From home services to SEO and everything in between, do-it-yourself (DIY) content is one of the best ways businesses can engage with their audience online.
You’re probably wondering, “How will showing potential customers how to do my work going to help grow my business?”
DIY content has always been popular, but the continued rise in popularity of social media video sites like YouTube and TikTok makes do-it-yourself tutorials and content more accessible than ever.
Sharing DIY content offers a variety of benefits to businesses, from improving E-E-A-T to increasing online visibility and even generating leads.
The benefits of using DIY content
Here are a few of the critical ways DIY content can help you boost business, both online and in the real world.
Establishing authority and expertise
Creating and sharing DIY content related to your industry demonstrates your knowledge and expertise in your field.
It positions your business as a trusted authority, which can help you gain visibility online and attract potential customers seeking solutions or insights.
Building trust and credibility
DIY content helps display transparency and a willingness to help your audience solve their problems, even when you won’t directly profit from the solutions.
This, in turn, builds trust and credibility with your audience, making them more likely to choose your services when they need professional assistance.
Engaging your audience
DIY content tends to be relatable and easy to engage with and keeps your brand top of mind.
By offering valuable tips, guides, or tutorials, you can keep your audience engaged and encourage them to interact with your brand.
This engagement can lead to a more profound connection with potential customers, industry peers, and potential business partners. Everybody wins!
Educating your audience
Sharing DIY content can educate your audience about the problems your services solve. This education can help potential customers understand the value of your services and why they might need them – now or in the future.
Enhancing reach and visibility
DIY content is often shared and re-shared on social media and other online platforms.
This sharing can expand your reach to a broader audience, potentially introducing your service business to people who might not have encountered it otherwise.
The more your content is shared, the higher the platforms and search engines will rank your content, continuing to increase your reach and visibility.
Generating leads
Yes, DIY content can serve as a lead magnet.
By offering valuable resources, information, or tools, you can encourage visitors to provide their contact information in exchange for access to exclusive content or offers.
This helps you build a database of potential leads for your services.
Even if you’re not collecting personal information, being helpful to someone now can pay off big in the future.
That quick tutorial an electrician shares on how to switch out a light switch may turn into a panel replacement job or a rewiring project when the customer they helped is ready to move forward with a bigger project.
Who do you think they’re going to call?
Marketing your business cost-effectively
While people are generally intimidated by putting content out, especially video content, you don’t need much to get started.
Audiences don’t care about production value when they’re looking for help on how to snake a drain. They want quick, easy, direct direction on what to do.
Because of this, DIY content is generally cost-effective to produce, especially compared to the high costs of other types of marketing materials.
It can be an excellent way to maintain a consistent online presence without a significant financial investment.
Improving SEO and online presence
Creating DIY content that is optimized for search engines can help improve your visibility in a variety of ways. Image and video content ranks well, especially for how-to searches.
Combined with a well-optimized website, this can make owning the SERPs for industry terms an easy way to increase your online presence in a variety of places, which further increases trust and authority signals for your audience.
Gathering feedback and intel
DIY content can provide invaluable insights into what your audience is interested in and the problems they’re looking to solve.
By analyzing the engagement and feedback on your DIY content, you can adapt your services and marketing strategies to meet your customers’ needs better.
Establishing E-E-A-T with DIY content
E-E-A-T – or experience, expertise, authoritativeness, and trustworthiness – are critical elements in how a follower or customer determines if your content is trustworthy and reliable and how Google determines the quality of individual websites and search results as a whole.
In the past few years especially, Google has increased the importance of E-E-A-T in a continued effort to ensure their search results are as reliable and helpful as possible.
What better way to share your experience and expertise than in a how-to video?
Providing reliable, accurate information to your audience will also increase your authority in your field with your audience, which leads to increased trust.
Your audience gets helpful information, you get a loyal audience, Google sees your value, and your audience continues to grow – everybody wins.
Dig deeper: How to create local content that builds trust and drives sales
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Ideas for using DIY content to grow your business
There are DIY content opportunities for every business.
Helping your audience (and future customers) learn how to do simpler aspects of the services your business provides lets them – and your business – save time and money.
We know tradespeople tend to be incredibly busy. Instead of charging someone a trip fee for a five-minute fix, why not shoot them a link to a quick video to troubleshoot the issue themselves?
You can help with a quick fix and have availability to send your team out on larger jobs.
Not sure what the client needs help with? Send them a video that walks them through diagnosing a problem.
Then you’ll know what supplies to bring when they hire you to do the repair job.
Here are a few content ideas for a variety of industries that will help your audience without taking work away from your team:
Electrician
There are various opportunities for simple tasks that are incredibly helpful to homeowners, like:
- How to swap an outlet or light switch.
- How not to connect extension cords in the garage.
- How to install a ceiling fan.
- Any of the other small requests you get that people balk at paying for.
Medical
While you have to be very careful with medical advice, there are many safe topics you can share information for that are incredibly helpful, such as:
- How to best take a sick child’s temperature.
- How to identify a rash.
- Knowing when it’s time to go to the emergency room.
- Basic first aid skills.
These topics are very helpful and often needed quickly when someone is searching for assistance.
Plumber
Do you really want to go plunge someone’s toilet or unclog their sink at 9 p.m. on Christmas Eve?
Help them and yourself by offering some quick tips on how to resolve these problems.
Create a video on:
- Resetting a garbage disposal.
- How to retrieve an earring that was dropped down a sink.
- How to manually drain a washing machine.
While these are no-brainers to a pro, they are issues that homeowners need help with often.
Salon
No, I’m not recommending you teach someone how to craft the perfect style at home. Instead:
- Help a tired mom trim her kiddo’s bangs.
- Show people how to choose the perfect product for their needs.
- Share styling tips for anything from easy updos to everyday looks.
These are great ways to gain followers while earning the trust of your audience.
Local SEO
Even SEOs can grow their audience with helpful tips. Show business owners or fellow SEOs:
We’ve spent the better part of the year working on this at our agency, and the benefits have been clear – from audience growth to website traffic to actual leads.
Attorney
People are constantly searching for help with:
- Arguing traffic tickets.
- How to know if they have a personal injury case.
- Knowing if they need a lawyer for their custody meeting.
Give them helpful tips and explain when they can handle something themselves vs when it’s time to consult with an attorney.
They’re far more likely to retain you if they trust you to tell them when they do and don’t need your help.
Travel agent
Reduce the number of last-minute calls and emails you get by creating a content library of helpful information that covers:
- When to get a passport.
- How to get a last-minute passport.
- How to pack.
What to bring vs. what you can buy when you get there. - Anything else you’ve learned along the way to simplify travel and make vacations more enjoyable.
Police department
As with the private sector, connecting with the local community is a great way for local government agencies to build positive relationships and earn trust.
Keep content light and entertaining when possible, sharing helpful information about your community, when to call for help, or even team up with other local agencies to share who to call for different issues.
Use DIY content to improve service offerings
Take a look at your most popular content and common search phrases to see where gaps are in your service offerings.
- Is there something that people need help with that you can provide?
- Is there something you get tons of calls for that is a waste of time to offer as a service?
- Can you create a video tutorial to share or send out to free up your phones?
Listen to your customers, they’re telling you what they need help with. If you don’t offer that assistance, someone else will.
Creating great DIY content: Final tips
It is a lot of work to create content in addition to running a business. Don’t waste time creating content that isn’t going to work for you. Encourage community discussions to further increase the value of your DIY content.
Whether it’s a blog post, a video, or a social media post, encourage people to share their thoughts and experiences in the comments. This will increase your engagement and increase the value of your channel for your users.
Be sure to let people know ahead of time if they’ll need special parts or tools for a project. Also, remind people within your content that they can reach out to you at any time for assistance.
It isn’t uncommon for people to start a DIY project and quickly realize they’re in over their heads. Who better to be right there to help step in and take on the project than you?
Remember, when creating videos, you don’t need special equipment or production. People want helpful information. They do not care if you’re in your office, a studio, or a basement if you give them the information they need.
That said, try to match your setting to the project being discussed. It makes a lot more sense for a plumber to film in a bathroom than an attorney. Don’t be afraid to show your audience your unique personality, but be aware of what may be off-putting or offensive. It is far easier to earn trust and prove experience when you have the respect of your audience.
Bonus points if you modify content for multiple channels. For example, share a YouTube Shorts that links to a long-form video and publish a complementary blog post explaining your topic in more detail or linking to additional resources.
Embed your video into your blog post, link to your blog post from your social media channels, and connect content wherever relevant.
Dig deeper: How to survive and thrive in a Google helpful content world
Opinions expressed in this article are those of the guest author and not necessarily Search Engine Land. Staff authors are listed here.
