Tradespeople and social media

Advertising your business in a trade directory such as Trust Local is a great way to promote your services, but, increasingly, tradesmen are recognising the benefits of also using social media to push themselves ahead of their competitors. Aside from being free, social media can help professionals in all trades gain new customers, interact with existing customers and raise their profile.

In order to use social media effectively, tradespeople should always create a separate page from any personal pages they may already have. Keeping the site professional is vital, so be careful of what you say and how you say it at all times. Having a social media presence can be an effective way to show customers and potential customers examples of your work, the services you offer and useful tips and skills that showcase your expertise.

The content you post should be informative and relevant, as opposed to trying to push a sale, especially if you want to gain followers and get your posts shared and liked. You need to post regularly in order to keep visitors coming back to your pages, and to ensure your business name gets ranked highly on the search engines. Keep your site updated and accurate, especially with regards to contact information.

Publishing pictures or videos of your work can be a great way to attract customers on social media, so, with permission from clients, upload examples of your work to showcase your excellence. Adding testimonials from satisfied customers can also be beneficial to give confidence to others that you're a respectable trades professional.

Whether you're a plumber in Bristol or a hairdresser in London, social media is an invaluable tool to interact with your customers. Use sites such as Facebook to answer queries, respond to comments or provide advice. This can encourage loyalty and brand awareness.

Social media isn't just a tool for marketing your trade to consumers. It can be a useful way to collaborate with other related tradespeople. In some cases, they may be able to link your name to their sites, which can prove an effective referral marketing strategy.