Kitchen & Bath Design News

JUN 2015

Kitchen & Bath Design News is the industry's leading business, design and product resource for the kitchen and bath trade.

Issue link: http://kitchenbathdesign.epubxp.com/i/528102

Contents of this Issue

Navigation

Page 34 of 65

June 2015 | ForResidentialPros.com | 33 energy for the exhibiting spon- sors, Miller says, as well as increased industry and con- sumer awareness. FOR RETAILERS Community is vital to a lo- cal retailer and Mrs. G TV and Appliances has been engag i ng it s New Jersey community since 1935. Cur- rent owner Debbie Schaefer, granddaughter of the original Mrs. G, enjoys doing so with social media. Twitter was her frst platform, and one she's still involved with. She also began a blog in 2009 and it is now the top source of her store's Web site trafc. "O w ner s must ma rket themselves as a trusted ex- pert in their feld," Schaefer notes. "I have been able to do this by continuing on Twit- ter, Facebook, Instagram and Google Plus and I continue to blog. This drives a lot of po- tential customers to the Mrs. G Website and brands us as experts in our industry. "Retail is changing dras- tically and it is all about engaging with the customer," Schaeffer adds. In the ap- pliance indust r y, 80% of consumers do Internet re- search before they visit a store, she says. "By giving our customers a great experience on and ofine, as well as our cooperative buying power, we continue to compete success- fully with the national chains." LAST WORDS Whether you're a designer, retailer, manufacturer or even an industry association, social media, used smartly, has tre- mendous potential for your brand. Just don't get caught up in the cat videos while working. Jamie Gold, CKD, CAPS is an independent designer in San Diego, the author of New Kitchen Ideas That Work , and upcom- ing New Bathroom Idea Book (Taunton Press), and a blogger, design journalist, seminar developer and industry consul- tant. She is also a member of the Blogger 19 and BLANCO Design Council. Circle No. 21 on Product Card Bloggers often increase exposure for manufacturers' images in their posts. Photo: KitchenAid

Articles in this issue

Links on this page

Archives of this issue

view archives of Kitchen & Bath Design News - JUN 2015