Top social media platforms

Today’s world offers many social media platforms to choose from: Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, Pinterest and more. During the Real Green Solutions 2018 conference in St. Petersburg, Florida, Jennifer Peitz and Tim Romisch of Real Green shared what they thought serve as the best social media platforms for green industry professionals.

“Social media takes time and energy,” Peitz said, who serves as the digital marketing manager at Real Green. “And you have to put it in to make it effective.”

Here are their top social media platform picks for the green industry:

1. Facebook. With over 2 billion social media users, your business has a great chance to thrive on Facebook. Peitz said creating a business page on Facebook comes with features like an option to get reviews from customers.

“Don’t be afraid of bad reviews,” she said. “Turn (the review function) on.”

Peitz said Facebook is also being used as a search function for users to find more information on companies and businesses.

“Using Facebook allows you to have a dialogue with your customers,” she said. She also recommends companies post to Facebook two or three times a day on average. Popular and engaging posts include community involvement, employee bios and welcomes.

2. YouTube. “Every lawn company should be on YouTube,” Peitz said. “It’s the second biggest social media platform.”

Her tips for posting videos include focusing each video on one topic at a time. If the video is more focused, it will be easier to find content.

How-to videos are a popular topic, although it may seem counterintuitive to broadcast how to perform the services your company provides. However, Peitz said those with the DIY attitude won’t be calling for your services anyway, so this shouldn’t be a concern.

Your videos have the chance to drive ROI as well.

“Get sales from your videos,” Peitz said. “Send them to your site and put a call to action at the end of every video.” YouTube has a function that creates a clickable link at the end of videos.

Much like Facebook reviews, make sure to turn the comments on when using YouTube for your business. Remember, more engagement will get you higher rankings.

3. Instagram. “Instagram is not used to connect with your customers,” she said. “It is used for authority among your peers."

To use Instagram successfully, Peitz recommended filling out the bio section of your profile and making your account public. Adding a link to your website in your bio will draw traffic, along with contact information.

“Save the selfies for your personal account,” Peitz said. “Use this to showcase your work and recruit employees.”

Peitz has a different view on using Twitter in the green industry. She said if a business wants to use it, they should check out competitor pages and try to find out what type of audience they have on Twitter.

“I’d say probably don’t put your time into it,” Peitz said. “It’s mostly for news and entertainment.”