by tradesmeninsights | Apr 20, 2010 | Marketing Tips, Social Marketing
We’re all trying to keep ahead of the curve, and social media is one way of doing that. Lots of people are afraid of social as if it’s something scary. I think the unknown plays a big part in the uncertainty. You can break social so why not dive in and try. The water is just fine.
I read a post recently by a friend of mine and fellow blogger Nicky Jameson, 19 Things I’ve Learned About Social Media, and it made me start to think about what I’ve learned and here are my 5 observations:
- Don’t ignore social media – Just because you may not understand it, don’t look the other way. This is not a flash in the pan. It will affect all of us in one way or another so you’re better off facing it. There’s lot of good business potential out there.
- Social media isn’t a silver bullet – I’ve said this several times before, social media isn’t the answer, it’s just more tools you can use in your marketing tool box.
- Have a plan – If you’re going to do social media, then have a plan. What are you trying to accomplish and how does it fit into your other current marketing programs.
- Content is still king – if you’re going to do social media. You need to give something of value. That’s part of the program. The more you give, the more you are considered a thought leader in that category.
- Face-to-face – is still the best for contact. As humans, we need to interact and as I say, belly button to belly button is still the best in my book. Social media is one way to identify potentials and start building a relationship that hopefully one day will end in a face-to-face meeting.
These are my top 5. What are yours?
If you like this post, please pass it on.
Here are a few other posts that might be of interest:
3 Ways Tradespeople Can Use Social Media to Boost Credibility and Business.
Why Do People Ignore Social Media Metrics?
Social Media: Who Uses It and Why.
by tradesmeninsights | Sep 23, 2009 | Marketing Tips, Social Marketing
Today we are continuing an article by Nicky Jameson on how Tradespeople can use social media to generate new business.
Yesterday, Nicky talked about establishing trust with consumers. Today she will cover building a positive word of mouth and how to establish yourself as an authority.
2. Use social media to build positive word of mouth
Whether you are involved in social media or not, people are already talking about you. They are discussing your services and your brand for good or worse. For tradespeople, it’s even more crucial when people are discussing your industry.
How many times have we heard what to us seems like the “experience from hell” listening to a friend’s home renovation story? As consumers who will probably need to use a tradesperson in the future, we cross our fingers and silently thank our stars we’re not the victim… then we wonder how we go about finding a great tradesperson ourselves. The problem is that the “rogue traders” ruin it for the thousands of honest, reputable tradespeople.
If you as a tradesperson have a blog, are on Twitter or have a Facebook page, contribute to a tradesperson’s forum or use another social network, that’s a big help for us and a big advantage for you. First, we search online to see what people are saying. If we like what we find, we’re likely to call you… and when you do a great job, we spread the word…. On Facebook, on Twitter, in our other social networks. In fact, we don’t wait until someone asks us, we’ll generally tell our friends via Twitter, Facebook, forums etc… because our friends trust our recommendations. They in turn share our positive experience, and word of mouth spreads.
What’s more, those recommendations stay online indefinitely. Of course, it can work both ways. The adage that one unhappy customer tells 9 other people has huge implications when you bring in the social media mix. Overall, though, social media is an opportunity for you to take advantage of exponential word of mouth.
3. Use social media to establish yourself as an authority
While not every builder is going to be a Mike Holmes, as a tradesperson you probably have helpful tips and information your clientele (present and potential) need.
You have the answers to questions like:
- How do I hire a tradesperson?
- What questions should I ask the tradesperson?
- How many estimates do I need?
- How do I know the tradesperson can do the job I want?
- Should I ask for credentials?
With Social Media, it’s easier than ever to create and distribute valuable content for your clients.
Here’s an example:
Pete loves the idea of social media. He has a home construction business and over the years has noticed that people ask the same questions over and over again. He found out he could do video so easily he did a short video on just one of the topics people were asking about and posted it on YouTube and posted a link to his website.
He was overawed at the result. Over 500 people accessed the video in 2 days and clicked back to his website. The response was so good that he decided to do a series of short videos, answering the top questions people asked, and even asking people to submit their most pressing questions.
He had phenomenal results. Pete now does a regular video tip every other week, uploads it to YouTube and his website, and has got some good business from it, because people click his link and go to his site. Best of all, he’s established trust and is seen as an expert standing by his audience.
You can video to share tips and valuable information with your clients. People can watch and share your video with their friends who can then share them with their friends. Thanks to the power of social media tools and social networks, your video and content can go viral in less time than you might think.
Social media gives you almost unlimited opportunity to expand your relationships with fellow tradespeople and your customers. People do business with those they like and trust and using social media extends your ability to establish relationship and trust.
Nicky Jameson is an online Copywriter who specializes in improving B2B websites. She’s also a blogger on using social media for business. Nicky blogs at http://nickyjameson.com and her website is http://copywritingstudio.com
by tradesmeninsights | Sep 22, 2009 | Marketing Tips, Social Marketing
I’m always trying to give manufacturers ideas on how to reach the professional tradesman by using social media. I’ve asked a friend of mine and fellow B-to-B blogger Nicky Jameson to offer her comments and insights on how the tradespeople can utilize social to build their business. I think you will enjoy her comments in this 2-part series. Enjoy.
Many tradespeople feel they don’t really need to have anything to do with social media. Perhaps because their business comes mostly through referrals, or they don’t see immediate value in social media, or they feel it may take up too much time and they need to be out getting new business. And many tradespeople feel intimidated by social media.
Getting business is important and should never take a back seat to your marketing activities. Social media tools are exactly that – tools. However social media is an opportunity you don’t want to miss because it can actually help you target local business more effectively. More importantly, it can help establish you as a trusted person to do business with. Trust, engagement and relationships are the building blocks of business – and social media.
If you’re a tradesperson, you rely on word of mouth to spread the word about your business and services. Did you know social media can help you take this to a new level?
Here are 3 ways Tradespeople can use social media to benefit their customers and business:
1. Use social media to establish trust with consumers
Did you know that one of the top concerns consumers have with regard to allowing tradespeople into their homes is trust? Put yourselves in your customer’s shoes for a moment. As a customer, you’re alone in an emergency. You need a plumber or an electrician… or another tradesperson to fix something you can’t do yourself. You’ve never met the tradesperson, yet there you are about to let a complete stranger into your home for an unspecified time. Most people are uncomfortable about allowing strangers into their homes at any time and they usually have no way of knowing who’s trustworthy and who isn’t.
According to Hattie Hasan of UK plumbing company Stopcocks, trust has never been more important and consumers are becoming increasingly cautious when hiring tradespeople. They also want to ensure they spend their money wisely… on jobs well done.
When you join a social network that operates on a trust basis with other tradespeople, it helps you establish trust with consumers. When they search for you online and see you are in a trust-based social network, it helps build confidence in potential customers.
Part two will cover :
Using social media to build a positive word of mouth
Using Social media to establish yourself as an authority
See Part 2 here.
Nicky Jameson is an online copywriter who specializes in improving B2B websites. She’s also a blogger on using social media for business. Nicky blogs at http://nickyjameson.com and her website is http://copywritingstudio.com
by tradesmeninsights | Aug 11, 2009 | Marketing Tips, Social Marketing
A forum is a group of like-minded people who share a common interest in a particular subject. It could be anything from fine wine to travel to the best ways an electrical contractor can make more money. What’s great about the internet is it’s one big database where you can search for virtually anything.
Use Google or any other search engine and type in your area of interest, e.g. fine wine, and add the word “forum” after it (there are 2,170,000 results on Google for this). If you type in electrical contractors forum, you get 2,270,000 results. The point is, there are plenty of people that share the same passions as you do.
Forums do have rules you need to follow them. Some are written and some not. If there are written rules, they are usually posted. Remember, this is a social site, not a sell site. Forums are a great place to listen, learn and grow trust with the audience. So how do you get the most out of forums?
Here are 5 of my favorite ones from tips from Nicky Jameson from a recent post .
- Register for a forum – then lurk. Get the feel for the tone, style and interaction of the group you joined.
- Slowly start posting – once you get the lay of the land, start by posting an introduction. Then you can move onto answering questions.
- Build a reputation – do the basic stuff, that is, make good posts. Seek to establish yourself as an expert.
- Answer questions – provide the most complete answer as possible with the appropriate links.
- Share your opinion – make sure they know it’s your opinion so folks don’t confuse it with facts. Contrary opinions can be useful in highlighting an alternative option.
You can read her entire post at: 11 Steps For Getting Free Traffic From Forums.
by tradesmeninsights | Jul 8, 2009 | Marketing Tools, Social Marketing
Are you taking advantage of the numerous sites out there that can drive traffic back to you? If your online presence is limited to things like banner ads and blogging, you’re missing out on some great social media marketing opportunities. 
Following is a link to 50 sites you may want to visit. Granted, they may not all be applicable, but I’ll bet you’ll find plenty to keep you busy for a while. Take your social media networking to the next level. Enjoy!
Inside CRM, 50 social sites that everybody needs a presence on.
Nicky Jameson, There’s more to social networking than LinkedIn, Facebook and Twitter.
