From jobsite to newsfeed: How mundane moments turn into social media gold

In the trades and technical sectors—particularly in the PHCP and PVF markets—there is a goldmine just sitting in plain sight, waiting to be tapped. Day in and day out, companies send crews out to jobsites, warehouse installations, product training sessions, and equipment startups. These are changing, active moments in real time - evidence that your brand is doing what it's supposed to be doing. And yet, somehow, most of it never gets revealed beyond that jobsite perimeter.

That's the truth: every time a salesperson goes into a mechanical room, every time your team assists in a boiler startup, or a salesperson teaches a customer about your latest valve or sensor system—that's a marketing gem. But if nobody takes a photo, records a video, or posts a short clip, that gem vanishes into thin air.

Social media platforms are starving for honest, on-the-spot content. Amid all the noise and artificial intelligence, actual moments are what cut through the noise. Yet most businesses in our industry are missing out, simply because the person with the best access—the one who happens to be standing on the jobsite—doesn't realize how valuable their viewpoint is.

This article is a wake-up call. It's time to reconsider who your storytellers are and start unearthing the gold you're already standing on.

The power of visual marketing in technical industries

Let's get real—most PHCP and PVF customers don't want to read spec sheets or sift through pages of brochures. They don't want to read about it. They want to watch. They need to see proof that your product works out in the field, that your crew arrives, and that your company is active in the community. For results-driven industries visual content is the strongest means of speaking trust and authority.

Photos and videos taken on-site say a thousand words. A simple photo of a boiler room installation, a site tour with your representative pointing out your product in use, or even a handshake photo of a contractor and your team after startup—these are examples of live value that no bullet point graph ever could be. People respond to people and to sight evidence.

Social media platforms like Facebook, Instagram, and LinkedIn reward this kind of visual storytelling. These algorithms prefer to reward engagement, and nothing encourages more engagement in a company than the kind of content that is real, raw, and relatable. Whether you're aiming to educate your audience, hire new employees, or convince a distributor, field-based visual content is your strongest ally.

The benefit? You don't need an ad agency or production crew to accomplish this. Your staff already carry smartphones. The secret is to shift their mindset—to get them to see that what may seem "ordinary" to them is, in fact, engaging with your partners, leads, and clients.

The more you acclimatize to visual storytelling, the more you're not just producing content—you're building credibility and trust.

Who's best suited to develop this content

Here's the dirty little secret nobody will mention - you already have a content team. You just haven't turned them on yet.

Your sales team, tech support reps, service technicians, and trainers are already out there, where the action happens. They're walking through mechanical rooms, scaling rooftops, troubleshooting in front of contractors, and walking customers through the features of a product in real time. Those are the same folks who are best equipped to take meaningful, real moments.

And yet—most of them don't.

Why? Because they think "marketing" is something someone else does. But what really happens is your marketing team can't be everywhere. Hiring a photographer or videographer to record each installation or training isn't scalable or affordable. But your team members are already there, with high-quality smartphone cameras in their pockets.

What they don’t have isn’t an opportunity — it’s awareness. Your field team isn't aware that something as simple as a photo or 10-second video clip can be the most effective marketing your business will put up all month. They just need to realize that it does make a difference—and that it's within their control.

When your boots-on-the-ground employees "get" the power of visual storytelling, they are brand ambassadors, not employees. That shift alone can overhaul your entire marketing machine.

Why most companies fail at this – The real problem

If taking jobsite photos is such a no-brainer winner, why aren't more companies doing it?

The answer is an infuriating mix of miscommunication, mismatched expectations, and the lack of simple systems. Most businesses think their people know what to do—but that assumption leaves one of the biggest missed marketing opportunities in business.

This is what I hear repeatedly from rep firms across the PHCP and PVF markets:

“We’re out on jobs every week, and no one’s taking photos or videos. We’d love to post content, but we’ve got nothing to share.”

This is the number one complaint that I receive from the manufacturers' reps I work with. They are aware that content is king. They are aware that a photo taken in the field generates instant credibility. But those individuals out in the field—service techs, sales reps, trainers—aren't capturing it. Why? Because no one ever directly told them that it was their responsibility.

In some cases, it's a mindset thing: "I'm here to sell, not to take pictures."

Sometimes it’s an issue of process: "I don't know where to send the content or who needs it."

Sometimes it’s simply an issue of priority: "No one follows up, so why bother?"

And it’s more than likely: “I don’t really know how to use the features on my phone for this, and I’m frustrated. So, I’m not going to do it. And I won’t ask for help.”

For most cases, companies have not made content value tangible. It is not associated with incentives or KPIs. No training in taking a "good" picture. No upload process. No feedback loop to show how the content is applied.

This is not a people issue—it’s a leadership and cultural one. Marketing is by nature siloed, with it being something separate from sales or service. But in the digital age, every team member needs to be able to think like a content creator.

Unless companies make field-based content capture a requirement—not a nice-to-have—they'll keep leaving marketing gold on the ground.

Simple systems that make it easy

Creating jobsite content shouldn't be one more intimidating task for your staff—it should be natural, intuitive, and integrated into the workflow. The key is building easy-to-repeat processes that makes content capture second nature.

Start with a Content Shot List. This might be a one-page PDF or even a laminated placard you give to your team that says, "Here's what to shoot today." Examples might include:

• Before/after installation photos
• Wide exterior shots of the product in use
• Rep or tech working (start-ups, walk-throughs, training)
• Moments of customer satisfaction (with client consent)
• Time-lapse or short video of an installation or demo

Next, remove friction. Set up a common cloud folder (Google Drive, Dropbox, or your internal CRM) where your team can leave their photos and videos in a matter of seconds. You could also use a Slack or Teams channel or even a group text thread if that's what your team likes best.

Get into a routine. Challenge your team to shoot content once a week. It's not about getting a perfect video—it's about getting something - anything. Encourage short videos, real moments, and sincerity over perfection.

To promote consistency, send a reminder each week or create a repeating calendar event called "Snap + Share." Even a subtle reminder can be powerful.

And finally, credit where credit is due. When posting content, show how it's being used. Let your team see their photos in real-time on LinkedIn, in email campaigns, or on the company website. This creates commitment and excitement.

You don't need to spend money on fancy platforms or high-end technology—just a company culture that loves to tell stories and a system that makes it easy to share them.

Training + incentives: Buy-in from the field team

Despite the most ideal systems, your content strategy on your jobsite will not succeed if your team does not "get" what it's all about—or, better yet, if they simply don't care to participate.

Start by educating your crew. Conduct a brief training session, even a 15-minute huddle, to show samples of real jobsite content and its impact on the business. Show a social media post that received a lot of response or a customer email that expressed seeing an image they saw online. Make the results concrete. When people get to see the connection between what they take and how it advances the business, their attitude begins to shift.

Then, give them simple instructions. What makes a good shot? What's the best angle to show a mechanical room? How long should your video be? Specify, and tell them it's not going to be perfect, but it’s about being there and sharing what they're already doing.

And lastly, add accountability and incentive. Ensure that content capture on the jobsite is included in your performance measurement. For sales teams, consider having a quota for usable content per month, be it pictures or videos. Better still, include it in your bonus scheme—content is not just marketing, it's sales enablement. If it drives visibility and revenue, pay for it.

Gamify the process:

• Gift card for Best Photo of the Month.
• Leaderboard for most submissions per team.
• Quarterly prizes for the most effective or innovative jobsite video.

People do what they're incentivized to do. When you add reward and recognition to training, you turn content creation into a team sport—and that's when the gold really starts to flow.

How to use the content once you have it

As soon as your crew starts capturing content in the field, it's only natural to use it. Jobsite photographs and videos can be reused in many more ways than most companies realize.

Start with your social networks. A single image of a boiler startup or valve installation can be turned into a LinkedIn post showcasing your expert team. A short segment of a training course can be a great Instagram Story or Reels segment. Reference the customer, distributor, or manufacturer to expand your audience and foster community engagement.

Use the same content in your email marketing—insert photos in newsletters, product promotions, or "jobsite highlight" campaigns. It reinforces real-world use and keeps your company top-of-mind.

Don't leave your website behind. Add a "Project Highlights" section or rotate real photos on your homepage. It gives your business a continuous portfolio of works in progress, which is extremely compelling for new clients or prospective employees looking at your credibility.

You can even turn multiple jobsite clips into recruiting videos, case studies, or training tools for new staff. A few seconds of content can go a long way when strategically used.

The key is visibility and repurposing. You’re not just collecting pictures—you’re building a library of proof that your company shows up, does the work, and delivers results.

My challenge to you – Own the gold mine

Every day, your team steps into job sites that are filled with untold stories, visual proof of greatness, and brand moments that money can't buy. They're not staged photography moments—they're authentic, powerful images of your business in action.

If your sales team and staff aren't living and sharing those moments, you're leaving money on the table. The good news: You don't have to hire a full-fledged marketing team, you just need to give it attention, develop a simple system, and set clear expectations.

When your whole team thinks of themselves as storytellers, not just employees, you create a company culture that markets itself.

This is your gold mine. You're already on it. Now it's time to dig in, make ordinary moments marketing magic—and make your customers see the real story.