Social media in the construction industry is tricky. It sadly is not all that popular among contractors as a means of finding or researching business. Yes, contractors are online and use social media. They just don’t use it to its full potential. So why do we blog, tweet and post? Because we hopefully are piquing the interest in a few of you while spreading the word about our capabilities and installs.

Researchers say about 85 percent of adults are on social media. Statistically speaking, we can grab a few of them and so can you.

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A good way to see what you should be doing on social media is to look at what your competitors are doing, as well as other businesses that you admire outside your market. Do you like it, do they have followers and do they produce quality content? These and other questions will set the framework for what you want for your social media platform.

The most common options include: Facebook, Instagram, Twitter and LinkedIn. LinkedIn has always had the reputation of being the business site every individual and company should be on. And we agree with this. LinkedIn keeps customers and employees informed and, well, linked. The other platforms hold equal weight in construction, with Facebook and Instagram arguably outperforming Twitter. But if you want to Tweet about your business, go for it! You need to decide what works best for your company and your audience—and that audience is key.

Many say Facebook is for old people, despite the large number of Millennials on the social media site. Millennials are the largest segment of the U.S. workforce, so they are the people you want to reach. They might be building owners, general contractors and even potential employees. Talk to them!

Tailor your message to them and build a relationship. Start taking daily jobsite pictures, and post the good ones (remember to always look for OSHA violations and safety issues before you post). Introduce customers to your crew, welcome people to your jobsites and show them your finished work. Do not post something just to post. Like many things in life, always pick quality over quantity.

It is not very time consuming to copy and paste each post onto each platform, but there are services available to do it for you, like Hootsuite, Buffer or SocialOomph. These might especially help a novice who does not yet quite grasp the lingo. Start with a post once a week, and see how it goes. You can do it anytime of the day, and it should not be time consuming at all.

Tag you later!