Beyond the memes and banter on social media, you can also land your next contracting business client there if you play your cards right.
Your competitors understand this secret, too. That’s why 100% of Construction Marketing Association survey respondents already use social media to achieve incredible results, such as better brand awareness, more leads, and increased web traffic. So, how can you make your digital presence stand out despite such intense competition?
It’s not difficult, fortunately, but you need to put in some work. With this guide, you’ll understand four super-effective social media ideas for contractors.
Let’s get started:
1. Share impressive pictures of your projects
When using social media platforms to promote your business, you always want to put your best construction projects out there, from simple remodeling to complex excavations. You never know; someone looking for a contractor might just stumble upon your project images. And if they like what they see, they may proceed to reach out to your construction company directly to help them create something similar.
But take note. Since any of these social media posts might be some users’ first encounter with your company, be sure to nail that first impression with high-quality images. Make sure the lighting, angles, and cameras are all excellent. You can see how one company does this below:
Are you wondering what types of posts you can share? Well, like the image above, you can share photos of the completed project. But another good idea is to share before and after images.
Your captions matter, too. Ideally, this should provide a short description of the project, its key features, and the challenges you overcame, if any. And finally, you can also give a brief insight into the materials and processes you used.
2. Post testimonials from satisfied clients
Nine out of ten people will trust the words of your previous clients more than yours. This makes sense because they’ve experienced your service firsthand and are in a better position to either recommend it or not. That’s why sharing positive client testimonials can help your business.
After every successful project, proactively ask your happy customers for feedback. You can do this by sending them a simple feedback request via email.
You can also present your clients with multiple ways to offer customer feedback. This could be a short video testimonial or a written review.
Video testimonials tend to be more authentic, but they can be harder to get because they require additional effort. But you can make it easy for your clients by including a link to a one-click video testimonials software like Testimonial Hero or TrustMary. This will allow them to easily record and upload the video directly from their phones or computers.
When you get this social proof, share it across your social media channels. See this example from @karlythesparky and on Instagram:
Suppose it’s a written testimonial. Consider transforming it into a photo post like the one below. You can also feature your client’s image in the testimonial to humanize it. But before using their images, get full permission to do so.
3. Organize social media contests
A contest is another one of the most powerful social media ideas for contractors. It’s a solid way to bring fun and excitement into your construction social media marketing mix. As long as the prize for your contest is valuable and relevant to the intended audience, you can expect to generate a lot of customer engagement — Instagram likes, TikTok shares, and even X (formerly Twitter) reposts.
To fully leverage these contests, request email submission as one of the entry criteria. You can do this by creating a contest landing page where social media users can input their contact details. Add the landing page’s link to your bio and direct your followers to it via the contest posts. Use this contact info to build an email list. Then, target these potential customers with limited-time offers and tailored messages to convert them to paying clients.
But first, you need to be intentional about your contest’s prize. You don’t want something generic, so you don’t attract all kinds of people, including those who might not need your service down the line. Choose a prize that’s relevant to your service and qualifies the ideal customers in the first place. For example, Excav8te, an excavation contractor company, gave out a front entrance installation worth $5000 and $2500:
Your prize doesn’t have to be that expensive, though. You can also offer a free consultation or a special offer on your next project. These prizes will attract people who are more likely to be your customers later on.
As for the contest itself, it can be a simple sweepstakes. Simply ask your customer base to complete certain tasks to have a chance at winning. You can see Executive Property Construction, for example. You may then pick a winner at random.
A UGC (User-Generated Content) contest is another social media activity to try. You can ask your followers to share videos narrating their funny construction DIY fails on their social networks, for example. With this idea, you can use relatable humor to create a sense of community around your brand.
Before finally running your contest, check if your chosen social media platform has rules and regulations guiding contests. For instance, X also doesn’t like contests that say “the most likes wins,” because they can encourage users to create multiple accounts. Make sure to follow these rules to avoid penalties.
4. Create and share informative content
Apart from the forms of content we’ve mentioned so far, you also want to include informative and original content in your social media strategy. This content shows potential clients you’re an industry expert and a reliable source of information. As a result, they naturally start trusting you more than your competitors.
Informative content is also a good conversation starter. When the topic resonates with your potential customers, they’ll want to ask questions or give their opinions. This helps you build rapport with them and strengthen your social media presence.
But how can you create the right content for your social media audience?
Start by choosing the right topics to cover. Use social listening tools like Mention or Brand24 to see the discussions they’re having on social media platforms. From there, you can discover their pain points and the kind of content they would want to see.
Once you have the topics, you may then proceed to think about formats to present them to your target audience. These could be texts, images, infographics, or video content. Experiment to see which ones generate better results.
After you’ve chosen a format and a topic, you can start creating original, informative, and high-quality content for your ideal audience. Some effective social media post ideas to try include:
- DIYs
- Relevant industry news
- How-to guides
- Cost-saving tips
- Helpful resources or blog posts
- Answers to common questions
Take, for instance, a general contractor, EZ, who loves to share tips on his TikTok social media account.
Here’s another social media post example from Tommy Whitehead, who frequently posts construction industry insights on LinkedIn:
Make sure you still do your research to create your content. If you say or write something inaccurate, your brand image will be negatively affected.
In closing
As a contractor, social channels offer several benefits you can’t afford to overlook. That’s why this article covered four effective social media ideas for contractors to stand out from the crowd.
For a quick recap, these powerful tools include: sharing impressive project images; posting testimonials; organizing contests; and creating informative and engaging posts.
Apply these four social media efforts and watch your social media marketing results improve drastically.
Good luck.
