Marketing experts Yellow have unveiled their invaluable Social Media Insight Report for 2020. Speaking with over 2000 consumers and 1000 businesses owners, the report is extensive, tallying up to more than 60 pages. But don’t stress about reading it, as on the blog today, we’ve plucked out the most important insights to feed into your marketing strategy.
With social media usage on the increase, and more Australians than ever logging onto these platforms to learn about businesses and their products, it’s never been more important to have a robust social media strategy for your business.
Insight 1: 20% People Reviewed their Builder
Online reviews are more pertinent to the growth of your business than ever before. In the 2020 Yellow Social Media report, nearly 43% of Australians said they’ve rated services and products online in the past year, and 20% of those have reviewed builders and trades.
Out of the thousands surveyed, 68% of people said they read online reviews or blogs, and this research often leads them to make a purchase. One third of Australians said they often looked at the company’s social media before purchasing, a habit more common among women than men.
This is why it’s so crucial to share feedback and testimonials widely. If your clients tell you in person how much they love their new home, here are some practical steps to take advantage:
- Ask them if they can write a testimonial on Google or Facebook
- Add this review as a post to your social media accounts and website
- Include this review in your brochure, landing page or email automation
This will boost your reputation and encourage potential new clients to enquire about your business. To learn more about how you can take advantage of positive reviews, we’ve got a whole blog dedicated to it, read it here.
Insight 2: 47% of 65+ researched a builder this year
Who would have thought that our baby boomers are the most likely to find builders on social media? It’s a common misconception that older generations are less active and ill-equipped at using social media, and thus less likely to find products and services online. But this latest Yellow report puts that myth to bed. Out of the 33% of users that have used social media to research builders and trades, 47% were in the 65+ age group. The second highest group, at 32% was 30-39 year old’s.
While these numbers might strike you as unusual, they actually make a lot of sense. Those in the 65+ age group are looking to settle down and retire and want a home that suits their changing lifestyle. This could be downsizing or renovating their beloved family home. The 30-39 age group, on the other hand, are looking to build new homes that will accommodate their growing families.
To reach these people, you need to have an active social media presence on Facebook and Instagram where potential clients can learn more about who you are, what you do and what your values are. To target these specific homeowners, you should create content that focuses on custom homes, renovations and knock-down rebuilds.
Insight 3: 53% Say Regular Posting Builds Rapport
It doesn’t come down to simply having a social media account, you have to interact with your followers and create engaging, meaningful content. The Yellow report found that positive interactions between customers and brands – for instance, helping with a query, or replying to comment – lead to a higher level of trust in 51% of people surveyed. Other approaches that help build rapport are brands creating engaging and relevant content (54%), and regularly updating their feeds (53%).
Be consistent with your social media and create content that caters to your audience’s interests – this approach will cultivate their attention and keep them invested in your brand. For builders, this could be responding enthusiastically to comments, making educational videos, sharing on-site progress pics, posting recently completed project pictures and answering frequently asked questions. For more on how you can boost your marketing results through social media, click here.
Insight 4: Only 17% of Regional Businesses have a Social Media Strategy
If you’re a business in a regional area, you have an incredible opportunity to stand out against your competitors, who may not be taking advantage of social media for marketing purposes. Yellow found that businesses in regional areas are less likely to have a strategy in place than businesses in metro areas (28% vs 17%). Through a consistent and effective social media strategy, you’ll be able to target a pool of potential customers in your area and monopolise the local market.
Insight 5: 80% of businesses think their social media advertising is effective
At this stage, it’s undeniable that advertising on social media is one of the best and most accessible marketing weapons at your disposal. For anyone that is (somehow) still sceptical of its impact, consider that 80% of businesses think their social media advertising has generated positive results. When you think further about how realistically, many of the surveyed businesses probably attempt to handle this advertising with little practical knowledge or training, this number takes on even more meaning – imagine the results that could be achieved with a professional marketing agency?!
So if so many businesses can vouch for its effectiveness, why isn’t everyone doing it? Common barriers can be a perceived lack of time, knowledge, or any idea of where to start. If you’re a builder that isn’t yet using social media advertising to grow your business, get in touch with us to find out how we can help you get started!
While social media habits are ever-changing, this latest study reveals that an extensive and smart social media strategy is essential, not optional. If you’re looking to boost your construction business, you should focus on collating positive reviews online, creating meaningful digital content and engaging frequently with social media followers, who could then turn into prospective clients.
If you’re looking to learn more about how you can craft a winning social media marketing strategy, get in touch with the team at Sea Salt Marketing today.