Looking to build your construction business? Instagram may be what your business needs!
A major hurdle for business owners is building a backlog of projects. Learning how to use social media to create leads and opportunities is an important step to building a successful construction business. The Nielsen Company reported that 43% of consumers are more likely to buy a new product when learning about it on social media.
There are many social media options available to contractors. One of the most popular channels is Instagram.
What is Instagram for Contractors?
First, Instagram is more than a social media channel used by your kids. It has become a tool used by successful businesses to promote their products and services to their customers. Instagram is a mobile social media platform where people can share photos and videos publicly as well as privately with approved followers.
But are you aware that as a contractor or skilled tradesman that Instagram is an awesome tool you can add to your marketing tool belt? It can help you build trust and relationships with potential clients. It is also a great social platform to connect with other contractors and skilled tradesmen in your field.
Let’s look at some opportunities to use this awesome marketing tool!
The work of a skilled tradesman usually ends with a finish product. Your finished product is typically something you and your customer can see and feel. From excavating the site to setting the foundation. From framing the structure to installing the roofing. Roughing in the electrical and plumbing systems. Add in the finish work including drywall, cabinets and trim finish work. The end result is a finished product you can see.
So why not document the process with pictures or videos. With the ease of smartphone photography you don’t need to be Ansel Adams to take a great photo of the work you do. Just reach into your pocket or belt-clip, step back, point, and shoot. Done, right? Not yet.
Let me tell you how Instagram can help add visual and value to your business.
Construct-Ed Instagram Live!
We use Instagram to interview professionals in the trades industry to share their knowledge with other tradesmen. Check out the interviews here in this free course.
Before Instagram, you would take a digital photo of your work with a digital camera or camera phone. The next step would be to save those to your computer hard drive. Or maybe you took the time and uploaded those project photos to your company’s website. These were cumbersome options which limited your ability to quickly share the images with current or prospective clients.
This is where Instragram can be used to get your message out faster!
Instagram is one of the top places for people to share and view photos. So why not leverage that app it to help show off your companies work!
First, remember that Instagram is a mobile app and as of right now, posting photos to Instagram can only be done from a smart mobile device that supports Instagram.
Using Social Media to Support Your Business
Instagram can be an easy way to share photos to other social networks. Watch this online training course and learn the best practices for effectively using social media for your business.
How to get started using Instagram as a Contractor.
So first you’ll need to have Instagram installed on your mobile device. But before you leave this article to go install it and think you know everything…let me throw you a curveball!
First, you’ll need to select whether you want a business account or a personal account. Yes, there are two different choices. And yes, they both can help your business.
Business Account
First, its FREE to set up a business account. The first benefit of using a business account is that you can dive into the analytics for your Instagram posts.
An additional perk of a business account is that you can also boost your posts. This means that you pay Instagram to show your post as an advertisement which will get your pictures in front of more people. You can then get the analytics on your posts to learn which posts are performing the best.
Personal Account
Personal accounts are still FREE. But, you don’t get any analytics with this account. You also won’t be able to boost any post.
You might be thinking…. “That doesn’t sound good for my business!”
Well, if you don’t want to spend money boosting posts or care about looking at analytics, then why add another expense to your business? And if you really want to get into the analytics of your Instagram account you can always switch it to a business account later with no complications.
How will Instagram help you in your line of construction work.
Like I said earlier, photos and videos really show off the work you do in such a visual industry. Take a photo, do some quick editing or simply apply one of the many Instagram filters to make your photo pop! There are ways to take photos from a higher quality camera and post them to your Instagram account as well, but let’s just stick to the basics.
Construct-Ed on Instagram
Check out our Instagram feed to see how we use this powerful social media tool.
Instagram is more than just pictures.
It’s not all about the photo. Adding a description gets more engagement from your followers.
You can simply write a few words about the project photo. Or, if you have more to share, you can write 3 short paragraphs. Think of it as a mini blog. And at the end of your description don’t post until you add few hashtags.
HASHTAGS!?!?!
Yes, hashtags are still popular! It’s a great way link your photos to other photos through the same hashtag. Hashtags extend your reach on Instagram’s social platform.
For example, if you used the hashtag #keepcraftalive on your post, other people who use that same hashtag will see your post and may want to interact (Like, Comment, or Follow) with you on that photo.
And it works the same for when you want to grow your social network. Searching hashtags could help you find other contractors in the same line of work.
Lastly, it’s not all about business.
It’s great to share photos of your finished work or projects you’re currently working on but keeping it personal can be a wonderful thing for your followers. It helps them feel more connected with you.
Some ideas could be as simple as sharing your commute to work, news about your coworkers, family, or maybe an event you’re taking part of in your community.
It’s great to post about your work, but a little personality occasionally can make all the difference. And if someone sees the real you, they may feel more comfortable to pick up the phone to call you when they need your services or want to connect with your business.
You can share your photos not only to your Instagram followers, but to your other social networks you’re on as well, such as Facebook, LinkedIn and Twitter. It’s no secret, people love photos. There is the visual aspect of it, and it’s great to have an app like Instagram that makes it easier to share to other social media platforms.
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