Instagram for Contractors: Part of an Ongoing Series on Social Media Marketing
We get it: if faced with the choice, most drywall contractors are going to pick
getting the job done efficiently over taking a couple pictures of the job for “the ’Gram.” Good on you for prioritizing your work! But at the same time, if faced with the choice, many of today’s customers don’t just want to hire a couple faceless pros to remodel their building anymore; they want to get to know the people behind the drywall. That’s why social media marketing isn’t going anywhere, and why Instagram for contractors can be crucial. Don’t look at it as a burden — it’s an incredible opportunity to showcase your work, let your customers get to know you and gain some fans (not to mention paying customers) along the way.
Last month, we looked at how you can use Facebook to grow your business. This time around, let’s dive into free ways contractors can take advantage of all Instagram has to offer.
The Value of Instagram for Contractors
Instagram gives people and small businesses a perfect chance to connect with people on a more personal level. With over 2 billion people using Instagram every single month — plenty of whom love to see photos and videos of home renovations and construction projects — contractors have a fantastic opportunity to engage with people from all over the world.
This is a platform to not only do some marketing, but to have some fun on the job, by posting:
- Videos and photos from “behind the scenes” of a drywalling job
- Documenting the workday on Instagram “Stories”
- Humorous, shareable posts
- Work-in-progress updates
It won’t take much time out of your day to build your Instagram presence. It will just take developing a simple routine, and remembering to keep your phone handy to chronicle your work — and don’t forget to take a few “before” photos when you first arrive at the jobsite. Even better, get a cheap tripod and occasionally set up your phone in a corner to take some video as you work. Make it personalized, throw on a caption and a few hashtags, and you’re off to the races. Most of us spend a ton of time on Instagram anyway, and every day, 200 million users visit at least one business profile — might as well put that time to good use!
Great Instagram for Contractors Content Ideas
If you take our advice from earlier and set up a camera at the jobsite, something people love to watch is time-lapse videos. These videos are a perfect fit on Instagram for contractors, because they capture the entirety of a long, difficult project in one, bite-sized viewing. Most modern phones make it super simple to set up a time lapse; just place your phone on one end of the room and show off your skills. Someone we love who does time-lapse videos all the time is Kayla Beckett, aka The Taping Queen, @the_taping_queen on Instagram.
Then there’s how-to and process videos. The most labor-intensive option on this short list, editing together footage of your work as you go will nonetheless make for incredible content people will love to engage with. One of the best at doing these is PRC Taping (@prctaping), who’s rightfully blown up on Instagram. Just check out this one he did as he installed Trim-Tex’s Fast Edge® corner beads in a residential property:
Don’t get nervous, though, because your content doesn’t have to be as professional-looking as this. People love to watch a well-done video like the one above, but they
don’t always go to Instagram for that — they open their Instagram app to connect with others. And that’s what Instagram Stories are perfect for. You don’t have to take much time out from work for a Story; just open up the app and snap a picture or take a short video of yourself on the jobsite and fire away! Don’t worry too much about quality, since the short-term nature of Stories means it’ll be gone by tomorrow anyway. It’s no wonder that 500 million people use Instagram Stories every day — and a third of the most viewed Stories come from small businesses like yours! Instagram for contractors is about being yourself. Just do that, and you’ll find your audience.
And be sure to always try and use hashtags on your posts! They will increase your reach and help you show up in searches. Some of the most popular ones for our industry include #drywall, #drywallnation and #contractorsofinsta. If you’re using a Trim-Tex product, go ahead and use #trimtex and #trimtexdrywall, too, so we can see it — better yet, tag us, and give us a follow while you’re at it: you can find us at @trimtex_drywall.