There is one thing about the internet that absolutely cannot be denied: the power of social media can make or break a small business thanks to its reach and overall impact online. It used to be considered that social media platforms were nothing but a fad, something that would fade away soon enough to make way for whatever the newest trend was.
But that is no longer the case. Social media has maintained its place in the construction marketing realm and has managed to grow itself as a way for small businesses to grow their presence online as well as their reach to existing and new customers.
For contractors, in particular, social media has been a very viable way to reach new and existing customers. It is a tremendous way to offer coupons, specials, notify customers of any kind of deals that might be taking place, and a whole litany of other things that make that avenue a must for any kind of business online.
But knowing the difference between each of the social media platforms, how they work, and how to best use them is of the utmost importance. Knowing which platforms can make a difference for your small business and how to use them are important and these are the platforms that can make a massive difference in how your online business continues to grow and thrive.
With these five social media platforms, you and your business can reach further across the globe than ever before. Interacting with potential customers, being able to offer new deals and specials, and growing your online presence has never been as easy as it is today.
Use these eight social media platforms, and you can grow your business substantially.
1) YouTube
YouTube is an outstanding social media platform for construction companies as the platform garners 122 million daily active users. While many of the most popular YouTube videos are a far cry from construction, there is content for everyone on this popular social network. Construction companies can easily create a YouTube channel and upload original video content that is sure to engage potential customers.
One of the best YouTube features is the ability to embed videos on other social platforms and websites. For instance, construction companies can embed a YouTube video on their website’s homepage. As a result, YouTube serves multiple purposes for content marketing and social media engagement. Future customers can even watch your videos on the go via smartphones or tablets.
Some construction professionals don’t feel comfortable in front of the camera, and that’s ok. You can get creative with YouTube content and even hire someone to promote your business in video form. Many companies also have at least one existing employee ready and willing to push your brand on video.
2) Facebook
There are some out there that feel as though Facebook is slipping and becoming a lost form of social media. And while the platform has had some negative momentum and press in recent months and years, it is still a behemoth that cannot be ignored.
With several hundred million users in its employ, Facebook still has a reach that the other platforms would love to have. And unlike Twitter, where simply reaching out to others is the biggest feature, Facebook offers a wide variety of ways to not only reach your customers but to interact with them like never before.
With Facebook, you can create your own business page where customers can easily find things like contact information, reviews, and photos relating to your business. This allows them to make an informed decision when it comes to your business and feel like they have a greater level of trust in your business before they ever proceed.
Not only that, your business can create and interact via groups. This is where like-minded individuals can go to converse on a number of different things. It is a great place to get opinions that customers might have towards your business and to address any issues that there might be with your business.
Your business can also offer coupons and deals through the business page, drawing more customers to check out what your business is all about and creating more traffic and interest. Facebook still has a massive reach unlike few others these days.
3) LinkedIn
This was the original social media platform for businesses. What was once originally a way to connect with other businesses has grown into so much more. But make no mistake, this is one of the best places to find others within your industry that could be partnered with or to find potential employees within your industry.
Where LinkedIn has grown throughout the years is as a tool for customers. If you have ever wondered about a business – what it is about, who works for it, and a litany of other things – LinkedIn is probably the place that you would want to go.
Most of all, LinkedIn is all about professional credibility. There are a lot of businesses on Facebook and Twitter that definitely lack professionalism and credibility; LinkedIn is designed to combat that. Best of all, there are individual pages for not only the business but for each of the team members so that you can learn as much as possible about the business and who works there before making a decision about whether to do business with that company.
Cultivating potential business relationships has never been easier than it is when using LinkedIn. Though it might not have the ability to grow sales and interact with customers that some other platforms may offer, LinkedIn is a valuable tool for businesses across the globe for a wide variety of reasons and should definitely be put to good use by your company.
4) Instagram
This is perhaps the fastest-growing social media platform that there is. The idea sounds pretty simplistic: you share photos and videos. But describing it as simply that would be doing a disservice to Instagram, its growth, and its possibilities for companies across the globe.
For a contractor, this is the best place to show off exactly what it is your business can do. Posting videos and pictures of sites with before and after pictures is a great way to show off to your current and potential customers exactly what your business can offer. That visual impact goes a long way towards helping to grow your business in the eyes of potential customers and give them the best possible idea of what your company is about.
Not only that, Instagram is one of the best places to grow your impact in social media. You can run specials, contests, and deals on Instagram where contestants have to follow your account, share their email, share with friends, etc. in order to win a coupon or a gift. This is a fantastic way to grow your follower count on this medium and grow your overall presence as a brand as well.
Instagram has come a long way in a short time and there are many that feel that it has surpassed even Twitter at this point. Finding any way to make use of these platforms makes your business viable and continues to allow it to grow and thrive in what is a very crowded industry.
5) Pinterest
This is one of the more unique social media platforms around. Where the others exist to interact with others across the corners of the globe, Pinterest operates on a different wavelength. Pinterest is a great place for office and home inspiration. It is sort of like Instagram except that it is more about visual inspiration rather than simply sharing photos and videos.
One of the best uses for Pinterest is to post photos of your business and ideas that are inspired by services that your business can provide. The goal of this social media platform is to make the best use of the imagination of your current and potential customers.
What you might also not be aware of is that, like LinkedIn, Pinterest is one of the largest search engines on the internet. Having your business implemented throughout the site is a great way to have potential customers find your business and take an interest in the things that your business is doing.
Pinterest might not have the ability to directly interact with customers as the others do, but it is certainly a weapon that your business can take advantage of.
6) Twitter
What was once thought of as a way to interact with others instantaneously, providing your thoughts on anything from sports to television shows, has since grown into a viable tool for businesses all across the globe. This is because its reach is massive and only continues to grow as more and more users sign up for this service.
Where it can be beneficial for a contractor is through its ability to offer interaction with customers. This can work in a wide variety of ways. The first is that it allows you to talk directly with your customers. This is great for making sure that your customer base feels heard and that it has your attention.
The second is to address any potential issues that your customers may be having, be it with a product or service. Instead of letting those complaints exist online somewhere, you can address those users directly and ask them what you can do to assess the issue and make it whole. That is a level of customer service that allows your business to stand out from others in the industry.
Additionally, you can use this as a way to draw traffic to your website. Offer coupons or specials and provide a link that will send the user to your website. You can also share construction content from your blog in hopes of it going viral. It’s a great way to increase that traffic, provide specials and coupons to customers, and build that brand trust that is so important these days.
As long as your business maintains professionalism and doesn’t get into it with people online, Twitter is a great avenue to grow your contractor business.
7) TikTok
TikTok is for kids, right? Not so fast. Research shows that 53% of its users are over 30 years old. So while you might think about TikTok as a platform for dances, the truth is you can garner significant engagement through this app. Since you already create video content for YouTube, try splitting it into smaller clips that you can upload to your TikTok account.
Sure, you aren’t necessarily going to get a ton o business from TikTok, but you can absolutely create engagement. Think about TikTok as a top-of-the-funnel social platform for construction companies. If you can engage some consumers, even on a surface level, you have a greater chance of converting them later.
8) Snapchat
Snapchat is all about short videos (snaps) that friends share with one another. In many ways, Snapchat paved the way for TikTok, which has recently ascended in popularity. As a result, Snapchat’s growth has stagnated in recent years, making it less appealing to marketers than TikTok, Instagram, and others.
Another downside to Snapchat is that its market share is primarily for individuals under 30 years old. Despite these potential deterrents, it’s never a bad idea to create a social media profile on Snapchat. If you can spread your brand to every popular social platform, you can start to strengthen your local authority.
