Social media is becoming an increasingly important marketing tool for restoration contractors, and those who take advantage of it can reap a significant competitive advantage.

While a successful social media program requires a sizeable time commitment, the returns can justify it. Social media lets you build relationships with people you normally wouldn’t get face to face opportunities with. There are no gatekeepers on LinkedIn or Twitter to keep you away.

We recommend our clients start their social media programs with a blog. It’s not always feasible, and you can participate in social media without one, but there are some real benefits to having a blog.

First and foremost, it gives you more relevant content for your Web site. That’s “relevant” both in attracting your target audiences and “relevant” to the kind of information a search engine looks for in ranking a site. Think of a blog as one of the quickest ways to attract and engage prospects while improving your SEO position, and that is often enough to justify having one.

Even more important to your social media marketing program is that everything you use on the blog can be used on other social media platforms. Just as a quick example, I could create a Tweet that says “A blog makes SMM easier. Do you have one?” and link back to this post. This increases the chances of your message being seen by someone who would get value from it.

Blog or no blog, though, there is one social media platform every restorer should be involved in: LinkedIn. Twitter and Facebook may get the press, but LinkedIn gets the business.

As important as homeowners are to a restoration contractor, it’s referrals from professionals that that really grow your business and LinkedIn is by, about and for business people connecting with business people. Participating opens up tremendous opportunities you can’t find elsewhere.