Kinnelon, N.J.—Simple Marketing Now’s April 2011 update to the Social Flooring Index analyzes the flooring industry’s involvement with social media marketing tools, with particular emphasis on blogs. Of note in the April 2011 update are more blogs listed and more conversations generated. The Carpet & Rug Institute blog, established in April 2009, continues as most influential.
The update to the Social Flooring Index includes 168 blogs focused on flooring and flooring related content. This is in contrast to 88 blogs in August 2010 and 53 in April 2010. These 168 blogs have generated 7,571 conversations over the past 6 months, which translates to 1.877 blog posts per week compared to .7254 posts per week in August 2010.
Highlights of the April 2011 Social Flooring Index update include:
- 20 of 168 blogs have high and medium influence in the flooring social media community.
- The Carpet and Rug Institute Blog continues to rank highest.
- Although the majority of the blogs included in the Social Flooring Index are North America based, their geographic distribution suggests opportunity for more flooring blogs to develop.
- A majority of the Social Flooring Index blogs have not fully integrated their activities in social networking platforms.
- Three social ‘tribes’ have started to develop focusing on the CRI Blog, BuildDirect and the Social Flooring Index.
- Blogs included in the Social Flooring Index have as yet unexplored opportunity to connect with one another. Doing so will create a stronger network.
- The rate of blog post publishing has increased from .7254 posts per week in August 2010 to 1.877.
- 43% of conversations specifically mention flooring products compared to 65% in August 2010. Other conversations address broader topics.
“Social media marketing tools, such as blogs, offer floor covering companies an effective means for connecting with core customers and establishing trust with them,” said Christine B. Whittemore, chief simplifier of Simple Marketing Now.
Credibility and trustworthiness in social media marketing tools is built by publishing high quality and customer relevant content consistently over time. Relevance comes from addressing topics, issues and concerns to customers in terms customers understand and relate to. Credibility comes from being transparent, connected [i.e., ‘social’] with others in the flooring community and willing to interact as human beings rather than as impersonal marketers.
“Consumers continue to be skeptical of marketing claims. They are also overwhelmed with the complexity of the flooring purchase process and looking for signs of trustworthiness and credibility before making a purchase decision. They are doing so online. When done correctly, blogs represent ideal communication tools for engaging with those customers,” Whittemore added.
The Social Flooring Index represents a special case of Simple Marketing Now’s Social Ranking Index for business. It provides a direct measurement of flooring industry companies’ use and integration of social media marketing tools into their day to day business. It highlights who is, and who is not, making use of the new tools.
Whittemore continues to add new flooring resources to the Social Flooring Index which is available by visiting SocialFlooringIndex.com. She has also started to evaluate individual flooring blogs and is accepting submissions.
For information about Simple Marketing Now and the Social Flooring Index, visit SimpleMarketingNow.com.