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I know what you're thinking. Instagram doesn't seem worth the effort for your home service business. When most people post beautifully curated photos, you spend your day in the spaces of people's homes that aren't always the most photogenic. Shout out to the plumbers.

But we're here to show you that it can be done! And give you some evidence to prove it. We're going to showcase 3 home service businesses that got it right with Instagram and how you can use similar tactics to get the word out about your business.

Create an Informative Bio

Let’s start from the top, your Instagram bio. Your bio is the first thing someone sees when they reach your feed and the first place that they look for your contact information.  

For a great example of this, we are going down to Australia with @iplumbsolutions.   

When writing your bio, make sure you include the following: 

• Where you are located.
• What you do.
• Contact information.
• Your tag line. 
• Link you your website.
• Emojis are a great addition. 

Tip: When using emojis in your bio, make sure they are relevant to your information. Use them tastefully. 

Having an updated bio might seem pretty standard, but we have seen lots of business with messy bios or ones that don’t even include contact information. Since it is the first thing someone sees when they reach your Instagram account, make sure it accurately represents your business. 

Teach your Audience Something

What we see all the time with home service businesses is that they use Instagram as a board for promotional content and it becomes a feed full of ads. This is not to say that you can never post promotional content, but you need to give your audience a good reason to follow you. A great way to do that is to share your expertise and teach them something useful or interesting about your industry.  For this example, we want to give a shout out to @vancitysparky who does a great job with their content. You can see a variety of posts that educate the audience on everything from tools to breakers. Check out below for their post on how to best use your ceiling fan for all seasons.

 This post is excellent because it checks the following boxes: 

• Visually represents the concept.
• Anyone easily understands it.
• Helpful fo the audience. 

To keep people on Instagram engaged, make sure you are providing value. Even tips that may seem basic to you can help someone who has no experience in your industry. 

Another way this will benefit your business is that it showcases you as an expert. If you are continually offering helpful tips, you will be top of mind when it’s time to bring in a professional to do the job.

Post Before & Afters

Who doesn’t love a good before and after picture? This is your chance to showcase your skill set and really wow your audience with what you can do. Before and after pictures are not only interesting but can inspire people to upgrade their homes. It’s a way of showing your audience the great results you can create without having to be overly promotional. 

When it comes to posting great before and afters @iplumbsolutions is doing it right. Take a scroll through their page to see how they have been able to showcase their handsome work with sinks, tubs and showers.

Quick Tips For Taking Before and After Pictures: 

• Use a phone with a high-quality camera. Most newer smart phones have one.
• Use natural lighting especially in the after photo. We know sometimes this isn’t possible so you can use flash or external lighting if needed.  
• Use editing apps or programs to adjust photos. This is especially important if the photo is too dark. A little brightening can go a long way.    

Yes, It is worth the extra effort! A picture is worth 1000 words, this is an investment in your business that you can use on multiple social media channels. 

Keep Your Branding Consistent 

Your social media channels are an extension of your brand. Someone should be able to look at your Instagram feed and identify your company.  This means staying consistent with your imagery, brand colours, and incorporating your logo when appropriate. We would like to highlight @dayandnightair  for doing a stellar job with this.

They have been able to incorporate the blue colours in their brand into all of their posts. @dayandnightair’s feed looks cohesive and interesting without seeming too curated or inauthentic. They have also incorporated their logo in a subtle and tasteful way in order to create brand recognition without being too overly promotional.

Feature Staff

Featuring yourself and your staff on your Instagram page is a great way to build a more personal connection with your audience. Why does that matter? Two reasons. 

Makes people comfortable.

People want to know who is going to be coming into their homes. They want to make sure that your staff is clean-cut, well educated and professional. Showcasing employees in your business from your receptionist to your service techs will make the whole experience feel more personal and alleviate any uncertainty.

It’s Far More Engaging

You and your staff are part of your personal brand. People want to see who you are. They want to get to know your personality and why they should hire you. It is far more interesting to see people within an Instagram feed instead of just pictures of equipment. Again @iplumbsolutions has done a great job of showcasing the business owners and staff on their page. Whether it’s using an Air Snake to open a beer or giving a shout out to their team, they regularly incorporate the people in their business into their Instagram feed.

Post Reviews

Reviews are another great way to showcase your quality service without posting promotional content that just feels like ads. In 2019, a survey indicated that 82% of customers read online reviews of local businesses.

This is why you should make the most of any reviews you get, by posting them on all your active social media channels. When it comes to posting reviews @dayandnightair is smashing it.

@dayandnightair post reviews regularly, about every few weeks. Which is enough that people will see them frequently but not so much that it feels like constant bragging.

These reviews are: 

•  Detailed
•  Mention employees by name
•  Reference the original source of the review 
• Incorporate an interesting visual. 

Checking all the boxes of what’s important when showcasing a review. If you’d love to post reviews but don’t have enough reviews to post regularly, check out our full blog post on getting more reviews.

Last Word

Hopefully, checking out these 3 business @iplumbsolutions,  @vancitysparky and @dayandnightair on Instagram have given you some inspiration for what you can do with your own feed. If you want some more tips on getting started with Instagram check out our Ultimate Instagram Guide for Home Service Businesses. Of course, we are always ready to help, book a call with us and we can give you direction for your social media strategy.