Social media marketing: it’s one of those things you just have to do as part of your marketing strategy.
It’s everywhere! Here’s a few things to remember:
- Social media is now a pay to play environment
- It won’t bring you immediate results
- It can’t make up for a bad product or service
Here are a few social media moves that’ll get you the results you’re after for your trade business:
1. Listen and then talk
Listen and pay attention to what is happening on social media in your specific industry. Pay attention to what people are saying, and make sure you respond to them genuinely. For example, you might find someone complaining about an experience with someone in your industry, responding to them with compassion just might mean that next time, they chose you instead. If you’re a plumber, search social media outlets for ‘need a plumber’ – your customers are out there looking for you.
2. Respond, respond and respond
If a customer complains, don’t delete. Instead, you have an opportunity to respond publicly that you’re working to solve the problem, and will send a private message to the individual so it can be fixed. If you delete the complaint, you’re sending a message to that person, and to whoever else is looking on social media, that that person doesn’t matter to you, and they may as well go somewhere else. When you respond, do it genuinely, in your brand voice, whatever that is: serious, funny, full of puns, scientific, whatever. As long as it’s true to your trade business and your brand.
3. Tell, don’t sell
Social media is most powerful when you use it to tell personal stories, not to sell your products.
- Consider stories like:
- Your humble beginnings
- Great customer stories
- Community events
- Charitable partnerships
- Employees and products
- Identify a story people will want to talk about.
“The only thing better than telling your story on social media is to inspire your customers to tell your story”
4. Authenticity
Just be you. Genuinely you.
Oprah Winfrey, once said: “I had no idea that being your authentic self could make me as rich as I’ve become. If I had I’d have done it a lot earlier.”
When you’re authentic and vulnerable, people are more likely to want to do business with you.
5. Advertise (better)
Social media adverting is great for getting in front of your target audience specifically. Every single piece of data that Facebook has on people, you can target your ads based on that. Social media is not just about story telling, it can be used to drive leads, and sales. Word-of-mouth endorsements are also a great tool you can utilise via social media. You can target ads against just the friends of people who have “liked” your brand on Facebook, and when those people see your ad, they will see listed the names of their friends who like your brand, too. Clever!
6. Be grateful
In your social media posts, regularly thank your customers, and followers. Not only will it make them feel good and create that sense of loyalty, it will put you in a good mood too!
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 15-minute Game Plan Call with Andy, owner of Dr. DRiP plumbing and co-founder of Lifestyle Tradie, to clarify your priorities and get clear action steps.
