Marketing Home Products

Recently, our culture has experienced a phenomenon that is unlikely to fade: environmental conscientiousness. With continuous mass media coverage, presidential political campaigns, the introduction of hybrid SUVs and new certifications for “green” buildings and materials, many people are now finding ways to live eco-friendly lifestyles.

Many companies are taking note of this new attitude and adopting it into their manufacturing processes and existing product lines.

The love of living things
Biophilia, literally the “love of living things,” is the perfect way to describe our eco-trend.

• Bamboo – In the housing industry, one of the first “green” trends that significantly created industry buzz was bamboo hardwood flooring. Bamboo gained an eco-friendly reputation because the grass is a highly renewable source which matures quickly. The U.S. Green Building Council (USGBC) also offers LEED points for the use of bamboo in flooring.
• Reclaimed Wood Flooring – Companies like Mountain Lumber collect wood from dilapidated bridges, mills, warehouses and buildings.  The reused timber provides added advantages of durability, hardness, density and stability as seen in traditional hardwood floors.
• Wooden Countertop Surfaces – Bringing the outdoors into the home is the biggest trend in keeping your home green. Countertop manufacturers such as Craft-Art Wood Countertops incorporate various species of wood like bamboo and antique heart pine to create a lasting surface for the kitchen, bathroom and other areas of the home.
• Preserving Water Supply – Faucet manufacturers are finding ways to conserve water while still creating stunning showerheads and faucets designed to resemble nature.  Examples like these can be seen in premium product lines, such as KWC America’s with its introduction of the HANSAMOTION bathroom faucet which creates a braided stream of water flowing like a river into the sink below.
• Green Plumbing – In addition to water conservation efforts, many plumbing manufacturers have introduced high-efficiency toilets.  Gerber Plumbing Fixtures line of Ultra-low dual flush toilets use as little as one gallon of water per flush.  Other revolutionary companies are introducing residential grey water systems that will treat and recycle waste water from showers, toilets, sinks and laundry facilities to be re-used in the home or for lawn maintenance.

Green is the future of the housing industry
As the building industry evolves further into the green realm, many of these product lines will no longer be perceived as trends, but rather be staples in the housing industry.  Environmentally-sound consumers are a mainstay, and the housing industry is adjusting and growing with the demand making products that are not only efficient, but that look great.

What is your company doing to help the environment?

Increase Your Company’s Web Presence Through Social Media Marketing

The Internet is an incredibly valuable tool in our ever-changing marketplace. For business leaders and marketers alike, the Web will continue to play a critical role in how we connect and engage with current and prospective customers.

Seventy-four percent of American adults use the Internet, with 72 percent using it daily. It’s safe to say that if you’re a business leader or marketer trying to attract or maintain relationships with customers, the way to do it is online.

Link Building and Baiting

Search engine optimization (SEO) is the process of improving the traffic quality and volume to a Web site from search engines via natural, unpaid search results.

Just as a fisherman hooks a fish and pulls it ashore, marketers should be using link baiting to hook customers. The goal is to increase the number of high quality and relevant links to a Web site. Marketers throw out bait to visitors by placing relevant content on their sites. Visitors are hooked and pulled in successfully when they decide to talk about the company on other sites.

The How-To

• Create content, blogs or videos that will get people talking
• Jump-start discussions by adding your link to other sites
• Increase traffic and spread your content by enabling users to add your articles to their bookmarking or social media services. (AddThis and Social Marker allow users to add a button to their page and track how content is being shared.)

The Basics Behind Social Media Marketing

One of the secrets to social media marketing is understanding that like traditional marketing campaigns, it’s imperative to start with the goal—not the tool—as the strategy drives the technology.

Business Goal	Social Media Marketing Tool
	Blog	Podcast	Video	Social Network	Online Community	Search Engine
Increase Web site Traffic	•	•	•	•	•	•
Counter Negative Publicity	•	•	•			•
Crisis Communications	•	•	•	•		•
Engage Customers	•			•	•
Build Customer Community	•		•	•	•	•
Humanize Company	•	•	•		•

Although unique in their applications, all social media techniques take time. You can expect to see increased awareness and steady growth during the first few weeks of the campaign, but shouldn’t expect self-sustaining site traffic until after one year.

Social Media Marketing as the ‘New Marketing Reality’

Social media marketing paves the way for what we at K&A like to call the ‘new marketing reality.’ As marketers and business leaders, you likely realize that old marketing tactics are becoming extinct in today’s Internet-driven marketplace.

Familiarize yourself with the tools and tactics of social media marketing. They will increase your Web presence, search availability and Internet accessibility.

Small Steps to Take for a Sustainable Future

The emerging environmental awareness throughout America is quickly becoming mainstream. Finding ways to sustain the quality of life for the future has spurred an interest in the development of green products and services for the home that has expanded beyond the basics to an incredible range of innovations. Those in the home and building channel have an excellent opportunity here.

Not Just for Tree-Huggers Anymore – Green is Now Hip!

From die-hard environmentalists to dabblers, the proponents of a lasting future vary as much as their ideas on how this will be achieved.

One hot, trendy movement for those who want to take part but are not environmental junkies, is known as “lite” green. Lite green is a sort of “walk before you run” approach to showing concern for the environment. With the lite green movement, grassroots activism and progressive politics are not the mainstay. They are an emerging market of savvy buyers of green products.

How to be Lite Green

The lite green movement basically calls for a simple approach to an environmentally-sound living. Some examples of baby steps to take follow.

• Clean the home with green products
• Purchase a hybrid car on the next car purchase
• Recycle
• Purchase organic foods and coffee
• Support companies that use environmentally safe practices
• Install energy efficient appliances

Fortunately, more and more U.S. companies now understand the importance of the environment. Those who wish to add ecological amenities to their homes while doing it in a cost effective way can find information on the Web including a plethora of blogs that promote the “green” way of life.

Some Simple Green Steps for Your Ecologically-Sound Home

• If you don’t have one already, contact your local county representative to get involved in the recycling program.
• Purchase your local grocery store’s reusable bag in place of plastic and paper bags.
• When you leave your home, set your thermostat to 68 in the winter and 79 in the summer.
• Turn of the lights when leaving a room, install automatic lighting controls or use renewable energy sources like solar panels.
• Install roof ventilation to assist in home and office cooling.
• When painting, only use low VOC paint products.
• Install ceiling fans to avoid running the air all the time.

Every step you take in your home helps to sustain the environment for the future. Whether you take a lite green approach or follow a more comprehensive green strategy, everyone’s efforts make a world of difference.