As most of you have learned, social media can be a powerful tool to promote your portable sanitation business generally, and to attract new customers. I frequently hear stories from PROs who have found surprisingly quick benefits from posting on Facebook, Instagram and TikTok.
These sites provide a great way to:
• cultivate an audience of fans in the construction and special events industries.
• bring out a personality for your small business and introduce customers to your crew members.
• offer seasonal specials or discounts for your products or services.
• show off clean and shiny trucks and inventory to boost your professional image.
• display your community pride by focusing on charity work and serving local events.
So many PROs benefit from the reach and super-local focus of the social media landscape. In fact, I would go as far as to say that many small companies owe their existence in great part to effectively sharing messages on these platforms. Of course, the marketing-savvy companies first have to provide quality service and a good value to survive and thrive. But their routine social media promotion is the fuse that blows up their profitability. But like anything else, the power of social media cuts both ways. For every benefit a service company like yours can derive from posting a message or a photo, the wrong type of post can land a crushing blow to your image. Or land you in hot water for things like violating employee privacy, making slanderous statements about the competition or showing something in a photo that you may regret later.
THINK BEFORE YOU POST
I know a thing or two about being careful with an online presence. I’ve spent more than the past decade as either an elected official or appointed to boards or commissions in my hometown. And as a member of the media for many years, I became acutely aware of the bad outcomes when someone isn’t careful enough with the messages they put out in public. You’ve heard the old saying “You can’t put the toothpaste back in the tube.” I’ve seen public officials and business leaders try to do just that, and it typically results in a sticky mess, a lost job or a business fail.
So before you click “send” on your next post, here are several topics you should never discuss or photos you should never drop on social media:
HIRING, FIRING OR NAMING NAMES
Always dole out discipline or handle difficult employment issues behind closed doors. This should go without saying, but it’s too easy to let your emotions spill out through your keyboard. Snarky comments or criticisms involving your crew can quickly turn into a human resources nightmare if they hit social media. It’s not just your own behavior to watch out for; make sure your employees aren’t sniping at each other on a social media forum. Remember, too, that most restroom companies have a very small staff. If you figure you can anonymously call out a worker for being lazy, chances are everyone will know who you’re talking about.
BAD-MOUTHING A CUSTOMER OR COMPETITOR
You may want to shout from the rooftops when a customer stiffs you on a payment or a competitor tries to steal a good customer away, but you best stifle that kind of talk online. The wee bit of relief you may feel while unloading that burden will turn to dread as you realize how these complaints make you look to your Facebook friends or the general public. I suggest you follow the advice my father gave me — and that I realize can be very difficult at times: “If you can’t say anything nice, don’t say anything at all.” Online feuds can follow you for a long time and will serve no good purpose.
TALKING POLITICS
It’s election season again, and many people will mount the social media soapbox to promote their favorite candidate or criticize the opposing side. Don’t do it! America is a starkly divided nation and the political climate only seems to get worse every year. You may be making a political statement as citizen Joe Smith, but people who disagree with you connect that message to Smith’s Portable Restrooms. I will always remember what a wise small business owner once told me: Business owners aren’t allowed to have political opinions. It’s true that by sharing your political views on social media, you will be offending half of your potential customers. You may not like it, but it’s true.
SHARING POTTY HUMOR
You’ve heard all the jokes and seen all the memes about pumping waste. I have, too, and they’re not worth repeating. These jokes are tired, they’re old and they’re just not funny. A good rule of thumb is never to post anything that demeans or devalues the portable sanitation industry. I’ve said it here before; poop jokes do not enhance a message of professionalism for the industry and can only lead to disrespect and erode profitability for your company. You don’t see companies in other trades dwelling on crude jokes about what they do for a living, so we shouldn’t either.
TALKING ABOUT PRICING
I have seen social media posts where PROs seek to compare what they charge for services and encourage each other to raise prices. This could be seen as collusion or price-fixing, which is illegal. It’s OK to print what you charge for restroom placement and monthly service on your website. Some PROs like the upfront pricing model and publish those fees. It’s another thing entirely to get together with your competitors, either in person or virtually, to talk about raising prices. What your competition charges should be irrelevant to you. As in any business, PROs should charge a fee that ensures an adequate profit to support the business and its employees. If not for profit, why would you be pumping restrooms every day?
SENDING THE WRONG KIND OF PHOTOS
It’s a great idea to post photos of your crew at work. They are your greatest asset and deserve some credit and attention. Just make sure they are pictured doing things the right way. That means wearing the correct personal protective equipment including gloves, goggles, safety vests, hard hats (where appropriate) and proper work footwear. OSHA, the Occupational Safety and Health Administration, would frown at seeing photos of your employee in flip-flops and shorts while working with a power washer on a construction site. And who’s to say a photo like that wouldn’t be shared with an OSHA inspector?
Also be careful about posting photos taken on a customer’s property, particularly at an industrial or commercial location. Some of your customers closely guard their privacy and your photo may show proprietary equipment the client wouldn’t want anyone to see. If you want to take a photo on a client’s property, seek their permission before posting.
And lastly, make sure your crew and equipment look their best when pictured in a social media post. Have workers wear clean company hats and shirts when they pose for a photo. And avoid showing trucks or machines carrying a week’s worth of dust and debris or with rust stains running down the tanks or peeling graphics.
FINAL WORD
Consider each social media post as a way to put your company’s best foot forward. Treat people and your competitor’s with respect, follow all applicable employment and safety regulations, present your crew and equipment in the most positive light. Keep these things in mind and social media will become an inexpensive and effective marketing partner for your business.
