You pour blood, sweat, and tears into growing your business and keeping clients happy. You don’t have the bandwidth to manage multiple social media accounts, but you need a steady stream of leads to keep your business alive. What can you do?
First, let’s get one thing straight: Social media is a commitment. You need to tend it, nurture it, and give it what you’d like to see come back to you. If you’re only spending a few minutes on social media each day, you’ll probably have a hard time growing your following.
You might not be “forgotten” by your existing audience, but the 40 percent of shoppers using social media to discover new brands probably won’t find you. Why? Because it takes time to engage your followers and show up in searches.
So, how much time should you spend growing your social audience? And what’s the most efficient way to spend your time online? Here’s how to grow your following without sacrificing time away from your business.
The short answer? As much time as you can give it. Some marketers will tell you to dedicate 20 percent of your time to marketing, but that’s not always realistic, especially if you’re already working overtime to grow your business.
The truth is, social media can be a time suck. Even if you’re pouring hours into Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter, there’s always more that you can do. There will always be another comment to reply to, another post to share, and a shiny new strategy to try.
The first thing you need to do is make peace with that. You’re not a social media manager; you’re a contractor. If you have the resources, our home services clients tell us that professional social media marketing is worth the investment. If you’re working with a limited budget, social media shouldn’t be an afterthought, but it also shouldn’t suck up all of your time.
So, what’s your best plan of action? First, you need to decide what time and resources you can commit to social media. There’s no exact formula to calculate how much time you should spend on social media marketing—it’s all about figuring out what works for you. Larger businesses might have multiple social media managers working to grow their audience, while smaller contractors might only dedicate a few hours to social media each week.
Once you’ve figured out how much time you can dedicate to social media, it’s time to brainstorm your strategy. You need a plan that outlines:
Time is money. And no matter how much time you’re spending on social media, you need to spend it wisely to make sure you’re working efficiently.
To successfully grow your social audience, you’ll need to divide your time between tasks like content creation and social listening. Of course, there might be times when you throw social media management out the window because you’re working overtime to meet a project deadline, but consistency should be your main goal.
Whether you’re just getting started or switching up your strategy, here’s how to make the most of your time on social media.
No matter what your social media strategy looks like, you’ll need to spend some time creating fresh content for different platforms.
The good news? Even if you only have a few minutes to spend on social media each day, it’s possible to streamline content creation with a few simple tips and tricks. Here’s how.
Social listening and engagement are two sides of the same coin. Listening involves monitoring social media channels for any mentions of your brand, competitors, or industry-relevant keywords.
For example, if you’re using Twitter for your plumbing business, it’s worth paying attention to:
Meanwhile, engagement is all about joining conversations you find during your social listening. The more you interact with potential customers, the more they’ll engage with you. Social media engagement not only boosts your SEO and following but also shows your audience that you’re listening to them.
Of course, before you engage with a post, you actually need to read it. That sounds simple enough, but if you’re retweeting links to long-form articles, you’ll need to spend some time reading those articles before sharing them with your followers.
Every post you share should align with your company’s values, and you should avoid mentioning competitors whenever possible. But it’s not enough to just share relevant posts. You should also add value to every post by sharing your thoughts and sparking a conversation with your audience.
Next, take a few minutes to analyze your social listening findings. This way, you’ll be able to refine your social listening process and marketing efforts to effectively reach your target audience. Here are some factors to consider:
Isn’t reporting the same as analyzing?, you’re thinking. Even though they sound similar, they’re both essential steps for a successful social media strategy.
Reporting encompasses all the metrics you’re tracking, including your impressions, follower count, engagements, and top-performing posts. After evaluating your metrics, you should also consider why your top posts performed better than others.
Maybe your target audience prefers dynamic videos over static pictures, or they engage with one hashtag over another. To grow your following, you’ll need to constantly fine-tune your social media strategy to give your audience what they want.
When done right, social media marketing can help you drive web traffic, build meaningful relationships with prospects, and sell your preferred services. It might take some trial and error, but it’s all about finding out what works for you.
Struggling to squeeze social media into your busy schedule? We’re here to help you reach the right audience with scroll-stopping posts, cost-effective ads, and more. Contact us today to grow your contractor business with a standout social media strategy.
