The saying “If you can’t beat them, join them” resonates with social media. Create a business Facebook page, but keep any personal pages unattached. This is especially true if there is content received and sent, which some may find offensive. The built-in controls allow modifications to be made in addition to controlling the extent of the page’s exposure.
Getting followers is easy, and followers have friends. If the company has a portfolio worth sharing, keep a business profile on Pinterest and Houzz.com. Many homeowners and businesses browse these sites regularly for ideas and commonly call those whose images reflects their work. These websites are keyword searchable; therefore, it is important to be descriptive about the company in as many words as possible so those who may be remotely interested can find the company easily. These online communities are free and Internet users will thrive on the uploaded images that most already have of their work.
For those who do not have a portfolio, but have mobile Internet access and do not want to share their ideas (images) with just anyone, there are many websites available where free photo albums can be created online. These sites offer the convenience of making albums where photos can be uploaded and viewed from anywhere. For those businesses, which upgrade to a paid subscription, some accounts even offer photo editing options. For example, Flickr.com is one website, which allows users to post photos to either a public or private audience, and organize them into categories called ‘sets’ and ‘galleries.’
Maintain interest
Remember, every type of web presence requires a certain amount of upkeep to attract and maintain dedicated, positive feedback.
Maintaining a company’s presence on Facebook or other social media websites means regularly updating project photos and telling stories, which keep visitors coming back. All comments, whether about the company or others, should be positive. Studies indicate a positive experience from a website or media exposure keep people interested and garner return visits, while negative comments turn people off, even if the comments are from those purporting to expose the poor workmanship or habits of a competitor. Making someone look bad does not always make another company look better.
Companies worried that ‘big brother’ is watching should keep in mind that he might be. However, this time he might be in the car next to a company truck wondering if the business has a good reputation. To find out, he looks up the company online to see some project photos or to find comments and reviews. Depending on what he finds—good or bad—he might end up telling his family and friends all in a span of five to 10 minutes.
Those companies that give people something good to talk about will have the upper hand. Those which do not are leaving the company’s image in the hands of those that will either form an opinion on their own or worse, cannot find any information on the company at all and forget that it even exists.
Gary van Eijk is a Ryerson graduate of landscape architectural technology. He owns and is the principal designer at Uncommon Ground Design Group Inc., in Mississauga, Ont. Van Eijk has been working with homeowners, contractors, builders, and architects in the GTA since 1996, and has been designing residential landscape projects in Toronto, Mississauga, Oakville, Ancaster, Muskoka, and Collingwood. He can be reached via e-mail at gary@uncommonground.ca.
