Kitchen & Bath Design News is the industry's leading business, design and product resource for the kitchen and bath trade.
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" WE NEVER ADVERTISE as we fnd it to be a waste of time and money. Word-of- mouth and referrals will always be king, but social media is now a close second. Facebook and Instagram are what we use the most and these just simply work. Another good way of marketing is sponsorship of charity events or fundraisers, but you need to be very selective. Of course, the added beneft of the goodwill you create is also a nice perk." Israel Lieber, owner & designer Dynamic Cabinetry & Design, Inc. Cedarhurst, NY " MY WORK IS 99 percent referrals. I'm president of a business network group that I started with several types of contractors in- cluding an appliance showroom as one mem- ber, so I built a solid referral-based network. I still do not even have a website, which I would like to do, but I receive 2-7 or more referrals a week. My challenge is getting professional photos at the end of jobs – it is expensive, time-consuming for setup, etc." Rebecca Rivera, owner The Well – Home & Garden Design San Jose, CA " ALTHOUGH I DO not advertise on Houzz, it has been a huge factor in marketing my business. I am currently taking a seminar series on marketing your business success- fully on social media. I have learned that it is not the quantity of material that you put out there, but that putting out the right material is far more efective. I am also learning how to engage [the audience]." Peggy Triggs, president Cabinets by Design Grimes, IA " OUR BIGGEST MARKETING challenge is getting our social media to work for us in a rural market. Currently, our most efective marketing tool is our business sign by the Interstate. It brings more potential cus- tomers to our door than anything else we've been doing." Mark Shew, owner/designer Shew's Design Lincoln, IL " SOCIAL MEDIA IS where I have had the most success. Customers fnd us through the company website, Google Plus, Houzz and Facebook. I am taking our frst stab at Internet advertising. The biggest challenge in marketing is the expense, and when and how much in costs should be set aside for marketing purposes." Ric Guy, CEO/president Scotland Kitchen & Bath Designs, Inc. Rosedale, MD " WE HAVE STARTED using all forms of social media as free advertising and send out monthly newsletters to a list of over 500 individuals in the design and construction businesses. We also advertise in various publications throughout the year, but choose to do it when they have a special kitchen or bath issue." Dawn Maggio, CGC, ID, EPACC, co-owner Broward Custom Kitchens, Inc. Pompano Beach, FL " HOME SHOWS AND expos [are the most efective] because consumers can com- pare our company and products directly with our competition. Also, tying it in with print and direct marketing before, during and after the shows is efective. The largest challenge is cost. We compete directly against multiple franchises." John Porcello, owner American Home and Bath Waterford, NY " I STILL FEEL that actual boots on the ground is the most efective. People are getting too wrapped up in the click, click, delete economy. There is a place for social media and Google, but you can't shake hands with Google or feel the emotions of a customer through email. We do no advertising except for word-of-mouth and referrals. I have been in business for over 25 years and we have grown by more than 20 percent for at least the last fve years. Something's working for us." Mike Langenderfer, owner The Countertop Shop Monclova, OH " WORD-OF-MOUTH AND RETURN business has been the strong suit for Dixie Lumber, which has been in business for over 70 years. We have a strong community pres- ence. We also sponsor the radio talk show, "From House to Home With Ken & Caren." Our greatest challenge is educating potential clients new to the area about our company and services. One of the ways we do this is I make presentations at area home and remod- eling shows." Caren Clark, CKD, CBD, lead designer & showroom manager Custom Kitchen Designs by Dixie Lumber Easley, SC " HIRING A QUALITY photographer to stage and shoot our fnished projects has defnitely been the most efective way we've found of marketing the business. We take those photos and blast them out on Houzz, our blog, Facebook, and in local and nation- al publications. Houzz is also an extremely efcient way to market our business to the target audience we are seeking. The biggest marketing challenge I face is keeping our blog, Facebook posts and Pinterest boards current and fresh." Chris Awadalla, principal Sanctuary Kitchen Design Denver, CO " WE TRY TO fll out a visitor record for every walk-in client, and they often will say they saw our work on Houzz. Our Houzz page displays more than 150 projects with almost 2,000 photographs that exhibit the broad range of styles we design. We are extremely active on social media, too. Having our projects professionally photo- graphed gives us a huge reference library that potential clients can peruse, and we can submit these to our editorial contacts for possible publication. We can also use these for our advertising purposes. Our biggest challenge is that we are considered to be expensive, but our high-end design results in kitchens and bathrooms that are truly investments in a home's worth. We meld myriad materials in a unique way for our clients – truly giving them a WOW factor that is priceless." Patrice Casey, marketing director Jennifer Gilmer Kitchen & Bath Chevy Chase, MD Dealers Cite Marketing Tips & Challenges WHAT DO YOU THINK? Email your feedback, contact information and the subject, 'Market Pulse' with your message to Janice@SOLAbrands.com What do you see as the most efective ways to market your business? What are your biggest marketing challenges right now? 6 Kitchen & Bath Design News • April 2016 MARKET PULSE READERS' OPINIONS ON INDUSTRY-RELATED ISSUES