How Social Media Can Boost your Waterproofing Business

Today I'm going to talk about social media. I know we're going through a lot of technical stuff, but this is the world we live in and it doesn't matter how old school you might think you are, how many of the old ways of doing things that you've done, these days you need to understand how social media can work for you, across many, many facets.

Construction is conservative or has been conservative. But, I can tell you, globally, I've traveled around the world, change is happening and disruption is not about to happen, it's here. I saw that in America, I've seen it in Europe and in Asia, and it's happening right here in Australia right now. Be ahead of the game, don't drag behind. So, like all things, the focus is on that phone. That one you put in your back pocket. Use that to your advantage because these days everything is there.

So social media platforms, let's quickly talk about them. The obvious ones we know about are Facebook and Instagram. They're not just a source of information. Many of you, like you're watching now, are probably on your phone. You've seen Sealed For Good through our Facebook or our YouTube channel. You're watching that and that is going to be your source of information. You can get all the information you want. But, these platforms also provide an opportunity to promote you, your brand, and the ability to sell. Because like I said before, you're always selling and it's about promoting your work, your brand, your community.

When you actually dig deep into these platforms, you can actually get very, very close and direct target the marketing community you want. Gripset, we're national, but you might be working, for example, in Victoria. You can actually target your customer base just in that circle of where you're going to be pitching your services to. That is the beauty of social media. If you are promoting and branding, don't underestimate that. It is under-priced compared to putting an ad in the magazine or the Yellow Pages like we used to do, and hope that someone's going to come across your page.

And, that's the key to social media and we've got to be all across it. It's not just for brands or manufacturers like us, but more importantly for contractors. It's the power of transparency. I talk about this often. We've got some fantastic customers around the country and I actually love everyday when I go on social media, I have my block of the day and I'll go in there and I'll see contractors that are posting photos of their work or stories of what they've done. That to me is transparency. You've got nothing to hide. When you do that and you put yourself out there, that says to me that you're quality. Because someone who's actually not wanting to put their work out there, it could be a little bit doubtful. Are they trying to make sure that things get covered up? They're not proud of what they're doing? When you can show your work or you might show a problem and get comments and get feedback from other colleagues or peers in the industry, that means that you're open, you engage with the community, and that will actually help promote your brand. It's very, very important.

Facebook and Instagram will help paint a picture of who you're buying from and who's doing work with you. Okay, and that's important because the fact is when I look at social, mostly Instagram and Facebook, I'm seeing some people put their photos of their work. Some will throw a bit of a humorous post in there, which is great to engage with. But more importantly, promote yourself, show what it is you're doing. It is the go-to way of communicating these days. Social media is it. Whether you agree with it or not, the horse has bolted. We are here. So, do not underestimate who uses it and the source of what can help you promote your business and take it to another level and be more competitive.

The number one question you might be asking is, okay, should I get involved? Well, there is no question there. It's, what's the alternative? If you don't get involved you're going to be left behind. So, social media gives you a space to showcase your workmanship and the public can see who you are. And, you never know, people refer back to them ... Facebook ads, Instagram promotions, there are actually some guys even using things like Linkedin, Snapchat. Don't underestimate any of these platforms. They can work for you. You can engage with an audience. It also tells people what you do and it has the customers you've worked for to showcase that.

And the other thing that it does, it lets your clients comment and promote you as well. And, the reason they're going to do that, because then that puts their ... they tag their brand in there and it just keeps snowballing along. And that's the beauty of social media. You actually engage yourself, you put yourself out there, other people will make a comment and those that read those comments will then come across that brand. So, sometimes it's not just about promoting yourself but also commenting on other colleagues or peers or brands that are out there to engage yourself in that community, in that discussion, and get yourself out in the social media world.

And then more importantly, when I talk about transparency, it builds trust. And when you build trust and reliability, people then feel confident to do work with you. And even if then you find that you're starting to get people that are asking questions about your work or, "Sally, I saw an Instagram post on your work or a Facebook post." That then means it's working. It's getting yourself out there. I'm going to tell you from firsthand experience. A few years ago, this was very difficult moving within the social media world. But once you're out there, you're there and you're transparent and people will love it. You've got to focus on who your customer is because this is the source they go to now. They're not looking at Yellow Pages. They might Google your website, but you ... times a Facebook page is more important than a website. And don't underestimate that. It gives you exposure. It brings you new work. And when you get new work, it brings you more dollars, makes you more profitable, and keeps you engaged to ensure that your brand becomes stronger and you're getting more work. You've got the attention of your client base.

So, social media is more effective now than word of mouth. In fact, it is word of mouth. That is what it is now. If you think of it that way, it's the word of mouth that spreads far quicker than waiting for someone to talk about your brand or your workmanship at a dinner party or a barbecue. It's there every day of the week and people can just share it along and go, "Wow, look at this guy's job." And, I remember seeing a couple of tilers last year that did some incredible work with this drain detail. And, having come from a background of a family with tilers, I just couldn't believe the way they had cut this beautiful tile around this drain, which was a real difficult one. It caught my attention. From that, I just started following these guys and just seeing their workmanship.

I haven't got them on board yet with Gripset, but I'm going to get them. But the most important thing is they've got my attention. And, that's what builders would do with your workmanship, once they see what you're doing out there and how you work and how you operate. Transparency, honesty, reliability leads to profitability. If you've got any questions on how you might want to get ahead on social media, Gripset is not just a place to help you with products. We've got social media experts in our organization and they are waiting out there to help you. Give us a call. We're here for you.

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