This Podcast Is Episode Number 0289, And It Will Be About Is Social Media Necessary for Construction Contractors?  Today's Podcast Is Based On A a Guest Article Is From Tom Woodie, Writer And Editor  Let’s clarify what we’re talking about and why most businesses don’t get it, Social Media Marketing is unlike any other type of Marketing. People use Social Media websites for social reasons and social by definition doesn’t include the in your face business advertising approach that we have become all too familiar with. Social Media is the back door to business growth and opportunity through customer interaction, sharing and listening. Follow along as I share thoughts on one of the most popular questions raised by Contractors today…..  How do small businesses in the building and home services sector use Facebook to acquire new clients / jobs? The simple answer is that most small businesses probably can not use Facebook as a primary source for acquiring new clients until they develop a substantial Facebook following!  But, with that said I strongly suggest that you be involved with Facebook to at least a minimum degree from this day moving forward if you aren’t already. All businesses should be on Facebook because your past customers and future prospects are using it and that’s a hard and proven fact. Six months or a year from now you may be kicking yourself for not getting started six months or a year ago! Most contractors are working as lean as ever, they barely have enough help to get a job done in this challenging economy. So when it comes to dedicating additional time and resources to Social Media in an attempt to expand their Marketing reach on Internet platforms like Facebook, contractors can often feel overwhelmed and frustrated. My suggestion is to spend an hour or two monthly at a minimum working on your Facebook Marketing and Social Media skills. This can be done by the business owner, a family member, office help, or any other designated person, but it should be done with regularity and done with a specific purpose, which we will get to. Social Media continues to grow by leaps and bounds. With Facebook set for an IPO that could value the social network between $75 billion and $100 billion, it’s probably safe to say it’s not just a fad. Google is also now in the Social Media game with Google+ so you know they must see it as an opportunity to expand their Internet domination. For today I’m going to stick with Facebook as the subject target because they have currently captured the majority of the Social Media market and many of you may already be using it. There are things that you can and should be doing right now on Facebook as a business to increase your exposure and grow your contacts. What you do today could ultimately have a huge impact on your ability to acquire new clients through Social Media Marketing in the months and years to come. It may turn out that Facebook has an incredible impact on buying behavior just as Google has. It may never reach that level of business / marketing penetration or it may be much greater. My point is that I don’t know where it’s going and I don’t think anyone else can accurately predict it either. To be on the safe side Contractor Power is going to be in the Social Media game and I suggest you do the same with your business. If it turns out that Facebook is the next big ticket to acquiring new clients / jobs, you will probably be miles ahead of the local competition by getting started today. The goal of your Facebook Marketing is to reach and influence as many prospects within your market area as possible. To do that effectively you have to get viewers to your Facebook page and have them LIKE your business by clicking LIKE. By clicking LIKE they become attached to your business and possibly have information about your company displayed on their Facebook page or wall. When Facebook friends visit their page they may see some type of...