A study conducted by Profile By Design revealed the top 5 internet marketing challenges construction companies face are:
- Poor or No Strategy
- Dated Website
- Social Media Wallflower
- Failure to Differentiate
- Inconsistent Branding
Strategy
Developing a marketing strategy is vital for any business. Having a poor strategy or no strategy at all can keep your business from growing. A marketing strategy will help you define your business goals and develop the proper steps to achieve them. Here are a few tips to help you create a strong marketing strategy:
- Decide who your target market is
- Define your business, products and services
- Decide what your marketing methods will be. Advertise? Direct marketing? Online Presence?
- Review your marketing strategy at least once every quarter
Online Presence
According to Google, 97% of consumers use the web to search for local businesses – and if the vast majority of your potential customers are online, you should be, too. Having a strong online presence is a crucial component of your marketing strategy, no matter what size your business is or what industry it belongs to. Your online presence is everything and is one of the main ways to develop a strong loyal client base. In order to execute this you need to have a detailed strategy. Here are a few tips on how to create a strong online presence:
- Start a blog and update it often!
- Keep it short and sweet! Steve Krug wrote in “Don’t Make Me Think”that readers want information but they don’t want to have to think to get it. They really don’t even want to have to READ to get it. They want to scan, skim, and jump around and it’s your job to make that process easy.
- Use bullets and bold throughout your website and blog to get your point across
- Update your website consistently
- Use modern
& 
Social Media
Social media is a huge part of today’s society and it’s coming up more and more in the construction industry. Social media is also a very important part of your online presence that can increase your chances of generating additional revenue and building a loyal client base. Here are a few tips on how to incorporate social media into your online presence:
- Determine which social media platforms are relevant to your business
- Create accounts using your company name so clients can easily search and recognize you
- “Follow” and/or “Friend” your target market clients, partners, memberships, etc.
- Stay relevant! Update and engage with your social media community often
Stand Out
Differentiating your company is a crucial part of helping your business stand out from competitors. There are thousands of companies in the construction industry which means lots of competition. Don’t be afraid to stand out and steer away from the traditional way of doing things. Your social media hubs are the perfect places to test new ideas. To build your business, you have to keep learning and testing. Here are a few tips to help you get started:
- Be a resource hub and make sure your website offers valuable content
- Break the rules. Just make sure your aren’t detracting from the value of your products and services
- Use unique catchy phrases, fonts, colors and taglines
- Embrace what makes your business different
Branding
Branding is one of the most important aspects of any business, large or small, construction or retail. An effective brand strategy gives you a major edge in increasingly competitive markets. Your brand is your promise to your customer. It tells them what they can expect from your products and services, and it differentiates your offering from your competitors. Here are a few ways to identify your brand and keep it consistent:
- Define your brand
- Focus on building the brand off of one single brand (Hint: The name of the company)
- Develop a tagline
- Stick with a consistent look and feel
- Stay consistent with everything above
Works Cited
Williams, John. “The Basics of Branding.” Entrepreneur. Web. 15 Apr. 2015. <http://www.entrepreneur.com/article/245035>.
Constable, Kimanzi. “5 Ways for Online Entrepreneurs to Stand Out.” Entrepreneur. Web. 02 Feb. 2015. <http://www.entrepreneur.com/article/241938>.
Steiger, Ron. “Studies Show Top Marketing Trends in Construction Industry.” Web. 18 Aug. 2014. <http://www.marketingtechnologyinsights.com/2014/08/top-marketing-trends-in-construction-industry.html>.
Article by Stacee Sabb, who started at Cassell Consulting in January of 2015. She is big fan of music, traveling, blogging, photography, finding the best food spots around town and her baby girl Ava. Stacee studied Business Marketing at Portland Community College then went off to complete the New Media Marketing program at UCLA. Her previous work experience was for a technology startup where she wore many hats from event planning and commercial production to marketing and brand management. Her understanding of business structure and project management has prepared her to take on our marketing and administration efforts here at Cassell Consulting.
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