I was talking to a contracting owner the other day who reached out to talk with us about their social media profiles. To protect his identity let's call him Ben.
As Ben put it, he didn't feel like he "possessed the digital acumen nor the patience to determine what the heck to do with their social media" profiles like Facebook.
From Ben's perspective he didn't know if he really needed one other than the fact that people told him he should have one. But why? Neither Ben, nor his team was very active on Facebook and they really don't have many followers.
So, to Ben it kinda feels like a big waste of time and effort to post every day like the social media gurus say you should.
You know what, I totally get it. Maintaining social media profiles are a lot of work and can seem like a big waste of time to get one "like" or "comment." And when's the last time you got a lead from Facebook anyway.
Nearly 70% of adults have an active profile on Facebook
However, before I get hate mail from all the social media experts out there, let's take a closer look at the role Facebook can play in your marketing ecosystem and why I think you definitely should have a Facebook page.
Surprise, Facebook Is Big!
I know you know Facebook is big, but I'll tell you why I think that matters for several different reasons.
With nearly 2.5 billion active users on the platform, Facebook is one of the largest websites in the world. People spend hours scrolling their Facebook feeds and the social media giant is constantly coming out with new product enhancements and ways to engage.
So how exactly can you leverage the size of Facebook to directly and indirectly impact your marketing to influence more sales? Let's take a closer look:
Facebook Is Great For Local SEO
Google respects and trusts Facebook. Before you think I'm off my rockers just hear me out. There are certain websites that Google trusts more than others and therefore they will get preferential treatment in their "black box" algorithm. These are typically large established websites like fortune 500 companies, Universities, etc.
How does this help your SEO?
Well, since Google trusts Facebook, when Google sees that Facebook has a listing for your business and is linking to your website, you are able to borrow some of Facebook's trust and brand equity to give you a little extra SEO juice (as I sometimes like to call it).
Google will also take snippets from Facebook and republish these details in search results. These might be reviews, posts, business services and more.
Crowd The Search Results With Your Business
Another reason to have your company on Facebook, as well as other platforms, is to crowd the search results page. What I mean by this is you want and many results for a given search term you're targeting to be results for your business.
This can be difficult to achieve but well worth the effort when it happens. And, since Facebook is already a trusted website your listing on Facebook might very well be one of those other results that are listed in addition to your website.
It's Free To Use
I mean, c'mon, do I really need to write to much here? Think of it like this...if there was going to be a free event where you could interact and network with thousands of individuals that are likely to need your services but you had to put in some effort to get there, what would you do? Would you show up?
Even though people probably aren't checking their Facebook feed when searching for a contractor service, it's value is like an ice-burg, most of it is hidden below the surface.
Facebook can sometime be kinda like this free event with thousands of potential customers. It does take a little effort but these days there's not too much you can do to market your business that's free. Make sure to fully optimize and leverage this free tool to get all you can out of it, even it it's just some free advertising.
Keep an eye out for a future posting where we'll go into great depth on how to optimize your Facebook page.
Powerful Facebook Advertising Platform
Here's where the size of Facebook really comes into play when leveraged correctly.
Facebook has become one of the leading digital marketing platforms for local advertisers and big brands alike. With nearly 70% of adults using Facebook, you have the ability to reach an enormous audience.
In the hands of a skilled digital marketing expert, Facebook advertising can drive high quality traffic to your website and drive calls through your Google My Business profile.
In addition to having a large reach, the targeting capabilities Facebook offers are a marketers dream come true. In Facebook's ad platform you can target by:
Geography
Income
Interests
Employment
Device
And more
With all these great features, what's the catch? Just one, you have to have a Facebook page for your business in order to advertise on their platform.
Do I Need To Post On Facebook Five Times A Day?
OK, so by now you might be convinced that you need a Facebook page but now you're asking yourself how much you really need to post to Facebook.
Here's where the social media gurus are going to hate me again.
My short answer here is "No."
If you want to leverage Facebook for all the points I've listed above and don't want to amass a following on Facebook you don't need to post everyday. However, when it comes to how much to put into Facebook, it's sometimes helpful to think of Facebook like a relationship...don't expect too much out of it if you put in the minimum effort.
Even though people probably aren't checking their Facebook feed when searching for a contractor service, it's value is like an ice-burg, most of it is hidden below the surface.
Conclusion
In short, it's simply a no-brainer for businesses to build their own Facebook page. It doesn't need to consume your entire day and the upside is huge (literally).
If you're looking to grow your contractor business, take the first step today, and learn how we can help with our all-in-one contractor marketing platform.