WFCA's Floor Talk! Blog: Meet Shannon Bilby

Meet Shannon Bilby.

She's Director of Blogging, Linking & Writing for WFCA and writes the blog Floor Talk! for the WFCA.

Shannon and I met through the blogosphere. [She subscribes to Flooring The Consumer and sent me an enthusiastically complimentary email!] Furthermore, I'm very familiar with WFCA and Shannon's parent company, Design Center Solutions.

I was curious about her and her blog and wanted to find out more.

CB: Shannon, how long have you been blogging?
I started mid-August 2007.

CB: Who is the audience for Floor Talk!?
Homeowners, home buyers and people interested in flooring and design looking for honest, trustworthy advice. I also like to include some information for DIY or people other than women who are shopping for floors or looking for design ideas and advice.

CB: What is your goal for the blog?
Our goal is to create a blog that is an extension of the WFCA.org focus which is to educate the public on flooring choices, new products and trends and provide people with information that will help them feel confident in their flooring choices via an interactive, ever-changing experience.

CB: Can you describe how you interact with WFCA vs. DCS?
Floor Talk! is a World Floor Covering Association sponsored blog. I write the content for Floor Talk! and some of the articles for Designer’s Corner on the WFCA website. Creating Your Space™ is a DCS Partnership Group and World Floor Covering Association Company that develops engaging websites for flooring retailers. Creating Your Space™ also built the WFCA’s website. My role includes responsibilities for both Floor Talk! and for Creating Your Space™.

CB: which blogs do you follow and why?
+ Yours, obviously for the content and style! [CB :-) Thank you!]
+ ProBlogger (My bible for blogging)
+ Design2Share (Love the look and content)
+ All About Flooring (All flooring info)
+ Floor Fashions and Decorating Ideas (Good content and layout) from FloorFacts
+ DesignTalk (Nice clean layout and variety of topics)
+ Greg Stratz (He wrote about WFCA)

CB: how are you getting the word out about Floor Talk!?
We subscribe to a lot of different social networking sites, primarily StumbleUpon and sk*rt. A link to the blog is on the WFCA website as well as all of our Creating Your Space™ client’s websites. I follow the advice from ProBlogger. Plus, I tell everyone that will listen. I also attend many industry events to keep up to date on products, manufacturers and trends.

CB: How do you describe your blog to flooring friends?
I tell them that it is a blog about flooring and design that offers tips, design advice and the latest products and trends

CB: to retailers?
I haven’t written about any retailers yet, but I have told a few that I think it is a good supplement to their sales process. I encourage them to share the blog with their customers for an honest third party opinion. I also encourage them to send frequently asked questions they receive from their customers or have their customers submit questions. I would like to feature some retailers and builders in the future.

CB: to suppliers?
I tell them that it is directed to homeowners and buyers who are looking for information on flooring and design. If they have a product that is unique or has an unusual application, I would love to share it with the public. Suppliers are very appreciative of any mention on the blog and do a great job of keeping me in the loop with what’s new and different.

CB: How do you find doing Floor Talk!?
I love, love, love writing this blog. I have been in this business my whole life. My parents run a contracting business, design business and paint store in SC. I started there studying design under my aunt…and fell in love with flooring of all things. Then moved on to a flooring retailer because I thought I wanted to focus on one aspect of design. There I got the pleasure of opening a design center from the ground up. It was like starting my own business with someone else’s money!!

CB: What kind of reactions are you getting?
People are very kind so far. A trade magazine is going to mention us in their next issue. I thought that was cool…. Our stats are slowly building. One of my designer friends calls me the Carrie Bradshaw of Flooring. I thought that was cute!

Thanks, Shannon!

If you get a chance, do visit Shannon at Floor Talk! and leave her a comment.

Disclosure: we work with DCS.

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