Attendees at the Association of Millwork Distributors (AMD) Annual convention attended educational sessions today before the exhibits and trade show kicks off in earnest tomorrow.

David Meyer of Houzz detailed how this social media site can change the home remodeling and design process for homeowners and trade professionals. Most importantly he told attendees how they can take advantage of Houzz, which he described as a search engine, and make it work for them.

Tom Angelis from Angelis Consulting talked about how to measure return on marketing and sales investments.

He encouraged attendees to post photos of their products, adding, “We recommend you hire a professional photographer as you want that door to look good.”

He also reminded attendees to describe what is in the photos. “You need to describe the door and the manufacturer,” he said. “Consumers want to know the different options in doors [or other products] and then they can ask for it by name.”

He also encouraged users to showcase their expertise–and this includes responding to bad reviews.

“There are all these people on Houzz and chances are they are talking about you,” he said. “One person got business from the way he responded to one bad review.”

“People are going to talk about you no matter what,” he added. “So be proactive and respond to the bad ones and remember you have nine other good ones.”

From the questions asked in the audience it is evident that the industry is using this site. One attendee said homeowners often come into his showroom with photos from Houzz showing what they like. Another attendee in export sales said she uses Houzz constantly.

Another session focused on “What Shareholders Wish their Marketing and Sales Managers Understood.” Tom Angelis from Angelis Consulting talked about how to measure return on marketing and sales investments.

The nuts-and-bolts presentation full of valuable formulas and worksheets reviewed, in essence, the role of marketing in the profit structure.

“When you ask about ROI you often get a deer-in-the-headlights look,” he said. “But the one thing always missing from the marketing meeting is the ROI.”

That is mainly because its not so straightforward. He said there are five general areas of spending: brand awareness, demand generation, partner enablement, infrastructure and customer retention.

He also offered tips on bridging the distance from return to investment:

1. Keep it simple;
2. Get leadership/stakeholders involved;
3. Clearly articulate goals;
4. Separate the goals from the noise (“Anytime there is change, there is noise,” he said.);
5. Utilize consistent reporting; and
6. Understand that marketing/sales is both an art and a science.

To calculate ROI Angelis recommended starting with one project such as consumer direct mail. If the campaign does not perform as planned, he said not to give up right away.

“Feed it or shoot it but don’t do anything without looking at it first,” he said.

The event continues through Wednesday. Stay tuned to dwmmag.com for more info from the conference.