Hemmakanalen.se extends TV4’s popular home improvement programs

Ernst Kirchsteiger. Photo: TV4

Hemmakanalen.se is one of TV4's niche sites where the content is focused on a specific subject - in this case, home improvement projects. Hemmakanalen.se's specialization is important for advertising sales.

"TV4 has a strong television format and personalities in this area, which means that we already have a large customer base. The fact that our site is so focused makes it attractive," says Frida, who adds that other niche sites such as recept.nu (where visitors can, among other things, find recipes from all of TV4's cooking programs) and fotbollskanalen.se with videos, statistics and news, have led the way.

"Recept.nu is incredibly popular. The goal of our site, our course, is to grow - slowly but surely," says Frida Klevemark, who is the product manager for hemmakanalen.se.

The intent of the site, which was launched at the beginning of 2009, is to provide tips and inspiration about how people can change their homes. Much of the content comes from - or builds on - home improvement programs on channel 4 such as Sommar med Ernst where the popular personality Ernst Kirchsteiger builds and putters with various projects for the home.

"You can say that we are an extension of the programs. We work very closely with the television productions and use their material to a great extent. But we also have a platform where visitors themselves can contribute inspirational pictures and video clips," explains Frida.

The interactive part of the site was launched last spring and during the summer has taken off thanks to the campaign Sommarprojektet, where visitors can submit pictures of their own summer projects to inspire others and upon which visitors can vote and comment. The campaign is also a contest where those who upload pictures can win gift certificates from Bauhaus.

"We have received lovely pictures of summer projects from around the country, which has produced good traffic to hemmakanalen.se. Summer is not usually the time for web surfing, so this is great!" says Frida.

Interactivity has also spilled over into social networks such as Facebook. A person who wants to upload pictures of their summer project and show them to others can easily do this by logging into their Facebook account.

"It is exciting to see the development of social media. When it comes to Facebook, it is primarily specific home improvement programs such as Fuskbyggarna and Sommar med Ernst that quickly draw many fans to their pages," says Frida.

Hemmakanalen.se visitors find their way to the site mainly through announcements on television programs and through search engines such as Google.

"Because we have a rich archive of articles offering tips and advice, we often place well in web searches. If, for example, you search bathroom remodeling such as "gör om ditt badrum," we show up among the hits. But, of course, many program viewers also visit our site. In the final episode of Sommar med Ernst, Ernst Kirchsteiger made, among other things, a table. Ernst told viewers that they can build the same table using his drawing and instructions at Hemmakanalen.se. Many viewers liked the table and later looked at his exclusive, hand-drawn design on the website," says Frida.