New research from Direct Line business insurance reveals tradespeople who use social media get almost half (47 per cent) of their jobs through these channels. Tradespeople recognise the value of being social, with 93 per cent using sites such as Facebook and Instagram to attract customers and over a third (35 per cent) say that they get jobs through social media three or more times a week.
Almost 60 per cent of tradespeople using social media say that Facebook is the most effective social media outlet to generate leads for their business; with Instagram (39 per cent), YouTube (33 per cent) and even TikTok (31 per cent) being used as major lead generators.
Most effective social media in generating leads and promoting the business:
| Social Media | Percentage of Tradespeople using social media saying it is effective for lead generation and promotion |
| 58 | |
| 39 | |
| YouTube | 33 |
| TikTok | 31 |
| Twitter/X | 25 |
| 25 | |
| Nextdoor | 19 |
| 17 |
While using social media is an effective method of generating leads and promoting a business, it does come with risks. Nearly a quarter (23 per cent) of tradespeople say that they have received unjustified complaints or reviews online. These unjustified complaints are damaging to the bottom line, with 70 per cent of tradespeople whose company received negative comments on social media saying it had an effect on the company’s ability to find business.
Unjustified complaints or negative reviews can cause serious brand and reputational damage to businesses. Negative reviews impact tradespeople’s mental health, with 71 per cent saying that criticism and complaints on social media have affected their mental wellbeing to some degree.
When receiving unjustified reviews or complaints over social media, almost half (46 per cent) of tradespeople resolved these issues with the client directly, 37 per cent got the complaint taken down through the social media site itself, and 13 per cent opted to take legal action.
Alison Traboulsi, Product Manager at Direct Line business insurance commented:
“Social media is a powerful tool for tradespeople, and if managed carefully, can help businesses build a successful online community. It plays a crucial role in helping to attract and retain customers, so it’s important to make sure that it works for your business and not against it!
“Brand reputation management isn’t about controlling the narrative. It’s about listening to what customers say, learning from their feedback, and responding in a way that builds trust in your brand. Unfortunately, people are more likely to share a negative customer experience than a positive one. Sometimes a client will spread misleading information, so it’s important to be proactive on social media, monitoring and responding to the positive, neutral and negative comments and reviews, as not doing so can damage your business.
“The first port of call is to engage with the customer directly to find out why they are disappointed. In cases where this results in stonewalling it may be wise to ask the site to take the comment or review down. However, unfortunately, in some cases, tradespeople do need to go through legal channels have their record cleared.”
Direct Line business insurance policies come with Legal Essentials, a service that provides tradespeople with unlimited access to a team of DAS legal experts for confidential legal advice and access to a library of legal templates, tools, and guides to help them run their business, including guidance on how to deal with social media issues.
A 24/7 helpline is available to provide advice on the laws of England and Wales. Advice involving other jurisdictions will be referred to specialist advisors, who are available 9am-5pm, Monday-Friday, excluding bank holidays. The service also provides policyholders with access to a Stress Counselling Helpline, which is available 24 hours a day, seven days a week, all year round.
For more information on Legal Essentials please visit: https://www.directlineforbusiness.co.uk/small-business-insurance/legal-essentials
Further information about Direct Line business insurance’s Tradesperson cover can be found here: https://www.directlineforbusiness.co.uk/small-business-insurance/tradesman
