We have our eyes on the Prize for being the number #1 in increasing your business through Social Engagement. As the [managing director] of Usforyou, I’m confident in my strengths and I’ve developed my business platform around providing Social Media Optimisation and Management for Tradies.
We optimise social engagement using know-how and real conversations, we use know-how not overpriced software to deliver results. This focus on real results, engagement and affordability means we are there for local business providing tradies with the results they want at affordable prices.
UsForYou gets builds your brand recognition on the leading social networks.
We are there for the little guys our local businesses providing the service and brand recognition they need to grow.
I have dedicated my time towards developing an understanding of how small business operates and the key drivers of success in social networks and social marketing. I know how to connect with a target audience to increase sales for those who offer straightforward services to people in need.
While Usforyou is pretty far away from a fully blown production company, we know our way around content. Through our simple, straightforward service we can provide ongoing support for small businesses to keep generating those likes, shares and (most importantly) sales.
If your focus is on creating community awareness rather than the top corporate high-tech solutions, Usforyou can provide you with results.
The talent we work with:
Copywriters:
Web Development:
Video Production:
Designers:
Usforyou connects your business with the best local talent to achieve fantastic results. Delivering ongoing, reliable solutions and manage these connections for a very small percentage of the job’s total cost.
Create “Before & After” pictures that clearly show what you can do. Get your customers permission before posting.
Tip: Make graphics clear. You only get 3 seconds to impress. So you don’t want your audience seeing a before photo and thinking that is your best work.
Celebrate your employees- Create open and engaging conversations with your customers and employees. Your employees spread the word about how good you too! Employees if valued create business and spread word of mouth through family and friends.
Is it the receptionist birthday?
Did one of your apprentices get awesome results in TAFE?
Did one of your employees do something great in the community?
Share a post celebrating the wins and milestones with them. Their wins are ultimately your wins too. A human connection is great to help customers connect with your business.
Post about local updates-
It might seem a bit crazy to be sharing other businesses stuff on Facebook when you are trying to get the sales, but by sharing other local businesses info that doesn’t compete with you, it shows that you are invested and proud to be part of that community.
It can also present some potential collaboration opportunities with other businesses in the future.
Attracting Followers with Live Video Streaming from Smart Phone. Vector Illustration
Video:
Videos are hot, Live Video is even hotter. Try to make your Facebook live and interactive but most importantly, let your audience get to know about you. Instagram also lets you do live video and share across both social networks.
Employment- By posting a vacant position in your social media feed, it gives people the opportunity to tag their mates growing your audience. You can also share this post on Facebook Marketplace and further extend your business’s reach.
A potential employee can also stalk your Facebook page, see pictures of your workshop, vans, other employees and reviews from customers etc.
Blogs from your Website- Helpful an engaging blogs shared onto Social Media can have a big impact on SEO. So sharing your helpful hints, tips and appropriate jokes on your social media. It will really drive engagement with your brand.
Significant Dates:
Celebrate and share your brand using dates of fun events, holidays & relevant Industry updates of interest to you and your customers. There are various lists available on the internet and it can help you plan your Social Media Marketing for the year.
Reviews: Got a great review via email on your google maps page? share it! You can do up reviews on various different graphics creating platform.
A Great rule of thumb is to treat social media as an open conversation do not “sell, sell, sell” and the “look at us, aren’t we great” thing all the time it’s a one-way conversion that doesn’t engage.
UsForYou Australia grows your business by increasing your businesses reach and engagement across social media delivering a return on investment that lasts. Enquire now limited spaces exist with packages starting at $200 a month.
So in Feb 2017, the hashtag of #rentinoz went Viral, thanks to the combined work of National shelter, Dontrentme.com.au, TUNSW and of course, the big trigger, this Choice Australia Report.
The Media, of course, had a field day of what to choose regarding peoples thoughts and experiences relating to the #rentinoz hashtag.
The quote below is just one of many in the pond that triggered my predictions for how rental rights will change
Renting is miserable. Our last landlord threatened to “fix” two broken air conditioners by removing them. Instead, they were left broken. garthk (@garthk) | Twitter
Prediction 1:
Real Estate agents will become a lot pickier with their clients and the quality of the repair work done.
Prediction 2:
Senior Property Managers will be able to breach the landlord to the local administrative court if they are breaking tenancy laws.
Prediction 3:
A new generation of Landlords versus Slumlords enter the market.
Property Investors in some areas are getting both savvy and empathic to the fact that these are people’s homes that they are paying off their mortgage of with. Therefore, I think owners/landlords will be more particular about the jobs are done and, as we know, in the trade industry, good quality has a price tag.
Prediction 4:
Australia is getting hotter, so air conditioning design will be more important, and with that, a shift toward renewable energy solutions such as solar power.
I also suspect this may become a mandatory requirement at some stage for landlords, but no doubts the laws will differ depending on the State.
So I’ve opened up a potential can of worms here
What happens if it’s the Tradie that owns the investment property and wants to do plumbing when he is a sparkie by trade? What happens if it’s a picture hook or a Rail that needs fixing? What about general maintenance duties? Will landlords be able to mow the lawn of the property they own while tenanted??
I just don’t know how that will pan out and I’m not in Parliment ( thank goodness) and in charge of fixing this embarrassing mess. I.E. Rental rights in a supposably Developed Country.The Landscape is changing slowing but surely.There will be lots more debate about this, as political parties press ahead with the issues.
So, this advice could be a little late if you have followed our previous blogs on joining FB groups, however it’s never too late to improve on what you are doing, so here goes:
Beware of your Stalkability!
Facebook may not be a real world, however what we are saying is that once your business page is out there and you are joining groups to get more hits on your business page, this doesn’t mean you (the person behind the business) remains invisible. If your name is “John Smith” you may not have to worry too much, but even then, if you are “John Smith” of “Smith and Son’s Plumbing” in Bexley, people can, and will, find you and check out your personal page. If you name is “Jamjar Wentworth Smythe”, you definitely need to worry about this.
You see, these days people want more than a tradesperson, they want a relationship with a trusted individual who they are prepared to invite onto their property and count on again and again. So, this is an opportunity to put prospective customers at ease and “upsell” yourself a bit. With that said, here are some pointers about your personal Facebook page that you should be following even if you don’t have a business page:
Present-ability: Pictures of your cute dog (or kids) doing something is good. Picture of your new “I hate Jesus” on your left butt check is bad. Be mindful when posting pictures.
Careful of what you share: Although not always possible, remember that prospective clients might be looking at your page. You might think that marriage equality is a bad idea or that Donald Trump is an idiot, but your next customer might be LGBQT or pro Trump, so best to keep it to yourself.
Keep it positive: Sure, you might be having a crap day and feel that life sucks and it’s OK to express that occasionally but don’t get carried away. People respond better to positivity, and posting on the bright sides will have the double bonus of helping you look on the bright side.
Rule of thumb, imagine you are looking for someone to do something for you (understanding of course that you are a tradie and can do most things yourself) and you’ve got a couple of choices. Imagine that you can see their FB pages. Which one do you go for? Well, your FB page should look more like the person you would give money to, to do a service for you.
So, hopefully by now you’ve found some local groups and you’ve joined them and are starting to think about content to post. We’ve mentioned about reading guidelines of each group before posting, however here are some other great hints on what not to do by Search Engine Optimisation guru, Kate Toon.
Our next bit of advice is to go slow and steady! It might be tempting to join 50 groups and start posting the same thing daily across all of them, however that’s a sure way to just annoy people and damage your “brand”. Instead we suggest that you join a couple of groups that you think might have potential customers to your services and post tailored messages and/or adverts for each group. After a few weeks start looking at more groups and more posts however don’t start spamming (IE: posting too much).
In terms of content, think about what’s in it for the person seeing your ad? Have you got an offer? Offering something for free (consultation, quote or even first visit) is a great way to get attention. Make sure you include clear graphics and tag your FB page in posts as customers may not be ready to buy yet, but when they “like” your Facebook page it is easier to re-target them later on.
If this is sounding like hard work, marketing your stuff does take time and effort, however the payoff is in getting more customers. Don’t forget that you can get Us For You to do all of this for you! It’s not expensive and you need to decide if your time is worth more than a little money.
