Tradies, Social Media & Google
“You young blokes, spend all your. time on that bloody snapstory or whatever it’s called, I don’t get it. Now can you get over here and show me how to get the TAB on my phone?”
Sound familiar? Sitting at smoke’os around Australia are thousands of tradies flicking through their phones at the disgust of their older workmates. The thing is, this digital thing isn’t going anywhere, and despite what they tell you, most blokes are getting onboard. But before we get into all the juicy details about how blokes are driving digital transformation in the trades, a quick story.
Last year we worked with a farm machinery wholesaler to launch a digital-only product to help service customers in remote locations, who would normally have to drive thousands of kilometres to purchase equipment. The core demographic of this group was 45-60-year-old males who described themselves as “digitally illiterate”. We know there’s a sparse disparity from claimed vs actual behaviour where blokes say things like “I don’t use social media, and nor do my friends” or “I wouldn’t buy something of high value online.” Blokes are an enigmatic bunch, and whilst they’re usually pretty straightforward with things, they’re also partial to a bit of social pressure. The thing is these blokes were using social media and did make purchases online, they just don’t like admitting it in social settings. For some reason old school blokes like appearing set in their ways, even though they aren’t. Often they’ll seek out a younger family member or friend to show them how to use online platforms. Anyway, we launched the platform and it has been a great success, with Facebook as the main advertising channel. The lesson here is, to understand Blokes you really need to know that what they say and what they do can often be two different things. Ever met a bloke that went for “just two beers”? Didn’t think so.
So, despite what they tell you, blokes are driving digital transformation in the trades. Word of mouth was once a tradies best friend, but with the power of social media being used to share, promote and engage new potential customers, finally, tradies are using the social platforms to their advantage. Not only socials but broader digital transformation is becoming the focus of many tradespeople in the wake of COVID-19 and what’s considered the new normal. But how are tradies using each social platform, and what are their benefits?
Facebook - The Social Advertising Hub
Facebook’s recent data shows there are now 16 million active Australians on Facebook. Therefore approximately 64% of the total Australian population is an active Facebook user. Facebook also has a pretty neat set of tools for small businesses to help them manage their advertising and business pages from one place. This means to reach those 16 million people, (and those on Instagram) it’s now pretty easy to whip up an ad and get it out there to drive leads. Facebook is also the place potential customers will come to check out recent projects, read customer reviews and testimonials, and get a good feel for the brand. Often users on this platform are ghosts, and while results may not come in the form of likes and clicks, there is often a tangible brand benefit.
Instagram - If It’s Pretty Post It
At the moment there are plenty of building, carpentry and landscaping businesses using Instagram to promote, showcase and sell their services. This is particularly true for bespoke builders and landscapers who have a keen sense of style or unique design style. For less visually appealing trades, creativity is key in creating an engaging presence and often is all too hard for plumbers and electricians who’re rooted into more traditional forms of marketing (unless you’re @redfernelectrical). Instagram swings more towards Gen Y’ers and younger tradies as they’ve grown up on the platform, and are used to sharing stories, progress pictures and other things these younger demographic audiences want to see.
Pinterest - Huh?
Yep Pinterest. Pinterest is helping tradies and suppliers convert customers into sales at the second-highest rate for social platforms, according to Basic Bananas. Thanks to the Block everyone is now a DIY expert and Pinterest is the ultimate DIY inspiration destination. Pinterest’s ‘Save for Inspiration’ button is helping tradies and suppliers become the inspiration for their potential customers' projects. If you’re the inspiration, you’re usually the first point of contact. Like Twitter, Google’s spiders can permeate, digest and index Pinterest content reasonably well too, which means that the content posted there will show up in search results in Google, providing posts are properly tagged.
SEO - Filter out the tyre kickers
One key problem with social media we’re constantly hearing in our back of the ute sessions is that it’s really hard to filter out the leads that come through the social platforms. Some more established businesses are taking a more integrated approach to their digital marketing ensuring all of their digital assets drive back to a website that helps to prequalify the leads coming through. This is also where using the power of SEO is helping tradies attract the right kinds of leads.
One landscaping business focused a large amount of time on SEO in order to rank for the right type of keywords. Where previously they may have ranked well for “Landscaper Sydney” they focused on changing their content so they’d rank for more prestigious/expensive-sounding keywords like “Sydney Landscape Architect” and “Eastern Suburbs Garden Design”. The result was clients who were expecting to pay more for their services. Coupled with a fresh website that embodied that high end feel and the company has since been booked out for years.
Blokes, despite what they tell you, are the driving force behind digital transformation in the trades. Once a tradies best friend word of mouth has now been superseded by social platforms as the best way to engage new potential customers. Want to know more about blokes? Get in touch with Bloke Vote to learn how you can get to know your blokes.