Social media offers a great avenue for businesses to raise their visibility and increase their closing percentages. Contractors don’t always realize the full benefit these platforms have to offer their industry, so we will examine five of the leading social media platforms that are ideal for roofing contractors to have a presence.
Is It Really Worth My Time?
While traditional marketing will always be a necessity, digital marketing continues to grow and is absolutely something to consider when you are looking for growth in your business. The internet has brought about a much easier form of communication. Interacting with and getting your business in front of your customers and other consumers is easier than ever thanks to social tools like Hootsuite and SocialPilot. Of course, it is great to have your current customers updated and stay top of mind, but social media also provides a simple and effective way for you to convert other consumers into customers as well.
Many roofing contractors have long thought that social media wasn’t for them. If you are one of them, we advise you to think again. Utilizing varying marketing strategies is always recommended but taking advantage of the audience you have on social media platforms is a terrific way to acquire new customers as well as keep your current ones engaged. You are busy, we get it. You may feel like your attention is required in other areas, and it may be. Just to give you a taste, here are a few social media statistics to consider when wondering if social media is worth your time.
- People are spending approximately 147 minutes on various social media platforms each day
- Of the 2.934 billion Facebook users, 1.968 billion login to their Facebook accounts daily
- 9% of the population in the United States has an active social media profile
- 70% of Americans use Facebook daily
- 59% of Americans use Instagram daily
- 71% of Americans say social media referrals affects their purchasing decisions
If you are not utilizing at least one or two of the platforms listed below, you are allowing yourself to miss potential customers. Social media doesn’t have to be exhausting. When you have an active presence, it can greatly benefit your business in both the short and long term.
Now let’s dive in and discuss which social media platforms are more advantageous for roofing contractors to be seen on.
Facebook is the leading option, and if you are limited in time or resources and must choose only one, Facebook is the one to go with. It is the biggest social media platform and that means it has the greatest number of users, which leads to the largest audience potential. Facebook is also fairly user friendly, regardless of experience. Today, consumers expect you to have an active presence on Facebook. Consumers who hear about your company name are highly likely to search Facebook for your company. Guess what? If they find nothing or there hasn’t been a post in months, they will likely end up working with someone else. That is a lost customer, it is that simple.
When we say have an “active presence”, we mean post regularly. You don’t have to post every day, but you should be posting on a weekly basis. Post content related to your business and even about your business team. These consumers are eager to know who you are and what you have to offer them. Take pictures from your jobsites and post them to your Facebook page. Ask your customers to give you reviews. The more you interact with your customers online, the greater success you will have in reaching even more.
Instagram is another great platform and can be ideal for highlighting your company photos. Be sure you have a high-quality logo and use that as your profile image. Then show off your work with your posts. Let your customers see your before-and-after photos of jobs you are proud of. Instagram also lets you utilize hashtags, which can expand your audience once utilized properly. Because Instagram is all about photos, be sure you are posting clear, clean pictures every single time. Find the popular hashtags, connect them with your high-quality images, and showcase your business.
We are all about connecting contractors with contractors, as there is strength in numbers. Having the support you need as a contractor has proven highly beneficial and that helps to make LinkedIn a useful platform. LinkedIn is considered more of a professional social platform than the others, but when you know how to use it, you can still benefit from growth in your business.
Perhaps you offer a service your local competitor doesn’t? You can work together and ensure the customers gets what they need, and you may gain an ally in the process. Maybe you aren’t as comfortable in commercial roofing as you would like to be? Find the experienced contractors that can help guide you. LinkedIn is all about connecting professionals and you can build the relationships you need without the hassle. It’s also a great platform to build a network of business leaders in your local community who may own commercial buildings or at least be able to bring up your name when the company they work at needs roofing services.
Twitter is another mainstream social media platform, and it is great for having digital conversations with your customers. While it does limit you in your posts, as you can only post 280 characters, this can be a selling point as well. You don’t have to overthink. Keep it quick and to the point.
Twitter is also more of a “real-time” platform, and it is recommended to share your business in the moment. At a jobsite and have a fun project to share? Do it. On the road and have a new idea? Post about it at your next stop. Let your online audience know what you are doing day to day. Because of its slightly different in-the-moment feel, we recommend posting more frequently on Twitter than the other platforms. Be sure to use hashtags as well.
YouTube
If your company can get good video footage, then YouTube should be a platform you use. Not only is YouTube an informative video platform, but it also captures a great deal of search traffic. When you have a keyword-optimized title and description, the video you post can easily show up in traditional Google searches. The types of videos you can post are endless, and while you don’t need to be a professional, you will want to create content that is clear and easy to follow.
Posting time-lapses of projects you have completed is a great place to start. Explaining the process of a project is another great idea. Roofing can be complex and letting your consumers know about materials, terminology and more can be appealing. Posting customer testimonials is of course always a good one as well. Creating how-to videos for other contractors can even help expand your growth. If you or an employee are always taking videos of your projects, then YouTube should certainly be a platform you are active on.
We Have More Ideas
Interested in learning more about effective social media strategies or great marketing strategies in general? Give us a call today at 800-795-2187, and we will be happy to discuss ways our team can give you great marketing support.