules of thumb”… And I encourage any and all professional photographers to add to the discussion.
- Typically, photographers retain ownership of the photographs they shoot.
- When you pay for them, you are licensing the images for your own marketing and self-promotion.
- Talk to your photographer about how you intend to use your photographs to be sure your intentions do not infringe on copyright laws.
- If a third party (cabinet manufacturer, trade association, supplier) wants to use your design, and therefore photography for marketing their product, DO NOT supply it – put the third party in touch with the photographer, as they will likely have to compensate the photographer.
- Professional photographers are professionals… like you. Support them by providing credit on your marketing materials, including links to their website from yours.
- Professional photography is the “life blood” of kitchen and bath marketing – from Facebook to YouTube to your brochures and beyond!
Are you in need of a professional photographer for your architectural designs? I can recommend these -
Steven Paul Whitsitt Photography – http://www.whitsittphoto.com/
Chipper Hatter Photography – http://www.hatterphotographics.com/
Ray Strawbridge Photography – http://www.strawbridgephoto.com/
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Posted by zpromotion
July 24, 2010
I am very excited about the launch of The Kitchen and Bath Channel, as I believe it is the first step in redefining marketing for the Kitchen and Bath Professional – that includes manufacturers, showroom owners and individual designers.
I contend that the introduction of Google TV will change the way we market, regardless of our product. With your remote or keyboard in hand, you can sit in front of your TV and search for programming – cable, broadcast and now the Internet! Since YouTube is owned by Google, I would venture a guess that YouTube will figure prominently in your search results. Consider the HGTV viewer searching for “kitchen design” – all the broadcast and cable shows appear, along with a myriad of internet videos – prominent among them; The Kitchen and Bath Channel.
The Kitchen and Bath Channel is a destination for consumers looking for great design, excellent designers and innovative products. Established as a free marketing tool to the industry, the greater the participation, the more indispensable it will become to the consumer.
I invite you to visit, submit your current videos (email me), or Z promotion & design is prepared to produce a: 60 high definition video (at a great price) for inclusion – example: Stonehenge Concrete Countertops – again email me to discuss.
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Posted by zpromotion
July 10, 2010
I subscribe to Mashable.com and recommend that any kitchen and bath professional wanting to stay on top of the latest marketing trends, employing today’s latest technology do the same.
As a Mashable subscriber, one of the tips you would have received is about YouTube and the transition it, along with its “master” Google, is making from the computer monitor to the living room TV. I have said it before and will say it again: Google TV will change Kitchen and Bath marketing FOREVER! I invite you to visit YouTube’s “Kitchen and Bath Channel” to get a feel for how Z promotion & design is helping the industry make the leap. Our video production work for Royal Cabinet Company and Stonehenge Countertops are available to sample. Become a fan of the “Kitchen and Bath Channel” to easily return for additional videos.
…and the self-promotion is that Z promotion & design is ready to provide your kitchen and bath business with professional videos to help you take advantage of the latest marketing venues quickly and professionally. Call 919-932-4600 or email info@KitchenMarketing.com to get started.
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3 Comments | Integrated Marketing, 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, Social Media for the Kitchen & Bath Industry, YouTube for Kitchen and Bath | Tagged: 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, selling kitchens online, showroom marketing, video marketing, youtube, youtube marketing | Permalink
Posted by zpromotion
July 3, 2010
I am often asked “where should I spend my marketing dollars to get the greatest return?” My pat answer is “it depends”. …and it does. It depends upon your geography, your target market, your budget and all the other key elements a professional marketer considers when developing a marketing plan. But, I always recommend that you spend money on professional photography… and I will amend that to include videography, as well.
The advent of the digital camera has everyone considering themselves a ”professional photographer”. They are wrong. I spend more time relighting (to the best of my ability) and straightening photographs my clients have taken themselves. These are photographs that they intend to place on their websites, in print ads, on TV commercials and in other marketing venues to highlight their skills as designers and remodelers. In many cases, all the images do is distract from the design while highlighting an inability to shoot a quality photograph. Spring for the additional cash outlay to have your photographs taken by professionals, it’s worth the investment.
If you have quality images, consider the ways you can employ them in your showroom marketing. On your website, your Facebook page, in TV commercials, YouTube postings, showroom presentations, vehicle signage, showroom photos, print ads, printed and electronic collateral materials and frankly, anywhere a picture is worth a thousand words and can highlight your skills as a kitchen and bath design professional.
And video… with the advent of Google TV, the popularity of YouTube and the ease at which video can be accessed online and via mobile apps, consider hiring a professional to videotape walk-throughs of your favorite projects, your showroom, a difficult installation – well, you get the point.
Remember, you see a lawyer when you need a legal advice, you see a doctor for medical help, you hope your clients come to you for your expertise as a kitchen and bath designer/remodeler – seek a professional for your photography, videography and marketing!
If you are looking for addition marketing tips for the kitchen and bath professional visit KitchenMarketing.com
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Posted by zpromotion
May 22, 2010
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Posted by zpromotion
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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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/
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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.
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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!
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Posted by zpromotion
The Kitchen & Bath Channel – Smart Phone Mobile App
Book: A is for Advertising… B is for Branding…
