Top 7 ways to maximize home decor and building material product placements

If you’ve ever wanted to get your products placed on a national home improvement television show, in an Idea House, or on set of a scripted television show, I’m going to give you a run down of how product placements work and what you should do to get the most bang for your buck.

Did you know that the home improvement industry exceeded $383.3 billion in 2017, according to the American Housing Survey? Reports from Housing Wire, show home remodeling continues to increase as more Baby Boomers are electing to age in place and Gen Xers are opting to improve their current homes rather than buying new ones. Now’s the time to get your products in front of those who want to renovate!

Forty6Eleven is a product placement agency based in Los Angeles, CA, specializing in home decor and building material brands. The founder and owner, Nina Koch Waters, only places clients in organic placements, meaning non-paid placements in return for trade outs.

In the world of home decor product placements, time is of the essence. Two to three weeks is approximately the time I have to process a request and get it delivered. During that time, I’m in communication with the client and producer, making sure everyone stays on track, budgets are inline, trade out agreements are written correctly, combating inventory issues and making sure the delivery goes off without a hitch. Basically, I handle the nitty gritty details that would otherwise bog down very busy marketing managers.

My relationship with the production teams have spanned more than 13 years and it goes deeper than just placing products in their shows. We have each others backs and they will fight tooth and nail for me and my clients. All of my contacts rely on Forty6Eleven to provide them with high-quality products, fast communication, no drama and to get the products on set in a very short amount of time. Because I have a vast list of clients and I make the process painless, Forty6Eleven has become the one-stop-shop for trade out producers.

I work very hard to get the most trade outs for your organic placements. Home decor and building material trade outs are some of the most difficult placements, since there aren’t any logos on the products. Say with a can of Coca-Cola, the logo is on the can. With tile, carpets, rugs, or other home renovation products, I have to work harder to negotiate what your brand will get in return to make it worthwhile for you to participate.

Now that your product has been placed, now is not the time to sit back and relax. You didn’t come this far, to just come this far? It’s time to maximize your investments by making sure your customers know that celebrity hosts and designers are using your products.

Let’s dive into the top 7 ways to get the most bang for your buck for every episode your products are in:

1. The more episodes you provide product to, per show, the higher likelihood that your audience will see your product, logo, special end credit and/or name listed in the resource guide, which will result in you getting sales.

2. Think of the sales from your product placements as a marathon, instead of a sprint. Just because your audience has seen your product and lusts longingly after it, doesn’t mean they’re going to immediately hire a contractor and tear out their kitchen or bathroom. Think long-term and look at your sales within two years of your placements.

3. When customers buy your products, ask how they heard about you in the form on a survey or checkout question, with answers exactly where you’ve placed products. “How did you hear about us?” Google, HGTV Property Brothers, FYI Tiny House Nation, A Friend, Social Media. Otherwise you won't know if your placements are successful.

4. Post to social media about your product being featured on particular show in every episode your brand participates in. Before the episode airs, create a post on all your brand’s social media platforms with show information, date and time it will air. You can’t mention names of products given or any photos, but you can toot your horn a bit. After the episode airs, create another post the day after airing, listing which products were given, use photography from the show and links to the exact products. Create fun #TBT or #FBF posts once a month with photos of your past product placements to remind your followers about your products and that celebrity designers and hosts have used your products. Sponsor your social media posts to reach a greater audience (followers and non-followers). Due to Facebook’s algorithms, approximately only 10 percent of your audience are seeing your posts. All it takes is $25 - $35 per campaign to reach thousands of people, a rather inexpensive way of getting to your targeted audience. Share all positive media and social media posts from hosts, designers, production companies and networks on your own social media platforms.

5. Create a “As Seen On” section on your website. Customers will see that celebrities are using your products in their shows, so in turn they’ll want your product as well. We do advise you not to use any network logos (unless a cease and desist letter is fun to you), but the show’s logo is okay to use. (Photo courtesy of our client Soci Tile and Sinks)

6. Don’t forget to let your hard working employees know about your future placements. Employee moral will be at an all-time high when the products they work on a daily basis, are in top-rated shows. They’ll share the good news with friends and family, and you know Moms everywhere will share the news!

7. Write press releases about your participation with each show, before the premiere date and have your public relations team pitch it to the media. This takes some extra time coordinating all the details and getting approval from the Network, but a great way for your colleagues and competitors in your trade to know what you’re up to. Post each of your press releases to your own website, with the correct SEO keywords and share the releases to your social media.

If this all seems too much, Forty6Eleven, can handle everything for you from the social media campaigns to the press releases and everything in between. Give Nina a call at (214) 384-1867 or email at nina@forty6eleven.com. I look forward to helping you with your product placement needs.

About Forty6Eleven:

Forty6Eleven’s has placed its clients in top-rated television shows, including ABC Grey’s Anatomy, HGTV Property Brothers & HGTV Buying and Selling (twin brothers, hosts, designers and real estate experts Jonathan and Drew Scott), TLC Nate and Jeremiah By Design (hosts, designers and husbands Nate Berkus and Jeremiah Brent), Netflix Stay Here (hosts Genevieve Gorder and Peter Lorimer), HGTV and DIY Network Aloha Builds (hosts, designers and siblings Michelle and David Jaime) and several upcoming yet-to-be-announced home improvement shows. In 2018, Forty6Eleven has placed more than $400,000 in products in 72 episodes, across 13 national television shows and Ideas Houses.