More than just talk

By Linda Jovanovich
HMA Executive Vice President

Throughout the past year, I’ve heard more than once that American Hardwoods need a social media presence! Well, they have one; actually many – AHEC, AHMI, HF, HMA, NAFF, NHLA, NWFA, SCMA! The list goes on and on. And they don’t host just one platform. All have multiple social media platforms; posting content regularly to Facebook, Twitter and Instagram. So …

Just how social are you? Do you have a personal or company profile on any social media platform? How comfortable are you responding to compliments, questions and even criticism from basic strangers? Or would you prefer to just leave the ‘social talk’ up to someone else? I hope not!

Our country recently celebrated National Forest Products Week. Did you celebrate by sharing the many posts that hardwood industry trade associations shared? Did you shout out to key influencers, using key hashtags that will garner an even larger audience? If not:

• Try sharing our hardwood message with the leader of the Free World, @realDonaldTrump. Like him or not, he has 66 million followers!
• Try your state’s governor, congressmen or senators; or just as important, share our hardwood message with key architects and designers that can assist us by sourcing our most environmentally favored resource.
• Oh, and I almost forgot Joanna and Chip Gaines at 14+ million followers.
• And a recent email from an industry producer suggested the hashtag, #climatepositive. I like that! Why not include that in your posts?

I guess I get confused when I see people politicking to do away with plastic straws, but yet they fill their homes with plastic floors; allow their babies to crawl on them and their dogs to lick them! Clearly, they just do not know. And we need to do a better job of getting our story out there!

Right now, the most cost-effective and quick way is to share, repost, like and repeat our hardwood ‘message,’ every day. Not sure how to get started?

Ask any hardwood association executive. We’d be happy to assist. And if you are not comfortable creating new content, there’s plenty of it already available for you to share with your friends and customers.

WE can’t afford to sit back and wait for someone else to spread our message. That monkey is on our backs! So, get ‘social.’ Share our hardwood message and watch our social media presence grow!

#americanhardwoods #realwoodreallife #climatepositive #healthy #sustainable #WoodisGood #YOUGOTTASTARTSOMEWHERE