You may think that social media is the domain of trendy businesses like clothing lines and cafes, but nothing could be further from the truth. Successful social media campaigns are a great way to expand your audience through engaging content and word-of-mouth referrals from happy clients.
Not sure where to get started with your social media strategy? Here are a few ideas to help your construction company flourish on social media.
Creating a social media campaign can feel daunting when you don't know where to start. The thing to remember is that you're building a community with your current and prospective clients.
The best way to do that? Show your clients that you're available to answer their questions and want to engage with them on a deeper level.
Many people find starting a social media campaign daunting because of the sheer number of platforms available. Maintaining accounts across all of the major social media platforms would not only be overwhelming, but it's also a waste of time.
Focus on two or three networks to start with. For a construction company, it's probably not worth setting up a Twitter account. You need to think about the platforms that will help you showcase your services and find customers, such as Instagram and Facebook.
Many companies who are just starting their social media accounts find Facebook ads helpful. The platform allows you to hyper-target your posts and Page based on demographics including location, income, and more.
YouTube processes 3 million searches a month, making it the second largest search engine. It's also owned by Google, the world's largest search engine.
People use YouTube to learn everything under the sun that it's possible to learn from a video, from makeup tips to photography to—you got it—DIY construction videos.
Don't worry, you don't need expensive equipment, or even tech knowhow to get started. Get a tripod for your smartphone, and you'll be all set to your YouTube debut.
It may seem like a bad idea to give away tips for the services you actually charge for, but this is how you can build trust between your brand and consumers. If you create a video that goes viral or a series that people resonate with, they'll also share these videos on social media.
Cross-post your videos to your blog and other social media platforms to increase your audience.
As a construction company, you want to show off the work that you're doing to prospective customers, and visual content gets great engagement.
One way you can do this is (with permission, of course) by showing before and after photos of your projects. Not only does this show the kind of work you do, it provides a platform for your customers to leave you glowing testimonials.
People also want to show off their new home or renovations to their friends so that they may share the posts on their own social networks.
Without a posting schedule, you'll end up posting erratically. You will either put up a ton of posts in one go (which is a good way to make people unfollow you), or you'll post so sporadically, no one will ever see any of your posts.
Keep in mind that sites like Instagram and Facebook are always changing their algorithms for how posts are shown. Right now, many businesses are finding their organic reach on Facebook steadily dropping so you may want to boost some posts through Facebook advertising to see how it impacts their reach.
Many online tools can automatically post to Facebook, Twitter or Pinterest based on a calendar you've set up.
If all your posts are just links back to your company's website, then your followers will quickly lose interest. Remember, they can click on your website link anytime they want from most social media profiles.
Instead, post a mix of content with less than half of it promoting your business. The other half can be industry relevant videos, behind-the-scenes content, team showcases, or even inspirational quotes.
Don't just schedule your posts to go out on social media and then walk away from them. If you're creating engaging content, you'll soon see that people will leave comments on these posts.
On your Facebook page, people will also leave comments and reviews about your service. Embrace this community and reply to their comments, no matter how trivial they may be.
It's also important to reply to your customers in a timely manner. One of the main things that set service businesses apart from their competitors is their skill at keeping their customers happy.
Of course, there's a chance that some people will leave negative comments. Address your these customers to the best of your abilities. While these negative reviews are frustrating, it shows your customers that you are willing to go the extra mile to help your customers and that you can do it in a public forum.
The hardest part about starting successful social media campaigns is actually getting started! Once you choose your ideal platforms and determine the type of content your audience loves, it won't be hard to plan your campaigns.