NELMA launches comprehensive new website ONCE UPON A TIME, in a land far, far away, the accepted business model was to maintain multiple websites with vanity URLs in order to broaden online informational reach. But times have changed—in so many ways. Following years of maintaining strong websites for the overall association, as well as separate sites for Eastern White Pine, SPFs, and the Sustainable Versatility Award (the industry’s first-ever student design competition), the Northeastern Lumber Manufacturers Association (NELMA) has launched a brand-new, completely redone website clearly and concisely encapsulating all interests for all NELMA audiences. The new NELMA.org launched in late summer 2021. “The new NELMA.org zeroes in on each of our audiences – retailers, architects, builders, contractors, students, and consumers—with a one-stop shop approach,” commented Jeff Easterling, president of Maine-based NELMA. “This is what our audiences have been asking for, and this is what our members need.” “We’re bucking the old trend of vanity websites for separate products and programs,” continued Easterling. “Our audiences don’t have time for that anymore. Retailers need to know how to sell more wood easily and clearly. Consumers want instant inspiration. Builders and contractors need help from one source. Architects don’t want to search and hop around the internet— their time is valuable. Now it’s all in one place in a better, clearer, cleaner format.”
Why One Site? As the association brand and awareness has grown over the last few decades, the overall strategic marketing plan for the association has morphed and changed to meet the changing needs of audiences. Based on consumer research conducted by NELMA earlier in 2021, the decision was made to combine all existing pages into one superwebsite with extraordinary navigational capacity to properly administer the correct piece of information or inspiration to the needed group. “In speaking with consumers and representatives of our other audiences, we realized that each target NELMA audience wanted to know what the other was doing,” said Easterling. “Consumers wanted to know what builders and architects were asking, as did retailers. This novel approach allows everyone interested in east-
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ern white pine and SPFs to peek through the curtain and consumer information at all levels. The outcome for us? Continued and increased growth of the NELMA reputation and brand as a source of wood knowledge and information. No more siloed messaging; it’s all out there in one place!”
For You, the Retailer Everything you’re used to finding and using on NELMA4Retailers.org has made the journey over to the new NELMA.org. And it’s just as easy to research and find what you need to help sell more lumber! The NELMA Retailer section focuses on sales tools and tips specifically for selling eastern white pine and SPFs; everything from tech info, span details, the much-beloved grade swatch—it’s all in one place. If you haven’t registered to be part of the NELMA Retailer Directory, now is the time! One easy and free registration later and you’re out there for builders, contractors and consumers to find you. Inspiration leads to purchase, and we want all eastern white pine and SPFs purchases to be from YOU!
Consumer Interface Recent NELMA-funded consumer research painted a clear path of how to best get wood inspiration and information in front of homeowners, DIYers, and more. Using this information, the consumer interface of the new NELMA.org represents newly directed and informed content and delivery method. Number one on the list: inspiration. How best to use eastern white pine and SPFs? Show, don’t tell. Beautiful images of timely, trendy possibilities for the home, and even commercial environments. Shareable links to show family and friends their dream, and how easily it can become a reality. Accurate, up-to-date information about the sustainability of the greenest building product on the market: real wood. Tutorials on how to handle and use lumber to achieve the desired effect. Research material, in the form of the new “Profiles in Pine” book, which provides a new way of getting beautiful case study information directly into the hands of consumers. When it’s time to purchase, consumers can click over to the NELMA Retailer Directory to find the closest eastern white pine (Continued on page 38) Building-Products.com
