From social media to traditional print, there are so many ways to market a construction business and it's easy to get lost in it all. Within this article, I will be explaining some of the best marketing channels to take advantage of to get your business seen and more importantly... deliver leads!
Let's jump in.
A lot of people think that if they don’t sell products online, then they don’t need a website. This could not be further from the truth.
A good website is essential to any successful construction business. It is the connection between every single marketing channel that you set up and becomes the true powerhouse to your business - Your social media, your emails, your van livery and everything else I am about to discuss all lead directly to your website!
What is the purpose of a website within the construction industry?
- Brings in consistent Leads & Customers
- Turn visitors into clients
- Showcase your work and experience
- Builds trust and authority
- Build effective sales funnels
- Build Email Lists
If you would like to understand the importance of a website in more detail and more understand what it takes to perfect a website take a read of our latest article: How to Craft the Perfect Construction Website | The Complete Guide.
Google My Business (GMB, formally known as Google Places for business) is a completely free tool to set up and takes about 5 minutes a day to maintain, So many businesses neglect their GMB profile but it's a great tool that represents your business.
Google My Business allows your business to appear in two very impactful locations:
1. A Prominent Location on Google Search
You’ve probably done a Google search at some point such as, "places to eat near me", if so then you’ll notice that Google returns a list of three locations where you can eat based on your current location. Signing up to GMB allows your business to appear on Google when someone searches in a relative term to your business. EG, Plumber near me.
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2. Appear on Google Maps
Being on GMB also allows your business to appear on Google Maps.
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GMB is a fantastic marketing channel that every construction business should be taking advantage of.
This is a fantastic resource to be taking advantage of, by signing up to GMB you also appear for your own business name of course allowing you to show:
- Your Reviews
- Your social accounts
- Your contact information
- Your posts & content
- And much more
Social media is a fantastic platform to effectively get in front of your potential customers, showcase your services, your past work, customer reviews, and so on.
Every social media has its own audience, someone in the commercial sector might find something like LinkedIn more useful in comparison to the domestic sector due to the fact that it is a more B2B orientated platform. It is important that you evaluate the social media platforms that you want to present yourself on before committing the time and resources to them.
Pinterest:
- 110 Million monthly users
- 79% of users are female
- 25-34 is the most common age
- Commonly used for DIY, Shopping, Beauty and Food.
- 300 Million monthly users
- 51% of users are male
- 18-29 is the most common age
- Commonly used for showcasing products or services and brand engagement.
- 1.1 Billion monthly users
- 54.1% of users are female
- 25-34 is the most common age
- Commonly used for business updates and B2C marketing.
- 313 Million monthly users
- 57% of users are male
- 25-34 is the most common age
- Commonly used for B2B Marketing, recruitment and networking.
Bringing your business onto the right social media platforms allows you to introduce your business to the potential reach of thousands, letting people see your services and content, driving engagement and leads that funnel straight into your business.
Advertising is a fantastic way to ensure that your business is getting seen, these are seen as "risky" by a lot of individuals who are unaware of the power that advertising hold, and of course advertising can be "risky" because there is never a guaranteed return, but it sure beats being stuck in the same spot, questioning why no one is getting in touch with your business.
Advertising works IF you do them strategically and with the right approach! You can reach your target audience, run A/B testing, retargeting etc. Your audience is out there and advertising is a way to ensure you get in front of them.
Social Media Advertising
Get your post seen on social media channels like the ones I mentioned above.
What's the difference between just posting on social media and paying for social media advertisements?
When you post on your social media platforms, this goes out to your audience (your followers), this post reacts based on how much engagement it gets, if it doesn't get great engagement, the post is simply shown to less and less people. Now if your post gets loads of likes and shares and everyone is absolutely loving it you will see your post absolutely boom and there will be loads of engagement and traffic all over your socials.
Where social media advertising is different is where it doesn't exactly need that engagement, while it's still very important, your post will still be appearing on people's timelines as you are paying to promote it. Social Media advertising is a great way to reach people who are outside of your audience/not following you.
Pay Per Click Advertising (PPC - Google Ads)
Different from any form of social media advertising. Search Engine ads have a wide range of capabilities but what it does best is getting you found on search engines through the use of keywords.
Where with social media advertising you pay dependent on your reach, eg it would cost £10 to reach 1000 individuals, with Search Engines, you pay depending on if the user clicks on your website, this sounds much better, but of course, depends highly on if you are targeting the right traffic and the ability of your website to convert. You can read more about common failings of a PPC campaign here: Why your advertising (PPC) campaigns are failing!
PPC ads work on keywords, which is great because that means the user has intent when searching, this simply means if someone types in "Electrician near me", there is a pretty high chance that they are looking for an electrician, so this is a keyword we would target in order to deliver the right type of traffic to the website.
Let's dive into one of the most powerful marketing tools that a website can have. Search Engine Optimisation.
Harnessing the power of appearing on search engines has a tremendous amount of power to deliver clients to your front door. Unfortunately, the process of SEO is competitive, time-consuming and a truly gruesome task. Especially if you don't really know what you are doing. This process is quite similar to Tip 4, Search Engine Advertising, accept it's completely organic, you are still trying to appear for targeted keywords, however, it is an organic approach.
Here are the main things that contribute towards effective SEO:
Relevance and Search Intent - Google and other search engines use the user's search query to pull together millions of articles and websites that would be most beneficial to the user and list them in acceding order. However, this is influenced by:
Domain and Page Authority - Google uses this to see how much of a trustworthy source your website is, this is quite simply calculated by how many quality links are linking to your website. Basically saying "if all these great websites think this website is great, it must be!"
To learn more visit: How to Craft the Perfect Construction Website | The Complete Guide.
Up until now, I have only mentioned digital methods of marketing, while digital methods are wildly effective, that doesn't stop physical marketing from being any less.
Physical marketing has a one-up on digital marketing where relationships can be made, nothing builds a connection more than actually meeting someone and discussing with them what you do. Here is a collection of effective physical marketing methods that you can use:
- Leaflet distribution: Mass distribution of targeted leaflets across a postcode, town, etc. Your local area starts to know and recognise you.
- Business Cards: Everywhere you go, everyone you meet, simply leave a business card. It could be for the person you have spoken to, or they might even know someone.
- Gifts: Branded gifts are a great way to keep in someone's mind. Send out a bottle, a pen or even a hat, it doesn't really matter but they will keep seeing your logo, seeing your branding and will automatically think of you when the time arises.
- Visits: An easy way to introduce yourself, build some rapport and even drop off a leaflet which they can contact you with further
- Neighbourhood card: For every job you complete, simply go to the neighbours and introduce yourself, you can again provide your leaflet and business card, say that you have completed work for X across the road. It builds a large amount of trust.
The need for a good reputation should never be underestimated. Work with a Construction Specialised Public Relations (PR) Team to handle and strategies your company's outreach, this could be getting you in touch with the local councils, arranging sponsorships, contacting prospects, setting up events and so forth.
Having a PR Team by your side is like having your very own media department at a fraction of the cost, making it a very cost-effective form of marketing which could land some major tenders and recurring work.
Email Marketing is another fantastic way to keep on a potential client's radar and even to stay in the mind of those who you have previously done work for. Email marketing can be done in many different ways from outreach campaigns to monthly/quarterly newsletters being released providing insightful, educational information to your list. This for example could be an electrician who produces an article on their website (boosting their SEO) in regards to effective measures to cut down the electricity bill within the home which then gets syndicated into an article which is released to an email audience.
This simple interaction provides value, builds trust and is a great way to turn someone from prospect to client.
Getting on the local radio might sound like a dream, but it's more than possible. Saint Global is able to get you live either nationally or locally, getting your construction company spoken about across the radio reaching hundreds to thousands of families, mothers, homeowners, etc. A fantastic way to boost awareness of your brand.
What's next?
Throughout this article I have mentioned a collection of very powerful marketing methods, this does not mean anything else in which you have tried or in which I have not mentioned is not effective, however the above are proven to be very impactful time and time again across our clients. Every marketing channel that you invest in and equip to your business in another channel of leads and traffic being pumped into the business, every effort is not wasted, every bit of awareness generated or prospect contacted is the growth of your business.
If you are looking to take your marketing to the next level feel free to book in a call with us here. We look forward to hearing from you! 🕊
We have seen an influx of previous clients of Yell.com who have been discussing their experience while dealing with the company while trying to market their businesses. We have put together what they have said here.
Frequently asked questions
This article has been provided for information purposes only. You should consult your own professional advisors for advice directly relating to your business or before taking action in relation to any of the provided content.
PS. Whenever you are ready, here's how to grow your construction business...
1. Join our Facebook Group which built completely for businesses within the construction industry. Real people, real support. - Now also available on LinkedIn.
2. Keep up to date with Construction Insider Providing you with industry insight, tips & tricks and much more to make sure you are ahead of your competitors!
3. When you are ready, Become a Saint Financial Group client, and we will provide you with the highest quality solutions to effectively scale your construction business. Book your meeting here!
Written by the team at:
Saint Global
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