Hardwood Floors February/March 2017

with other professionals in discussion groups. Put a Houzz badge or widget on your website and submit one of your projects to be featured as a “Room of the Day” or “Kitchen of the Week.”

2. Twitter

4. LinkedIn

Although Twitter has decreased in favor among marketers in the past year, it still ranks among the top four social media platforms used by social media marketers. Use Twitter to offer updates, insights and perspectives that showcase your company’s expertise and stimulate conversation. Engage customers by tweeting new product and project photos, industry articles, awards and recognitions, testimonials, and career openings. You can also use Twitter to promote blogs, tutorials or helpful videos that you house on YouTube or your website. YouTube is also one of the top four platforms used by B2C marketers, according to the Content Marketing Institute, and the second most effective social media platform, next to Facebook. And 63 percent of marketers plan to increase their YouTube marketing (SME, 2016). Use YouTube to engage customers with videos that document projects from start to finish, demonstrate proper care and maintenance, or inform customers about “invisible” products like underlayment and moisture barriers. Consider offering style tips and design suggestions for those who really want to make a statement with their wood flooring, and show real people in their homes giving testimonials about your products or workmanship.

LinkedIn isn’t just for job seekers. Seventy-six percent of marketers use it in their content strategy, according to the Content Marketing Institute. It ranks fourth in usage behind Facebook, Twitter and YouTube. Build a presence for your company with a LinkedIn company page that includes your company profile, branding, employees and content. Use LinkedIn to share information about your products or industry, write articles or share others’ content, post job announcements, list company achievements and of course, connect with others in the industry. Members used LinkedIn as their personal database to stay connected to others in their industry, tracking associates’ career moves, reviewing endorsements and checking jobs skills. Houzz.com is where architects, builders, designers, contractors and anyone who makes homes beautiful can post pictures of their work. In 2013, 48 percent of homeowners surveyed by Houzz plan to remodel or build in the next two years. A whopping 84 percent intend to decorate or redecorate; of those, 58 percent plan to hire a professional. To get the most out of Houzz, set up your profile, post high-quality photos, get reviews, participate in discussions and answer questions, and network

6. Pinterest

Another visual medium, Pinterest lets users upload, save, sort, and manage images and other media content, called pins, through collections called pinboards or “boards.” Boards are typically organized around user-created topics or themes. Others can re-pin or share, and content can be pinned from outside the community as well. With 100 million active users—85 percent of them female—Pinterest is a goldmine of potential customers. Several sources cite that 88 percent of consumers have purchased a product they pinned, and 49 percent have purchased five or more products they’ve pinned. Perhaps that’s why 42 percent of marketers plan to increase their use of Pinterest (SME, 2016). To tap into this market, an installer might create boards to display creative patterns or unique flooring they’ve installed in kitchens, bedrooms, dining rooms or family rooms. Additional boards could be created based on type of wood, or interior design style. Larger retailers might organize boards by geographic areas served, customizing them by the product selections. Include professional photos of finished installations with testimonials to build your brand.

3. YouTube

5. Houzz

the magazine of the nat ional wood f loor ing associat ion

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