Rhonda Burgin, vice president of Burgin Construction, in Santa Ana, Calif., has used a variety of social media to establish the company’s Web presence, including Facebook, Twitter, Google+, and Pinterest. “These are the most popular,” she says. “There are tons coming up daily. You can’t do them all. I try them, and if they work and I get feedback, then I continue.”
Burgin Construction’s Facebook page includes posts, photos, and links related to remodeling. The company also has a profile page on Google+, which Burgin uses to connect with interesting people both inside and outside the industry. “It seems to be mostly designers and tech people,” she points out, but she likes the site’s layout and says that it has the advantage of allowing for larger images than Facebook.
For the company’s Twitter account [@BurginCo], Burgin tweaks the longer posts and links that she enters on Facebook and Google+. And she also recently joined "online pinboard" Pinterest, where users can post boards of interesting ideas — in Burgin's case, project images showcasing her company's work.
The Importance of Consistency
Burgin also writes a weekly blog on the company’s website. “Consistency is the key,” she points out. “Without doing it every week, I don’t think it would be as effective as it has been.” She writes and posts photos about projects that are under construction and about completed projects, as well as discussing products and suppliers. “We try not to focus so much on selling,” Burgin says. “Occasionally it’s OK to do a blog on us, but we try to offer information and then bring it back to us by saying ‘Call us for a consultation.’”
She cross-references on all the sites, posting links to the company blog on Twitter and Facebook. And a board that Burgin created on Pinterest provides a place for her to "pin" all of her blogs. “It’s just another avenue for people to locate the blog,” she says.
Although social media doesn’t cost anything, Burgin points out that it does take time. She spends about an hour in the early morning and another 1½ hours throughout the day interacting on the various social media sites. To increase her efficiency and schedule posts and tweets, she uses Twitter’s TweetDeck andBuffer. She also works with an outside assistant to make sure the company has a steady stream of posts. It helps that her assistant is on the East Coast, so posts reach people in that time zone.
What’s the Payback?
“It gets the word out about your company and gets people to your website and your business," Burgin says. "I have to draw [homeowners] to my website so they will call me to set up an appointment.”
Most of Burgin Construction's leads originate on its website, with repeat clients and referrals also being an important lead source. Social media offers the company another way to connect with potential clients.
Burgin advises remodelers not to be afraid to jump into the social media arena: “Try it out. You’d be surprised what responses you get from people. But it takes time. It’s not instant — be patient. If you are out there and people are seeing you, they’re going to refer you or remember you.”
