By Zach Williams
It feels like a lot of things are up in the air right now. From city to city and state to state, it’s hard to know what’s open, what’s closed, which customers are operating at full capacity, and which are struggling to keep their doors open. But one thing is certain; the way building materials are marketed has changed, and manufacturers, distributors, contractors and architects who want to excel in 2021 and beyond need to adjust their strategies to accommodate the realities of today’s marketplace. With fewer opportunities for sales teams to meet customers face to face, and fewer in-person events for suppliers to introduce new products, everyone in the building materials channel needs to find new opportunities to connect, and one of the best ways to do that these days is with social media. Why Social Media? If you’re reading this thinking that social media is still about sharing cute cat videos and artistic photos of restaurant meals, then it’s time to take another look. Social media has become a hub for B2B marketing, including in the building materials space. With 90% of Instagram users following business accounts, and nearly 100 million senior-level decision makers on LinkedIn, social media isn’t just a personal space anymore. And it’s not just where young people hang out. Millennials are approaching their 40s. They aren’t the kids starting out in their careers. They’re managers, buyers, and business owners, and they’re using social media daily. Build Community with Instagram If you’re just getting started in social media, one of the best places to start for building materials is on Instagram. This platform is a great way to build community, show off your product, and engage with your customers and suppliers. Contractors are often active Instagram users. It’s easy to take a few pictures on a job site, share some before-and-after shots of a remodel, or even take a quick cell phone video with a few actionable tips. Even if you’re not on job sites or have finished products to show off, Instagram is still worth investing in, because your customers are already there. A quick message in Instagram chat with a compliment on a recent picture that’s been shared is a great way to build rapport and start a conversation with a designer or contractor. If you have a little money to spend, Instagram also offers advertising that still appears relatively organic to users, so they’re more likely to interact with them. While Instagram has always been tricky to get users to follow links off the platform, Instagram ads allow for “Shop Now” and “Find Out More” links that will take customers directly to your website. Establish Your Expertise in LinkedIn Once upon a time, LinkedIn was about job hunting, but now it has become the professional social media platform, and we expect this trend to continue in 2021, with more professionals working outside traditional office settings and spending more time online trying to network when face-to-face opportunities and travel are less frequent. If you haven’t set up a LinkedIn profile that establishes you as an expert and trusted partner in your field, there has never been a better time to do it. Instead of focusing on what makes you hireable to an HR manager, think about what your ideal customer is looking for, and how your profile communicates that you are the person they need to solve their problems. LinkedIn is also a great channel to share original content about projects and products, either through blogging or native video, while also mixing in updates from other parties about trends in the industry and news your customers care about. By establishing yourself as a trusted resource, you build trust and position yourself to be top-of-mind in the future. But LinkedIn isn’t just about promoting your next webinar and sharing product launch announcements. Helping is the new selling, so in order to make your LinkedIn profile work for you, you want to find opportunities to be as helpful to prospective customers as possible. Whether that’s interacting with them on the content they share, or sending a direct message with additional information they may find useful, you want to give way more than you ever ask for. Working closely with your content marketing team, this can be a great way to provide high-quality content, and find out what your customers really care about. Help Customers Find You on Facebook It’s no secret that, when it comes to social media, Facebook is the granddaddy of them all. With more users, more ad dollars, and everything in between, you can’t ignore Facebook, no matter what your industry is. If nothing else, Facebook is huge when it comes to search engine optimization, so make sure your company’s Facebook page is up to date so that customers know how to find you, what your business hours are, and have a convenient way to reach you. One of our favorite digital marketing tactics for building materials is using chatbots on your website, but if you’re not ready to do that, making sure you have someone who replies to inquiries through Facebook messenger is a great way to engage customers and drive sales. Remember that people aren’t just looking at your Facebook page during normal business hours. Because the platform crosses the span between personal and professional lives, using Facebook Messenger as a de facto chatbot is a powerful tool to help customers make buying decisions all day and all night. If you’re watching TV after dinner, pull up your company’s Facebook page and answer a few questions. Your customers will be pleased with the promptness of your reply, and factors like that go a long way into informing buying decisions. Find Your Customers Where They Are While we may not all be stuck at home the way we were earlier in 2020, the bottom line is your customers are on social media. Whether they’re scrolling through Facebook after work, looking for experts to answer questions during the business day, or sharing a quick picture to Instagram on their lunch break, your customers are already on social media, so why aren’t you? The key to any social media strategy is to get started. Newsfeeds move fast, so it’s okay to make mistakes. Focus on creating relationships and being as helpful as possible, and set a few key metrics to monitor, whether that’s followers on your account or new leads sent to your website. While there’s a lot of uncertainty facing us right now, one thing is for sure: Social media is a valuable marketing tool that many building materials companies aren’t taking full advantage of. If you wade into the waters, you’ll set yourself ahead of your competition, and find hungry customers waiting to hear from you. Zach Williams is the Founder and CEO of Venveo, a digital marketing agency focused on helping building material manufacturers increase sales by using their online presence. He has helped hundreds of brands across the building materials and construction industry grow sales and build brand loyalty through digital marketing. Zach has received numerous Webby Awards, has been recognized in the Wall Street Journal, and is the host of the Smarter Building Materials Marketing Podcast.
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