Why Commercial Construction Companies Need to Stop Looking to Social Media for New Business
It's not uncommon for a commercial construction company to see their Facebook page and think, "This should be a great place to find new business." After all, you've got thousands of followers who are already interested in your products and services—so why not try advertising on Facebook? It seems like a no-brainer.
Well, as luck would have it, there are lots of reasons not to do this. Construction companies that try to put their social media efforts into finding new business, end up leaving with a bad taste in their mouths because they wasted time and money on campaigns that were ultimately ineffective or didn’t get them results they can measure in any meaningful way.
Social media is a great place to nurture relationships as a contractor, but it's not a good place to try to find new business.
Most commercial contractors are B2B (business-to-business), not B2C (business-to-consumer). When it comes time for the actual transaction to take place, you’ve usually gotten yourself there by picking up the phone, attending an association event, sent an email or met in-person before you were signing the dotted line & awarded the project. The same can’t be said for B2C businesses, where a more traditional sales funnel can typically bring in new business.
If we know this isn’t the case for us construction companies, why are we approaching our social medias like our suppliers?
It’s a question I ponder on the daily. We create all sorts of content for our construction clients, but most of them first came to us thinking their social media was going to be something that brought them new business - and I don’t blame them! The answer is simple, really; Time is money, and there’s no other industry where that is more apparent than in construction.
We’re used to thinking that If we spend time on XYZ, then the expectation is that XYZ should be bringing in money. But this approach simply doesn’t work when it comes to social media in an industry that’s relationship-based.
For construction, the decision makers aren’t choosing their contractors simply because they follow them on Twitter or Instagram--they're buying from businesses they know and trust through personal relationships. You can make yourself be known through social media, of course, but a DM typically isn’t going to be the thing that lands you a multi-million dollar job (although, I’m sure this HAS happened at one point or another).
Social media can still be an important source for bringing in new business, but not in the way you might think.
Think of your social media strategy in terms of brand awareness. By nurturing connections & being the company that constantly has posts at the top of all the feeds, you’re more likely to come to mind when someone’s in the market to hire a contractor with your specialty. Having a good construction meme is going to serve you MUCH more in the long-run than an ad that lists your services with a sales-ey caption.
So what CAN you do with your social media that won’t leave you burnt out and confused? Easy! Give prospects a reason to trust you. Lead with story & remind your customers that you’re there & don’t plan on leaving any time soon. Share your projects, introduce us to your team, even throw in some office-humor every once in awhile… When you switch from thinking about converting your audience to nurturing your audience, your social media will start to form it’s own voice and resonate with those you’re actually trying to reach.
Still confused? You aren’t alone in feeling this way & that’s exactly why we’re here! Shoot us a message and we can talk shop about all the ways we can help make social media something you can enjoy again :)
-Becca OUT ✌️
