Why Home Services Companies Should Never, Ever, Ever Use Facebook

I know, I know: Booooooo for click-baity headlines. But I super need you to listen up, so I had to do it.

Once upon a time, there was a company with a fantastic Facebook presence: lots of likes, tons of engagement, big reach. 

And then, one bright and sunny Wednesday morning in March, the business owner, let’s call her Sam, poured herself a cup of hazelnut coffee, sat down at her desk, opened Facebook, and was greeted by this:

Your Account is Temporarily Locked

Huh. That’s weird. She reached for her phone and opened the app. Same thing. What in the world? 

Sam is cool-headed, so instead of panicking, she took to Google: Facebook account locked. Help.

It happens, Google said. Fill out this form. 

So she did… and then went about her day.

She checked her account at lunch. 

Still locked. 

She checked at the end of the day. 

Still locked.

And it stayed that way. For months.

And Sam didn’t just twiddle her thumbs waiting to be let back in. She tried every trick she could find to get her account reinstated. But it stayed locked.

You know this already, but it bears repeating: You don’t own your Facebook account. Facebook owns it, along with all the data it contains. 

That means at any point it could all disappear, and there’s nothing you can do about that.

Think about it: Someone could hack the system and bring it down. 

Zuck could decide to cash it in and call it quits. 

The Yellowstone super volcano could erupt and bury Facebook’s data center in foot of ash. 

The point is, if Facebook is your only marketing channel, you’re taking a massive risk.

#1 Download your Facebook data.

Actually everyone should do this, even if your marketing strategy is plenty robust.

• Go to your business page. 
• On the Manage Page menu on the left, scroll to the bottom and click Settings.
• Scroll almost to the bottom, and click Download Page.

The first time you download your page data, snag all of it for all time. Then set yourself a reminder to download it every few months. 

Yes, of course that’s a huge pain in the rear. But losing your reviews is way worse.

#2 Diversify your marketing channels.

Let’s stop picking on Facebook for a bit.

The truth is, any one channel is a bad idea, because something can always go wrong with any of them. But with so many marketing opportunities out there, what should you prioritize?

Here’s what I recommend:

1. Get your website in order and mobile-optimized.
2. Get on Google My Business.
3. Pick one social media channel, and use it. (Don’t add another one until you can manage the first one well.)
4. This one deserves its own headline...

#3 For the love of all things good and holy, start using email marketing.

I know you hate email. Everyone hates email. But it’s also the single most effective marketing channel on the planet. 

• For every $1 you spend on email marketing, you can earn as much as $44. 
• 90% of Americans use email and open it up to 20 times a day.
• Email has significantly higher engagement than social media: 23ish% to .6ish%, respectively.

Here’s more on how email marketing can boost your bottom line. And here’s a whole thing we did in partnership with Constant Contact.

But the most important reason to use email marketing is this: You actually do own your email list.

That’s why it’s important to...

#4 Keep your CRM up to date.

I realize data entry is exactly zero fun, but you should absosmurfly have all your people in one place so you can reach out to them at the drop of a hat if you want to. 

If a lead comes through on Facebook, add their name and contact information (if you can find it) to your CRM. Same with Instagram. Same with your website “contact us” form. Same with TikTok. 

Record scratch. Yeah, TikTok. I’ll have more to say about that in a future post. I know you cannot wait. 

I’m not trying to create busy work for you; I’m trying to help you stay in business if Yellowstone—or Facebook or your website host—blows up.

#5 Don’t wing it.

Really, what all this boils down to is being intentional. I have a whole post about how to create a marketing strategy for your home services business.

#6 Get help.

Digital marketing is always changing, so it’s nearly impossible for the average shop to keep up with it. And I know you could actually give two rips about Facebook… you just want your damn phone to ring more. I can help with that.

Let's schedule a call today.