Benefits of Social Media in Commercial Construction

July 11, 2015

If you’re anything like my dad, you think social media is the root of all evil. My dad has worked in the construction industry all of his life and he used to preach that we didn’t need technology. Well, sorry dad, but you were wrong. (Don’t tell him I said that…BUT) Technology is the world we live in now, whether we like it or not. Maybe it is time for construction companies to move into the world of social media.

Social media is what keeps our world connected. At this point, like it or not, if you’re company doesn’t have social media, you’re falling behind. You might as well get your pencil ready to rewind your cassette tape. Or, you can log-in to the internet and get your fingers typing up a new profile for your business. There are many benefits for personal and business use of social networking.

Network

Social media allows you to network with your audience and other companies in your industry. You can interact with others through comments, likes, shares and personal messages. You can also see what your competition is up to and how their audience interaction is doing. Networking is incredibly important when building up clientele. It seems like there’s never enough time to devote to connecting with past and future clients. There are many ways new and returning clients can reach out to you through social media. When a client recognizes you on social media about the great job you did, their friends and contacts see your name and from that you may even gain another follower, or better yet, another lead for your business.

Efficiently Reach Your Audience

With one click of a button, you can reach a mass audience. You don’t have to get out your phone book and look up every client’s telephone number and address to send them an important message anymore. Social media is a fast-paced network, so the news you see is typically the most up to date information. Most social media sites have apps for smartphones, so you wouldn’t even need to be on a computer to inform clients of the windows you installed on the new building of Shakespeare’s Pizza in downtown Columbia.

Build Relationships

Social media allows you to plant and grow relationships with your clients. You can interact with one another and connect on a more casual note. I’m not saying your posts should share overly personal details and have incorrect grammar, but you can post images or statuses about your company with a human touch.

You may even create relationships you wouldn’t have otherwise. Connecting with people who may be a long distance away or in different time zones is a common occurrence on social media. This is important for commercial construction companies, because it gives you a way to connect with potential clients and partner companies for potential out of town jobs if that’s what you’re looking for.

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Expand Your Audience and Generate Leads

Social media works as an avenue to expand your audience and find new customers for your business. Clients can share your post or tag you in a picture of a project you recently completed for them. Next thing you know, you have a message the following day from a potential client saying they saw your work and want you to do a project for them!

Receive Feedback

If your audience really enjoys a status or picture you posted, they will most likely take some sort of an action to make it known. Comments, likes and shares allow for instant feedback. You may gather more honest feedback online because people feel protected by their screen in front of them. You will get open and sometimes brutally honest feedback from your audience.

Construction companies can use this feedback to improve your company work. Maybe your company is so used to your process after doing it for years, that you lack when informing clients on your progress for their project. Clients will make this known, and now you’re informed and know how to fix the issue.

Self Boost

Who doesn’t love to save money? I know I do! Social media allows you to generate leads for a small price. Your brand awareness increases every time one of your followers shares your post. This is awesome because you don’t have to spend as much money on advertising as you would have otherwise. That doesn’t mean that you don’t need advertising though- just saying.

What types of social media are there?

The most common social media networks currently are Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, LinkedIn and YouTube. Although, there are some specific social media apps for construction, like WorkHands, there is a place for construction companies in all social media networks listed here.

You should be happy to know that my dad is no longer convinced that social media is a bad thing. He is actually an avid social media user and sees the importance of having a way to connect with others online. Your construction company can benefit, just like my dad did, with the use of social media. Now stop listening to your Poison- Every Rose Has Its Thorn cassette tape and get on your computer to set up your company’s new social media account.