How Long Has It Been Since Your Last Social Media Post?

It’s not a good look when customers reach out to your Facebook page and see you haven’t promoted your company’s products or services in the past five years.

Pumpers join the social media revolution with all the best intentions. But if my surfing around looking at Facebook pages and Twitter accounts is any indication, good intentions don’t always translate to fresh content.

Many times I will hit the blue F icon to migrate from the Joe’s Septic Service webpage to the company’s Facebook page … only to find that Joe posted two or three times back in 2015 and hasn’t been back since. The page might have an introductory post, a few poop emojis and a photo of the newest vacuum truck. That’s it. Clearly Joe isn’t taking advantage of the magic of social media.

Maybe you’re a lot like Joe. Perhaps you feel you’re too busy to drop the hose and throw up a Facebook post every so often. Maybe you stare blankly at your Twitter account and can’t think of much to say. Or you might take interesting photos of your guys at work, but they somehow never make it from your smartphone to your Instagram.

NO EXCUSES

Many years ago, the big technology hurdle was establishing a website for your wastewater services company. And back then, it was a daunting task to build a website — or hire someone to create it. It was pretty complicated way back when. There were no simple DIY templates to build a website. Graphics required some amount of computer coding, and that meant most of us ran to an expert and paid a lot of cash to launch a website. Because updating meant spending more money, many went along unchanged for years.

But today, any grandma sipping iced tea on her front porch can pull out her smartphone and quickly post photos of her family on Facebook and enjoy the benefits of communicating with her virtual group of friends. Keeping up with social media is so easy and intuitive these days that pumpers no longer have an excuse to avoid adding it to their marketing efforts.

Also, there was a day when contractors I talked to were skeptical of the value of this type of marketing … but I’ve heard enough success stories now that today you are ignoring social media at your own peril. If you don’t fill that space, one of your competitors will … and they’ll start to take the business away from you.

I listened to a podcast about social media marketing a few days ago, and it got me to thinking about why so many pumpers are still not tuned in to Facebook, for example, and how to get them in the habit of building a stronger online presence. The podcast, “Digital Marketing Made Simple,” from expert Jennie Lyon, describes a step-by-step process for small businesses to create and organize all of their social media posts for a month in one day.

CONTENT IS KING

Lyon says there are many considerations when determining which social media platforms a small-business owner should use and how often they should post on those platforms. She talks a little bit about graphics, color choices for post designs, analyzing the reach of your posts and the effective use of hashtags to capture the most attention from social media posts. She promises to cover these topics in more depth through blogs and podcasts found at her website, www.jennielyon.com.

But when she started talking about impactful content — that’s when my mind began working on behalf of the Pumper community. Specifically, I started churning through ideas for you to best use your Facebook page to generate a demand for your services.

“What topics do I want to write social media posts about? Your subject matter is really crucial,” Lyon explains. “Think about the content you want to talk about. What are you communicating to your audience?” Lyon talks about capturing attention and promoting a unique brand experience.

“Audience engagement is the most crucial part of social media. I mean, it’s kind of the point. I like to think of social media as a virtual cocktail party; you want to mingle with your target audience. You want to check things out. You want to listen in on conversations and then pop in with your amazing comments, suggestions and feedback,” she continues. “You really have to have an active management component to make social media work for your business.”

With my nearly two decades of writing for Pumper and talking to pumpers about their marketing efforts, I will suggest several topics for social media posts to get the ball rolling. Refine this list based on your own company’s needs, and start to populate your page with content that will get more customers calling you for advice and service.

Call to pumping action

How many times have you heard customers say their tank never needs to be pumped unless there is an emergency? Share before and after photos of some of your most neglected systems, along with the recommendations of your local health department on pumping frequency. Constantly hammer home that most tanks should be pumped every three to five years to function properly.

Have a maintenance mindset

Through photos and stories, educate customers about the growing complexity of septic systems and about how many require regular inspection and maintenance. Write easy-to-read posts covering each component of a septic system and how homeowners can keep them running efficiently. Many of your customers have never used a septic system before, and they don’t know some of the basic rules, such as not washing several loads of laundry on the same day and not pouring grease down the drain. Cover each of these important tips.

Smart upselling your products

Post about the added products that can improve and update your customers’ septic systems. Explain that a riser and lid can make future servicing easier and save money on digging costs. Promote safety screens or nets within the riser if a customer’s system is set up for this. Show how effluent screens can help protect the drainfield. If you choose to sell tank bacteria additives, use social media to promote that.

Preparing for holiday visits

Your customers prepare for Thanksgiving by buying a turkey and all the fixings. They cut down an evergreen tree at Christmas and buy candy and colorful eggs at Easter. But they don’t think about their septic system needs during these holiday times. Post ahead of these holidays, reminding about the need to care for septic systems when they face being overloaded with all the guests coming to visit.

Focus on holiday messages

While you’re thinking of the holidays, create posts that send out best wishes to customers at important times of the year. Remembering those who served on Memorial Day, showing patriotism on the Fourth of July, saluting mothers on Mother’s Day and fathers on Father’s Day, and marking any other important date on the calendar will go a long way to boosting your social media presence in an uplifting way.

Ask for testimonials

Invite your customers to provide a testimonial about your quality service, and then post those testimonials along with a photo and a few kind words about the customer. Do this for both residential and commercial customers. One way to jump-start the testimonials would be to offer a bonus to drivers who collect them and take photos of the customers after a pumping call.

Offer specials

Look for strategic ways to offer a discount for service and promote those offers with coupons on Facebook. One example could be to give a discount for customers who help you fill up your job board during traditionally slow periods. Or offer a special for military veterans around Veteran’s Day or a periodic discount for senior citizens.

Photos of your crew at work

Encourage your Facebook visitors to get to know your service professionals so they will be familiar when they show up on the job site. Show your crews in clean uniforms, using your best equipment and following all safety regulations. Don’t forget to smile! Post photos of your drivers sharing their expertise with customers after a pumpout.  

Get up close and personal

People naturally want to support local family businesses. Reinforce that connection you have with the community by posting team photos, honoring employees on birthdays and important work anniversaries. If you have an office cat or dog, show them off to capture the attention of pet lovers visiting your page. Show how the money your customers spend stays in the community and who benefits.

TIME TO GET MOVING

I’ve only shared a few simple ideas to build on your social media efforts. The content is only limited by your imagination and enthusiasm to connect with your community. Let me know if you have social media ideas you’d like to share with the Pumper community. You can do it directly on Facebook through the Pumper website, www.pumper.com. 



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