There’s a huge audience of potential customers waiting for you on social media. In many cases, one of your social profiles will be the first interaction a prospect has with your brand. As such, you’ll want to make sure you’re posting captivating content that will encourage them to choose your business for their next siding project.
To maximize your reach and increase traffic to your website, you’ll need to use your social media channels strategically. Whether you’re posting on Facebook, LinkedIn, Instagram, or other channels, try using these best practices to help you get the most out of social media.
Post Consistently
To attract and maintain your audience, you should regularly post on your social media channels. This doesn’t mean that you have to post every day It’s okay to post one to three times per week, as long as you remain consistent and on point. In addition to sharing your own blog posts or images, you can also consider posting relevant third-party content, such as articles about industry trends as a way to engage with your audience. You’re welcome to share any of our homeowner- and homebuyer-focused blog posts.
Stay True to Your Brand
Every image, video, announcement, or link you share should reflect your business and brand. This will ensure that someone visiting one of your social media channels for the first time gets a clear and comprehensive picture of your work. Think about it this way: if someone saw a handful of photos pulled at random from your Instagram profile, would they have an idea what your company does?
Use Your Imagery
We find that before and after photos, along with photos of beautiful, finished work perform best. We’re in a highly visual business, so you’ll want to feature shots of the overall finished project as well as closer shots that reveal the beauty of the product. This will help people visualize what is possible when they replace their siding.
Tell a Story
If you have a great before and after photo, you may want to write a longer caption describing the process behind the project. You can explain the previous state of the home, any issues the homeowner was experiencing, and how you solved the problem. You’ll stand out even more if you can get a testimonial from the client along with permission to use it for marketing purposes.
Here’s an example of how you might tell a story about your project: This homeowner had wood siding that was failing due to significant moisture damage. At first, they noticed rot on the trim under the windows and called us for a consultation. After a thorough inspection, we worked with the homeowner to develop a long-term solution to their problem. We installed brand new James Hardie® fiber cement siding and trim. They chose the lap siding style in Iron Gray, along with Arctic White trim for a high-contrast color scheme.
Remember to include relevant information in your captions. People are often interested in the specific colors and siding exposure. Highlight these details whenever possible, even if it’s at the end of the post or in the first comment.
Engage
Of all brand actions, being responsive to comments is most likely to drive customers to transact with your business. Be sure to reply in a timely manner and address the user’s questions or concerns.
Additionally, it’s a great idea to ask questions that prompt your followers to comment. A post might say, “Our favorite feature on this house is the shingle siding accent that we added to the gable. What do you like about this home?”
Use Hashtags on Instagram
For each post, aim to include about five to 10 hashtags. Consider using local hashtags that feature the name of the town you’re working in to help you reach people in that area. For example, #Dallas, #DallasHomes, and #DallasRealEstate (if you happen to work in the Dallas area). Just be sure that the hashtags you use are relevant to the content you post.
On Instagram, be sure to include hashtags #JamesHardie and #MyHardieHome and tag @james_hardie. This will help you keep your content on our radar, and we may even offer you additional exposure. We’re always on the lookout for beautiful homes to feature on our feed, in our stories, and on our website.
This is Just the Beginning
Over time, you can scale your social media presence to reach more customers. Once you do, you’ll be able to leverage analytics to gain insights about your audience, so you can make informed decisions about what and when to post. You might even take advantage of paid advertising to grow your following or target exposure for your content. The sky’s the limit, but it all starts with great content and a consistent brand message.