Using social media thoughtfully

RCS Influencer Trent Cotney says social media isn't just about promoting yourself, it's about promoting yourself through useful content.

Editor's note: The following is the transcript of a live interview with RCS Influencer Trent Cotney. You can read the interview below, listen to the podcast or watch the recording.

Intro: Hello, I'm Dani Sheehan with RoofersCoffeeShop and I'm here with Trent Cotney for the June Influencer Response. Trent, welcome back. 

Trent Cotney: Hey, it's good to see you. 

Dani Sheehan: Good to see you as well. So our question this month looks at social media marketing. The question is, how can roofing professionals effectively use social media marketing to grow their brand, reach new clients and engage with their community? 

Trent Cotney: So I think most roofing contractors use social media for marketing purposes to promote their companies and things of that nature. But where I see social media really being effective is thought leadership. I've leaned into that and that's been something that over the years has helped me from my marketing and branding by putting out useful content, whether it's what type of roof system to put on or common problems associated with roofs or whatever. People are looking for useful content. It's not just about promoting yourself, it's about promoting yourself through useful content. That's kind of how I look at it. 

So I think that is really important. The other thing I think is that whether it's Reels, TikTok or YouTube or whatever, we're all looking for video content. And I think those short sound bites where you're kind of going through similar to what we're doing exactly right now, people tend to pay attention to that more. It helps create authenticity, helps solidify that brand and I think that's where a lot of the smart roofing contractors are trending towards. 

Dani Sheehan: Absolutely, I think it's all about user generated content. People want to see other people in this industry and  as you said, thought leadership side. People want education. They want to understand something about the company rather than just being sold a product. 

Trent Cotney: Yep, absolutely. It's, especially with AI and everything else that's changing with the use of SEO and social media in general, it's important to stay on top of things. So what worked even three years ago isn't going to work today. So I think part of it is understanding, how does your potential customer digest information? What are they looking for and  how can you make sure that you're in front of them when they're picking up a phone or their computer or whatever. 

Outro: Yeah, absolutely. Thanks so much for sharing your insight. Check out the other insights regarding social media from our influencers on Rooferscoffeeshop.com and  we will catch up with you next month.