With the house building boom currently happening in the UK construction companies are getting plenty of business but any owner or general manager knows that marketing their company or services is what will continuously bring them in new business even after the boom ends. You want potential customers to know your name and you want current customers to speak highly of your business in order to entice new clients to contact you. Passing out business cards and mailing out flyers may have done you well in the past but today you can utilise internet marketing strategies along with other tricks that will leave an impression on people.
Utilise Social Media
Social media is a great marketing tool for construction companies. Using social media you can not only advertise your company but can actively show potential customers what you can do. You can post photos of finished construction jobs, announce the acquisition of new plant equipment, or share awards and accolades that prove your quality of work.
There are also some specific tools to use on social media:
- LinkedIn Groups: join industry-related groups that are filled with like-minded people in order to generate leads and find customers. You can also find professionals to work with like architects and planners. The key here is to not actively promote your business but to enter into discussions and even answer questions. This will keep your company’s name in the forefront so when someone is looking for a construction company they’ll first think of you. You can also start your own group and have more control over the discussions.
- Twitter chats: have regular discussions on specific topics. Use hashtags to reference certain ideas and organise the discussions for the future. This will show potential customers what you know regarding your industry and you can even help them out with questions or concerns. This tool can allow you to cultivate relationships with potential customers without self-promotion.
- Google+ Hangouts: B2B marketing has quickly taken hold of Google+ and has turned into a good tool for lead generating. You can answer questions regarding your specific business or you can hold interviews with industry leaders. You can even do a live product demo to show people what your construction company can do.
- YouTube Videos: you can create videos of product demos or of footage of a construction project to show off your company’s abilities.
- Facebook posts: keep your construction company on people’s minds by staying on their newsfeed. Post relevant things that you think customers and potential customers will enjoy like links to industry-related articles, photos, and the like. You can even do promotions through Facebook.
Start a Company Blog
A blog can not only promote your business but can help you get a better internet presence through SEO techniques. You can talk about your own construction company or you can talk about the current happenings in the construction industry. This shows people that you’re aware of what’s going on in your own sector and that you have an opinion on it. This can quickly help you become a trusted industry authority that customers will flock to.
And on that note, use imagery liberally to show what you do. An image is worth a thousand words: a saying that is especially true of construction. You can write about what you can do, but if you can show prospective clients what you have done, and how good it looks, then you will bild trust faster and hopefully get more leads. A good example of this is how Lagan Plant show their inventory of plant hire, allowing prospective clients to not only see what is on offer, but, crucially, also, its condition.
Offer an After-Service Gift
The best marketing isn’t done by you but by your customers. If you want your customers to spread the word about your construction company give them a reason to. Sure you want your service and final product to speak for itself but by offering your customers something in return they’ll be more willing to help spread the word regarding your construction company. For example, you can offer them referral rewards: for every dollar they refer to your company you’ll give them two percent in gift certificates to a place of their choice or a three percent rebate on their next job through you.
You can also give your customers a gift upon job completion. For example, you can make picture frames with your company’s name and contact information on it and have photos of their project before, during, and after construction. This will give them a nice keepsake and allow their friends and family to see your company name and information each time they see that frame.
Photo credit: Anders Adermark / Flickr
