Make Instagram Work For You – In Just 20 Minutes Each Day

Social media can seem like a huge time drain. And, look, as anyone reading this will probably agree with, it absolutely can be.

But, if you can be a little bit disciplined, and a little bit focused – and concentrate on using social media as a business and not as a way of wasting an hour or two, then it can reap its rewards.

We’ve spoken to a couple of people who know a thing or two about social media to get their take on what you should – and shouldn’t – do to enjoy some Insta success.

Key takeaways for electrical contractors

• Show jobs in progress rather than only posting polished finished projects.
• Share useful content that answers genuine customer questions.
• Avoid making every post look like an advert or sales pitch.
• Post consistently rather than disappearing for weeks and then uploading everything at once.
• Spend time replying to comments and DMs as well as creating content.

Instagram – it’s a work in progress…

Don’t just show off finished projects, says Lauren Shelley, Senior Digital PR Executive at Marketing Signals. Instead, show pictures of the job in progress, too. Far more engaging!

“A quick clip of you tracing a fault or explaining why a socket keeps tripping, for example, tends to do far better than a posed photo of a finished consumer unit. People want to see how you work through a problem, and not just the end result.”

And that ‘behind the scenes’ style content can prove a real winner – because people want to see real life, not just a polished marketing led social account.

Lauren says, “The biggest ‘don’t’ is trying to make everything look polished. Some of the best-performing trade content is filmed on a phone from inside a loft or under a floorboard, mid-job. It reads as proof rather than a sales pitch, which is exactly what helps you earn trust with your followers.”

Answer the questions your customers are asking

Customers search for answers to questions. So too do AI platforms. Even if customers aren’t searching for answers to questions, if they stumble upon an answer to a question they’ve been thinking about, or have at some point faced – or even just find interesting – they’ll likely stop for a few seconds.

“Content that answers a real question does well, such as why a plug keeps blowing a fuse or what a flickering light usually means. It’s useful on its own, so people save it or send it to someone else, which is how it reaches more than just your followers. Content that doesn’t work is anything that reads as an advert, such as before-and-afters with no explanation, generic captions about hard work and reliability, or a caption that’s really just ‘DM me for a quote’. People tend to scroll straight past those.”

The key thing here is to switch your mindset from ‘I need to promote my business’ to ‘I’m happy to share my expertise’. Flick that switch, and away you go.

Lauren says the most common mistake she sees is businesses treating Instagram like a shopfront instead of a diary.

“A lot of electricians only post the tidy, finished version of a job, so the account ends up looking the same as every other trade page in the area. There’s nothing to separate one electrician from the next. The other is going quiet for weeks and then posting five things in one day to catch up.

“Instagram tends to favour accounts that show up consistently, so a rough clip every couple of days works better than a big batch once a month.” 

Posting is only one side of the social media equation however. You’ve got to do the engagement bit as well…!

Lauren says, “Replying to comments and messages matters just as much, too. It’s one of the clearer signals the app uses to decide whether to show your next post to more people.”

How to win on Instagram – in 20 minutes per day

But let’s face it. We’re all super busy, and most of us probably don’t want to take social media management on as well as everything else.

If you can manage time well, however, and be disciplined in your social media tasks, you might only need 20 minutes per day.

“Spend the first ten minutes capturing footage while already on site, such as one short clip of what you’re working on and why, filmed as you go rather than staged afterwards. You don’t need more than one decent moment a day,” says Lauren.

“Spend the rest replying to comments and DMs, and having a quick look at what other local electricians or trade accounts are posting. That second part gets skipped most often, but it’s usually the difference between an account people scroll past and one they actually follow. “Save editing and posting for the end of the day, and keep the caption simple – what the problem was and how you fixed it. It doesn’t need to be more polished than that.”

Frequently asked questions about Instagram for electricians

What electrical contractors should remember

Instagram doesn’t have to take over your working day.

Show real jobs while they are happening, explain the problems you are working through and answer questions people genuinely want answered. Don’t feel that every post has to look polished or promotional.

Consistency matters too. A rough clip every couple of days can be more effective than disappearing for weeks and posting everything at once.

And don’t forget the other half of social media: engagement. Reply to comments and messages and spend some time seeing what other local electricians and trade accounts are posting.

With a focused approach, the daily routine can be kept to around 20 minutes.