Everyone has an opinion on social media. You either love it or hate it, there doesn’t seem to be a happy medium.
I use social media often. I use Facebook for connecting with family and friends, Twitter to follow the news, and Instagram has been there to share photos and, lately, to help with work-related items. Yes, work.
I have found a lot of success in connecting with contractors like you on Instagram. I enjoy seeing the job site photos many contractors post of work they are doing. It’s also an easy way to reach out and start a conversation. Sometimes I’ll ask contractors about the work they are doing, what hydrovac unit is being operated, or about the directional drill shown in their photos.
WORK TOOLS
Contractors like Chad Porter and his company, West Coast Hydro Services, have found how valuable social media can be. There isn’t a day that goes by that West Coast Hydro Services isn’t posting what job they are doing on Instagram.
Porter is a newer user to the social media platform, but he quickly learned how powerful it could be. Soon after posting as West Coast Hydro Services on Instagram in May 2020, he started getting phone calls from current customers and new customers.
Porter says the company, which is profiled in this issue, has picked up 12 to 15 new customers since he started using Instagram.
If you use it correctly, social media can be an important tool for any company. It’s a way to reach many potential customers in your area. All you need are a few keywords, interesting subject matter, and consistency.
CONSISTENCY
Being consistent with the social media you post for your company is probably the most important. I’ve seen Facebook pages and Instagram pages of companies that haven’t been updated for a number of years.
When a customer goes to one of those sites looking for information on your company and they see you haven’t done anything since 2017, that’s not a good first impression of your company.
Set a schedule for yourself or your staff. Make sure to post at least three times a week in order to start building a following. Take a few random pictures of your trucks or crews on job sites, take a picture of the outside of your office, just be more active on social media.
TAKE THE NEXT STEP
If you don’t think you can handle posting to social media yourself, look for firms that specialize in social media advertising. These days there are a lot of public relation companies that do that type of work.
It might not pay off immediately, but in the long run you’ll see customers calling and hiring you because they see the quality work you are doing on jobs thanks to those photos and stories you are posting on Facebook and Instagram.
If you’re already doing this, I’d like to hear from you. What made your company stand out on social media or to your customers? You can email me at editor@
digdifferent.com or call 715-350-8436. I’m also on Instagram at @coryeditor and on Facebook you can find Dig Different at www.facebook.com/DigDifferent.
Enjoy this issue!
