flexiblefullpage - default
interstitial1 - interstitial
Currently Reading

Lessons From an Ugly Bathroom

Advertisement
billboard -
Marketing

Lessons From an Ugly Bathroom

Holding a competition is a great marketing tool. But it can also be tough. Here’s what I learned from first-hand experience


By By Barbara Gallella July 18, 2017
An entry in Custom Design & Construction, a remodeling company, ugly bathroom contest
This article first appeared in the July 2017 issue of Pro Remodeler.

We called it our “ugly bathroom” competition. The idea was that people would submit a photo of their “ugly” bathroom along with a couple of sentences explaining what they’d change to turn it into their dream bathroom. The eligibility requirements were pretty standard: the home had to be within specific ZIP codes, and the submitter had to be the actual homeowner, be over 18, and had to agree to photos and videos of their property being used for marketing. 

You Don’t Need to Host It Yourself

Hiring a third party worked well for us. I’ve noticed in past raffles that when your contest has specific requirements, it can be a challenge making sure winners stay within those parameters, and that can lead to some pretty awkward conversations. I didn’t want to have those conversations with our clients, and so having the third party was a good way to take that responsibility out of our hands. Also, our host had a much more pronounced social presence, specific to our target demographic, and so exposure for the competition increased under our host’s management. 

You Should Be Proactive

Ultimately, putting on the competition was worth the effort, but if I had the chance to give my pre-competition self some advice, I’d definitely stress the importance of staying organized and proactive above all else. When you’re dreaming up the idea, it’s easy to overlook issues you wouldn’t anticipate, such as timing or how difficult it can be to please everyone involved. 

Consider all the stakeholders in “Ugly Bathroom”: the design team, the contestants, and the vendor partners that donated products. Each person or group had input, each had an agenda, and, specific to our partners, each, understandably, had wishes about how their products were being used. Juggling those issues as they arose made for a much trickier planning process. Anticipating them would have made for far less stress. 

You Get More Than Just One Happy Customer 

The other day, well after “Ugly Bathroom” had wrapped up, we had someone come in saying that they had tried to win the contest, didn’t, but still needed their bathroom remodeled. Our contest ended up acting as the catalyst for that person to finally decide, “this needs to happen.”

Tags


written by

Barbara Gallella

Director of Marketing

Barbara Gallella is director of marketing at Custom Design & Construction, based in the Los Angeles area.


Add new comment

Plain text

  • No HTML tags allowed.
  • Web page addresses and email addresses turn into links automatically.
  • Lines and paragraphs break automatically.
leaderboard2 - default

Related Stories

How to Get More Leads with a Stronger Remodeling Brand

Discover how to build a strong brand for your construction company, and learn key strategies to differentiate and attract better leads
 

4 AI Tools for the Content Creating Contractor

Let artificial intelligence do the work

Building A Small Projects Division from the Ground Up

Through hard work and careful strategy, Harth Home Services has seen big growth

Helping Remodelers 'Get Their House In Order'

From remodeler to NARI executive to industry consultant, Diane Welhouse uses her expertise to help business owners 

Finding Success Online and on the Jobsite

The Molitors started with humble blog beginnings, and now the couple runs an unlikely two-folded business for social media marketing and design-build construction

How Much Are Window and Roofing Contractors Spending on Marketing?

Director of Home Improvement Drew Barto reveals the percentage of revenue replacement window, door, and roofing contractors of various sizes are spending on marketing in 2023

4 Things for Remodelers to Understand About Google Analytics 4

The new era of Google Analytics is here, and it's set to help you make better marketing decisions through in-depth metrics

The Empty Chair: Customer Experience Will Differentiate Your Business

With all signs pointing to a softer market, how can remodelers remain strong and different from the rest? Pro Remodeler's Director of Content Erika Mosse shares real examples.

Marketing Minute: How to Overcome a Drop in Demand

Director of Home Improvement Drew Barto shares tips on how to survive and thrive in periods of lower demand for your products or services

Do You Have a Healthy Marketing Mindset?

Use your marketing calories wisely and form healthy habits today to keep your business in shape

Advertisement
boombox2 -
Advertisement
halfpage2 -
Advertisement
native1 -

More in Category




Advertisement
native2 -
Advertisement
halfpage1 -
Advertisement
leaderboard1 -