Kitchen and Bath Marketing – An Overview

A systematic approach for generating leads, sales and referrals

Do you own or manage a kitchen and bath business?

Have you become frustrated or overwhelmed by all the different ways to market your business?

Do you find yourself questioning every marketing decision you make?

If so, you’re not alone.  Marketing was so much simpler back in the day when the Yellow Pages and a print ad in a local newspaper was all you needed to generate new business.

Today kitchen and bath marketing is about your website, SEO, PPC ads, social media, email, etc., etc.  Yes, a bit overwhelming, but the good news is these new digital marketing techniques work – and they can work for your business too.

My name is Bob McCarthy.  I run a small marketing firm and i’d like to become your market advisor.

Please read below and the pages that are linked to the right.  I also invite you to download my free guide “Kitchen and Bath Marketing” in which I have provided a complete overview of the marketing landscape for K&B businesses.

When you’re ready, let’s talk.  Just click on the link at the right.

First, let’s clarify what type of business you have

I call this “kitchen and bath marketing” but we all know there are different types of K&B businesses with different audiences, partners and marketing strategies.  Let’s take a look … 

  • If you’re a kitchen remodeler or renovator, you are a service business in your local market. You mostly target homeowners, but you may also contract with kitchen designers, kitchen dealers or general contractors in your area.
  • If you are a kitchen designer, you are a service business in your local market, but you could sell anywhere. There are no geographic boundaries for design work.  You might target local homeowners, but you could also contract with kitchen remodelers, dealers, distributors and general contractors.
  • If you are a kitchen dealer, you likely sell cabinets, countertops, sinks, faucets and related products to your local market – either directly to homeowners or through remodelers or designers. Chances you get some marketing support from the manufacturers and distributors you represent.
  • If you are kitchen distributor, you likely sell to the trade – to dealers, remodelers and designers. You might market to homeowners to create demand for your products and generate leads, but you don’t sell to them yourself. Instead, you rely on your trade partners to do that, and you likely provide them with extensive marketing support.

Do you know your audience?

How would you describe your best customer – the customer most likely to buy from you?

Most K&B businesses want to sell to the high end.  That’s where the money is.  That’s where you will have more opportunity to shine and show your creativity.

But are high-end customers the right fit for you and your business?  Does your business and website meet the expectations of a high-end buyer?  Do your past projects fit the high-end market?

Many K&B businesses want to sell to everyone – high-, middle- and low-end customers alike.  This can be tricky because it complicates and confuses your message.  

The best advice is decide what you’re good it, then go out and find the people who are looking for that..

Stay focused on your marketing goals

What do you want your marketing to accomplish?

For some, it’s about brand awareness and reputation.  For others, it’s about leads – more leads and better leads.

We believe your marketing can and should do both.

Your website and first impressions

In today’s world, your website is the centerpiece of your business.  It’s where new prospects will see you for the first time.  It’s where those prospects will decide if you are right for them.

Many K&B business owners fret over their website.  They know how important that first impression is and they are willing to spend almost any amount to have that perfect website.

To be sure, visitors want to see a well-designed and appealing website with photos of beautiful kitchens and baths.

They want to be inspired, but they also want information.  They have questions and they are looking for answers.  So, aesthetics aside, make sure your website can provide those answers.

Also keep in mind that your website should match the types of kitchens you sell.  If specialize in modest, low-to-mid-priced kitchens, don’t show them high-end kitchens.

Convert website visitors into sales leads

When visitors come to your website, the vast majority will leave without taking any action.  They won’t call or fill out a form or join your email list.  There will be no appointment request and no quote request.

They will just leave – and you won’t know who they were.

The goal of every website should be to improve the percentage of people who do take action – who will either call, or fill out a form or join your list.

The first step is to have a Call-to-Action – to make them aware you want them to respond.

The second step is to give them a reason – to provide an incentive.

Having a Call-to-Action strategy will help you improve your visitor-to-lead conversion rate.

Reach out to your target audience

Lead generation starts with reaching out to your target audience and inviting a response.  Digital marketing is the primary method of generating leads for today’s K&B business.

It offers many opportunities to reach your target market and deliver a measurable response.

Your digital options include:

  • Google Search Ads
  • Google Display Ads
  • Facebook Paid Ads
  • Google Maps
  • Social Media

Don’t forget traditional lead generation options

Digital marketing now dominates the marketing landscape, but don’t let that cause you to think the older methods of marketing don’t work anymore.

Nothing could be further from the truth.

  • Direct mail still packs a punch.  It’s a little old-school, but because it’s delivered with the mail, it has more impact on your target audience that any digital campaign could ever offer.
  • Print newspapers and magazines are on a decline, but they still have an audience.
  • Trade shows and home shows are still able to put you face-to-face with your best prospects.

Follow up your leads with lead nurturing

Sales people are only human so it shouldn’t surprise anyone when stale leads start to fall through the cracks as your sales team chases after the hottest new leads.  But lost leads can mean lost sales and lost revenue.

You need  a way to stay in touch and monitor your sales lead follow-up system – regardless of what your sales people do.

  • Introductory Drip Email – drip emails can be pre-scheduled to go out on auto-pilot at a specific time after the lead comes in.  We recommend a series of emails sent out over a two week period. This is a good way to build your new relationship.
  • Ongoing Evergreen Email – creating new emails on a consistent basis is difficult for many companies.  Instead, we recommend creating evergreen emails that don’t get outdated and can be repeated over many weeks or months.  We suggest creating six emails, then sending them over two weeks for three months – at which point, you can repeat.
  • Retargeting Ads – when visitors come to your website, most will leave without a trace.  But retargeting ads will put your advertising in front of these past visitors over an extended period.  Retargeting ads are very effective because you’re reaching people who have already come to your site.
  • Triggered Direct Mail – for the most part, your follow-up activity is through email, but what impact would a direct mail piece have on your prospects?  You can send a postcard, a letter or some larger piece.  Direct mail has an impact and triggered email allows you to mail to very small quantities – even one person at a time.

Track all of your results

No matter what marketing you’re doing, make sure you track your results.  Don’t rely on your gut instinct or some general impression of whether a campaign works.

Track your responses, your leads, your appointments, your quote requests … and, of course, your sales.

Most marketing platforms will provide some level of tracking for the programs you are running on their platform.  But what you really need is a system to track your results from all your platforms and campaigns.

Learn more about our marketing programs

To learn more, request a FREE 30-minute Marketing Strategy Session or download our FREE K&B Marketing Handbook.  Or contact Bob McCarthy at 508-473-8643 or bob@mccarthyandking.com.

 

Read Bob McCarthy’s article in
Kitchen + Bath Business (K+BB) Collective

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