Let the Post-Frame Advantage website work for you /
By John Ryan, NFBA Director, Market Development /
Have you visited the website postframeadvantage.com lately? It’s worth a visit, a bookmark and a link from your company site. Here are some of the resources that can be found on the website, as well as some tips for how you can leverage the website to help your business.
Engaging content
As the saying goes, content is king — both in driving traffic to a website and in keeping visitors engaged. Whether a visitor is looking to learn more about the basic features and benefits of post-frame construction or to explore case studies about innovative buildings, that visitor will find it with a visit to postframeadvantage.com.
Many visitors to postframeadvantage.com are just learning about post frame or may be early in the buying process. It’s the website’s job to educate them about the various possibilities of post frame and make them want to learn more.
Each month the site gets refreshed, with new and engaging content added so visitors will be rewarded by visiting the site frequently. The photo gallery is one of the most popular areas of the site, and new photos are added frequently.
Tip: If you have a potential customer who has a question about post frame, refer them to postframeadvantage.com as a third-party resource. In addition, please share your projects, photos, expertise and insights with us so we can help promote them on the site. E-mail info@postframeadvantage.com to submit material.
Robust formats
Educational opportunities abound on postframeadvantage.com — in 2012, more than 1,000 architects and engineers participated in our educational curriculum. Education is a core element of PFMI’s efforts to expand the use of post frame in light-commercial construction, and these courses provide ample opportunity for our target audiences to learn about the benefits of post frame, as well as the technical elements of structural design.
The Online University on the site contains nine courses architects and engineers can take at their convenience, and each course offers continuing education credits. In addition, each month three webinars are offered, and the events calendar on the website serves as a platform for the schedule and registration. A six-part college curriculum that covers diaphragm design methods and more is also available for students at engineering colleges.
Tip: If you meet local designers in your community who are not familiar with post frame, refer them to the website to take a course. They’ll earn credits for their respective licenses and learn the fundamentals of post frame. If you have a website, set up a link to the education page on postframeadvantage.com. Doing so shows you are an informed and active member of the industry and builds your credibility.
Design tools
If you are looking for design tools, postframeadvantage.com is a great resource. The website is host to numerous documents outlining detailed engineering instructions and calculations for the structural design of post-frame buildings. Designers can also access a Diaphragm and Frame Interaction (DAFI) calculator to aid in the design of buildings that meet load requirements. And because environmental and sustainability concerns continue to drive construction decisions, postframeadvantage.com also hosts a report and tools that identify how one life-cycle-analysis program, ATHENA Institute’s Impact Estimator for Buildings, can be modified for post-frame building systems.
Tip: Leverage these tools yourself or refer your colleagues to them as tools to help build better buildings more efficiently.
Find a builder
One of the key goals of postframeadvantage.com is to create leads for NFBA members. The “Find a Builder” form embedded into every page of the website makes it easy for visitors to enter their zip code and contact information to locate local builders. These leads are then shared with the builders in that area.
Leads — both the number of leads and their quality — have been and will continue to be a focus for PFMI. Online advertising campaigns are driving traffic to the site and converting leads. Additional advertising is planned in 2013 in publications that reach architects, engineers, specifiers and building owners. This spring, in order to enhance the quality of the leads, we are implementing a new verification tool on the form that will instantly confirm the visitor is entering a valid e-mail address.
Tip: Make sure NFBA’s database is populated with the most accurate information about your company so visitors to the site can easily find you. If you’re not a member of NFBA, consider becoming a member and broadening your outreach. Visit www.nfba.org to learn about NFBA membership.
We hope you’ll visit postframeadvantage.com and visit frequently. We also welcome your ideas and input and hope you will consider contributing to the content on the website. This resource is a cornerstone of the PFMI program, and it benefits the entire post-frame industry. Call John Ryan, NFBA Market Development Manager, at 847-375-6333 to contribute.