Delgado Stone Dealers: Natural Stone Marketing Tips

I was trying to come up with ideas for my next blog post when it finally hit me: what about our dealers? Since we sell directly to dealers I should write the occasional blog post for them. So here is my first blog post for all the natural stone dealers out there and I hope it’s the first of many.

Marketing Natural Stone Products

I’m a little bias and hope you use these marketing tips to offer more Delgado Stone products to your customers. In reality, you can use these to market any natural stone products you are selling. Here are a few marketing tips:

Educate Your Customers - There are many options when it comes to purchasing natural stone or masonry materials. Why should your customer buy from you? I recommend demonstrating your expertise by educating the customer. It’s one thing to show them you know the best brands of natural stone manufacturers but educating them so they can make the best decision takes customer service to a whole new level. Customers can sense when someone is trying to “BS” or sell them. Educate and share your knowledge with them and you’ll gain a customer for life.

Digital Marketing - You can’t avoid the topic of social media when it comes to digital marketing. That said, it’s only a piece of the marketing puzzle. A user friendly website, creating great content, email marketing, and outstanding customer service will make for a digital marketing program with a big ROI. Be patient, success doesn’t come easily online. It takes a dedicated effort and consistency if you’re going to stand out in the digital landscape.

Product Sells - I can’t tell you how many calls I get everyday from homeowners, contractors, architects, and masons all over the country looking to buy directly from us. I tell them I can’t offer our products directly to them and suggest they visit the Delgado Stone Dealer(s) in their area. I even provide who they are if needed. I explain it’s best to visit the dealer because they often have inventory or samples on hand so they can see the actual product, not just pictures. I get excellent feedback from our dealers who carry our stone in stock. While it they might not sell that specific stone or pallet, it allows their customer to see and touch the quality of our work. The combination of touching the natural stone and expert insight from a knowledgeable dealer is often enough for a customer to make a decision.

Analyze Marketing Efforts - The last marketing point I want to make is about analyzing your marketing efforts. Do you know how much you’re spending on marketing? Do you know what’s working and what isn’t? If you have outsourced your marketing, is your company actually doing what they promised? Are those coupons or ads working? Whatever you’re doing, analyze it. If not, you are throwing money away and will never know the ROI on your marketing efforts.
Marketing always seems to get put on the back burner for dealers, especially when things are busy. Don’t stop your marketing efforts! Fight the urge to put it off and continue to market your business so you can continue to stay busy the whole time.