In order to be effective, you need to have a
well-designed, user-friendly Web site.
Think of it as your marketing and social
media headquarters where everything
begins and eventually returns.
sales. Plan on updating the blog
content once a week and checking
it a few times a week to make sure
that you’ve answered any questions
that have been posted by your
readers as comments.
The nice thing about social media is you are letting the consumers
do the work for you. You’re giving
them a place to go to ask questions,
get answers, and converse with an
industry professional and each other; and because you’re earning their
trust, they will most likely turn to
you when a job goes beyond what
they think they can do themselves.
3. start social
networking
Many feel that social networking
is only for teens and college
students to share pictures of their
parties and keep in touch with
friends, but it is also becoming a
valuable networking tool within the
business world. Among consumers
over the age of 55, use of blogs and
social networking sites has more
than doubled since 2006. A Neilson
study revealed social networking
sites’ traffic increased at a rate of
47% over the last few years. It is
easy to establish a Facebook page
or LinkedIn page for your business.
You probably already have all of
the information that you need; it’s
just a matter of transferring the
information to a new site.
Try out the tools, and see what
happens. Invite customers to join
your network.
Dive into Internet marketing and
social media and see where it takes
you. Begin in-house, if you or a staff
member can do it, or outsource the
job to a reputable communications
firm that can help you set it up, and
keep it up. n
St. Paul Plumbing and Heating is using Facebook
and the business network, LinkedIn, which
40 million business professionals use to exchange
information. In addition, they’re sharing information
with customers and potential customers through
blogging, which is an ongoing and interactive version
of traditional column writing. The main goal with
all of their efforts is search engine optimization
(SEo): The more your name is out there; the more
you’ll pop up in searches. St. Paul Plumbing and
Heating is now prominently placed on almost all the
keywords for their business, and they believe the
links they’re generating with Facebook and LinkedIn
are responsible for their excellent Google ranking.
A residential service contractor in California is
using social media to try to change the common
stereotype of plumbers. Rosenthal Plumbing
produced a music video called Any Questions? and
uploaded it to You Tube. So far, the video has had
4,000 views, and the company is making the most
of it within their marketing. Additionally, they are
maximizing their investment in the production by
using it to train their technicians on how to work
with customers.
Kari Logan is co-owner of Minneapolis
based C.E.L. and Chelsea Leines,
contributing writer, implements social
media with a focus on ROI within C.E.L.’s
Social Media Incubator™ for small and
mid-size businesses. Since 1988, C.E.L.
has provided creative, effective and lasting
public relations for businesses and
organizations, including Nexstar® Network
and its member plumbing, HVAC and
electrical businesses across the continent.
Find out more at www.celpr.com or call
888-235-2780.
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