Slippery Rock Gazette

Peter J. Marcucci
Special Contributor

Visitors to your page on Houzz want to see your best work.

Positive reviews and kudos from satisfied clients will help foster local interest.

There are many online promotion choices for your business on the web. For potential customers, an abundance of services and consumables are no further than their browsing fingertips. As sellers, potential clients can be within easy reach through an up-to-date website. You can even get on board with a national brand that’s in the business of leading clients to you.

While researching that last option, I found Renovation Experts, Hearst Local, Home Advisor, and Angie’s List, to name a few. And then there was Houzz—an international company and one-stop shopping source for the homeowner in search of anything from lamps to countertops. 

The Houzz homepage is loaded with options including buttons for “FIND PROS,” and “Tile, Stone & Countertops” (my personal favorite). I wanted to see what the typical buyer faced when they researched stone companies on Houzz. 

In the countertop section you’ll find stunning pictures from local stone fabricators and tile companies displaying their finest work. For the shopper this presents a lot of attractive choices, and a very easy way to shop. (As a interesting side note, the Houzz site did not ask for my zip code, state or town. Like it or not, they know where you live – or where your computer is.)

I picked and clicked on an interesting-looking local fabricator and entered a page of photos, reviews, comments and endorsements, badges and affiliations. It presented a very professional public face for the company. I then browsed the retail menu, each time going deep in to the selections. The variety, quality and prices are pretty good, I thought. This would be a great way to attract customers looking for countertops.

I wanted to see what someone actually using Houzz had to say. I contacted friend and SRG Writer Sharon Koehler, Marketing Director at Artistic Stone Design, Richmond, Virginia for her insight. Sharon, it turns out, had just signed up Artistic Stone Design on Houzz. 

“As far as marketing and advertising goes, you are always looking for the next big thing. We advertised on Angie’s List for a while, but when the return on investment began slipping, we started looking for something else. We recently signed up to advertise with Houzz, because right now they are the next big thing, and they have the stats and numbers to back up their claims.”

Houzz user demographics reveal they are potential upscale customers: 91% of Houzz viewers own their own home; 76% are 35-64 years old (a great demographic for remodeling or buying countertops) while median household income is $127,000 and median home value averages $426,000. 

To get on Houzz is surprisingly simple. All you have to do is join (free) and put up your profile. “There is also no verification process, but the more that you put on your profile, the more legitimate you look,” explained Sharon. 

“Like any other website, the best profile is a complete profile. There is also a place for writing and submitting articles, but it’s like anything else, you have to work it and be proactive in getting reviews and only use current or recent photos. That’s the power that drives the whole site – people want to see the PHOTOS! 

“Houzz is like Angie’s List, because they want reviews. It’s also like a storefront, because you can sell products like cleaner, cutting boards or sealer. It’s also like a help desk, because there is a spot where people can ask for help or tips, and you can comment and help them—I did that just this morning. They also make it easy to get reviews, and even have a form that you can email to your customers so they can review you. Our profile is not quite complete. It’s at 85 percent complete because we don’t have (the recommended) 3 reviews yet.” 

If you’re still not impressed by how easy it is, Houzz will even come and speak at your corporate event for free, said Sharon. “Houzz has a groovy feature that I find quite impressive. Recently, I went to a local networking event and Houzz was there. Their rep spoke to us for about 30 minutes. It was cool and you don’t spend a dime except to have the event. Houzz pays all their travel expenses. I loved that part! 

“I must admit, so far, I’m impressed. (A Houzz rep) will call you once a month to check on you and give you information about what’s going on. I accidentally made a mistake on our profile, and they fixed it and then called me to let me know they fixed it! You only get all this attention if you sign up to advertise, but still, they seem to give you a lot of bang for your buck. Pretty impressive for a company that has only been around for 6 years. I find them to be more ‘together’ than Angie’s List, and a little more upscale, somehow. Angie’s List doesn’t know yet that we are moving on. They will find out next month when we don’t renew our contract.”

How does a stone fabricator get their profile on Houzz? Visit www.houzz.com and fill out their simple application. Let me say it again … it’s FREE to apply.

To get the best results, fill in your profile with the best description of who you are and what you do, while additionally adding high quality photos of your best countertop installations. You should also consider getting a consumer grade digital camera for that part – it will be a huge step up in quality from your smart phone camera.

You should also look at the efforts of other fabricators, especially fabricators that service super-upscale areas. Then continue being aggressive about making needed changes to class-up your company’s appearance. Change is your friend, here, and keeping your image updated is crucial.  

Then you should buckle your seat belt, and prepare for all the attention it will bring you from potential customers.