THE BRANDING ISSUE
GETTING SOCIAL
PEOPLE HAVE A LOVE / HATE RELATIONSHIP WITH SOCIAL MEDIA . BUT FOR THE SAKE OF YOUR BUSINESS , YOU BETTER LEARN TO LOVE IT . BECAUSE IT ’ S A POTENTIAL GOLDMINE .
W hereas a couple of decades ago , the Yellow Pages was the go-to for finding your local tradie , today it ’ s the internet . And , while having your search engine optimisation and website fine-tuned will certainly help , social media gives you the opportunity to connect with customers , particularly in the local area .
“ One of the primary reasons for using social media for electricians is that it can offer the opportunity to interact with customers , both potential and existing ,” says Prosper M Taruvinga , Founder of Melbourne-based Livelong Digital .
“ An electrical contractor can build rapport , gain trust from people who are considering using your services and answer questions quickly from your followers .”
Knowing you should use social media and knowing how to use it are two very different things , of course .
And there ’ s a whole host of platforms to choose from . From Facebook to Tiktok , LinkedIn to Instagram , there ’ s a plethora of options out there .
“ There ’ s no question that you can grow and scale your electrical business using social media ,” says Judy Sahay , Founder and Managing Director of social media agency Crowd Media Group in Melbourne .
“ I ’ d recommend concentrating on Facebook and Instagram as the primary platforms .”
Spending time on Facebook and Instagram , and perfecting those platforms is a far better idea than trying to do a little bit of everything . Here are some tips for getting it right .
FLOURISHING ON FACEBOOK Facebook is the best way to get people connected to stories that are relevant to the participants you ’ re looking to attract , says Sahay .
“ Facebook enables you to understand your audience better , and running targeted ads for certain services will build a more engaged audience – for example , you can target people who are looking for an electrician right now . The ads can be super-targeted , highly focused on your service offering , educational posts on how to prevent electrical issues , thought leadership content on how they are leading the way and promotional content .”
Facebook has a whole host of community groups for local businesses , buy / swap / sell and general community chat . By being present in those groups , you can add some knowledge while being there first-hand when someone needs some help . Which they will !
“ For electricians providing residential services , they will have many customers coming from community groups within Facebook ,” explains Tina Hay of Puzzle Media in Varsity Lakes , Queensland .
“ These groups have increased in popularity over the years , and Facebook prioritises this content for their users . It ' s usually not enough for someone to just ' tag ' a business ; the person seeking those services typically will research the ' tagged ' Facebook page attached to the company . If there are no recent updates or posts , it can feel like the business is inactive .”
MAKING AN INSTA IMPACT Instagram , says Sahay , is ideally used for showcasing the electrician ’ s work and what the brand stands for . “ It ’ s a resource hub to help customers make the right choice and find content that inspires them . Content on this platform will be a mix of thought leadership , inspirational , humanising , promotional , behind the scenes ( testimonial ) interviews with customers , founder and most importantly educational content about the brand and its point of difference .”
LINKING UP ON LINKEDIN Another option , says Hay , is LinkedIn – particularly for commercial electricians .
“ LinkedIn has fewer users than the likes of Facebook and Instagram , therefore there is a higher likelihood of users seeing content and responding positively ,” she says .
“ Connect with suppliers , builders , other referral partners including facilities managers and maintenance managers . The opportunities are endless when it comes to LinkedIn for electricians .” n
38 GEMCELL . COM . AU OCT – NOV 2021