Website Content Tips for Log Contractors & Builders

Potential clients are looking for quality workmanship and someone they can trust to preserve and restore their dream homes. Authentic website content builds trust and credibility with your audience and translates into more business.

But what does “authentic content” mean? I struggled with this when I first started Moonshine. Who was Moonshine? Was I Moonshine? How do I make my content personal yet professional? Am I oversharing?

Here’s what I learned.

Being authentic with your website boils down to these things:

• A Buyer Persona: knowing who you’re talking to and who your audience is.
• Telling Your Story: relating your story back to your audience and how you can help them.
• Design for Authenticity: the devil is in the details of your branding. Your typography, images, interactive elements, video, etc, work together to show and tell the values and quality of your craftsmanship.
• Your Brand Voice & Tone: connect with your audience so they say, “This is exactly what I need.”
• Showing Up: Delivering content consistently so your audience knows what to expect.
• Flexibility: pivoting as needs change, your business grows, and new tools become available.

Let’s get our hands dirty and dig a little deeper (like Mama Odie would say) and get into the nitty-gritty.

Building a Buyer Persona: Know Who You’re Talking To 

Authentic website content begins with knowing what makes your people tick. 

What does your audience aspire to be? What do they care about? What are their values?

If you haven’t built a buyer persona, download our workbook here.

You already know more about your audience than you give yourself credit for. Take time to write it down, and update it as needed with insights you learn over time.

Telling Your Story: The Heart of a Log Home

Now that you know who you’re talking to, let’s start crafting a story that speaks directly to your people. I just finished reading Charles Duhigg’s book Supercommunicators, which talks about the matching principle: “Communication requires recognizing what kind of conversation is occurring and then matching it.” 

This means you have to give a little to get a little. 

Telling your story opens up the conversation.

When you open up and tell your story, your audience will match your level of giving.

For log home contractors and builders, this can look like this:

• Images and video going behind the scenes of your process and sharing techniques.
• Blog posts educating customers on how to take care of their log homes. 
  • What kind of maintenance do they need to do year to year?
  • What does it take to restore a rotted log wall? 
  • What can you expect when you blast stain off a log wall?
  • How do you talk to your insurance company about hurricane damage?
• Client testimonials on your homepage or sprinkled throughout your website.
• Virtual tours of log homes you just finished building.
• A project gallery.

Design for Authenticity: Making a Connection

Branding, like love, can seem elusive, mysterious, and full of ups and downs. But at its heart, branding is about connecting with your audience, building a relationship, and nurturing that relationship.

We design for authenticity through consistent branding—a defined color palette, typography, messaging, and images that reflect your business and values. 

We dive deep into branding with “Brand Love: Your Ultimate Guide to Designing a Brand that Lasts,” but here’s the short and sweet version:

• High-Quality Visuals: Invest in professional photography that captures your projects in their best light. Or learn how to take better photos here.
• Interactive Elements: Project galleries highlight the craftsmanship and care you put into your work so clients can see first-hand what sets you apart.
• Videos: Short documentaries, client interviews, testimonials, or interactive product demos can help position you as an expert in the log home industry.
• User-generated content: social media posts can also be integrated into your website.

Brand Voice & Tone

Let’s pretend for a moment that your business is a person. How would you describe it in 10 words or less? Based on the graphics below, can you guess which industries I was talking about that I serve? (Answers are below.)

Who you’re talking to will help you determine your tone of voice. It should sound like one person is talking, not a plethora of people.

Avoid jargon. Keep it simple. 

Focus on content that educates and reassures your audience they’re making the right choice when it comes to building or restoring their dream log home.

Showing Up: Consistency & Being Reliable 

You’ve settled on what you stand for and defined your brand. Now, it’s time to deliver consistent content.

Here are a few tips:

• Create a content calendar that is at least three months out. 
• Post educational blog content regularly on your website.
• Make relevant website updates as you learn more about your audience.
• Make sure your website functions well and that all your links work.
• Update your project gallery regularly.
• Set up an automated messages to send when people fill out your Contact Us form, giving them more information and letting them know when to expect a response. 

Pivot! Measuring Success

Monitor your website analytics to see what kind of content works and what isn’t, then adjust.

Here are some ways you can measure your content’s success.Website Traffic & Engagement Metrics

Page Views & Sessions: How many people visit your pages, and how often do they return?

Bounce Rate & Time on Page: a lower bounce rate and longer time on the page can indicate that your content is engaging.

Conversion & Lead Generation

Conversion Rates: Track the number of visitors who take action, such as requesting an estimate, filling out a contact form, or subscribing to your newsletter.

Call-to-Action (CTA) Clicks: How many people clicked on your CTAs? Does changing the verbiage or moving the button help?

SEO Performance

Organic Traffic: How are people finding you? Use Google Analytics or SEMrush to measure the amount of traffic coming from search engines.

Keyword Rankings: Track how well your content ranks for targeted keywords over time.

Referral Traffic: See which platforms are driving the most traffic to your site.

Ask Your Audience

Surveys & Feedback Forms: ask your audience what they think about your content.

Comments & Reviews: Pay attention to user comments for insights on what’s resonating—and what might need tweaking.

Crafting Connections

Authenticity is more than just a trend; it represents a commitment to quality craftsmanship. By truly understanding your audience, sharing an engaging brand story, and creating content showcasing your work’s quality, you can develop stronger and more enduring relationships with your clients.

So start crafting your story today and allow your work to speak for itself.

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