Not wanting to be left in the dust, field service firms are (finally) hopping on the social media bandwagon. Whether it’s Facebook, Twitter, or other channels, these firms are just now starting to practice what businesses in more tech-steeped industries have been preaching for a long time.  As Goodway Technologies  blogger Matt Cardin points out, social media “enables them to stay in constant, real-time contact with their clients and industry peers.” To many, that may sound ho-hum obvious in 2011; for field service, it’s a big, new deal.

Cardin offers a quick social media starter course for service, HVAC, and LEED firms. Not only can small businesses spread their own messaging and stay in touch with clients via social media, Cardin notes, they can subscribe to other industry news by tuning into posts pertinent to specific topics of interest.

Looking to get started yourself?  Cardin offers a quick-hit list of valuable Twitter contacts in the industry you’ll want to connect with:

  • HVAC Directory (@hvac_blog), whose content consists of links to updates (jobs, blog posts, contractor info) at the web’s Air Conditioning HVAC Directory and HVAC Blog;
  • ACHR NEWS (@achrnews) is a weekly American magazine dedicated the Heating, Ventilation, Air Conditioning, and Refrigeration industry.
  • Maintenance Solutions (@Maintenance_Mag) is a magazine that focuses on providing maintenance and professional engineers with strategies for managing facilities effectively and cost-efficiently by tweeting about processes, procedures, testing, data collection/analysis and other important aspects of building management;
  • Get HVAC Jobs (@GetHVACJobs) posts HVAC-related jobs in real-time;
  • Existing Buildings Committee (@LEEDEBOM)at the Los Angeles Chapter of the U.S. Green Building Council (850 followers), which bills itself as “A Voice for LEED Existing Buildings and Operations”.

Adds Cardin: “People who are interested in Twitter’s HVAC and LEED offerings should also be sure to check out the various topics that have been created using Twitter’s hashtag function. Searching for #hvac, #leed, #greenbuild, #usgbc,  and #energy will bring up tweets and conversations tagged with these topics … There’s a veritable galaxy of HVAC and LEED folks making solid and valuable use of Twitter and all indications are that this will only intensify in the foreseeable future.”

 

ABOUT Sara Suddes

San Francisco-based contributor Sara Suddes writes frequently about small business, the economy and technology.