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This is the Branded Bull Podcast, a show dedicated to helping take your business to the next level with winning marketing and branding tips and strategies built for today's competitive world. Ready for your business to make its mark and stand out from the competition. Let's get into it.
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Hey, guys, Adam Fullerton here. Welcome to another episode of the Branded Bull Podcast built for you green industry business owners looking to stand out, get found, and win more work. All right, guys, on today's episode, we're going to talk about social media. And for a lot of lawn care and landscaping business owners, social media falls into one of two categories. It's either something you know you should be doing but don't have time for, or it's something you've tried, didn't see results from, and quietly gave up on. And honestly, I get it. We get it. We understand it. And when you're out working all day, the idea of stopping to take photos, write captions, and post consistently can feel like a distraction from the real work, the kind of actually brings in the money. But here is the reality. Reality. Social media, when used correctly, is not just about likes or follows. It plays a real role in your marketing, your credibility, and even your local SEO. So today I want to break this down into a practical way. We're going to talk about what social media actually does for your business, how it ties into local SEO, what you should be posting, and the pros and cons you need to understand. And as always, we'll try to keep this short, sweet, and to the point with practical application. First, what social media actually does for your business. Like, let's strip this down. Social media is not your primary sales tool. Most often your website holds that role in your marketing, in your business. But social media absolutely supports everything else you're doing. So think of it like this. If your website is your storefront, Google is how people find you. And social media is proof that you're active, you're real, you're credible, and you are trustworthy. When someone finds your business, whether it's through Google, whether it's through a referral or you know, your truck driving by, what's one of the first things they do? They look you up naturally. That's what you want. And when they do that, they're checking a few things. Do you look professional? Are you active? Do you have real work to show? And are you engaging with people? Are there other people engaging with you and your business? And if your last post in your profile on Facebook or wherever else Instagram was from 2022, you know, three, four, five, six years ago, that's not so good. And if you don't have any photos of your work showing off what it is you do, that creates doubt around whether or not you're actually in business, you're credible, and again, you're trustworthy. And if people should even call you, even if you're great at what you do, social media is still a phenomenal way to get it out there and to prove that you are active. So that said, let's talk about how social media impacts local SEO, because this is also important. And let's connect this to the local SEO in the sense that social media does not directly boost your Google ranking in a straightforward, simple, measurable way, but it absolutely does influence the signals, the trust signals around your business. And there's a few different ways that happens, right? So one, brand search increases. Brand searches increase, without a doubt. When people see your content regularly, they're far more likely to search your business and your business name directly on places like Google or ChatGPT. And that's a strong signal that your business is relevant and locally known. Number two, the engagement from these posts drives traffic, right? If your posts link back to your website or even just get people curious enough to look you up, you're increasing traffic. Perfect. That absolutely matters. Consistency builds trust signals. And Google's job is to recommend trustworthy businesses. And a business that is active across various platforms looks more legitimate, incredible and trustworthy and active than one that's invisible on the Internet outside of a website. And ultimately, content reinforces your services, right? When you post consistently and you show that you're doing, you know, lawn care or an installation, mulch cleanup, or I should say fall cleanups, mulch installations, hardscaping, again, routine maintenance doesn't matter. It just reinforces what your business actually does. And that aligns with your website, your Google business profile, and just showcases what it is you actually do. So posting on Instagram won't magically move you from page three to page one overnight when it comes to Google, but it absolutely strengthens everything around your online presence. And so you can think of it as indirect benefits in terms of what you should be posting. That's another big one, right? This is where most people get stuck. They think social media has to be creative, clever. They think it's super complicated. Honestly, it doesn't need to be like that. For a green industry business, your best content is probably already in front of you every single day. And here, you know, are a core, here's some core types of posts you Absolutely can focus on. So project photos, you know, before and after shots, clean stripes, fresh mulches, installed, new installations of whatever it might be, retaining walls. I mean, this is your portfolio. Post about it, post it on social media. Without a doubt, you can show progress photos. And it doesn't always need to be so drastic in terms of transformation. Just showing the process builds trust and shows the work behind the results. And your equipment, your crew, photos of your team in action. You know your business, it helps your business feel real and established. Simple tips like when to fertilize your lawn, how often you should mow your lawn, seasonal prep tips. I mean, the list goes on and on. This is great content because it positions you as an expert. And that's another thing that you can also talk about when it comes to a blog, but more on that in another episode. But also reviews and testimonials. Even a simple screenshot of a good review goes a long way in. That's it. Like, you don't have to go crazy with this. Stick to the basics. You don't need trending audio, you don't need complicated edits and all that. I mean, yeah, it helps, but ultimately it's about consistency and clarity at the end of the day. So the question often we get is, hey, how often should I post? In full transparency, consistency beats frequency. If you can post three times per week, that's great. If you can post two times per week, that's still good. Even if you post one time per week, that's still better than nothing. And the biggest mistake we see all the time is someone going hard for two weeks, posting a bunch, and then disappearing for two months. That's not consistency, that's frequency. Frequency is great only if you can maintain consistency. And that consistency, the inconsistency, I should say, does more harm than posting less often, but sticking to it. So once a week for eternity is going to be a better strategy or approach than 10 posts in a day and then not posting for another month. So here's some best practices that actually matter as well. Again, I'll try to keep this simple and practical. Number one, use real photos of your work. Stock images don't build trust. Your actual work does. Number two, keep captions straightforward. If you're posting, you don't need to be a copywriter. Just explain the job, what it was, where it was done, what you did, give it some fluff, and you're pretty much good to go. You don't need to be too crazy. Number three is you can actually tag your location this Helps reinforce your service area and supports local visibility. Number four, stand brand. Right? If your business is professional, your post should reflect that. So clean visuals, clear messaging, don't have any typos, keep it simple and then ultimately link back to your website. Your social media should always support your main sales tool, which is your website. So that's it. Let's talk about really quick the pros of social media. We'll talk about the upside. Right? Again, we talked about this a little bit earlier, but it builds credibility fast. It shows proof of work, it keeps you top of mind, supports referrals, it reinforces your brand, your online visibility. It's awesome. These are all things that help your business grow and that is what matters most. And yes, there's cons to doing social media. We talk about pros and cons here all the time. You know, takes time. Obviously, results aren't always immediate. It can be frustrating at times or distracting, or you maybe don't know what to post, or you leave a job site and you're like, ah, darn it, I gotta go back there and grab a photo. Yeah, that happens. And it's definitely easy to overthink. So that said, the right way to think about social media is, is this right? You gotta do a little bit of a mind shift. At the end of the day, social media is not about going viral as much as everybody would love it. It's just about being visible, so being active. It's about giving people access to information and to content. And you don't need a thousand followers. You just need the right people in your service area to see that you're active, you're professional, and that you do quality work. And if someone lands on your social media page and then they visit your website, or they visit your website and then want to go to your social media page, that's awesome. That's just you supporting your business with more channels and more levers and just more access to information. Like I mentioned, that's the goal, to help people find information and say to themselves, yes, this is a trustworthy, credible, legitimate business and social media can absolutely help with that. So final thoughts here. If you're not posting on social media right now, don't overcomplicate it. Just get started, get going. And next time you're on a job, take a photo, write a sentence about it and post it. That alone puts you ahead of most of your competition. And if you are posting but not seeing results, chances are it's not about doing more, it's just about doing it more consistently. And making sure it actually reflects the quality of work and the services you provide. Because at the end of the day, social media isn't just an extension of your business. It, I should say it is an extension of your business. And if your brand looks strong online, if it looks like you're doing everything right with social media, with your website, your credibility goes through the roof. And that only helps you grow in the long run. So that's what I've got. That's more about the importance of social media, the impacts on local SEO and more. And again, ultimately, it's about helping your business look credible online. And that is what all of this is about. So I hope that helps. I'm sure many of you listening are followers of my brother Brian from Law Maintenance. Go check his social media out. You can see what he does. You can replicate it to the best of your ability, but ultimately, you don't need to be that crazy with it. It's just about consistency. So if you like what you hear, guys, I invite you to subscribe wherever you're listening to. As always, this is the Brand Full podcast. My name is Adam Fullerton. I know I talk fast, but I'm trying to get to the point so that you guys can understand how to use these tactics to help you stand out, get found and win more work for your lawn care landscaping business. So again, that's what I've got. Thank you for tuning in and as always, I will catch you guys on next week's episode. New episodes every Tuesday. See you later.
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Thanks for listening to this episode of the Branded Bull Podcast. The podcast dedicated to giving you expert advice and actionable ideas so that your business can make its mark and stand out from the competition like what you heard in today's show. Visit brandedbull.com to see how we can help you achieve your marketing and branding goals. Also, please consider leaving a five star review. And again, thanks for listening.