Social Media for Foamies

SPRING 2019 – The days of yellow page ads for $1000/month are over. As you all know, when someone wants to find a spray foam contractor, they most often turn to their smart phone, not a phone book. This is why all of you should spend a couple of hours to familiarize yourselves with social media sites such as Facebook and LinkedIn. There are other sites such as Instagram and Twitter that I’d recommend, but Facebook and LinkedIn are what you should focus on first. They are free sites that you can set up fast to get your name out there on local Google searches. This article will briefly describe what each social media tool is for, how to set it up, and how to use them.

To create a social media presence for your business, there’s no better tool than Facebook. Like other social media pages, it’s free and easy to set up. You can sign up in seconds and start customizing your page by adding your business name, contact information, and a business logo. If you don’t have a Facebook account yet, go to www.facebook.com. Below the green button to the bottom left where it says “Sign Up,” click the link to “Create a Page for a celebrity, band or business.” Follow the prompt to create a business page. If you already have a Facebook account, sign in and click on the “Create” tab at the top right. Then follow the prompts to create a business page. Once you have a Facebook business page and have entered all the relevant information, you should start posting pictures of the type of projects you do.

Another recommended social media site is LinkedIn. Go to www.linkedin.com and sign up. Again, it’s free like Facebook and just like Facebook you can create a personal page and a business page. To create the company page, click on the “Work” tab at the top right and scroll to the bottom where it says, “Create a Company Page +.” LinkedIn is very similar to Facebook, but the audience is mostly professionals whereas Facebook’s audience includes a broad range of people. You will have better luck catching the eye of architects and large commercial builders on LinkedIn. Facebook is where you’d find more of your homeowners.

If you use these two pages well, they have the potential to replace your website, and if you don’t have a website yet, you may not need one. On each of these pages, make sure you enter all the information you can about your company such as your contact information. Then as you have time, start posting about your business. Take pictures of and post about each type of spray foam you install and the service you perform. Once you are confident navigating these pages, interact with other people in your industry or in groups that will include your customers, such as neighborhood groups.

Once you get comfortable with Facebook, make sure you search for, like, and follow SprayFoam.com on Facebook and LinkedIn for up-to-date news on the spray foam industry from chemical manufacturers to the end of the gun and everything in between. Then look for and join the Spray Foam World Wide Facebook group. There you will find other spray foamers discussing day-to-day issues, giving advice on problems they’re having in the field, a little bragging about their work and a lot more ribbing for fun. If you have any questions about setting up social media accounts and social media strategy, feel free to look me up on either Facebook or LinkedIn and I’d be happy to help or steer you in the right direction.  

» For even more information on creating a social media presence, go to www.nichedigitalmedia.com