Are you running a small home building/construction business or company and looking for innovative strategies to improve your social media presence? The construction industry is a highly competitive field. Digital marketing for small business via social media is a challenging task and involves the huge responsibility of keeping clients happy and engaged. While some home builders provide a wide range of services, there are others that offer very specific services. With every passing year, the role of social media in digital marketing is getting bigger. The growth of social media platforms at an unprecedented rate has enabled home builders and remodelers to more easily and efficiently promote their brand and services, improve visibility, and engage with potential customers. Choosing a specific social media platform and merging all the digital marketing tools will yield good results. Instagram’s exceedingly visual interface has taken the social media marketplace by storm since its launch in 2010.
With more than 1 billion users, Instagram is one of the most popular social media platforms in the world and has emerged as the second most popular app after Facebook. According to Instagram’s User Survey, 60 percent of people stated they discover new products on Instagram, and more than 200 million Instagram users stated that they visit at least one business profile daily. It is for this reason that having an Instagram account is vital for building material manufacturers. According to a Sprout Social Infographics, 33 percent Instagram users fall in the 30-49 years age bracket, which is the primary target group for construction firms.
Having an Instagram account is vital for home builders, especially if their target audience are architects, who are constantly seeking inspiring images from conception to construction. Here discussed are some important tips on how a home building and remodeling company can use the Instagram platform to seek the attention of target audiences and stand out from the competitors –
- Complete Instagram Business Profile – If your home building company has an Instagram profile, then convert it into a business account first. If you are setting up an Instagram profile for the first time, then it is better to sign up for a business profile directly. Make sure to optimize or complete the business profile by adding a proper bio and links. Fill out the name and contact details so that your account is visible and search friendly. Ensure your Instagram username is simple without convoluted symbols and write your official business name again in the profile name section. Consider using the word ‘contractors’ in the name section rather than ‘construction contractors.’ Restrict the bio section to a clear description of what your business is about. Make sure you are using a business account, and make it simple for people to click on your contact details.
- Create Visually Appealing Content – Instagram being a photo-sharing social media platform, it is extremely important to share visually-appealing content. Instagram allows users to create albums and attach up to 10 images and videos per album, whether it is related to the progression of a project from beginning to end, the steps in a construction process, or end of the week roundup posts. Invest in a professional photographer to establish your company’s brand identity and feature products/projects in the best light. Instagram grid is extremely important and if the grid is not organized, people will not be inclined to follow your company account. Never ever post pixilated, blurry, or random photos that don’t highlight a company product. Another important factor is to focus on the color palette. Create a distinct style by selecting a color palette for the photos that relate to the materials and products.
- Include Multiple Photos in a Single Post – Maintaining a variety of photos or images in one single post in crucial as no one likes to view a row of photos that look really similar. On the other hand, posting a detailed portfolio of one project or a series of images showing the progression of a building can bring quality results.
- Focus on Video Content – Videos can help illustrate a more human side of a construction brand – right from taking the followers behind-the-scenes to filming the team working in the factory. Time lapses and sped-up videos of construction sites are great ways to rake in views. Drone videos are becoming very popular on construction sites. In addition to sharing video content as posts, Instagram supports live video in stories. Include a tour of office or a walk-through for a new project. Also, videos showing precision or symmetry are notorious for going viral.
- Use Hashtags in a Smart Way – Hashtags are an effective way to expose a brand to a new group of audience who care about the niche area of the company. Hashtags can be an effective way to expose your brand to new audiences that care about your business niche. For instance, if a construction company wants their content to reach people who are interested in wooden products and sustainability, they could add the hashtags #Wood and #EcoFriendly to their posts. By creating unique hashtags, they are helping people find their posts more easily. However, never overuse these hashtags. Instagram allows nearly 30 hashtags with a post. Try not to add more than 11 hashtags with one post, as they could look like spam. Also, create a branded hashtag that is unique to the specific area of business. This could include company name, the details of your old and ongoing projects or the motto that identifies a specific construction brand. For instance, Ghilotti Construction Company located in Northern California, US – uses a lot of hashtags with their posts that are clickable and searchable. People who search for related hashtags such as #happynewyear #construction or #california, can see their posts with these hashtags.
- Make Use of Stories – Instagram stories are a wonderful way to showcase what’s going on. The Stories featured on Instagram is a key component to engage the target audience. It is estimated that users tend to engage almost 40 percent more with Instagram Stories than they do with feed posts. Stories allow audiences to get a 15-second or less peek into what a construction business or company is doing. These posts only last in Stories for 24 hours, but can be added to highlights for eternal viewing. The story feature allows audiences to quickly and easily interact with the content as well as expose the content to new audiences. Reports suggest that users spend thrice the time watching live video on social media than a prerecorded one. There are several Story stickers that can be used to communicate with the audience. Make sure to always add location when you want your story to be seen locally. Creating stories helps a home building company to establish a thread of consistency by creating their own branded quote template and use it to post a quote each week. Construction companies can “go live” and convey their message using video. Hosting live Q&A sessions is a great way to answer followers in real time.
- Go Behind the Scenes – Focus on posts that make the clients and followers understand that there is more to the business than just constructing or making money. Behind–the–scenes videos humanize the company Instagram account and explain the “people” side of the construction brand. Just because you are into a serious business, it does not mean that the images posted should always be serious and professional. Try to share images or videos of construction workers and crew on job sites, show the planning involved in projects, and include individuals who are usually not featured on company social media accounts, like the janitor or receptionist. Adding a fun side is also a great idea to show even contractors have a sense of humor.
- Give Sneak-Peaks – No matter how high the quality of content is, failure to stick to a posting schedule will hinder a company’s growth. Alternate posts between showcasing the big picture vision of the company, past and future projects, entertaining video content and the human element of the individuals behind the company. Generally, most people tend to follow a construction company account because they want updates about the construction business or have worked with the company in the past. Each month, take some time to outline new developments, product launches, new services, industry events, newsworthy issues or seasonal trends and target posts accordingly. For example, consider your company is working on building a pool for a house in an upscale locality with great views of the city. Take a picture close to sunset so that people can have a unique view. In fact, these kinds of posts can make the followers feel elite, as they are getting to see sneak peeks that others are not.
Building an active Instagram profile for home builders or remodelers will help connect with the current and potential client base. Creating visual images is one of the top benefits of Instagram because it helps to communicate with others quickly. Consider the above-mentioned tips when designing your Instagram profile and generate local traffic for your construction business. A professional digital marketing services company could help implement the right strategies to enhance your construction website’s visibility to the right audience group.
