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Marketing 2013 Outlook, Planning, Budgeting, & Strategies – Webcast Summary

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Marketing Outlook Webcast Summary With only a month and a half left in 2012, planning for 2013 is well underway. The Construction Marketing Association’s Marketing 2013 Outlook, Planning, Budgeting, & Strategies webcast was packed with planning and budgeting information and tips for success in 2013. Also,  a marketing planning checklist was provided and the results of a 2012 CMA national marketing outlook survey were presented for the first time. Results were shared in a separate blog post, read Construction Marketing Outlook 2013 – Survey Results.

Following is the summary of the Marketing Outlook, Planning, Budgeting, & Strategies webcast including: why marketing planning is important, types of marketing plans, types of marketing budgets, and how to get started planning for 2013.

Marketing Planning

Why is marketing planning so important? First, most construction categories have declined in this recession, leaving little room for error. Measuring and reporting results are a top priority. This also means that marketing budgets/spending are being scrutinized more than ever. Also, marketing effectiveness is key. Finally, seat-of-the-pants marketing is just not cutting it anymore in the construction category!

There are 3 types of marketing plans; project or functional marketing plans, tactical marketing plans, and strategic marketing plans (note: business plans can have a marketing portion which tends to be strategic).

Project or functional marketing plans identify and detail steps, schedules, objectives, measures, and budgets for a specific project. They also focus on groups of activities, for example, advertising/media plan schedules.

Tactical marketing plans are a complete activity plan with schedules or calendars (consolidated project plans). They do not include strategy, research, situation analysis, etc. However, they do identify and detail all marketing programs, initiatives, and campaigns. Tactical marketing plans could be as simple as a spreadsheet!

Strategic marketing plans are used for a longer time frame (typically 3-5 years) and include analysis and research support such as segmentation, positioning, and more. They may also include financial analyses, projections, and measures and are typically updated annually.

Marketing Budgeting

The four most common marketing budget types include; percentage increase/decrease, task and objective, percentage of sales, or a combination of above.

A percentage increase/decrease vs. the prior years budget is the most common, likely because it is the easiest.

Task and objective budgeting is sometimes called zero-based budgeting. Its appeal is that budgets relate directly to activities. Task and objective budgets are simple with a very detailed tactical or functional plan.

Percentage of sales considers competitors and industry benchmarks. Compare your budget to competitors and industry benchmarks when formulating.

Finally, a combination of above may use any or all types listed above, a hybrid, depending on the situation of your construction brand.

Getting Started

How should you start planning for 2013? Start out by reviewing the prior years plans. That will give you a good idea of how your planning impacted 2012. Solicit input on changing customer and marketing conditions and adjust your plans accordingly. Also, it is not a bad idea to use marketing plan templates or spreadsheets to help you stay organized. Finally, conduct competitive and industry analysis and benchmarking before you start planning!

Did you miss the webcast? To download the entire presentation click here.  Don’t miss our next webcast: Inbound Marketing Strategies For Construction (January 24, 2013). You can register today here.

Leave your planning and budgeting tips for 2013 in the comment box below and please share this post using the social bookmarking tools below!


Inbound Marketing Strategies for Construction

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Inbound Marketing WebcastInbound marketing is a hot topic! Therefore, the Construction Marketing Association will hold a webcast entitled Inbound Marketing Strategies for Construction and conduct a national survey regarding inbound marketing in construction. The webcast will be held Thursday, January 24, 2013 at 1pm CST.

Hubspot’s Steve Haase (eCommerce Inbound Marketing Consultant) and CMA Chairman Neil M. Brown will present inbound marketing processes and techniques with an emphasis on lead generation.

In addition, the results of the Inbound Marketing in Construction Survey will be presented. The national survey will identify inbound marketing tactics and measurement.

“Inbound Marketing is a hot topic for good reason, it drives sales results,” states Neil M. Brown. “The survey results and content will be the first time Inbound Marketing is considered to the nuances of the construction category.”

Interested in attending? Be sure to register for Inbound Marketing Strategies for Construction

Also, we encourage all construction marketing professionals to take the inbound marketing in construction survey, which will be presented in the webcast.

ABOUT Steve Haase

Steve Haase Hubspot

Steve Haase is a graduate of the University of Rochester’s Eastman School of Music (BM) and the University of Maryland, College Park (MM). Before joining the IMC team at HubSpot, Steve was a cofounder of the digital marketing agency, ThoughtLead, which specialized in content marketing, creating campaigns for clients such as IBM,Dow ChemicalHaier, and HubSpot.


ABOUT Neil Brown

Neil Brown CMA

Neil Brown is Chairman of the Construction Marketing Association. He has been CEO of numerous marketing consulting and creative agencies for the past 15 years, managing some of the biggest brands in the construction sector including Emerson Electric, USG and Bosch Tools. Prior to the agency-side, Brown was a brand manager at electrical products marketing powerhouse IDEAL Industries, and later CMO of an architectural metals manufacturer. Neil is a frequent speaker, author and contributor to BtoB magazine, Advertising Age, Marketing Week and the Construction Marketing Blog. He holds a BS–Marketing Cum Laude from Southern Illinois University, and an MBA from Northern Illinois University. In 2012, he published the book, Tools of the Trade: Modern Marketing for Construction Brands.


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Trade Show Marketing Best Practices

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Trade Show Marketing Best Practices Trade shows and events are staples of construction marketing, and often one of the top budget line items. On the brand side, manufacturers exhibit at industry events and might participate in networking events.

Most brand manufacturers manage an extensive trade show program exhibiting at multiple shows for key markets. No question trade shows are one of marketing’s biggest budget line items including exhibit construction, storage, transportation, erection and space rental, not to mention staffing and travel expenses.  Below we will why trade show marketing can fail and trade show best practices, including promotion, customer interaction, and measurement.

While trade show investment is high, often results measurement is weak or lacking. Why? Because more often than not, exhibitors rely on card readers for the sole measure of lead and results, trade show booths lack customer interaction, and little or no pre-show or at-show promotion or communication takes place.

Still, trade shows can attract thousands of customers and prospects, along with editors, channel partners, prospective employees and other important contacts. For certain categories like construction equipment, trade shows are critically important to allow for product demonstrations, client meetings and entertainment. In addition, trade shows are typically produced with conferences, educational workshops, and association meetings that offer additional opportunities for promotion and networking.

Many marketers in construction markets have reduced trade show marketing budgets, most often by eliminating certain shows. To increase your chances of success, follow these trade show best practices:

Trade Show Marketing Best Practices

Promotion:

Be sure to properly promote your exhibit via pre-show and at-show communications. Often trade show producers will provide email lists of registrants, some free of charge. Certainly, email and contact customers and prospects prior to the show, with your exhibit location, invites to hospitality events and related. Prior to the show, schedule customer, prospect and editor meetings.

Customer Interaction:

Be sure to enhance customer interaction with attractive exhibit design, graphics and video. Create a “buzz” before and during the show with promotions, contests, celebrity appearances, hospitality, and entertainment events.

Measurement:

As mentioned before, results measurement at trade shows is typically weak or lacking. Be sure to measure trade show results via MULTIPLE mechanisms:  card readers, contest registrations, editorial placements, sales personnel notes and more.

 

Below is and example of a CMA STAR award-winning trade show exhibit design from Hilti. Hilti took home the STAR award for trade show exhibit design.

Hilti Exhibit Design

To view all CMA STAR Award winners, read CMA STAR AWARDS – 2012 Winners Announced

 

Do you have any tips/suggestions for trade show marketing? Please let us know in the comment box below and share this post using the social bookmarking tools below!

 

How to Be a Better Construction Marketer in 2013

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How To Be A Better Construction Marketer in 2013In this time of New Year’s resolutions, why not set some goals for achieving marketing success?

Following are 5 key initiatives that can help marketers crush the competition and get that promotion. Whether you market products or services to construction firms, homebuyers, or other targets in the vast construction industry, there are construction marketing musts that will improve your bottom line.

 

1. Customer Insight

The more you know about your customers, the more effective your marketing can be. Do market segmentation and sales analysis to identify top customers by sales and profit. Determine purchase criteria and decision-making process. Understand keyword search volume that drives website traffic. Conduct frequent surveys, and invest in market research.

2. Marketing Plan

Larger brands do planning months before a fiscal year. But, even smaller companies in the construction industry should develop and implement a marketing plan. Establish a marketing calendar with events, marketing initiatives, and budgets identified. Identify project plan timing and work backwards to determine action items. Importantly, budget adequately for marketing using 5% of revenue as a reference point.

3. Improve That Website

A site more than 3-5 years old could be obsolete!  Get up close and personal with your website traffic statistics using Google Analytics. How do you rank in search engines for top keywords? Run search engine diagnostics like SEOmoz and Broken Link Checker to identify issues and problems. Do you have a mobile version of your website? If not, get it done. Duda mobile has a low cost option. If your category is too competitive to achieve organic search, consider paid search.

4. Assume Thought Leadership

Customers don’t want to be sold, they want to be educated. Take leadership with educational content. If your construction product or service is a business-to-business sale, then case studies, industry surveys and research, training videos and whitepapers are great content types. A blog can be an excellent tool to disseminate your content, while contributing to search engine authority.

5. Develop Sales Leads

All marketing should be focused on generating leads. Build awareness with advertising, publicity, and networking. Develop a referral program with existing customers. Conduct email campaigns to customers and prospects. Use that great content from #4 above with registration pages to capture leads. Purchase customer lists and use telemarketing qualification to build or improve lists.

Following are some additional resources to help you achieve great marketing success in 2013.

Other Resources

Marketing Planning Best Practices – Construction

Search Engine Optimization: Top Priority for Modern Marketers

Content Marketing is King for Construction

Please bookmark and share this post using the tools below and let us know any tips you have for success in 2013!

Marketing to Home Improvement Retailers

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Home improvement retailers are a distinguished marketing channel for a variety of types of construction and remodeling products. Such products include: building materials and supplies, lighting and plumbing, lawn and garden, construction tools and equipment, and much more.

In the new whitepaper, “Marketing to Home Improvement Retailers”, we provide a snapshot of the home improvement industry, along with the results of the 2011 survey, conducted by the Construction Marketing Association, which reveals valuable insight regarding best retail practices.

The whitepaper also examines the following three key aspects of home improvement marketing:

  1. Merchandising
  2. Packaging
  3. Retail Line Reviews

 

To download a printable PDF version of the “Marketing to Home Improvement Retailers” whitepaper, CLICK HERE. And please comment, bookmark, and share this post using the social tools below.

 

Advertising in Construction- Survey Results

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To further understand the use of advertising in the construction industry, the Construction Marketing Association conducted a national survey of construction professionals. The following questions were asked:

1. Do you employ advertising in your marketing program?

2. If yes, what types of advertising do you employ?

3. What is your most effective Advertising activity?

4. What is your least effective Advertising activity?

5. What benefits do you achieve with Advertising?

6. What is your approximate level of advertising spending?

7. How do you classify your company?

 

96.6% of construction professionals surveyed employed advertising, while only 3.4% do not.

Construction Advertising Graph

 

The majority of respondents (55.3%) indicated that they spend less than $25,000 annually on advertising with only 3.4% indicating they spend between $250,000- $500,000.

Construction Advertising Spending Graph

 

Respondents indicated that the top three advertising activities employed were social media (72.4%), trade print (65.5%), and event marketing (48.3%). TV and “other” were the least used tactics, both with 4%.

Construction Advertising Graph

 

Trade print is considered the most effective advertising tactic by construction professionals surveyed with 31% followed by event marketing and “other” each with 13.8%. Paid search, billboards, and logos on equipment were rated last each with 4%.

Construction Advertising Graph

 

24.1% of respondents indicated that the least effective advertising tactic used is phone/directory.

Construction Advertising Graph

 

Respondents reported the top benefit achieved from advertising as to build awareness (59%). Referrals accounted for only 7% of achieved benefits.

Construction Advertising Graph

 

Respondents came from a variety of companies within the construction industry including construction services (27.6%), commercial construction (27.6%), media/marketing (13.8%), building products manufacturing (10.4%), architectural engineering (6.9%), homebuilder/remodeler (6.9%), equipment/tools manufacturing (3.4%), distributor/supplier (3.4%),

Construction Advertising Graphn

 

Other Survey Results

Inbound Marketing in Construction- Survey Results

Construction Marketing Outlook 2013 – Survey Results

Social Media in Construction – Survey Results

Distributor Channel Marketing Survey Results

Please share this post with those interested in advertising!

 

 

 

CMA STAR Awards: Previews and Tips – Webcast

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CMA Awards 2013The Construction Marketing Association is proud to continue the CMA STAR Awards in 2013! Held annually, the awards recognize the best construction marketing projects and campaigns across 16 categories and 81 sub-categories.

Since it’s inaugural year, participation in the STAR Awards has doubled. Therefore, CMA will hold a webcast entitled, CMA STAR Awards: Previews and Tips, Thursday July 18 @1 PM CST to walk-through how to apply and WIN! CMA Chairman Neil Brown will offer up some insights including sharing past winners, answering frequently asked questions (FAQ’s), and providing some recommendations for winning in 2013!

The 2012 CMA STAR awards doubled in participation from its inaugural year,” explains Neil M. Brown. “Competition levels and the quality of work are at an all time high which prompted us to provide this webcast preview to help people avoid making common mistakes we’ve seen.”

Interested in attending? Register for the webcast here.

We will be answering user submitted questions about the STAR Awards during the webcast. Take this opportunity to ask any questions you may have about entry/eligibility/etc. Ask your questions here.

For more information about the STAR Awards, visit our Awards Page, or view 2012 STAR Award winners here.

Good luck! And please share this post with construction marketers who would be interested in participating in the 2013 awards!

 

 

Construction Marketing Outlook Survey

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CMA Outlook 2014 SurveyThe Construction Marketing Association is now conducting a national survey on marketing plans and priorities in the construction industry. Discover what budgeting techniques and other most effective marketing tactics are being implemented by your peers. In addition, CMA Chairman Neil Brown will present a case study of a complete construction brand makeover.

These survey results will be shared at our upcoming Construction Marketing Outlook 2014 Webcast on Tuesday, January 16, 2014 at 1 PM CST.

You can register for the webcast here.

The more submissions we receive, the more compelling and useful survey results will be. So please share this with out construction professionals who would be interested in taking this survey.

CLICK HERE to take the survey


5 Construction Marketing Resolutions For 2014

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2014 Construction Marketing ResolutionsIt’s that time of year again! With 2013 coming to an end, it is important to begin looking ahead to marketing goals and initiatives in 2014 (hopefully you have already given it some thought).

Below are 5 construction marketing resolutions that can help your company in 2014:

1. We Won’t Ignore Local SEO

The local search war for construction and construction-related brands has been heating up and rankings in search engine results pages (SERPs) are increasingly important. And research shows that 49% of local searches are conducted without a specific brand in mind (Google Places).

What are two tasks you can complete to build local SEO?

  1. Location landing pages on your website
  2. Build reviews

One element of your local search-ranking factor is the number and quality of reviews your business receives. Read the Importance of Online Reviews For Construction Brands for more information.

Optimize your website for local search by building location landing pages on your website. Learn more about this strategy here: Drive Targeted Traffic to Your Construction Website With Landing Pages.

2. We Will Amp Up Lead Generation

Lead generation has never been more important to marketers targeting construction decision makers, whether construction firms or building product manufacturers

All marketing should be focused on generating leads or sales:

  • Build awareness with advertising, publicity, and networking
  • Develop a referral program with existing customers
  • Use construction lead services like Dodge, Reed, local and regionals
  • Purchase customer lists and use telemarketing qualification to build or improve lists
  • Conduct email campaigns to customers and prospects

With an increased digital and social focus in 2014, there are even more opportunities for capturing leads. And you can use that great content you are creating with registration pages to capture leads. Keep in mind 90% of purchases begin with a search!

Be sure to download the CMA whitepaper: Lead Generation Best Practices For Construction.

3. We Will Get Visual

As attention spans decrease, and the oversaturation of information continues, visual (and micro) content will become even more important. Infographics, videos, pictures. The popularity of sites like Instagram, Vine, or Snapchat is a clear indication of a preference shift towards visual. Visual content will dominate in 2014. Consider these statistics (Wishpond):

  • 90% of information transmitted to the brain is visual, which is processed 60,000 times faster in the brain than text
  • Videos on landing pages increase average page conversion rates by 86%
  • Businesses who market with infographics grow in traffic an average of 12% more than those who don’t

Pictures of your machinery or tools, project pictures, infographics, company culture, tradeshows and events. There are plenty of opportunities for your construction brand to get visual.

4. We Will Optimize For Mobile

Mobile can no longer be ignored (hopefully you haven’t been). Why? 2/3 of mobile phone owners use their phone to access the Internet and check email. This number has doubled since 2009. And 21% of use mobile as their primary Internet-viewing device (Pew Internet & American Life Project).

What this means for marketers is that mobile websites and mobile-friendly emails are now a requirement, not an option.

To ensure your website is optimized, please read our blog: Mobile Website Marketing for Construction Brands.

5. We Will Get Social

Slowly but surely, engineering, architectural, and construction (AEC) companies are recognizing the importance of social media in business. Our recent survey found that approximately 97% of respondents employ social media.

Here are 6 reasons your construction business needs social media marketing:

  • Social media marketing compliments, extends, and enhances your existing marketing efforts
  • Social media marketing can improve search authority
  • Social media can be more measurable than traditional marketing
  • Social media marketing can be more cost efficient than traditional marketing
  • Beyond marketing, social media can support other critical business functions such as customer service, recruitment, and more
  • Social media marketing is building a huge body of evidence and case study examples

Big social media trends in 2014 include using paid advertising options, customized content, real time marketing, and more.

No 2014 Resolutions blog would be complete without some personal, self-improvement resolutions suggested in our recent newsletter: Join the Construction Marketing Association, become a Certified Construction Marketing Professional, CCMP; read the book Tools of the trade: Modern Marketing for Construction Brands; and find a job with the CMA Career Center.

How to Reduce Marketing Expenses and Still Increase Results

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Some of the biggest costs that face construction marketers today—advertising, print literature, reliance on a sales team—can be easily reduced.

As you look to develop a budget for the 2015 year, we want to help you make the most out of your marketing efforts while reducing your costs.

Our friends at Modern Marketing Partners have been helping businesses make the most of their marketing, advertising, and trade show budgets; and we share this great advice to help you lower your marketing budget while maximizing marketing results.

 

1) Know Thy Customer

Marketing is expensive and mistakes can devastate a marketing budget. Avoid mistakes by getting to know your customer. Know the segments, needs, decision makers, and more by gathering and using data. House all your customer data in a database or by using marketing automation software that can be updated with ease and used for marketing.

Conduct research. One of the easiest ways to do this is by regularly surveying your customers. Surveys are incredibly inexpensive and they will give you valuable information that can be used as a foundation for guiding marketing decisions. If you have trouble getting your customers to take your surveys, provide incentives such as discounts or special offers to customers who take them.

2) Banner Ads vs. Billboards

Advertising is often the most costly part of a marketing budget. Adjust your budget to invest more into search engine optimization (SEO), and content marketing through blogging and social media.

Your website ranking can make or break your marketing efforts. Chikita, an ad network, has continuously monitored search results to find that the top result on Google sees a 32.5% click-through rate, with continuous drop-offs from there (91.5% of clicks occur on the first page).

What does this mean? Unless your website is ranked in the top few search result positions, all the advertising in the world won’t help. Having a mobile-friendly website is also critical.

3) Print Brochures are so 2003

Print may not be dead, but it could use a lifeline. Whether seeing decreasing success in direct mail or increasing costs in brochure printing, it may be time to make the move to digitize.

Actively provide PDF versions of your advertising and reduce print runs.  You can always keep brochures ready to be printed single-run, as opposed to wasting the space to store thousands of brochures.

Further, you can upload all of your PDFs to SlideShare, allowing customers to find your material more easily!

4) Build Your Brand with Publicity

A saying that you need to take to heart: Advertising and Marketing is about saying how great you are. PR is getting others to do it for you.

PR or publicity placements are free by definition, with awareness building that rivals advertising!

A few examples of how you can use PR to your advantage:

  • Release Products using Free or Paid PR Wire Services
  • Build Relationships with Reporters and Journalists
  • Find Public Speaking Opportunities
  • Go Guerrilla

A few good ideas for what to share:

Make PR integral to your complete and integrated marketing communications strategy.

5) Repurpose your content

Content is king, but it doesn’t have to take up a large portion of a marketing budget. Create content that relates to and will interest your current/potential customers. Use the same content in different formats.

Blog about your projects, post about the projects on social media, create a corresponding video (time lapse videos of projects are simple and effective!), introduce to customers and prospects via email, develop surveys, host a webcast or podcast and much more.

In addition to this, creating ‘evergreen’ content will give you more mileage to your money.  What is evergreen content?

Evergreen content is quality, useful content that is relevant to readers for a long period of time.”

The key with evergreen then is that this quality content means something to a visitor who found the post the day it was published and one who happened upon it six months later.  This means that, for the time it takes you to write one piece of content, you can reach more users.

Reducing marketing expenses for your construction firm can be simple.  Just be sure you have a plan.  This is why we welcome you to join thousands of members in one of our LinkedIn Groups:

Online Marketing Tactics for Restoration Businesses

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Refurnishing concerns operate in a ruthlessly competitive marketing environment. To succeed in restoration marketing, the company must manifest a complete perception of sense and quality. As an outcome of the intense competition, an effective online marketing promotion is crucial. Once the marketing strategies are established, traffic generated by referrals will start arriving vigorously. Restoration is like marketing. The two activities are continuing endeavors.

The marketing and restoration concerns experience a continuous stream of new businesses. The universal principle is that in the absence of marketing, there is no measurable and predictable manner of constructing a client base. Referrals are generated by a healthy consumer base. Recommendations are the vital element required for developing a restoration concern. Restoration concerns may require robust marketing endeavors. Considering competitive business ambience, skillful marketing compensates for concerns vying for market share. Adept marketing is imperative.

Starting Points

An online recommendation initiative is a good place to start. Satisfied clients and references are significant for the restoration company. The restoration concerns depend upon competence and trust during the processes entailing restoration. There are substantial profits and costs involved in r3e4storation projects. Consequently, the clients seek assurances that the work is going to be completed by the most competent service. References are a matrix whereas the clients enable each other by detailing their experiences with restoration service companies. The referrals acquired through word of mouth are important.

Referrals may be encouraged using a website. In each of the cases where there is booking of the restoration service, the coordinators should delegate a code to the client to attain discounts. Friends and family may use the discounts by applying the code. In offering a gift with the restoration service, the service creates incentives fort the client to purchase. Research has shown that non-financial extrinsic incentives are twenty-four percent more effective in the creation of references that cash discount incentives alone.

PPC Digital Advertising

Paid search digital advertising (PPC) is one of the most efficient methods of locating the website. The clients seeking for restoration services companies are motivated buyers. These queries involve more clicks than toward the paid search digital advertising than organic website searches. Notwithstanding, the content perspective may position the website in the search results. The specific audiences are attracted by targeted marketing.

Directed marketing promotes sales initiatives requiring weeks before manifesting in web search outcomes. The time sensitive promotions are specifically given attention in paid search advertising. In the application of organic search outcomes and paid search advertising from a robust content design usually, has the consequence of constant growth in the number of clicks when applied together.

Using Symbols Reflective of Service Quality

Symbols are an amazing, overlooked implement in the online marketing communities. Colorful and impacting symbols increase the outcome of the brand, website, and strategy. Restoration services companies focus their attention on quality designing. The images applied are reflective of effective symbol design. Restoration marketing involves the efficient application of website, content, and icons. The quality application of these elements creates referrals.

5 Marketing Principles for your Construction Firm

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Choosing a construction firm, be it a large corporation or a private residence owner, is a very important decision. It needs time, research and careful consideration from the client’s part. Therefore, construction firms need to make all relevant information available to potential customers. They need to anticipate customer questions and needs. A well-planned marketing strategy will not only help your construction firm get more customers, but it will also get you the customers you want. Here are five marketing principles your firm should keep in mind:

1. Smooth internal communication

Often times marketers stay out of touch with the rest of the team. However, this only limits what marketers can enhance, highlight and promote with potential customers. Marketers need to be kept in the loop about latest features, capabilities, team status, and more. To make sure your marketing team has full access to this information, you can add them as collaborators in your construction management software.

If you don’t have one already, you should do your research on lean options that fit your company culture and size. One example is BuildBinder. This construction information software allows small and large teams to upload and share information with internal and external collaborators.

2. Build an effective lead generation funnel

Before you start promoting your construction firm, you should think like your potential customer:

  • What kind of information do I need to know about a construction firm before I hire them?
  • What are the channels I will likely use to do my construction firm research?
  • What are my deepest concerns?

The answers to these questions will start you off in the right direction. Build a lead generation funnel that satisfies these needs.

3. Work closely with the sales team

Your firm’s team is the front runner when it comes to contacting new business opportunities. Make sure that, as a marketer, you keep in close touch with them. Pick their brains, and ask them the following about their leads:

  • What are some of the capabilities they want to find in a construction firm?
  • On average, how lengthy are their projects?
  • How did they find out about us?
  • What kind of information format are they asking for?

4. Outsource tasks

Your company’s core product is not marketing, it’s construction. Therefore, you do not have to be a jack-of-all-trades when it comes to marketing services. If you are the only marketing resource for your construction firm, feel free to outsource tasks. Choose your marketing agency wisely, for they will be a key partner for your company’s growth.

5. Knowledge is power to the customer and to your firm

Remember, potential customers are doing their due diligence before finally deciding on hiring a construction firm. Give them the tools to answer their existing and future questions. Develop useful content and make it available for your target market. This knowledge can only be put together when your internal team is in constant communication.

Also, open your eyes and ears. Information is a two-way street. Ask your existing and potential customers what they would like to see or hear from your construction firm. Communicate this feedback to the rest of the team and fine tune your construction solutions to meet customer needs.

 

Remodeling Growth Forum

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remodeling growth forum

The Construction Marketing Association is pleased to announce an exclusive learning opportunity for CMA members and email subscribers.

Our newest sponsor, Renoworks – providers of market leading visualization solutions for the building products industry, are hosting the Remodeling Growth Forum.

Professionals in the building products industry can access educational webinars and high value content developed by industry experts to improve your business and increase your industry savvy by learning:

  • How contractors are using technology to grow their business by 200%+
  • Shifting consumer expectations when shopping for remodeling services providers
  • Marketing & technology trends in the building products industry

Learn More Now

Participants can win a trip to Orlando to attend the International Builder’s Show in January among other prizes and custom offers from co-sponsors.

Read About Awesome Incentives

The CMA is pleased to be a co-sponsor and encourage all of members to participate in the Remodeling Growth Forum. Four webinars being hosted between December 14th and December 20th.

Topic: Identity as a Growth Engine for Remodelers

Preview: From SEO to reputation management, your brand is the key to your success. Learn where to invest your time & effort to build an identity that creates growth.

Speaker: Rich Harshaw – CEO, Monopolize Your Marketplace

Expertise: Contractor Marketing Specialist

Date: Dec. 14, 11:00 MST

 

Topic: The 6 Keys to More Leads, More Sales & More Thrilled Customers

Preview: Enter 2017 with fresh ideas on how remodelers can generate leads in a cost-effective manner, convert more leads, and properly align their marketing & sales efforts with TODAY’s consumer.

Speaker: Tim Musch – Director of Business Development, MarketSharp Software

Expertise: Marketing Automation Guru

Date: Dec. 13, 11:00 MST

 

Topic: Improving the Metrics That Matter with Visualization

Preview: Learn from the best in the biz how contractors can use visualization to effectively increase sales, profit, upselling and customer satisfaction.

Speaker: Paul Trautman – Owner, Timberland Exteriors

Expertise: Visualization Pro

Date: Dec. 15, 11:00 MST

 

 

Topic: How Contractors Can Double the Size of Every Job with Visualization & Remote Selling

Preview: How you can use remote selling tools, combined with visualization to significantly increase the value of the jobs you book & cater to your ideal customer.

Speaker: Mike Damora, GM K & B Home Remodelers

Expertise: Sales Veteran & Expert

Date: Dec. 20, 11:00 MST

 

 

Learn More & Register For Webinars Now.

About Renoworks

Renoworks Software Inc. develops and sells unique digital visualization software for the remodeling and new home construction industry.

Delivered online and through mobile apps, Renoworks provides technology to manufacturers, contractors, remodelers builders and retailers offering the solution to one of the home remodeling industry’s greatest challenges: enabling customers to see how their product choices will look in a realistic, virtual environment – even in their own home – before they make a purchase decision.

Renoworks  visualization solutions for manufacturers and large enterprises are a cost-effective lead generation tool for their web site and offers the most compelling way to showcase the building products they sell.

Renoworks Pro, is the market leading visualization tool for contractors. Using this visualization software, contractors can show homeowners what their home will look like before a remodeling project starts during their sales process. This gives them a competitive advantage and helps them close more jobs, at higher prices.

renoworks

Here is what Remodeling Growth Forum speaker, and Renoworks Pro customer, Mike Damora has to say about the software and how it’s impacted his remodeling company:

“Renoworks is not just a sales tool, it is the mother of all sales tools. The national average for a window job is $8800. With Renoworks Pro, my average is $20,000. The national average for a siding job is $12,000 to $14,000. With Renoworks Pro, my average is $30,000. It’s a marketing tool. It’s an upsell tool. I get more jobs. I use it every single day. I bring my laptop into people’s homes. I sell a lot more stone now, because I show stone on every single job whether they ask for it or not. It really engages the prospect. It’s the “wow” factor. The first meeting, I just get to know them a little and take photos. The second meeting, I present photos and show options. They are blown away.”

Read what other contractors are saying about Renoworks Pro.

Here is what Remodeling Growth Forum speaker, and Renoworks Pro customer, Paul Trautman has to say about the software and how it’s impacted his remodeling company:

I have increased my sales by 30% by using Renoworks Pro. The ability of homeowners to see what the house will look like before it is done, to dream and build with them makes it a powerful sales tool to make the sale.

To hear Mike and Paul talk about their experiences, register now for the webinars being held through the Remodeling Growth Forum.

 

 

2017 Construction Marketing Resolutions

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2017 Construction Marketing ResolutionsAnother year, and more soul-searching for new ideas to achieve marketing success! Last year we suggested content marketing planning and using marketing analytics. This year the team at the Construction Marketing Association is recommending: 1) Smarter prospecting, 2) Paid search and paid social, and 3) Marketing self-improvement.

Smarter Prospecting

So what is smarter prospecting? Sounds like a sales initiative. Well, marketing best practices is all about revenue growth and new customer acquisition, right? So marketing should take the lead when it comes to lead generation and tee those prospects up for business development or sales because we can do it better!

How? Start with market segmentation. Analyze existing customers, revenue, or even profits by distinct market segment. Certainly rank segments, and identify what segments are driving business. Use government NAICs or SIC codes to define segments. Next, identify titles of decision makers for your products or services. Often there are multiple decision makers and influencers that should be identified. With this information, research and identify companies and contacts that are similar, and build a contact list with email addresses and telephone numbers. Introduce your company to these prospects via email with educational information and offers.

Another excellent tactic is LinkedIn Sales Navigator, which is a premium account upgrade, but offers robust search queries to hone in on markets, companies, and decision makers. Build a database in Sales Navigator, request connections, and InMail offers with links (not possible with non-premium LinkedIn profile. Once connected you can obtain email and telephone contact information.

Supplement Sales Navigator with old-fashioned Google and website searches. You can find contacts, emails, and more with some quiet time and a lot of searches. Plow all of this new information into a spreadsheet, email service provider list, or CRM system.

Another aspect of smarter prospecting is managing website form-fills, and reviewing IP-tracking reports. Of course, this requires multiple offers, call-to-actin (CTA), and registration forms to achieve form fills. IP-tracking is a (low cost) subscription service that reports anonymous website visitors by IP address, and can be a cold lead that requires additional qualification. Services include Leadlander, Visual Visitor, and Leadformix.

Paid Search and Paid Social

With over 100 billion global searches being conducted each month and 75% of search engine users never scrolling past the first page of search results, the search war is heating up (SEJ)! How can you leverage search to drive traffic to your website?

Paid search, also known as pay per click (PPC), is one option for your construction company to drive traffic and leads to your website.

Paid search can be used to achieve your short-term results, due to its immediacy, while organic is a more viable option long-term. Consider supplementing your website traffic with paid search while you are building your organic search presence. Also, paid search can be extremely flexible, targeted, and measurable. For example:

  • Target based on keywords — your company’s services
  • Target based on location — your company’s service area

Paid advertisements on Google typically appear at the top and bottom of the Search Engine Results Page (SERP). As of February 2016, ads are no longer being shown on the right-hand side of the SERP. Paid search results are served according to the keywords used by the search engine user.

Another related strategy we recommend is Google AdWords remarketing, which is conducted through the Google Display network. Remarketing is a powerful PPC strategy that allows you to target and reach people who have previously visited your website by showing them ads across the web. It is estimated that only 2% of website traffic converts on their first visit, so remarketing, especially in combination with paid search, can help you win back the 98% that didn’t convert.

Paid Social

According to our recent Social Media Summit, 60% of construction marketers reported that they have never used social media advertising. Of those who did, Facebook was the most popular social media advertising channel.

Social Media Advertising for Construction

While paid search is a great way to drive website traffic based on user intent (their search), social media advertising offers an alternative way to get your company in front of users and drive action based on their interests or other specific, demographic information before they search. Targeting options vary by platform, but some relevant examples include:

  • Interests
  • Job Titles
  • Purchase behavior
  • Industry
  • Company size

Marketing Self-Improvement

So what about Marketing self-improvement?  Well first step is to join the Construction Marketing Association. Become a member. Participate in our training webcasts. Volunteer to run a local chapter. Next, read the book. Tools of the Trade: Modern Marketing for Construction Brands. For a limited time, you can get the PDF version free when you join CMA, or you can purchase the hard copy here. Finally, consider professional certification. The Certified Construction Marketing Professional (CCMP) program from CMA is a study guide and web-based examination, with the license to use the CCMP designation after your name, for your whole career.

 

To great success in 2017!  What are your 2017 marketing resolutions? Please comment below.

 

 

Trade Show Marketing Best Practices

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Trade Show Marketing Best Practices Trade shows and events are staples of construction marketing, and often one of the top budget line items. On the brand side, manufacturers exhibit at industry events and might participate in networking events.

Most brand manufacturers manage an extensive trade show program exhibiting at multiple shows for key markets. No question trade shows are one of marketing’s biggest budget line items including exhibit construction, storage, transportation, erection and space rental, not to mention staffing and travel expenses.  Below we will why trade show marketing can fail and trade show best practices, including promotion, customer interaction, and measurement.

While trade show investment is high, often results measurement is weak or lacking. Why? Because more often than not, exhibitors rely on card readers for the sole measure of lead and results, trade show booths lack customer interaction, and little or no pre-show or at-show promotion or communication takes place.

Still, trade shows can attract thousands of customers and prospects, along with editors, channel partners, prospective employees and other important contacts. For certain categories like construction equipment, trade shows are critically important to allow for product demonstrations, client meetings and entertainment. In addition, trade shows are typically produced with conferences, educational workshops, and association meetings that offer additional opportunities for promotion and networking.

Many marketers in construction markets have reduced trade show marketing budgets, most often by eliminating certain shows. To increase your chances of success, follow these trade show best practices:

Trade Show Marketing Best Practices

Promotion:

Be sure to properly promote your exhibit via pre-show and at-show communications. Often trade show producers will provide email lists of registrants, some free of charge. Certainly, email and contact customers and prospects prior to the show, with your exhibit location, invites to hospitality events and related. Prior to the show, schedule customer, prospect and editor meetings.

Customer Interaction:

Be sure to enhance customer interaction with attractive exhibit design, graphics and video. Create a “buzz” before and during the show with promotions, contests, celebrity appearances, hospitality, and entertainment events.

Measurement:

As mentioned before, results measurement at trade shows is typically weak or lacking. Be sure to measure trade show results via MULTIPLE mechanisms:  card readers, contest registrations, editorial placements, sales personnel notes and more.

 

Below is and example of a CMA STAR award-winning trade show exhibit design from Hilti. Hilti took home the STAR award for trade show exhibit design.

Hilti Exhibit Design

To view all CMA STAR Award winners, read CMA STAR AWARDS – 2012 Winners Announced

 

Do you have any tips/suggestions for trade show marketing? Please let us know in the comment box below and share this post using the social bookmarking tools below!

 

The post Trade Show Marketing Best Practices appeared first on Construction Marketing Association Blog.


How to Be a Better Construction Marketer in 2013

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How To Be A Better Construction Marketer in 2013In this time of New Year’s resolutions, why not set some goals for achieving marketing success?

Following are 5 key initiatives that can help marketers crush the competition and get that promotion. Whether you market products or services to construction firms, homebuyers, or other targets in the vast construction industry, there are construction marketing musts that will improve your bottom line.

 

1. Customer Insight

The more you know about your customers, the more effective your marketing can be. Do market segmentation and sales analysis to identify top customers by sales and profit. Determine purchase criteria and decision-making process. Understand keyword search volume that drives website traffic. Conduct frequent surveys, and invest in market research.

2. Marketing Plan

Larger brands do planning months before a fiscal year. But, even smaller companies in the construction industry should develop and implement a marketing plan. Establish a marketing calendar with events, marketing initiatives, and budgets identified. Identify project plan timing and work backwards to determine action items. Importantly, budget adequately for marketing using 5% of revenue as a reference point.

3. Improve That Website

A site more than 3-5 years old could be obsolete!  Get up close and personal with your website traffic statistics using Google Analytics. How do you rank in search engines for top keywords? Run search engine diagnostics like SEOmoz and Broken Link Checker to identify issues and problems. Do you have a mobile version of your website? If not, get it done. Duda mobile has a low cost option. If your category is too competitive to achieve organic search, consider paid search.

4. Assume Thought Leadership

Customers don’t want to be sold, they want to be educated. Take leadership with educational content. If your construction product or service is a business-to-business sale, then case studies, industry surveys and research, training videos and whitepapers are great content types. A blog can be an excellent tool to disseminate your content, while contributing to search engine authority.

5. Develop Sales Leads

All marketing should be focused on generating leads. Build awareness with advertising, publicity, and networking. Develop a referral program with existing customers. Conduct email campaigns to customers and prospects. Use that great content from #4 above with registration pages to capture leads. Purchase customer lists and use telemarketing qualification to build or improve lists.

Following are some additional resources to help you achieve great marketing success in 2013.

Other Resources

Marketing Planning Best Practices – Construction

Search Engine Optimization: Top Priority for Modern Marketers

Content Marketing is King for Construction

Please bookmark and share this post using the tools below and let us know any tips you have for success in 2013!

The post How to Be a Better Construction Marketer in 2013 appeared first on Construction Marketing Association Blog.

Virtual Tours Used to Sell American West Homes

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When it comes to marketing new home communities, the tried and true model home is the traditional venue. However, the Las Vegas new housing market is aggressive right now, so new construction homes are being purchased practically before the lots are released. Such is the case for American West Homes’ newest community, Rainbow Crossing Luxury at Coronado Ranch in southwest Las Vegas.

The Harper Great Room

Due to the demand for information that American West has been getting for their new Rainbow Crossing Luxury community, they are ditching the old sales manual when it comes to selling new homes. Unlike the majority of builders in the region, American West is using virtual tours to “sell” their homes – before the model homes and community have been completed.

Larry Canarelli, founder of American West says, “It’s a great time to buy, and home prices keep appreciating. All of our communities are selling so well. There has been such an interest in our new Rainbow Crossing Luxury homes that pre-selling from virtual tours was the best approach to help meet the demand.”

A survey by the National Association of Realtors showed that 84% of first time buyers use the internet to search for a home. And the majority of people who are searching online want to see visuals before they consider buying a home. Thus, making open houses an obsolete tactic for how real estate is marketed and sold.

In fact, according to the National Association of Realtors, most of today’s buyers will not even look at a home unless there is a virtual tour. Why? With a virtual tour, prospects can see every room of a house from the comfort of their laptop or smartphone. It gives them a sense of control; and it saves time.

Without a doubt, virtual tours have become one of the hottest marketing tools in the real estate industry. Among the marketing benefits:

  • 6 million people per day take virtual tours. Yes, million. (National Association of Realtors)
  • They reach prospective buyers 24 hours a day, seven days a week from any digital device. (Business.com)
  • Listings with virtual tours get more views, and keep prospects on the site longer. (Realtor.com)

American West has been enjoying great success with its virtual tours, keeping up with the demand for information as well as showcasing its new models and communities. Interested prospects can “tour” these floorplans from top to bottom, despite the fact that the model hasn’t even been built yet. Which means that when these prospects actually come in to the Sales Office, they are well-versed on the homes, and more likely to buy.

For more information, contact the Sales Office at (702) 853-4586 or visit AmericanWestHomes.com

The post Virtual Tours Used to Sell American West Homes appeared first on Construction Marketing Association Blog.

Incorporate These 4 Video Trends into Your 2019 Marketing Efforts

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Video content has taken its rightful place in construction companies’ strategic marketing conversations. It provides a powerful way to communicate your brand, share your story, and build relationships through sight, sound and motion. Experts expect this year that businesses will produce an average of one video per day. This type of content continues to grow by leaps and bounds because of it effectiveness in helping clients along their buying journey.

According to Vidyard’s 2018 Video in Business Benchmark Report, 90 percent of people say video helps them make a decision and over 60 percent say that it makes them more likely to purchase. The Report also found that product videos perform well on landing pages, websites, social media, and the top performer was videos included in emails as part of a sales conversation.

So here are four video trends you should know about. They clearly have the potential to impact the way you handle and produce video content in 2019. Take a read through and consider their importance to see if they warrant action by your company.

Make it Branded Video Content

Branded content has the ability to look and feel authentic, and has been able to avoid some of the controversy surrounding video ads. Sponsored content distributed on Facebook increased over 200% and 99% on YouTube last year. And year-over-year video content on each platform continues to increase.

Pinterest is another such platform that has actually evolved from images to videos to branded videos. We’ve already covered that this is a good platform for remodelers and contractors to visually demonstrate their work, and video offers even more freedom to capture and hold potential clients’ interests.

Pinterest also provides an autoplay enhancement to its Promoted Video platform, which construction marketers are loving. It gives them the ability to run video promotions that will automatically start the moment a person scrolls across it in their home feed. The person doesn’t even need to hit the play button. Plus, in addition to showing up in a pinner’s home feed, promoted videos will autoplay in their search results. This is in contrast to other platforms that interrupt users while they are watching a video.

Now construction companies can more easily find clients looking for their type of product or service and provide them content. They can also retarget everyone who saw their video with a follow-up campaign to really hit their message home.

Dominate with Livestreaming

The usage of live video has grown exponentially over the past few years. Companies, especially those trying to establish their brand in the marketplace, need to embrace livestreaming more in 2019. It’s becoming one of the best ways to connect and interact with current and potential customers because viewers feel it gives them a better, more authentic feel about a company.

Social media platforms like Faceback have really cemented the importance of live video. According to their numbers, one in every five shared Facebook video is live, and is now watched three times longer than normal video. The engagement factor is what should be so appealing  — viewers hang around longer to hear more of your story.

Go Mobile

Mobile content is on the rise. Along with it, mobile optimized videos. Many platforms are finally moving their video space into the mobile arena, which was once dominated by desktops and laptops — and thus, only horizontal video layouts. Snapchat started the trend of vertical video advertising and it is really taking off. According to buffer research, square video outperformed landscape video in views and engagement, plus costs less to engage someone on Facebook and Instagram. So even if you’re starting out your video creation efforts, remember the video format can play a significant role in how many people watch it, how long they watch it for and its overall success.

Include it with Email

Email marketing continues to provide construction services with a relevant tool to reach clients with important messaging. But, just like social and other marketing tactics today, companies need to find additional techniques to keep recipients engaged with their efforts. Interactive content in emails, like videos, has been shown to convert 70% of the time compared to 36% for passive content. Videos encourage potential clients to experience an aspect of a company in a different and impactful way, which can lead to better conversion metrics for the email campaign.

Video sounds good doesn’t it? Now you may just need some ideas about what to video. Here are a few to get you started:

  • Before and after project details – great for Pinterest
  • Demolition day – great for livestreaming
  • New product or service vlog – good for your website
  • Events or exciting announcements
  • Drone or security camera footage – Facebook and Instagram worthy, especially if it’s funny
  • Client testimonials
  • Jobsite safety tips

There are good opportunities for videos every day. Remember to incorporate them into your storytelling brand efforts throughout 2019.

The post Incorporate These 4 Video Trends into Your 2019 Marketing Efforts appeared first on Construction Marketing Association Blog.

Key Construction Tradeshow Tactics for Delivering ROI

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Trade shows offer construction companies a unique way to connect with their target audiences for a little face-to-face time. There’s really nothing like it today. Businesses of any size get to experience exposure to a large number of potential customers with the ability to interact with them personally.

For larger brand manufacturers trade shows are often a staple component in their overall marketing strategy mix. They are also often one of their marketing’s biggest line items. With average exhibit space costs anywhere from $2,000 to $20,000 per event, booth displays going from $3,500 to $15,000, shipping, marketing materials, promotions & giveaways, staffing, and travel expenses – your investment is clearly significant.

Remember though, trade shows can attract thousands of prospects and customers. Let’s not forget they also attract channel partners, editors, influencers, prospective employees and other valuable contacts. Furthermore, they provide you with the opportunity to gain and share knowledge about improved ways of building and doing business through attendee educational sessions, hands-on demonstrations, and networking events.

Companies Need Tradeshow Guidance

So while trade shows are undoubtedly valuable, companies still struggle to deliver ROI. According to a Regalix B2B Event Marketing Survey Report, 40 percent of marketers state a lack of conversion-optimized event marketing strategies is their biggest hurdle. Many companies haven’t quite figured out how to maximize their presence to garner the best results for their businesses.

Customer engagement will be at its highest when attendees and company representatives have some time to begin communicating and building relationships.

For construction companies this means having several key trade show pieces in place, including preshow communication tactics, a well-designed display space that grabs attendees’ attention, great customer interaction inside the booth, an effective drawing or contest and marketing collateral, proper post show follow-up and measurement metrics. If you do these things well, you’ll leave a lasting impression that can produce results months down the road and year-over-year.

Tradeshow Investments Worth Making

A strategic approach construction companies can take involves implementing multi-channel event marketing for your preshow and post-show communication. Getting your message out digitally will improve your reach to prospects and potential attendees and help convert them to customers after the event. Here are three tactics that will help you produce solid leads from your next tradeshow.

Create impactful messaging

Preshow – To drive booth traffic and engagement, craft creative calls to action that can be used in emails, a microsite, blog posts, tweets, and all your communications about the event. Describe how your construction products and services can help prospective customers and the value they’ll receive by visiting your booth.

Post-show – Emails are a great tool for follow-ups and the first one should be sent with 24-48 hours of the event. Be sure to include a call to action that is laser focused because if you try to promote too many things it may confusing for the prospect. Personalize your follow-up emails and include the name of the representative that spoke with him or her at the event.

Develop an event microsite

Preshow – Create relevant content for an event you will be exhibiting at in the future to increase brand awareness and promote attendance. The microsite should include all the essentials about the trade show, booth location and promotions. Target copy to your audience and include calls to action that will get potential attendees to interact with your brand.

Post-show – Thank all the attendees who visited your booth and include a picture of your booth to help them remember you. Also present a gated offer for prospects to receive an industry white paper, demo or estimate to help you qualify your leads, plus determine the hottest ones.

Generate buzz with event-related social posts

Preshow – Utilize social platforms to talk about what you will be featuring at the event. Write blog posts on topics about event sessions, speakers, breakout sessions, etc. Consider using LinkedIn to promote posts as sponsored content to garner more interest in visiting your booth. Also, post to Facebook and Twitter to reach different audiences and emphasize event promotions.

During and Post-show – Share some fun photos from your booth or a quick video highlighting the event on Instagram and Snapchat. They may even have a filter to help you identify the event. Write a follow-up blog about a education session or interesting information you learned that others in the construction industry will find useful.

These tactics are all about spreading the word in advance of the event, during the event and for keeping in touch after the event. You’ll generate an active and receptive audience before the show that in turn can increase high-quality interactions during the event. Timely, impactful post-show communication will help create lasting relationships with prospects and engage them with your brand until they become customers. Multi-channel event marketing provides a solid strategy to help construction companies produce a positive ROI from their tradeshow efforts in 2019.

The post Key Construction Tradeshow Tactics for Delivering ROI appeared first on Construction Marketing Association Blog.

Social + Strategy = Fresh Ways to Find and Engage New Hires

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For small to mid-size businesses the hiring process is often ongoing throughout the year. Marketers need to step in and help companies realize the value of social networking platforms to help with their constant state of recruiting. Social media can provide construction businesses with an authentic and meaningful way to reach job seekers.

Today, it’s simply not enough to post job openings on Indeed, Monster, and Construction Jobs. While they might provide your business with loads of resumes, the candidates may often be unqualified for a lack of truly understanding the position and its requirements. Online job boards may be helpful, but there are also other valuable ways to recruit through social media.

Social Media Recruiting Power

LinkedIn is a great place to start. To begin the process, try these three tips from recruiters:

  1. Post your job openings or advertise them on LinkedIn. The nice thing about LinkedIn is it combines open positions, candidate searches, and referrals into a high-powered network that can deliver results for a range of jobs.
  2. Actively do your own searching. You’ll do this by inputting keywords relevant to the positions you’re trying to fill. Next, cross-reference the position’s requirements with the qualifications listed in the candidate’s profile.
  3. Make sure your company’s profile is keyword relevant as well. Job seekers are doing the same thing you are – using keywords searches to find companies. Then, prospective employees look at the company profile to determine if it’s a place they think they may like to work.

Try Video Content

For many builder and remodeling firms a visual presentation often sells the clients. This can be true in recruiting as well. If your company is utilizing Instagram and YouTube, consider creating video content to attract interested job seekers to your openings. You can even invite current employees to co-create videos, photos and other content to show what projects your company works on and what it’s like to work at your company.

Social media offers companies a way to recruit people where they spend the majority of their time and it increases a company’s brand awareness too. Sharing photos and videos of your employees living your company values can be highly effective in today’s labor market.

Strategic Onboarding Importance

Now, given the time, commitment, and resources you’ve put into finding the right employees, it makes sense to put that same kind of energy into your company’s onboarding efforts. In many respects, the first 90 days of their employment can make all the difference in their careers at your company.

Accepting an offer for employment is a big deal for the candidate and you. So when new hires begin work, it’s important – right from the start. They want to fit in, understand their responsibilities, learn the ropes and identify with the company’s values and goals.

So getting the onboarding process right is critical. This is especially true because 20% of employee turnover happens within the first 90 days of employment. And finding a replacement is at least 30% of first-year earnings for each position-holder, according to recent U.S. Department of Labor statistics.

Build Early Engagement

Construction companies need to believe in the value of transitioning to a strategic onboarding process and move away from the checklist approach about paperwork, computers, and workspaces. If you’re willing to change your approach, you’ll be helping new hires connect to the company and their coworkers, understand their purpose and value and build engagement from day one.

How do you implement a strategic approach? Training experts offer five essentials tactics to get your onbaording process beyond just an administrative checklist:

  • Assess your current orientation process. What is its duration? Be mindful of your brand – is it leveraged throughout the process? Gather communication pieces and determine alignment with company goals.
  • Create a strategic approach. Outline an onboarding program that supports a continuous journey for new hires, helping them to understand the business strategy of their areas and the company, delivering job scope and performance expectations and setting them upon the road to becoming highly engaged employees.
  • Develop an onboarding portal. If your organization has the resources, creating an information-filled new hire portal helps employees have a constant resource for company learning.
  • Provide a mentor. Partner new hires with your best employees. These employees are champions of your brand and can mentor new talent, help answer questions, and model the attitude and behaviors your company is striving for.
  • Build a business case. A strategic onboarding program requires the right resources. Determine and present the number of new hires per year and the cost of quick turnovers along with the cost-savings on having engaged, productive employees.

The post Social + Strategy = Fresh Ways to Find and Engage New Hires appeared first on Construction Marketing Association Blog.

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