Hardwood Flooring February March 2018

• Request information (quote) • Decide to purchase • Compare alternatives • Create short list of vendors • Select vendor and purchase

• Almost always include visuals with content. Use images that reinforce the message and include alternative (alt) text – HTML code that describes the appearance and function of an image on a page. This text, plus keywords and meta tags will improve SEO rankings. • For videos and podcasts, include a transcript. This will also improve your ranking on search engines. • Find what works and do more of it. Monitor hits, likes, shares, retweets, etc., to see which type of content (e.g., “how-to”), headline style (e.g., “6 ways to…”), or format (e.g., written vs. audio) gets more traction. • Curate and repost good content. Find and post links to relevant and helpful articles, blogs, videos, or other content, giving credit to the original source. • Include lots of evergreen content. This is the content that will be as good next year as it is today. Develop this content in advance and warehouse it in a drop box, in the cloud, or on a hard drive. Use it to fill the gaps when there’s nothing new to share.

This may seem like busywork, but outlining the buying journey will help writers, digital marketing managers, and curators develop and find the most effective content for the job. How to write good content: think like a customer Once you’ve outlined your content strategy, it’s time to start writing. First, consider the company brand and what image you want to project. Will the tone be fun, tongue-in-cheek, or serious? What imagery will you use – photographs of people or illustrations of objects? Now, consider what will resonate with your audience. Put on your customer hat and start thinking. What information do they want to know? Here are some tips to get you started. for my situation? What if I have small children or pets? What do you have that’s different or unique? How do I maintain it? How do I choose the right wood, color, or finish? How do I fix it if it gets dents or chips?” This is where your expertise can shine. Customers and prospects will grow to trust you and feel a sense of loyalty for all the great information you’ve provided. • Create a website page to house content and start adding content. Consider how-to information or educational videos – maybe an infographic to illustrate how something works or summarize a complex process. Share your knowledge. • Tweet or post short tips and tricks on social media. For example, tell readers how to preserve the look or finish of their wood floors or share links to articles they might find helpful. • Post articles on LinkedIn. Especially for corporate customers, have key employees or subject matter experts write articles or create videos, or hire a freelancer to ghostwrite them. Share links on Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, or other social media platforms. • Address questions customers ask most often. “How do I choose the best type of wood flooring

“An effective content strategy is focused on the customer and closely aligned with

their journey – the steps they go through when planning a purchase and the points at which they interact with you, or you can interact with them”.

the magazine of the national wood flooring association

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