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What is Houzz? Why you MUST participate & How to Setup your Profile?

Closet Organizers Bringing Order To Messy Closets Concept

What is Houzz? Why you MUST participate & How to Setup your Profile? Houzz is a social media platform that brings together architects, builders, contractors, designers and the people that are interested in their services… Anyone that works with homeowners MUST have a complete and active profile!

Humor me for a second while I bore you with the statistics –

According to Houzz-

  • They have over 35 million monthly unique users.
  • 84% of homeowners hired a pro in 2014.
  • 55% of homeowners are planning or continuing a new renovation.
  • In the next 6 months 21% of homeowners are planning to purchase a new closet or garage.

Is it just me or can you hear the cash register ringing??

Personally I have been using Houzz for the last three years… I sell B2B so you might be wondering why would I waste time with Houzz…

My profile generates 5 – 10 leads per month and I pass those leads along to my customers…

The leads alone score me major brownie points and the response that I receive when one of those leads turns into a job is AWESOME…

The customer loyalty it creates is huge!!

Still not convinced you need a profile?

My clients that track their click thru rates and average length of visit, saw increases in both when they were found with Houzz vs a search engine.  Are you beginning to see the value?  Maybe you’re concerned that you won’t have time for another platform…

The good news is that once your profile is set up – spending as little as an hour per week will generate leads.

Setting up your profile is easy.  Fill out as much information as possible, think about searchable content when filing out your bio.  Use industry keywords – storage, walk-in closet, custom closet etc… If you are a member of the ACSP make sure to include it along with the ACSP badge.  Include links to your website and other social media platforms.  If someone finds you here, you want to give them an opportunity to “hang out” with you in other places – this helps build your relationship!

Once your profile is setup now it’s time to upload photos.  Photos can be uploaded to either projects or ideabooks.

Projects are job specific – an example is “Designing Mrs. Smith’s Shoe Closet.” This project folder might contain before and after photos and obstacles that had to be overcome.

Ideabooks on the other hand are more general – “Must Have Accessories for Your Luxury Closet.”  This ideabook might contain photos of belt & tie racks or different types hampers, pants racks etc..

After your photos are uploaded and sorted – Houzz gives you the ability to tag your photo. Tagging is a way for you to highlight items in your picture.  These tags are searchable and can include links back to your site – this is another way to drive traffic…

Only two more steps and your profile is complete…

Houzz wants you to include a Houzz Badge on your site… I know what you’re thinking… I’m not a computer tech – what’s this going to cost me?

Houzz makes this really easy, especially if you’re using WordPress.  All you have to do is cut and paste the HTML code, I was shocked that it only took me 5 minutes and I love the way that it looks on my blog…

The last step may take you a couple of days to accomplish… Your profile needs three recommendations to be viewed as complete.  I found the best way to accomplish this is review a few of your professional partners – most will return the favor.  It’s easy to do – click on a their profile and click write a review. You can have three done in 15 minutes.

Get started with your profile today and – take advantage of this niche platform…

Are you already on Houzz?  What has your experience been like?

Have you seen the Houzz June 2015 report?  Denise Butchko and I review what thisnew data means for you and your marketing efforts.  Click Here

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These Houzz Profiles Rock!

Screen Shot 2014-01-21 at 9.11.55 PMTake a look at these profiles –

You will see that they have spent a lot of time developing and building their brands on Houzz.

I don’t know or work with any of these companies…

I thought that we could all benefit by learning how other people are succeeding.

Martha O’Hara Interiors –

An architectural design firm that is killing it on Houzz.  They have almost 10,000 followers, 83 five star reviews, and have commented on over 2000 discussions.  They show up in the top position organically if you search for a kitchen designer, a bathroom designer or an interior decorator.

They are checking in through out the day, answering questions and giving back to their community.   You can see why they have so many followers and reviews.

John Whipple – By Any Design Ltd. –

John is a bathroom specialist that uses Houzz to show his expertise and personality.  His profile features 197 ideabooks – written like articles or blog posts.  Each one has a ton of great information from floating bathtubs to the pros and cons of ceramic tiles.

While reviewing his profile think about how can add this to your playbook.

Crips Architects –

They design new homes, additions and renovations throughout the Northeast and beyond.  Their profile features 79 projects with hundreds of magazine quality photos.  They have commented on over 2100 discussions, have 33 five star reviews and 4500 followers.

After reviewing these three profiles you can see while this may be a free platform it takes an incredible amount of time and dedication to build your profile to this level.

I’ll bet the SEO benefits, social proof and ROI is well worth it for them otherwise why would they put in so much effort?

Already have a profile?  What has your experience been like?

If you have any questions about Houzz or social media don’t hesitate to contact me at richdemarco@optonline.net

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Social Proof Could Be The Difference Between You and Your Competitor!

Screen Shot 2014-01-11 at 3.21.57 PM

I know some of you are still skeptical, and don’t think there is any value in Houzz or social media in general…

In this post I am going to show you the potential business opportunities and SEO benefits that you are missing out on.

Yesterday Houzz posted an article – Turn that spare room into a Walk in Closet

Congrats to Angel Martin from Affordable Closets Plus in PA, Patrick Layne from Valet Custom Cabinets and Closets in CA and Joe Lonardo from Bella Systems in NJ all three were featured.

If you haven’t read it yet, take two minutes to check it out…

Angel and Patrick were quoted thru out and if that doesn’t make them look like an expert I don’t know what does….

This is a great example of  “social proof” and the number one reason that you MUST have a profile on this site.

Don’t you think any homeowner reading this article will call Angel or Patrick and ask them to quote on their next job?

I’ll take it a step further – and argue that this article could be the difference between you and your competitor… Not your price.

Isn’t that a nice change?

When was the last time that your yellow page ad, billboard or Val-pack coupon did that for you??

What about the SEO benefits?

Houzz is a beast on Google – Consistently showing up in the top positions.

Denise Butchko posted links on Facebook and created a YouTube video.

All of these back-links and mentions will definitely increase your SEO…

How much is that worth?

Check out Denise’s video – she has a couple of pointers in there that you won’t want to miss.

No matter what industry you’re in – Social Proof is going to help you win more business.

I hope these examples get you excited enough to get involved.

Already using Houzz, Facebook, or Twitter?

Post your links in the comments section – we can all help each other by “Following” and “Liking” each other’s pages.

Not online yet?  Don’t know where to start?

Let me know  – I’m happy to help.

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Is Your Houzz Profile Generating Leads?

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Even though you don’t believe in that “Social Media Stuff” you gave in and created a Houzz profile…

You loaded a handful of pictures, created a couple of projects and waited…

What good has it done you?

You didn’t receive one phone call.. You knew this “Social Media Stuff” didn’t work…

Neither does that attitude…

Does paying for a gym membership get you in shape??

Houzz has created new features to help you stand out and get noticed…

Do you know what they are?

Are you taking advantage of them?

Denise Butchko and I will be hosting a webinar on Friday August 23rd at 12:00 EST to discuss

  • Adding your Houzz reviews to your site
  • Ways to get potential customers to see your message
  • Hover cards and how they can work for you
  • Tips to stand – out

The number of attendees are limited so if you are interested please click here to sign up.

Thanks, hopefully we will see you there!

If you have any questions please don’t hesitate to contact me at richdemarco@optonline.net

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A Simple Social Media Strategy for 2013

getting social in 2013

This is the year, you know it’s important but you don’t have the time…

When you finally do sit down to begin your social media efforts you don’t know where to start – I know it’s frustrating and believe me you’re not alone!!! – Queue the theme song from X-Files…

Here are 5 tips to jump start your social media goals in 2013…

  1. Put it on the calendar. – Yes that’s right you need to create a schedule!  You wouldn’t blow off an appointment with a potential client so why blow off an opportunity to reach many potential clients… I find scheduling my social media efforts after hours allows me to be the most productive.
  2. Who is your audience? – Narrow your audience down and be as specific as possible.  That will make it easier to connect… Think about a networking event – is it easier to address the entire room or a small group of two or three people?
  3. Where does your audience hang out? – To get the most out of your efforts concentrate on the platforms that will lead to the most interaction with your potential customers.  Anyone in the closet or cabinet industry that is not on Houzz yet is really missing the boat!!
  4. Create content that is important to your audience. – You know who they are and where they hang out so now it’s time to create content that they care about.  Think about questions that you are asked throughout the week – can that be turned into a blog post?  Common problems that your customer faces – there’s another post… Put yourself in your customer’s shoes and show them how to organize them… Sorry bad closet joke, but I couldn’t resist.
  5. Interact with your audience. – As your audience grows they will begin to ask questions… This is the beginning of a sales call.  Respond honestly and quickly, ignoring these inquiries will have the opposite effect.

I hope this is the push you need to get started.  Pick a platform, get registered and begin getting social in 2013!

I help individuals and organizations to be successful… If you have any questions about social media or hardware please contact me at 347-723-7433 or you can email me at richdemarco@optonline.net.

Filed Under: Facebook, Houzz, LinkedIn, Marketing, Personal Branding, Pinterest, Social Media, Twitter Tagged With: , , , , , , Leave a Comment
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