Jon Feagain
Is social media a part of your home services marketing strategy? The way we use social media has undergone a massive transformation since its inception, and it continues to shift and change with the times. Home services companies that want to be taken seriously need to keep up.
No longer is social media simply a means of chatting with friends and family you don’t often get to see. It is now a place to shop, watch videos, share clips about your day, get recipes and news, learn about new products, and much more. Our online lives are now synonymous with our “real” lives, and social media is a large part of this.
The typical American uses three of the eight major social media platforms regularly. For younger people, social media is even more pervasive, with 88 percent of 18- to 29-year-olds being regular users. Within this demographic, there are many who are first-time homeowners or will be soon.
It’s natural, then, that home service companies should be part of that experience. In fact, 90% of brands use some form of social media to increase brand awareness. But maybe you have concerns about dedicating your time to social media. Perhaps you don’t know where to begin or what platforms would best suit your company. The good news: boosting your social media presence doesn’t have to require a lot of your time or expertise on the intricacies of Facebook. It just requires a bit of planning and strategy to make the most of it. Here are our top tips for making an impact on social media.
Define Your Goals
As with any type of advertising, your social media marketing should have a purpose, which begins with defining your goals. Ask yourself several key questions, which will help you refine your plan. Start with:
What do I want or expect from social media marketing?
The important thing to remember about social media is that while it may not lead directly to a sale, that shouldn’t necessarily be your goal or purpose. Rather, social media allows you to connect with your target buyers in a very human way, which increases brand awareness, trust, and authority, and can lead to a sale down the line.
Once you define your main goal and align your expectations, you can begin to finesse the details of your strategy:
- Who will be responsible for posting? A designated member of the team or an outside party, such as an agency?
- What metrics will I use to measure ROI?
- Who am I trying to reach and where will I most likely find them?
Where you can find your audience will depend on demographics, but Facebook is a solid bet for reaching a variety of people. They even make it easy to target based on very specific information, making your marketing smart and strategic. Instagram and Twitter are also two of the most used platforms. Instagram allows you to communicate visually with your audience and maybe even show a bit of your fun side. LinkedIn gives you space to connect professionally with other businesses, and YouTube is a great place to host your videos.
Have a Content Creation Plan
For your social media accounts to be successful and entice followers, you need to have interesting, engaging content. The best way to do this is to develop a content creation plan so you’re not scrambling to figure out what to post last minute.
Your content plan doesn’t have to be complicated. Start with developing themes and categories that relate back to your goals. For example, if you’re a home improvement contractor and your target audience includes young couples buying fixer-uppers, your content plan might include a video with FAQs about buying an older home, a blog post about small DIY repairs, and a post promoting a seasonal special. Define each campaign, and create assets that will support it. Use a content calendar to stay organized—here are a few templates to get you started.
Use the Right Tools
You don’t have to be glued to social media all day to post and be active. Facebook allows you to schedule posts directly from the platform. And there are plenty of free third-party tools that automate posting and make it easy to stay connected with your audience. If your time is scarce, social media tools mean you can set aside a specified day of the week to take care of posting. Of course, you’ll still want to monitor your accounts in case a customer tries to reach you or a situation arises.
Hiring an outside person or a home services marketing agency is a great way to ensure success for your social media campaigns. The benefits of an agency include getting a team of experts along with the various tools they have at their disposal to make sure your campaigns are effective.
Engage Your Audience by Delivering a Human Experience
If everyone is using social media, how can you ensure your company rises above the rest and gets attention? By delivering a human experience that engages your audience.
The best thing you can do when it comes to social media is connect with your followers. Part of the selling experience means you work to attract and delight your customers, and social media is a great way to help you achieve this. It can show a side of your brand in a way that other media simply can’t do.
The strategy is pretty basic: just be yourself. Be authentic, and show your customers who you are. If you feel like your posts are generic and lack emotion, you’re probably on to something. So don’t be afraid to capture your audience’s attention through unique ways of showcasing your brand.
Use Visuals and Keep It Interesting
One way to attract notice and make your brand stand out is through video. Facebook users watch more than 100 million hours of video each day. And in 2019, video will drive 85% of search traffic in the US. From Instagram stories to viral cooking videos, video content makes it easy to share information in a succinct and engaging way.
No matter what type of business you have, video is a great way to share insights. A home improvement contractor can display a before and after tour of a kitchen remodel. An electrician can share a helpful DIY video for quick fixes around the home. The possibilities are endless, and the future is in your hands when you embrace video marketing.
Check out our complete guide to a social media marketing campaign for inspiration on how to get started.