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The success of any business relies on the integrity, reliability and communication with your clients, and this is no different for contractors. Building a contractor business relies on your reputation.

Having a marketing strategy will help build relationships and contractor awareness and is the place to market yourself and be effective in a fast paced, digital world. Social media is where you can get up close and personal.

Social media is used for all sorts of reasons. Some people simply use it for pleasure and have no interest in using it for business purposes, some enjoy keeping up to date with family and friends, some only use it for business. With the amount of people using social media though, it’s a given that it’s the easiest, most effective and cheapest way to reach a large amount of people in a short amount of time.

Even if you’re not a big social media fan, your audience might just be. Having a presence on social media will give opportunity to raise the awareness of your services and to attract those seeking what you have to offer - even when they don’t realise they need it! People are influenced when they see something they like or can see will add value. If you’re in front of your audience on a regular basis, they will have you in mind when they decide that they need your services.

Why should contractors be on social media?

The simple reason that contractors need to be on social media is because everyone else is. Your competition, your audience, your potential clients, they are all there.

It’s a great place to find out what potential clients are looking for in a contractor and how you can fulfil the project. It can also be used to showcase your expertise and answer industry questions giving you a presence amongst people that may need your services in the future. If you’ve already made a connection, it’s easier for people to get back in touch with you.

Which platforms should you be on as a contractor?

This all varies on the type of services you provide but the main social channels are all great for reaching out and building your online reputation.

Your choice of platform will vary depending on your personal preference but the main ones to consider as a started will be:

• Facebook• LinkedIn• Twitter

Facebook

This is a place where people can visit your business page, learn more about your services in a visual way and hear stories and testimonials about what you’ve accomplished. People can engage with your posts, share them or ask questions and the more you post and engage, the more chance there is of other people seeing your content in their news feeds. If you’re a personal Facebook user, you can share your company updates on your own profile for a bigger chance of reaching a wider audience. If you decide to go down a paid advertising route, Facebook has a much higher ROI than other channels.

LinkedIn

This is a professional platform where your personal profile needs to stand out from the crowd and grab the attention of people looking for your services. You can set up a business page, but as a contractor, if you are active on your personal profile, you can achieve just as much without the need for a business page. This is the place to ‘online network’ and build connections and contacts who could become potential clients. Connect with past clients in order to gain recommendations from past work and build up a portfolio that will help you build your reputation. LinkedIn is one of the biggest search engines on the internet. Therefore, with the people already looking for your services, it's a great place to be.

Twitter

Having a presence on Twitter is more about conversation and awareness, to engage with business or industry discussions and to voice your opinions. As a contractor you can get involved with relevant conversations that will help you to establish a presence. It’s also a great place to find people who are seeking help or need your services., but do not necessarily know where to look. Twitter is extremely fast paced and tweets are posted regularly but that’s ok, you can find what you’re looking for through the search facility using industry #hashtags and replying to tweets from there.

It’s important that whichever social media platforms you choose, that you stay on top of them and manage them well. If you’re going to set up a profile, complete the setup and ensure that all your information and contact details are correct - the last thing you want is for someone to be ready to hire you but can’t find a way to get in touch with you! Then, once everything is ready, use it to showcase your personality, your abilities, your knowledge and your expertise. The more you post and the more you engage with other posts, the more aware people will become of your services.

Are you ready to get started on social media? Feel free to connect with us when you do!

If you’re looking for other ways to reach out to build your client base and find new assignments or projects, we’d be happy to help. Get in touch and let’s start a conversation.

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