Whether you love it or hate it, there’s one thing for certain: You need to be on social media. Your customers are using social media to connect with new brands every single day, and you can’t afford to ignore the potential of social media marketing when it comes to lead generation and conversions.
Don’t believe us? Let’s take a look at the numbers. According to marketing statistics, 75 percent of internet users use social media to research products, while 90 percent of consumers buy from brands they follow on social media. In other words, social media is the tool you need to grow your business, reach new leads, and nurture prospects until they’re ready to take the next step.
What does that mean for your business? The clock is ticking—and every second you’re not on social media, you’re losing potential leads to the competition. Here’s everything you need to know to ignite your contractor business with an effective social media strategy.
The #1 reason you need social media? Your customers are using it. In 2021, 82 percent of Americans had at least one social media account. Your customers are following new brands, researching products, and searching for businesses online every single day. And if you’re not leveraging social media to your business advantage, you’re only going to lose mountains of leads to the competition.
“But I don’t have the time to deal with social media,” you’re thinking. “It doesn’t work, anyway.” Social media does work—maybe just not how you think it does. With the right strategy at your fingertips, social media marketing is one of the best tools to boost your online visibility and build trust with potential customers. It can even help you reach new audiences, like millennials and Gen Zers.
Still on the fence about social media? Here are a few ways social media marketing can take your contractor business to the next level.
Before you start your first social media campaign, let’s get one thing straight: Social media isn’t a one-and-done strategy. It takes time, energy, and effort to grow your reputation and build a steady stream of leads through social media.
Actually, it takes minimal effort to create a Facebook page, upload a few pictures, and post the occasional promo. But if you put in little effort, you’re going to get little return. Social media can be an incredibly valuable asset for your business—but you’ll need to spend time working on your strategy to drive results.
So, what’s the first step to social media marketing? You need to choose the right platforms. Whether you’re just getting started or refining your strategy, you don’t want to spread yourself too thin (or worse, end up on platforms your customers aren’t even using). Here’s how to make the smartest choice for your business.
Your target audience is the most important factor in choosing the right platform. After all, why would you waste valuable time marketing to people who are never going to hire you?
So, how can you identify your target audience? Start by crafting buyer personas and leveraging customer data to paint a clear picture of your ideal customer. From there, you can learn more about their behaviors and where they spend time online.
Once you’ve pinned down your target audience, it’s time to turn inward. Your services and brand identity should both influence your social media strategy. For example, if you’re a visual brand (think: landscaping or home remodeling), you’ll want to start with a visual platform like Instagram or TikTok. Meanwhile, if you’re focusing on B2B sales, Facebook or LinkedIn might be the best choice.
You probably have a few ideas in mind by now. Before you take the next step, you’ll want to run a competitive analysis to see what your competitors are doing. This way, you can see what’s working (and what isn’t), which platforms they’re on, and what kind of engagement they’re getting on each platform.
You shouldn’t copy your competitors’ social media strategies, but it’s always useful to see what other contractors are doing. At the end of the day, data should guide every marketing strategy—and that’s where a competitive analysis can be your MVP.
Why are you using social media? Are you trying to drive new contractor leads? Do you want to build brand awareness? Whatever your goals look like, you should consider them when choosing a platform.
If you want to share fun content and engage your followers, TikTok might be the right choice for your business. On the other hand, if customer support is a marketing priority, Twitter and Facebook will probably soar to the top of your list.
Let’s face it: It takes time and effort to manage social media. And if you’re already working overtime, you don’t want to spread yourself too thin.
If you can only dedicate a few hours a week to social media, try limiting yourself to one or two channels. If you have a full-time marketer who can take on social media marketing, it’s probably time to expand your strategy.
You already know that social media can be a powerful tool to build your online presence—but how can you use it to your advantage? Here’s how to be more active on social media without draining your time and resources.
You’re already working hard to grow your business and keep your customers happy. What if you had a marketing tool that worked as hard as you do?
That’s where marketing automation can save the day. To stay top of mind with your audience, you need to be consistently active on the platforms your audience uses. But managing multiple platforms takes time—and it’s not always realistic to keep up with every single aspect of social media management.
With the right set of automation tools at your disposal, you can run toward the fire with a powerful social media strategy. Instead of stressing about what and when to post, you can focus on what matters most: running your business.
Whether you’re posting daily or weekly, you need a steady stream of content to keep your leads coming back for more. And no, you can’t just post about your products and services. You need to keep your social media strategy fresh with different types of content, from behind-the-scenes videos to eye-catching pictures of your latest project.
What’s the best way to stay on top of content creation? Create a content roadmap. When you’re using a content calendar to guide your marketing efforts, you won’t have to scramble to create last-minute posts. Instead, you’ll be prepared to produce top-quality content without the fear of missing a deadline.
If you’re already feeling overwhelmed, there’s good news: You don’t have to stack more marketing tasks onto your plate. Instead of spending hours behind a desk, consider hiring a professional marketing team to create an impactful strategy.
Even if you’re already a social media pro, your marketing partner can help you put the pieces together to create a powerful sales funnel. From engaging prospects on social platforms and moving them to your website to building your email list, a reliable marketing team can help you create a conversion-worthy strategy tailored to your business.
Your competitors probably aren’t doing social media right, but you’re going to be different. At Company 119, our marketing experts know how to set your business apart—and it starts with a data-driven, customized social media strategy.
We combine our industry expertise with relevant data to determine where your audience spends time online. Then, we’ll define steps you can take to reach prospects on the right channels. Sounds simple enough, right?
When you’re ready to take your social media strategy to the next level, give us a call. We’ll help you find the right social media platforms to attract, engage, and convert homeowners into loyal customers.
