If you’ve talked to your marketing team or a consultant, you know that everyone is talking about social media. It’s the new shiny ball that everyone is chasing. In fact, according to our Green Industry Benchmark Report, 70% of green industry businesses have at least some rudimentary social media presence.
But do they have a strategy? From what I’ve seen, many don’t. They post to social media irregularly, they aren’t doing anything to actually be social, and, most likely, social media isn’t impacting their business.
So with that in mind, here are five things to consider when developing a social media strategy for your green industry business.
- Start Small – If you’re like the green businesses that use our field service software, you’re incredibly busy. You don’t have a lot of time to devote to social media. So don’t start by opening accounts on the all the major social media sites – Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn, Pinterest, Google+, etc. Instead, pick one to focus your time and energy, and slowly expand to others.
For most green industry businesses, your best bet is Facebook. It’s the heavyweight in the field because so many people use it. I know we blogged recently about how important Pinterest is for your green business, but it’s still –relative to Facebook – a niche player in social media. You’ll get the most bang for your buck on Facebook.
Spend some time building up your profile and then start to promote it. Link to it on your website, add it to your business card, put it on your truck. Do whatever you can to drive traffic to your Facebook site. If you find you have more time to commit, start investigating other platforms. But don’t spread yourself too thin; focus time and energy on Facebook and make it great before moving on to other sites.
- Define Your Goals – Figure out what your goals are before you start doing anything. Do you want better customer engagement? Are you trying to drive revenue? Do you want to encourage a better customer experience? Are you trying to be a thought leader in your territory? Whatever you determine your goal to be will help drive the tactics you use on social media. For instance, if your goal is to drive revenue, you might try featuring more discount offers. If you want to show your thought leadership, you’ll want to develop more thought provoking content. Your goals are really going to drive what kind of content you place on your social media sites.
- Determine How You’ll Measure Success – What’s the point of setting goals if you aren’t going to measure your results? Think about your goal and ways to measure achievement. If you’re just looking to build brand awareness, you can set goals specifically related to the number of followers and fans you have. If you want to engage customers, you’ll want to set goals around comments and views. If you’re trying to drive revenue, you’ll want to be able to track the number of sales that included visits to your social media platform. We’ve talked many times about the power of SMART goals, so be sure to set goals that are specific, measureable, attainable, relevant and timely.
- Follow the 3 to 1 Rule – Many companies fail at this one. They make their social media sites all about them. Think about it like this: If you went out on a date and the person you dated talked all night about themselves, would you go out on a second date with them? Probably not. So mention something other than how great you are at lawn care on your social sites.
One way to be less self-centered is to create features about your customers. Or, you can create contests. Or create polls. Or link to relevant news or articles. Or ask questions. Whatever you do, try to think about your audience and the things they’d find important.
That’s where the 3 to 1 rule comes into effect. Essentially, it means that for every 1 post that you talk about yourself, have 3 posts that talk about something else – preferably something that your audience would find entertaining or insightful.
- Communicate in New Ways – Try to have a good mix of content that continually engages your audience. It’s OK to post company updates, but don’t forget to provide tips, ask questions and hold contests or giveaways to engage your audience.
There are some great examples out there of lawn care businesses that provide weekly – or even daily – tips to their consumers. I’ve seen them talk about how to get rid of Japanese beetles in the yard, how to properly fertilize a yard and when to apply mulch. Providing such posts not only gives people a reason to subscribe or like your feed, but also positions you as an expert in your field.
A picture can tell a thousand words, so use them often in your social media posts. Most likely your green business offers something tangible and visible – a green lawn, a well-pruned shrub, a clean hardscape. Leverage those photographs to show how you make the world more beautiful.
Done well, social media can advance your company goals. But you need to have a strategy to do it well. So before you start posting, starting thinking about what your goals are, and develop a strategy that will help achieve those goals.