Hardwood Floors February/March 2025

CRAFT

YOUR MESSAGE

Barajas likes Grammarly as a tool to help with spelling and sentence structure, ensuring that social media posts are correct grammatically. “I think it is important that people don’t lose their voice,” he adds. “My voice, my heart, and my soul are still what’s speaking on my posts. Make sure it stays personalized.” Bollinger echoes that sentiment and notes that AI cannot replace your knowledge and judgement. “Remember that AI lacks your unique professional voice and expertise,” says Bollinger. “Use generated content as a draft, but always infuse it with your personal insights and professional perspective.”

With that in mind, be cautious about originality and accuracy. Always fact-check AI-generated content, especially for industry-specific information. Bollinger suggests using a tool such as Copyscape to ensure content originality and avoid potential plagiarism issues. Whether it is used for writing email replies or running a chatbot on a website, leveraging AI is sure to become more common and could save your business time and money. “People often say that AI is scary, so they don’t want to use it,” says Mandy Sancic, co-owner of Olde Wood Limited, a wood flooring manufacturer located in Magnolia, Ohio. “I also remember a day when people said the same thing about the internet, and then social media, but here we all are using it daily. My thought is that as long as the technology is here, learn to use it to your advantage.” WEBSITES In the wood flooring industry, it often is said that a website is the online showroom of your business. Whether you are selling a product or service, or trying to reach a homeowner or distributor, it pays to have a solid website where potential and returning customers can learn about your business. In addition to having a professional-looking website, it also needs to be both user- and mobile-friendly. “Providing valuable and relevant content,

PHOTOS COURTESY OF OLDE WOOD LIMITED

“Marketing should be the primary focus for your company's success. It is always evolving. Business owners should always keep on top of the trends and continue to learn the best ways to get their message across.” — Mandy Sancic, Olde Wood Limited Olde Wood Limited is a reclaimed and wide plank flooring manufacturer based in Ohio. Co-owner Mandy Sancic says to determine which social media channels your clients/customers spend the most time on and then reach them where they are. Pictured here is the Sancics’ dog, Donut, who is frequently featured in the company’s social media content.

understanding your audience’s needs, strong visual appeal, and incorporating SEO best practices are what come to mind when we think of having a great website,” says Sancic. Gladden notes that a website isn’t just a digital brochure; it’s an incredible sales

tool. “If your site takes longer than three seconds to load, you’re losing leads,” he explains. “Flooring is visual – so your website should be, too. High-quality photos and room visualization should be easy to find.

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