Social media is a great place to engage with new and existing customers and build your brand’s reputation. The layout and strategy of your businesses social media pages are critical in capturing customers attention and engagement.
In 2021 people align the quality of your social media, to the quality of your trade work. If they feel your online presence is sloppy and half-baked, they will assume your trade work is the same. It sounds crazy but it’s true!
That’s why having a great social media strategy is critical to the success of your business.
The high roller: Instagram
Instagram accounts, especially for tradies, can often be overlooked in the business strategy. However it’s important to note that 81% of its users engage with the platform specifically for researching products & services.
It’s also a highly aspirational platform — so if you are in the business of selling home improvements i.e landscaping or remodelling. You need to be actively engaged on this platform, and regularly posting examples of your work.
Be consistent
To get consistency across your pages, use the below checklist:
- Have your brand name the same across all platforms, don’t shorten or abbreviate it.
- The ‘about’ section should also be word-for-word consistent across your pages.
- Ensure you use the same logo and use it as your profile picture.
- Use the same colour pallet across all pages.
- All pages should link back to your website.
Our Dr. DRiP branding is a great example of this. If you compare it to our Instagram, Facebook, website and any other brand touchpoints it’s unmistakably us.
Be realistic
Dash those dreams of becoming Instagram famous. Even with a top-notch marketing team, graphic designers and a big-budget, you’re unlikely to have a huge following.
In a perfect world, customers would base their choices on who is the best on the tools. However sadly in our day and age, this is not the case.
It’s all about looking better than the competition. Customers will likely compare your social media pages to others they’ve viewed when researching the best tradesmen for their job. That’s why you need to put your best foot forward.
Making the time to post
Not only should you be realistic in your online engagement levels, but you should also be realistic in how much time and effort you want to put into this. Weekly posting is ideal, but if you’re already time-poor, choose quality over quantity and post fortnightly.
Market Research suggests the best times to post are:
Facebook: Thursday 1pm-3pm, Friday 1pm-3pm
Instagram: Mon-Fri 11am -1pm, Evenings 7pm-9pm
Customer contact points
On Instagram, people may direct message you questions about your business or services. It’s important you reply to messages- make time for you, or your admin staff to check this daily.
Include a way for them to book your services! There’s no point in them seeing your Instagram page, loving your work, and then having no way of booking you! In your BIO have a link to your website booking page with the caption “Click here to book now” or “Click here for a quote”.
What’s next?
- Join our Kick-Ass Tradies Facebook Group, for access to trade business specific conversations, tips and resources, plus a like-minded community of tradies.
- Book a Strategy Session with Andy, owner of Dr. DRiP plumbing and co-founder of Lifestyle Tradie, to clarify your priorities and get clear action steps on where to take your business in 2021.
- Check out our upcoming live events HERE to find an event near you! These events are jammed packed with insider tradie knowledge that YOU need to know in order to build a strong, successful trade business.
