NEWS | Round-up VIEWPOINT Effective marketing
As the MD of KBB software brand Virtual Worlds – and a former bathroom retailer – it’s fair to say Nathan Maclean understands a bit about the importance of marketing your business effectively
Retailers: Focus on what you stand for, says marketing guru
Whatever promise you make in your marketing, you must follow it through
IT MIGHT seem like an obvious statement but, if you don’t make sure your marketing strategy is on point, the simple fact is that people won’t know what your business is about or, in the worst case, they may not even know your business exists. But, with so many challenges impacting retailers and the fact that there are so many marketing platforms available, it can be difficult to know where to start. It shouldn’t be complicated, though. If you break it down, marketing your business is just like how you talk to everyone you meet about what you do. If you have a passion for what you do – that should be your focus. Effective marketing is also about putting out a consistent message about your company. A key starting point is to think about what and who your business represents. In doing that, you’re formulating your own thought process that enables you to work out how best to promote your business. Most consumers have no idea where to start with a new kitchen or bathroom project. Their mind is not in bathrooms and kitchens like ours and the industry tends to forget that. So, retailers need to know how to communicate who they are, where they are and what they do.
A key marketing point – and one that I don’t think gets talked about often enough – is that whatever promise you use to market your business, you must follow through with it. That is absolutely key.
In today’s world, there are so many platforms on which you can market your business, and working out which ones are best for your business can be tricky. However, bear in mind it’s highly likely that, the more touch points that a consumer has to connect to you and your business, the higher the ranking you’ll have in the consumer’s mind when it comes to them looking for a company to do business with. Print, digital, and social media are obviously effective
and proven marketing media. But there are also a lot of more basic marketing tricks that get forgotten. Get your business details printed on your work vehicles and put a sandwich board outside any job you’re working on – this is a really easy, cheap and effective way to market your business. Testimonials and customer reviews are also a really good way to market your business so always encourage your happy customers to write about their experience. When the market becomes challenging, it’s under- standable to consider reducing your marketing activity, but it’s a false economy. You must keep that engine ticking over. Whether they’re in the market for one now or not, there will always be people in your area thinking about planning a new kitchen or bathroom and it’s important to let them know about your business.
12
RETAILERS NEED to get the right message across to the right people, says a KBB marketing expert. David Barker, managing director of marketing con - sultants Inspire KBB, had
some top advice for retailers when he appeared on the latest episode of the award-winning kbbreview Podcast.
Barker acknowledged that the boom in home improvements that followed the first lockdown, which has shown no signs of abating, does mean KBB retailers are busy fulfilling existing orders.
But Barker pointed out that, in this current busy period, there is an opportunity for forward- thinking retailers to get ahead of the competition. Barker said: “Most of your competitors are probably not thinking long-term right now and are focused on delivering what they need to this week or this month. There is an opportunity to get ahead of the game.”
He added that now retailers have the chance to “do the best and the most efficient marketing you can for the long term, without having to worry about getting leads in this week”. Barker advised knowing the difference between ‘today customers’ and ‘tomorrow
customers’. He added that only 3% of the market is about to buy now, and so retailers must focus on that future 97%.
He added: “If you can build a bond with those future customers, so that they have noticed you and feel good about you, and warm towards you before they come to need you, that is ultimately what you want to be developing.”
Barker pointed out that once a retailer has a potential customer’s attention and they go to their website, “user experience is critical”. He added: “The look and feel need to represent what your business is about. What messaging you have is really key. And you need to make it really easy for people to take the next step with you. That could be as simple as downloading a guide or brochure, or going straight through to a contact form.”
Barker summed it all up by saying: “Under- stand who your target market really is and reach out to them with a message that is not so broad that you’re attracting all the interest in your products rather than the products you can deliver on.” And above all: “Focus on who you are, what you stand for and who your ideal customers are.”
• You can listen to the full episode of the podcast on your podcast player of choice.
PJH invests to bring next-day delivery to more retailers
PJH HAS invested in three new regional distribution centres in a bid to expand its next-day delivery service, which now covers up to 91% of UK postcodes. The additional distribution centres in Enfield, Thirsk, and Bristol give 22,000 sq ft, 3,000 sq ft and 27,000 sq ft. more warehouse space respectively. Plus, Thirsk will increase capacity by an extra 10,000sq ft by the end of the year. With these new sites, PJH said it will be able to better manage bigger volumes, improve vehicle departures and help reduce the number of miles travelled by the company by using local fleets. Brett Jenkinson, head of retail customer experience at PJH, said: “The investment in these three new sites will support further growth in distribution, as well as facilitate the expansion of PJH’s next- day delivery service, for in-stock items, to 91% coverage of UK postcodes. Through the expanded capacity of our warehouses and our own more regionally deployed fleet of vehicles, benefiting northern, southern and Wales regions, we will be able to reach our customers faster.” The brand says the expansion will also reduce the number of deliveries out of its Cannock central hub, which will relieve site congestion and improve efficiency. PJH has three other regional locations in Bolton, Worcester and Glasgow.
· July 2021
Page 1 |
Page 2 |
Page 3 |
Page 4 |
Page 5 |
Page 6 |
Page 7 |
Page 8 |
Page 9 |
Page 10 |
Page 11 |
Page 12 |
Page 13 |
Page 14 |
Page 15 |
Page 16 |
Page 17 |
Page 18 |
Page 19 |
Page 20 |
Page 21 |
Page 22 |
Page 23 |
Page 24 |
Page 25 |
Page 26 |
Page 27 |
Page 28 |
Page 29 |
Page 30 |
Page 31 |
Page 32 |
Page 33 |
Page 34 |
Page 35 |
Page 36 |
Page 37 |
Page 38 |
Page 39 |
Page 40 |
Page 41 |
Page 42 |
Page 43 |
Page 44 |
Page 45 |
Page 46 |
Page 47 |
Page 48 |
Page 49 |
Page 50 |
Page 51 |
Page 52 |
Page 53 |
Page 54 |
Page 55 |
Page 56 |
Page 57 |
Page 58 |
Page 59 |
Page 60 |
Page 61 |
Page 62 |
Page 63 |
Page 64 |
Page 65 |
Page 66 |
Page 67 |
Page 68 |
Page 69 |
Page 70 |
Page 71 |
Page 72 |
Page 73 |
Page 74 |
Page 75 |
Page 76 |
Page 77 |
Page 78 |
Page 79 |
Page 80 |
Page 81 |
Page 82 |
Page 83 |
Page 84
