Need good marketing ideas for Kitchen and Bath Design Company

[KitchenParadiseLLC]

Hello all!
I am bran new to the forums but I am far from bran new in entrepreneurship. I have owned a Kitchen and Bath design company for over 6 years and due to the recent turn of events, like most other businesses, I have been forced to place a ton of emphasis on marketing. I have heard from other companies out here (Colorado) that ValPack and MoneyMailer actually work really well. The phonebook is getting increasingly more expensive and print is pretty much dead. I have used Google AdWords which is something I am going to be starting up again here really soon. Due to my inability to get business loans because I am all liquid, I am using student loans to finance my upcoming marketing adventure. I only took like 5k in loans to live on for the semester and for my marketing which will be paid back after just one to two kitchen sales depending on size.

This all being said, do you guys have any ideas?

[inle]

Whether or not the tímes are good and bad, Sales and Marketing is always one of the MOST important aspects in any businesses..

Actually this is a grave mistake of many companies that they often nelgected this..
So you are just one of the many..

I will be glad to share with you..
Before we proceed, can I check with you:

Who are your customers? Give as many details as possible..

[paul2145r]

Welcome to the forums! For services such as yours, I would also recommend looking at using Twitter for advertising. It's free (if you're the one implementing the program), and can be very effective at finding customers around your area.

Other recommendations include doing talking to your local and regional home improvement stores to see if you can work out any sort of referral-based program. Put up some fliers in home improvement, hardware, lumber, and other businesses.

[byrneof]

Take a video of some of your designs and put them on You Tube. Nail the kitchen and bathroom forums hard. Try to get a buzz going about your designs.

It might be a good idea to design something that stands out that will help spread word of mouth.

[mondort]

Here is what I could suggest.

First, right down all the problems you could think about with regards to Kitchen and Bath.

Second, search Google and see how many people are looking for solutions to those problems. Use keywords "how" then "kitchen" or "how" then "bath". You would be able to see if there is a particular problem that needs to be addressed.

Once you spot your problem, create your solution. It has to be a niche market. It may be "how to design a bath tub for people with polio" or "how to design a Russian-inspired kitchen". It has to be specific or a niche. You may then create an e-book or a private access club or DVD presentations. Do not also forget to check your competition.

Third, create a website with a good sales letter.

You may find more tips at www . marketingtips . com

Also, if you want your business name to spread around, use giveaway items like custom leather bracelets. Just click my signature below if you need more help in marketing your brand

[Fadzuli]

Just to add to mondort's point. Get an autoresponder system also to collect potential customers information. So that you can follow up with them in the future with new offers, tips and sharings.

[KitchenParadiseLLC]

Whether or not the tímes are good and bad, Sales and Marketing is always one of the MOST important aspects in any businesses..

Actually this is a grave mistake of many companies that they often nelgected this..
So you are just one of the many..

I will be glad to share with you..
Before we proceed, can I check with you:

Who are your customers? Give as many details as possible..

This thing didn't e-mail me when I got responses to my post so I had no clue anybody had written anything here so I apologize for the delay. To answer your question, my customers are Contractors, Interior Designers, Builders, and Residential Home Owners. Let me see if I can give you more details.

Contractors: The contractors I generally work with are small operations that do residential construction. These mostly remodel basements, bathrooms, kitchens, or even additions. These guys are who I specifically target because there is a lot more money in residential sales. I currently give them a competitive discount so they can make money by marking the product back up to retail and making the difference to bring the work to me.

Interior Designers normally either pay me a design fee to work by my side and design their projects. Once the design is complete, I provide a full set of drawings including a floorplan, elevations, 3d renderings, etc. Some interior designers let me work directly with the client and I sell them head to toe and cut the designer a referral fee check when the deal closes.

Builders tend to be a smallest amount of money as their prime concern with their project is hitting budgets and most budgets created are unrealistic when it comes to cabinetry. The only ones that seem to come close to meeting the correct budget are the ones that build in multi million dollar homes and have been around the block before. Those are extremely lucrative and are by far my favorite to do because there is no home owner to deal with most of the time, just a designer and the GC. First time builders rarely ever get it right though or they over spend in one area and cut in others making the project difficult to do right.

Residential homeowners are the people right off the street that are either working with a GC and want to do the kitchen/bathroom selection themselves, or people doing the remodel completely by themselves. These now days are harder to find due to the economy and they often come in with COMPLETELY unrealistic budgets and they shop and shop and shop because of it. However, there are some homeowners that bond really well with me and actually listen and they get the project done right.

Hope this helps!

[infinity01]

Hello all!
I am bran new to the forums but I am far from bran new in entrepreneurship. I have owned a Kitchen and Bath design company for over 6 years and due to the recent turn of events, like most other businesses, I have been forced to place a ton of emphasis on marketing. I have heard from other companies out here (Colorado) that ValPack and MoneyMailer actually work really well. The phonebook is getting increasingly more expensive and print is pretty much dead. I have used Google AdWords which is something I am going to be starting up again here really soon. Due to my inability to get business loans because I am all liquid, I am using student loans to finance my upcoming marketing adventure. I only took like 5k in loans to live on for the semester and for my marketing which will be paid back after just one to two kitchen sales depending on size.

This all being said, do you guys have any ideas?

I surely have the best idea you'll surely opt for, but i cant disclose better ideas here, cos a saying goes thus, '' in every small man lies a better man''/

So it'll really be my pleasure to give you an idea, and i am sure after you've received the idea, you might probably make me your special adviser when your business starts blooming...

You can reach me through my personal email, or meet me online at: abiolamargaret at yahoo dot com

Margaret.

[inle]

Thank for getting back to me..

I have read through your customer profiles and I am glad you really do provide as much details as possible..

I got 2 questions for you:

1. Because you have limited funds in your business, I will need you to focus on ONE SPECIFIC customer group..
Which one will you choose and what are the REASONS for your choice..

2. After you have choosen your target customers, what kind of benefits are this group of customers looking for in your offerings and how can your offerings add value to their concerns?