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May 2015 | ForResidentialPros.com | 33 NEIL KELLY; Portland, Eugene, Bend and Lake Oswego, OR, and Seattle, WA — www.neilkelly.com How long ago was your Web site given its most current look? About 10 months ago. "The previous site had become a bit of a rambler," notes Don Scharf, marketing manager. "It had been added onto so many times that there were some usability and presentation issues." The new site solves those issues, as well as addresses current needs of visitors including respon- siveness of the site when viewed on mobile devices. "It optimizes for a tablet or a computer," adds Scharf. "As we look at our Web stats, 50% of visitors view our site from a mobile device." Do you manage changes internally or do you rely on an outside resource? Because changes may be made on a daily or weekly basis, they are handled internally. "It gives us the fexibility to handle things on the fy," says Alex Christopher, corporate market- ing specialist. From a brand marketing perspective, having total control ensures consistency, adds Scharf. "If we develop a message about a certain event, project or topic, we can deploy it on the Web site as well as through social media and face-to-face presentation seamlessly and simultaneously." What is the importance of a great Web site? For any Web site, it's really all about making frst im- pressions…and it's important to make a good one because bad ones can last forever. "People may hear about a company through advertising or word of mouth, but their frst destination after that is a Web site," says Aaron Ziltener, corporate marketing spe- cialist. "And frst impressions of that Web site can be unforgiving, particularly in the feld of kitchen and bath design where quality, aesthetics and credibility all kind of blend together in consumers' minds." Is there something particularly unique/creative about your Web site? Neil Kelly prides itself on its extensive photo and video galleries. Its photo gallery is sortable by project type (kitchens, baths, etc.) as well as style (historical, modern, etc.). Many projects also have profles – text versions as well as video versions – that allow the company to create a story and a rapport with visitors. "Our video gallery is pretty unique for our industry and market," says Christopher, who notes that the video gallery also includes an abundance of 'capability' videos that ofer information about everything from downsizing to safe remodeling with pets. "Our project stories are a really compelling business development tool," adds Ziltener. "They're a great way to engage prospects. They can fnd a project that inspires them in terms of their own home. They are getting ideas and inspiration, but also building a relationship with Neil Kelly, forming a basis for a conversation with a designer. Having a robust platform to deliver content to people gives us an opportunity not only to talk about what we do as a company, but to tell stories about how the work we do improves people's lives." How does your Web site ft with your other online sites, such as Houzz, Facebook, Pinterest, etc.? "If you were to consider our marketing strategy as a wheel, our Web site would be the hub at the center," says Schraf. "All of our social media, e-mail market- ing and event marketing are connected through the spokes. When people see us in an ad, they come to the Web site, and that's where we want to engage with them in social media. It seems to be working well in terms of developing relationships from pros- pect to client." REICO KITCHEN & BATH; multiple locations in Maryland, Virginia, North Carolina, Pennsylvania and Delaware — www.reico.com How long ago was your Web site given its most current look? About four years ago. "We constantly review our site and are in the initial phases of a major update," says Jim Grace, director of marketing. Do you manage changes internally or do you rely on an outside resource? Minor changes, updates and tweaks are made daily, everything from adding a new blog post or gallery pictures, to SEO and SEM updates that make the site easier to fnd. "To make those changes, we rely on a combination of internal and external sources," he says. "It actually allows for multiple perspectives and eyes on our site, which is not a bad thing. However, there may be timing issues occasionally when one person pushes work or changes to the other person. For the most part, it works well." What is the importance of a great Web site? "For kitchen and bath frms, it is important to be visually inviting from the moment a person lands on the site, with easy-to-identify naviga- tion options that ofer ideas and speak to visitors in their terms and not fancy industry jargon," says Grace. How does your Web site ft with your other online sites, such as Houzz, Facebook, Pinterest, etc.? "We try to stay connected with Houzz, Pinterest and Facebook by sharing content from our Web site across all platforms and more to give interested remodeling customers as many opportunities as possible to connect with us," Grace concludes.