We want today to talk about building in the built environment. No, not in the bricks and mortar sense, but how to go about building a social media audience.
Some people seem to think that a mixture of dark arts and money is required to build a substantial following on social media, but thankfully that's not the case. Time and patience are required, yes, but you shouldn't have to resort to buying followers to build your firm's community on social media.
Those that tend to go down that route do so because they have been overawed by the sheer amount of competition on social media, but what are the chances that those bought followers are going to have a serious interest in the built environment? Fairly minimal, we'd suggest.
Instead, follow these tried and tested tips, which, though they won't offer you followers at a click of a button, will help you attract the right sort of followers –those that might actually go on to become clients.
1.Get on the best-suited platforms
We'd argue that every social media platform has some value for companies operating in the built environment. Inevitably, though, some will be better-suited than others, so try to favour the ones which give off the right signals. For example, if you're always finding yourself building new relationships with prospects on LinkedIn, channel your energies and resources there.
If, however, your products have an aesthetic allure about them, consider Instagram as a platform to showcase what it is that your business can offer. Depending on your resources, you shouldn't really be looking at having a social presence on any more than three platforms, or it's likely you'll just spread yourself too thinly - so choose wisely.
2. Drop the hard sell
Think about your personal social media timelines: when was the last time you saw a brand adopt the hard sell in one of their posts? The occasions are few and far between, we'd guess, and for good reason. Online audiences are alert to firms' attempts to advertise their products or services in the shape of "content",so that means you've got to be a bit smarter in your approach. The trick is to send out posts which add value to your followers' online experience, otherwise they will simply switch off. If heating appliances are your business, for instance, how about some tips to cut heating bills?
3. Acknowledge that social is 24/7
Small businesses probably aren't going to have the funds to be able to pay for a 24/7 presence on social media. That isn't to say, though, that you shouldn't acknowledge that it is a round-the-clock facility.
To get round being able to communicate with your audience post-five o'clock, enlist the help of tools such as Buffer, which allow you to schedule posts when you're not going to be at your computer. This lets you keep to a consistent social media schedule all day long, without worrying about micromanaging the delivery times.
4.Commit 100% to social media
Unless you commit entirely to social media, you simply won't build the sort of audience you need to for it to be a worthwhile endeavour. As we said at the start of this article, building an audience online takes persistence and a good dose of trial and error. If you haven't got the time to carry out some A/B testing on what type of messages work best at earning responses from your audience, or haven't got the resources to employ someone full-time to deliver your social media strategy, it might be time to outsource to an agency who can use its specialist knowledge of the sector.
Want to learn more about how you can build quality sales leads through inbound marketing for the built environment or the construction sector, download our free E-book here.
