To Post or Not to Post Progress Photos

The line of thinking is: “I’ll put up another picture of a half-done deck so people can see that we are doing “something.”

And I put “something” in quotes there because in the minds of too many people that something equates to: “I’ll just keep posting pictures of this job, then when I’m done, I’ll go on to post pictures of another job that looks exactly like the last one, but at least I’m doing something on social media”

Wrong, wrong, wrong. On so many levels. Stop equating posting for the sake of posting with a great social media presence. (That should be posted in huge letters on the top of every computer in your office… oh, but wait… those machines are there just to check email or the bank balance, never mind.)

Hey, they call it “mailing it in” for a reason.

You’re posting on social media, but so what?

Posting on social media only matters if you’re giving your community something they can use, or what I like to call “Being a Utility,” but continually posting updated project pictures is what will drive your community away.

But you think posting your projects pics tells your community you know what you are doing, It doesn’t. It’s a lie that contractors tell themselves to this day. Part of my mission with The Contractor’s Toolbox is wiping that out. Only when you decide to execute a proper social media strategy is when your community start to engage with what you do. It works for everyone who uses it consistently.

So let’s talk about what you REALLY want to accomplish with social media.

Like, I said, just because you’re posting to Facebook, LinkedIn, Twitter or Instagram doesn’t mean its being done properly. NONE of that matters. Why? Because what truly matters is educating your community.

Fine, if you like decks, then post pics of your completed decks. But mix in other information your readers can use that has nothing to do with decks. As Zig Ziglar once said, “What gets measured gets improved.”

Your social media needs to have performance goals. Do you want to be a resource to your community, or just be like every other contractor who posts half-completed jobs no one else cares about? Boring old images of demo day or the day the sheetrock gets delivered.

Try this instead: post with the intention to set new ideas and concepts in your reader’s minds so they know what they are missing…and want you to fix it for them now. WHICH social media post types are truly useful and which are a waste of time? Track your progress and keep a log of your social media content challenge your readers to think.

Rather than be the guy or girl who just “shows up” and “puts in time,” show some purpose and BE the contractor whose content people can’t wait to see because their posts went from a pathetic looking Facebook page to a full-throated resource people can actually use.

Useless or useful­—it’s your choice! And it’s a choice you make every day.