Over 50 percent of social media users connect with brands. Yes, that does include big brands and industry leaders like those you’d find in the construction industry. Although many big companies are already utilizing social media in some shape or form, there are things companies in the construction industry can to do be industry leaders online as well as in business. Here are a few social media tips that are sure to lead you in the right direction with your customers:
Social Media Tip #1: Create a LinkedIn Company Page
There are over 135 million users on LinkedIn, and despite it being the third largest social network, LinkedIn still seems like that social network in the corner that people forget is there. That’s why having a LinkedIn company page is so crucial. Have your sales team send prospective customers to the page to check out new products and services. Add status updates in a location that few others are doing so. The best thing about LinkedIn is that there’s tons of uncharted territory, especially in the construction industry. You can really position yourself as an industry leader by taking full advantage of a company page.
Social Media Tip #2: Create a Twitter Landing Page
If you have a Twitter account (and you should), do something a little extra by linking the Twitter account to a specific landing page on your website. This allows you to customize the experience of the person who chose to follow the company and to check out your website, while offering the chance for you to outline your Twitter policies regarding spam and tweet topics. A Twitter landing page also provides a great opportunity for your company to have a call to action, or a request of what you want the website visitor to do. Would you like the visitor to check out your newest project, or to contact your for more information about services? Let them know on the Twitter landing page.
Don’t forget to have your corporate website link back to your Twitter page. Many companies actually forget to do that.
Social Media Tip #3: Encourage Your Employees to Use it
Two-thirds of employees are proud of their employer, but only 19 percent of them share stories on social media. That’s a huge potential of customer interaction and engagement that goes unused. And no, encouraging your employees to use it doesn’t mean hiring a social media manager or assigning your marketing team to the task. Why not get a foreman or a project manager tweeting or blogging about the great work your company is doing? Or have a few of your best salespeople jump on Tumblr and document the time and work they do at your workplace? If anything, this will add human faces and voices to your company and your brand, and break through that corporate speak and advertising that’s beginning to turn people off.
Social Media Tip #4: Go to the Networks Your Customers Go To
This is especially important if you have a lot of international clients, as you should probably have a presence on the networks popular in Europe and Asia. Facebook is pretty universal, so that’s a no brainer, but Vkontakte is very popular in Eastern Europe. MySpace also remains pretty popular in Europe and Asia, despite its fallout in the United States. Bebo is the second-most popular social media site in the United Kingdom, while Badoo and Orkut are popular in emerging economies. China is a unique case with its own platforms, such as RenRen and Sina Weibo.
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