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If you are in the Kitchen and Bath industry, you most likely know that KBIS (The Kitchen and Bath Industry Show) is the event to attend every year if you want to stay completely up to date on what the newest trends are, what the consumers will be looking for in their spaces this year, and what the newest available products are.

By now, you have most likely seen many photos from the show this year on products and designs that showed off their innovative ideas and looks. It really was very exciting this year to see everyone together again since last year, everything for the show was done virtually and the excitement this year was fantastic!

I have done presentations as part of the Voices From the Industry Series (VFTI) for the past 4 years running and have been very grateful to have this opportunity to help guide designers through this forum. During this, I have the benefit of attending many of my colleagues’ presentations and I thought I would touch on some of the most common talking points that I heard this year.

The presentations and workshops at VFTI covered the topics we typically see such as Living in Place, Wellness, Color in Design, and Materials. The overwhelmingly common topic though was on how to manage all aspects of your business, how to market yourself, and how to best communicate with your clients.

The feeling I got from this was that there are so many digital solutions to marketing and managing your business that many independent owners are feeling overwhelmed and not sure of the most effective methods and tools.

As a presenter, I am always reassured when my talking points are consistent with other presenters. This lets me know that I am on the right track with my ideas with regard to providing information that people are craving, and also that my material is not outdated. This year was no different, and I thoroughly enjoyed discussing my thoughts with others.

In all of the VFTI presentations, there were two ideas that were very prevalent. The first was about identifying your target client and marketing to that specific person. You will not be a perfect fit for everyone, so don’t try to be. If you spend the time to focus your marketing and business plan around a specific clientele, you will see a far better return on your marketing investment and effort.

The second very prevalent recommendation was to make all of your targeting, and branding consistent across your marketing efforts, and platforms. This includes your social media accounts and your website. If your branding is consistent wherever your prospect finds you, they will know what your company is about, who you are targeting, and you will be more recognizable.

One common discussion throughout the show this year also was social media marketing, how to use it effectively, and what platforms to use. The biggest takeaway that I got from this is not to try and use every platform just because you can. It is best to identify which platforms your target client uses the most and focus on those only.

It was great to see everyone this year, catch up with old colleagues, and make connections with new people in the industry. If you were there, I am sure you thoroughly enjoyed it as much as I did. If you did not make it, I highly suggest you check out KBIS next year, 2023 in Las Vegas!

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As always, your comments and thoughts are welcome!

Tags: design, kbis, kitchenandbath, nkba