Social Media and The Contractor Industry
While the contracting industry may not seem like a natural fit for social media, the fact of the matter is that contractors are highly active consumers of and participants in social media, especially Facebook. In fact, anyone that was born since the mid-80s are defined as “Digital Natives”, meaning that anyone in their mid-30s and below fall into this category. We aren’t just talking about technology apt teenagers anymore. People of all ages and generations look to social media for answers to questions, to determine a company’s value and reputation, and to share their opinions of your business. As contractors, we need to make sure we’re right there with them. Social media can be one of your most important marketing assets.
Content:
Having social pages for your business has essentially become a ‘table stake’ if you want to remain competitive in today’s business landscape. Facebook has the most active users of any social platform, so if you aren’t already active on social media, you should consider starting there. We’re not saying that you should post every day, but it is important to have a page with updated information that gets posted on a fairly, regular basis. How can you do this? Have your team take pictures of their jobs and share articles that are relevant to your industry along with any promotions you might be running. Let people know that your business is there and that you are ready for the digital age!
Reputation Management:
When people have a good or bad experience working with a company, it is more and more common to use social media as a megaphone to share that experience with others. It is important that you’re there to respond to whatever they have to say, negative or positive. Timely responsiveness to comments makes customers feel heard and respected. If they had something negative to say, allow readers to also hear your side of the story and if possible, try and offer a way to remedy their disappointment. Invite people to leave you reviews if they loved working with you. A good social reputation is key!
Ads:
This is a big one. Facebook (in turn, Instagram) and LinkedIn have thoroughly built out advertising platforms. There are a number of courses that Facebook offers that can help you advertise your business on their platform. You can find them here.
Need Help?
We love working with our marketing partners at No Time for Social (NTFS) – they are social media experts that truly understand the various techniques for maximizing the reach and effectiveness of social media. NTFS’s CEO, Bill Combes, has worked in our industry for decades and truly understands this marketplace on a deep level. He has even built a course specifically to train contractors on how to effectively use social media. Check it out!