Social media has changed the way we live. From news stories to shopping suggestions, we are influenced by what we see online every day. As a business owner offering a service, you should be leveraging social media to attract and retain new customers.
Many contractors don’t know where to start with social and definitely don’t think they have the time to add one more thing to their plate, but there are many ways to harness the power of social media and extend the reach of your business.
Just because you spent the few minutes creating a Facebook/LinkedIn/Instagram/TikTok page for your company, does not mean you are done. We know contractors get busy, but it’s important to actively engage with your accounts.
Ideas to Stay Active:
- Take photos of every project, before, during and after.
- Talk about yourself and your business. Why you got started and why you love what you do.
- Share tricks of the trade - yes your primary followers will be customers but they want to know you are an expert in your industry.
- Adding to the above, share some how-to videos of the work you’re doing. As an industry, we want to make sure we’re building the best reputation we can for our businesses and our customers. Show everyone how it’s done!
- Document a day in the field. This is a great way to engage followers and build trust.
- Celebrate your accomplishments! Did your company win an award? Share it! Did you hold an Employee Appreciation Day? Let the world know. Don’t be afraid to tell the world how great you are.
- Get involved. Does your company sponsor a local soccer team? Did you donate your time/services to a charity? Let your community know that you are an active participant in your area.
- Ask customers for testimonials and share them. Customers are usually more than willing to review your company after a job well done. Don’t be afraid to ask for, and then share, that five-star review to help spread the word about your company's work.
- Stuck for content ideas? Share some industry news or insights about the business. It’s always good to mix up your posts so sharing articles about what you do and why you do it (like the importance of sealcoating) will help your customers understand why they need to hire you.
More Tips for Success:
- Pick one or two social media platforms to engage on. Trying to post across multiple pages, multiple times a week, will undoubtedly lead to burn out.
- Choose one person to champion social media and ensure posts are being made regularly. This can be your office staff or someone in the field that likes to do it. Just don’t let your pages go dark!
- Rely on your crew members to take photos and share with this point person. Your crew should be proud of the work they do and want to share it!
- Speaking of sharing, make sure your employees, their families and friends, are all following and engaging with your page. Don’t forget to ask customers to follow you as well!
- Always respond to comments and reviews. One downside of social media is that everyone can share their opinion - good or bad. If you experience a negative comment or review, address it publicly and then follow up with the customer privately.
- Link your website to your social pages and vice versa - this builds credibility!
- Make sure you are using proper spelling and grammar in all your posts. Nothing ruins a good reputation than a misspelled word.
There are already millions of potential customers swarming Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn and other social media platforms, and this huge opportunity can be taken advantage of by your business in no time at all.
