The Bridge
How many times have you recommended someone’s services to someone looking for something? Most people hire people on a referral basis. From doctors to dentists, we depend on other people’s experiences, as we are looking for the right person to do the job for us.
It hit me one day, a lot of people make recommendations, but don’t advertise
what they do. Now, I’m not saying if someone’s looking for a painter, refer someone a painter and say “hey, if you ever need your hair done..that’s what I do.” You want to do it in a more subtle way.
So, how do you do it in a subtle way?
This is a simple technique in business building, that’ll help your business grow faster. The great part about it is, not only would you be able to acquire new clients, but the credibility with other people in making your personal
recommendations.
I call it “The Bridge.”
You are basically the person in the middle putting two people together. One person is looking for someone that is looking for a particular service, and the other person is the person that performs the service.
You’ll want to keep track of the people in different services, so when someone is
looking, it’ll be easy to share the information. You can do that by having a notebook or using your computer and storing it on file somewhere.
So if it’s a plumber, painter, roofer, catering, etc. you’ll have the list covered. Try to stick with one in one field. It’ll cause less confusion. So, if you keep referring 3 different painters, the person on the other end will not be sure which will be best, and it also creates loyalty with the service provider by referring the one.
So, here’s how it’ll work….
1. You’ve made your list of different service people.
Example – landscaping, painter, plumber, roofer, etc.
(Be sure to make sure they are legit. Check their websites, their Facebook pages, Instagram, etc. maybe even BBB. Remember your name may be attached to that in going forward.) So, don’t just throw a list together of the 1 st people you see. This may take a little time. Double check Google & Yelp for reviews as well.
2. Once you’ve made your list, reach out to those people. For example, if it’s
Jim’s lawn service, you could say something like…
“Hey Jim, I see your company does great work. I occasionally see people asking for services or recommendations on Facebook for your line of work. I ‘d love to help out your business and let people know about you! If I see someone looking, I’ll send them your way! Sincerely, Eric
3. You’ve reached out to the different service providers on your list, now’s the fun part. Head over to the recommendations section on Facebook. To get there, go to the “Home” part of your page. In the far left corner, toward the bottom, you’ll see recommendations. Click on that. You’ll notice a list of things people are
looking for right now.
4. Once you see a post that you want to reply to, take the time to do more than leave a link or the name of the business. This is where you leave your mark. You don’t have to say a whole lot. Your post should be short & sweet. For example, if it’s landscaping, you may say “Jim’s Lawncare is top notch. Here’s their Facebook page ——> could use an emoji also if you want to dress up the post, but leave a hashtag & mission statement. (That is YOURS!)
5. Why a hashtag? The hashtag is subtle way of telling someone what you do, and redirecting them to your posts made from your Facebook business page. Your hashtag should be unique, and unique enough that if someone clicks on it, they end up on posts related to your Facebook business page. You have to have already used the hashtag though, in order for this to work. Don’t use your personal page for this particular hashtag. And make sure no
one has taken it.
So, here’s an example… You reply to a recommendation post, and follow up with
#EricHairAdvisor “Your hair care expert.” People know what you do without you
even telling them. In the meantime, you are helping other people out in making
connections. If they click on your hashtag, and are re directed, now they know
you do hair. Simple, yet effective. Just make sure your Facebook business page
is done well with before & afters, valuable hair advice, product knowledge, etc.
Recap
1. Make a list of different service people.
2. Reach out to those people.
3. Head over to the recommendations on Facebook & see what people are
looking for.
4. Leave a post, connecting the person with the service provider, followed by your personal hashtag & possibly a mission statement if you want.
Quick Tip On Keywords!!
Keywords are key on Facebook. A picture is great, but the more keywords you use in your post, the better. The mistake businesses make in Facebook groups is, they’ll take a picture of their business card or put a flyer on a post, and unfortunately the words won’t be picked up in a search.
Facebook has it’s own SEO. This means the more keywords you use the better. So, if you are posting your hours of operation for the day, it won’t say much and it may not be seen or get much engagement. An example of a post with keywords could go something like this….
Example Post
It’s almost back to school! That means the kids may need their haircuts for upcoming pictures. We’re open from 9-5 all weekend long. Come see us on Maple Street in Troy. Walk-ins welcome here at Jacob’s Barber Shop.
#TroyBarbers #SchoolCuts
Maybe you post a meme or throwback picture…remember make sure it’s related
to your profession, and the more engagement, the more it ends up in the
Facebook feed!
Check out my latest E-Book on how to crush it with Instagram through Instagram Marketing Secrets here https://www.fiverr.com/share/RpxAN