Social Media for Your Service Business

We’ve all heard it, “You HAVE to be on social media.” And, well, it’s true. Social media is far and wide the best way to reach a mass amount of people at a very low cost. Service businesses like HVAC companies, electrical companies, and plumbing companies, can use social media to gain new customers, promote specials/sales, and share new product info or customer reviews.

When you’re starting to venture into social media for your service business, you’ll want to evaluate which platforms are best to reach your potential customers. Social media has grown beyond just Facebook and Twitter and each platform has users that fall into different demographics.

Social Media Platform Round-Up:

• Facebook: Biggest social media site with 1.6 billion monthly active users. It is estimated that more than 1 million small and medium-sized businesses use Facebook to market and advertise their business.
• Instagram: Primarily a visual platform focused on photos and video. Instagram is owned by Facebook and has over 400 million active users. Many users post about topics such as food, fashion, travel, and art.
• LinkedIn: LinkedIn is the best resource for professional networking. There are over 400 million registered users and it is a great place for people to connect with people in similar industries, sharing company and business statistics, and connecting with others on a professional level.
• Twitter: You only have 280 characters or less but that makes Twitter a quick read for consumers. The platform is great for news updates and sports/media coverage.

• Snapchat: One of the latest platforms, Snapchat has hit great strides with younger demographics. The platform’s main feature is disappearing content and funny phone/video filters.
• YouTube: At 1.3 BILLION active monthly users, YouTube is the go-to for any video viewing. Video content covers a broad range and includes topics like makeup and hair tutorials, product reviews, DIY, funny videos and educational content.
• Pinterest: Another image-focused platform, Pinterest aims to inspire users to take action. The platform is extremely popular in the fitness and home decor/DIY industries.

Pick your platforms

While it’s tempting to think your service business should be active on all platforms, you have to be realistic. Identify your key audiences (think: homeowners maybe between the ages of 25-60, male and female) and select one or two social media platforms they’re most likely to be on. Once you’re comfortable and posting consistently on those sites, you can experiment with new platforms.

The takeaway here is, quality over quantity when it comes to social media. Avoid having a watered-down presence on all platforms, and instead, select a couple and really OWN it.