Author: Barlow Business Services

12 Social Media Post Ideas for Builders and Remodelers

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It’s easy to get “stuck” when it comes to what to post. Here are 12 ideas to get your social media presence moving again.

*Pro Tip – Try to get a “human” in every photo. There’s a reason why 90% of the covers on any given newsstand have faces on them. Photos that include a face are 38% more likely to get a like than photos without.

1. Progress – show off a photo of your prized project. 

Show off your work! It’s what the customer is buying. Work at getting across your USP (Unique Selling Proposition) or what sets you apart. 

Example: “We’re using a new material….” “We do this special technique that reduces cost…:”

2. Shout out to a sub (and tag them)

Build your relationships and help out a sub. 

Example: Thank them for finishing on time, going above and beyond, doing exceptional work, etc.

3. Shout out to an employee 

  • Highlight when they went above and beyond
  • Wish them a happy birthday
  • Congratulate them on an award
  • Show a picture of a fun item they have on their desk
  • Congratulate them on a work anniversary
  • Discuss their important role in your business
  • Post a positive review they received from a customer
  • Highlight any additional training or certification they received

4. Close-ups on details

It’s the details that matter. If there’s something special you do on your project in the kitchen, bath, closets, etc, take a close-up and describe it.

5. Share your knowledge – be helpful by providing “Tips”

When considering building your new home do this….

Talk about timelines, permits, financing, etc.

6. Share your team taking a break or having fun

Having a grill out on the job site or at the office? Snap a picture of the team. Ask employees to look at the camera and wave, raise their drink, take a big bite out of their burger.

7. Share industry statistics

People love graphs, visuals, and data. It will also help them understand your industry, understand timelines and costs.

8. Brag about awards

If you’ve won awards. Tell the world! It gives you instant credibility and it can give you the edge.

9. Share photos of your family or pets

If your child visits the job site. Get a photo with them in a hard hat. “Future builder” etc.

Pet photos are always a big hit as well.

10. Job postings

Need workers? Post a job opening and tell them why you are such a great company to work for.

11. Post testimonials

Reviews and testimonials are powerful credibility builders. If a customer posts a positive review or takes the time to write a testimonial…share it with the world!

12. Share a throwback photo

What’s in your photo vault. People love seeing old photos and stories from the past. Protip: Switch the photo to black and white.

The ideas are unlimited! Hopefully, this list will help you get “unstuck”.  With these 12 starter ideas, it’s easy to create recurring campaigns to keep your posting going.

Your social media can be the most powerful tool your use. It just takes a little strategy and time!

How to Easily Start and Maintain a Blog

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Blogs (or articles) about your business are without a doubt, an essential tool for your digital environment. Blogs do a few things that pack a big punch:

  1. It provides content that does more for your search engine presence than any other tool available.
  2. Blogging allows you to share your knowledge and set you up as an expert in your industry. An easy way to get a leg up on the competition.
  3. It provides fantastic content for social media posts.

I’m guessing you know this but there’s likely a few things holding you back. Actually – one big thing. “I’m not sure how to do it!”, followed closely by, “I’m not going to keep up with it,” and “I hate writing.” Those reasons are real reasons and extremely common, so don’t beat yourself up. But it’s probably time that you make a commitment to blogging. Here’s the good news. You don’t have to do the writing! You just have to start the process. Read on for ideas on how to get started using blogging as your inexpensive marketing tool today.

How to get started – Find that person – (10 minutes)

  1. Find the person or people in your organization that enjoy writing and do it (somewhat) well. You’d be amazed at the hidden talent in your team. People who like to write are itching to write! Put out the ask, verbally, in an office email or at the next office get together.
  2. Hire a contractor who specializes in this area. Almost all marketers blog to some degree because they know the importance of this tool. Plus – there’s really no learning curve for them.

Hold a “Blog Kick-Off” meeting – (60 minutes)

Now that you have the person(s) that is itching to blog for you, schedule a meeting. The goal of this meeting is to:

  • Relay your goals to your blogger: Typical goals are to create content for the website that can be repurposed on your social media (the blogger may want to take over your social platforms as well…sweet!), highlight projects, educated prospective clients, set you up as the industry or local expert, take the reader through the sales funnel, etc.
  • Discuss graphics: This is an important discussion because although you don’t necessarily need a professional photographer or graphic designer, you do want to relay that you want GOOD photos or graphics. There are tutorials on taking good photos using a smart phone – 90% of the time, this will suffice. Give them access to any company photo or graphic files. A novice can use free online tools to create simple graphics like Canva.
  • Discuss process: You and your blogger should come up with a blogging calendar or spreadsheet so blog topics and ideas can live there. This keeps you motivated and on schedule. You should also discuss how often to create a post. The process should also include what will be done with the blog once it’s written. For example – added to a newsletter or pulled into social media environments.
  • Include CTA’s (Calls to Action): Important and often overlooked. A CTA or Call to Action should be included in each article. “Call us”, “Email Us”, “Fill out this Form”, “Attend our Event”, “Find our Open Houses Here”.

Making it Stick (30 minutes/month)

It doesn’t have to be perfect out of the gate. In fact, it won’t be, but you’ll be amazed at how good you and your blogger get at this after just a few months. To ensure success, here are a few ideas for sticking the landing and making your blog strategy a success!

  1. Praise your blogger. A writer lives for praise and it will make their work better.
  2. Do some hand holding at the start. This is new for both of you.
  3. If your blogger is “in-house” make sure they have enough time for the task by removing a useless task they are doing now. There probably is something that is not worth their time or could be managed by someone else.
  4. Give them access to all that they need to get the job done; files, information, let them sit in on marketing meetings, etc. Treat them as an equal team member-or possibly give them the title of lead on this project.
  5. Give them the best physical space they need to accomplish this. If your workspace is busy, give them access to a private office or permission to work offsite like their home or a coffee shop.
  6. Encourage them to research tools, techniques, and training to constantly improve their craft.

Hopefully this information (in a blog!) will help you get your own blog strategy started. Remember, if there isn’t someone in house who can do this, you can also hire a marketing professional who blogs. The advantage is the much shorter learning curve, a professional who knows how to write in a way that improves your search engine optimizations, is a pro at calls to action and understands how to string content together (using social, linking, creating a cohesive content library) that converts to sales more quickly.

If you still have questions or want more information, reach out to me at srblmnop@gmail.com. (Spoiler alert. This is a CTA)

Congrats on your journey into the wonderful world of blogging!

20 Ideas for Using Employees in Your Social Media

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In my years of creating content for social media, without a doubt, posts that get the most attention are posts that include, or are about, your employees. Content that shares a tidbit of information about them, their role in your business, or involvement in the community, will always be social media winners.  Why is this such a social media grand slam?

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Your people are what set you apart

The reason this is so effective and engaging is that when it comes down to it, businesses are about the people. This becomes even more important if you have a business with a great deal of competition. If the general public seems to think all the businesses in your category are the same, and they make purchasing decisions with the eeny, meeny, miny, moe method, then highlighting employees is just about the only way to differentiate yourself.

Many times a business will tell me what sets them apart is their people or the customer service they provide. The problem is that almost every business says this and the phrase has become like wallpaper to potential customers. You have to show it, and social media is the best way to do this. Before we get to the ideas of what to post, consider the visual.

Monkeys like to look at other monkeys

When posting about people, always include a photo!  Why? Because “monkeys like to look at other monkeys.” It’s true. People want to look at photos with other people, rather than images of objects. Images of people are personal and you always want to get the employee’s okay. Let them see the photo and certainly, make sure they are aware that you are posting about them. You have to get their buy-in but in the long run, it’s a win-win for both you and your employees

Getting your employees on board

Your employees have to be comfortable with what you are saying and showing, but this is not usually too difficult. Most employees will be on board because most want to appear in the company’s social media environment.

A few employees may be somewhat resistant but give it time. What I’ve seen is that it becomes a bit of a popularity contest. You’ll find your social media superstars, those who get the most engagement, and it may surprise you!  Highlighting employees has a nice side benefit of growing your likes and followers. Employees will often share the post on their personal page where their friends can see it. Then these friends will be more likely to follow your page because they get a chance to see their friends.

Don’t feel as if you are “using” or “exploiting” your employees. It provides your employees with many benefits like:

  • Boosting their credibility
  • Building their professional reputation
  • Giving them a feeling of appreciation
  • Allowing them to share their knowledge

If your social media feed is filled with posts about your employees it also helps in your recruiting effort and better matches candidates with your culture. New hire prospects are definitely checking out your social media.

blond-hair-blurred-background-carrying-161284620 ideas for social media posts involving employees

What to post? The possibilities are endless. In case you are experiencing writer’s block, here are a few ideas to get you started:

  1. Highlight new employees
  2. Congratulate them on their work anniversaries
  3. Wish them a Happy Birthday
  4. Announce their promotions
  5. Announce their retirement
  6. Create a post about a conference they attended and what they learned
  7. Feature their favorite “pick” from your line up of products
  8. Ask them to submit a photo of them with their dog for national dog day
  9. Post a positive review they received from a customer
  10. Have them provide a “tip”, they are the experts when it comes to your business
  11. Did their softball team win a championship? Congratulate them!
  12. Anytime they win an award, give them a shout out!
  13. Did they dress up in sports attire for work on the day of the big game? Take a photo and post it.
  14. Show them volunteering or partaking in community events
  15. Take a photo of a unique item on their desk
  16. Post a picture of them with their favorite customer
  17. Share something funny that they do  
  18. Show them helping to clear snow off customer’s windshields
  19. Share throw-back photos of team members
  20. Take and share photos of the office potluck

The possibilities are endless! Enlist the help of those closest to your employees and know what’s going on, possibly the HR manager or a department manager.

The stars of your business are your employees and they can be the stars of your social media platforms. There’s little risk and the rewards can be huge!

FACEBOOK POWER TIPS: How a Cupcake Lady Made BANK With These 8 Tricks

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By: Sheryl Barlow, Owner, Barlow Business Services, LLC

I attended the 2017 Digital Summit in Minneapolis this month where there were industry experts and marketing gurus speaking on all the latest tips and tricks of marketing. Topics ranged from Artificial intelligence, Content Creation, Digital Reputation Management and Going Mobile. These speakers were top in their field and offered great insights. But my favorite speaker, who I couldn’t stop thinking about was:

The lady that made cupcakes.

https://www.facebook.com/iambaker.net

She isn’t a marketer. She’s a baker. Her name is Amanda Rettke and her website is IAmBaker.net. She makes various cakes and cupcake videos, puts them up on her social media channels, and directs viewers to her website for the recipe. She then monetizes her website with an ad program in which she makes a nice income.

She spoke about a few changes she made from February 2017 to May 2017 that took her income from about $6,454 a month to $13,367 a month.Screen Shot 2017-08-20 at 10.10.45 AM

I liked her because she was so genuine. She looked like my neighbor or the other ladies I sit with at my son’s sporting events. She presented in jeans and had a conversation with us. She didn’t lecture.  She’s a success story and often times her advice was to go against what the marketing gurus advise.

Here are a few of her rapid fire tips from her talk on Facebook Power Tips:

  1. Don’t just drop a link. Use your own graphic, write your own description, and get a bitly link back to a video. Facebook will reward you with more impressions and expose your post to more people.
  2. Do post several times a day. 
  3. Find content to repurpose. Even if you are cautious about posting “competing material.” You can find a way to do this without post a direct competitor’s information. Example: Dasani (bottled water) could post about Yeti (products to keep your water cold.) Yeti is a product that could enhance Dasani
  4. Do write clickbait style headlines. (Goes against the marketing guru’s advice)Clickbait gets its name for a reason. The trick is; make sure it takes them to where they expect to be taken. Seems logical.
  5. Do repost old posts. (Goes against the marketing guru’s advice) Go into insights and say, “create new post.” The views will go with the new post but not the comments.
  6. Do post at weird hours. Posting at 1 am exposes your post to a totally different audience than what a 9 am post does.
  7. Do block people and remove content. Marketers advise to be very cautious about this, but she says, “Hey if they aren’t supporting me or take the conversation off topic, I’m removing them. It’s my page after all.” (Goes against the marketing guru’s advice)
  8. Experiment and don’t be afraid to do things wrong. She experimented with Facebook live and it has catapulted her followings. From this, she also learned that longer (over 30 minutes) is better. Facebook’s algorithm notices if you keep an audience longer than 29 or so minutes. It shows that people are interested in what you have to say and serve you up to more people.

Screen Shot 2017-08-20 at 10.11.10 AMThis non-marketing guru says she watches her analytics like crazy so she can see how her audience reacts. She is always in there making adjustments.

Amanda’s final power tip is this:

“Make all the changes and moves for improvement at once. Forget playing it safe. Implementing them all made them work together more powerful and allowed her to double and triple her traffic on her social media and boosted her income accordingly.”

Follow her at IAmBaker.net. I know I will.

View her slide deck
Follow her on Facebook

 

Sheryl Barlow

Sheryl Barlow is a marketer, author, and communications enthusiast. She owns Barlow Business Services and works with clients on marketing plan development & ongoing implementation.

Not Quite an Entrepreneur? You Might Be a Solopreneur.

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By: Sheryl Barlow, Owner, Barlow Business Services, LLC

A solopreneur is not a new concept. They’ve always existed, lurking in the shadows. Doing what they love, and making a great living while they do it. Those who successfully conquered being a solopreneur enjoyed many benefits, like having a strong work/life balance (before that was even a buzz word), being in control of their income and not being exposed to the negativity of a work environment. A solopreneur is often seen as one of the following; a consultant, a freelancer, an individual specialized expert, or simply a business owner.

A solo entrepreneur or solopreneur is a professional who chooses to go into business by themselves (“go solo”), collaborate with others, grow their business without boundaries, and typically, without employees. Often a solopreneur is somebody with years of experience in a profession or someone with an extremely high degree of talent in a particular area. Examples of this may be web design, graphic design, IT and networking services, social media marketing, repair, project management, writing and so on.

How Entrepreneurs and a Solopreneurs Differ

There is a difference. Both wish to own their own business but an entrepreneur is more of a business owner/manager and a solopreneur is a business owner/worker. An entrepreneur may build her business as if it’s a product with the intention to one day sell it to an organization like Google for a nice sum of money.

A solopreneur does not intend to create a business as if it’s a product and sell it for money. Entrepreneurs may start out solo, but the intention is to grow and add employees who she can then manage. Solopreneurs may work with outside vendors and freelancers but do not intend to have employees.

It’s important to know which “preneur” style is right for you. When people get that intuitive itch to start their own business they automatically think they must have a building, lawyers, accountants, a sellable product, and employees.

In my early thirties, I decided I wanted to be a “preneur” and this is what happened: I started a marketing business with a partner. Starting with a partner was an instant complication. This is a personal choice but I would never again start a with a partner. It’s like being married to someone who is not your spouse. This must be an absolutely perfect relationship on all levels; goals, desire for growth, management styles, and money brought into the business relationship. Often times people get a partner out of fear of their own inadequacies, or as a means of capturing capital funds for the business. Just like a marriage, this never ends well. In 4 years time, we had moved twice, added 22 employees, experienced tremendous revenue growth, and acquired plenty of debt. I worked every waking hour. My stress level was through the roof. I hated what I did and what it was doing to me. I did not get to work with clients on all the fantastic marketing ideas I had for them. Instead, I turn that task over to people much less qualified and felt guilty about that every second of the day. See, my real passion was to work with the clients and produce amazing results that would alleviate their problems, bring in revenue to their company, brand them, and make their lives better. Instead, I was managing revenue and trying to figure out a way to continue to make more money.

It sucked.

By my second year as an entrepreneur, I was planning my exit strategy and it took me another two and a half years to accomplish it. Finally, I was able to sell my shares to my partner, for a pittance, but I didn’t care. I just needed out. My partner loved being an entrepreneur, that’s what she should be. I made the mistake of being an entrepreneur when what I really wanted was to be a solopreneur. After going back into the working world as an employee for a handful of years, I figured it out and left that world to become a solopreneur. Eleven weeks later I was absolutely loving what I was doing, 100% confident I had made the right decision and making more money than I had ever made in my life, including when I owned my own high revenue business.

Here’s a chart that lays out, side by side, the differences between being an entrepreneur or a solopreneur. A nice tool to refer back to as you make your decision:ScreenShot2017-07-08at8.35.29PM.png

SherylAuthorPhoto

Sheryl Barlow is a marketer, author, and communications enthusiast. She owns Barlow Business Services and works with clients on marketing plan development & ongoing implementation.