Construction, Business - 4 min read
Developing a solid marketing plan for your construction company doesn't have to be tedious or time-consuming, but it does involve considering your long-term business goals and determining how to maximise your budget.
In this post, we'll look at the basic marketing tools and strategies that successful contractors use to grow their business and set themselves apart from the competition.
Much of today’s marketing talk centres around the online realm, however, traditional methods like physical advertising can prove to be effective strategies for builders.
Posting signs on your recently finished construction projects gives potential customers who like your work a way to contact you for an estimate on a new project. Another simple way to advertise your construction services is by putting your company name and contact information on your company vehicle.
If your construction company primarily serves commercial clients, trade magazines and conferences are also great places to advertise your services in print form.
Your online advertising options include social media advertisements like Facebook Ads, and search engine advertisements using Google AdWords.
Being active on social media increases brand awareness, engages with potential customers, and establishes yourself as an expert within your community. You don't have to spend a lot of time every day updating your Facebook, Pinterest, and Twitter pages — just a few minutes every day is all it takes to build a community across your social networking channels.
You can also use your social media pages to run contests, post client reviews, and show off plans for future projects.
Take some time to assess your current website design. Is it outdated? Difficult to navigate? If so, your site design may need to be updated or even completely redesigned by a specialised website design agency.
One of the most important upgrades you can make to your website is to make it responsive, meaning it can be easily viewed on mobile phones. If your website isn't mobile friendly, you're potentially losing out on a large amount of traffic from Google and other search engines. Upgrading to a responsive design will ensure your website pages can be easily viewed on different smartphones and tablets.
Another upgrade you might consider making to your website is to invest in a content management system (CMS), which will allow you and others on your team to easily publish new content to the site.
Writing helpful, quality content is still the best way to drive free, organic traffic to your website. Aim to publish two to three posts per week that focus on providing your potential customers with answers to common questions and concerns.
Google AdWords has a keyword planner that can help you research the exact search terms and phrases that your customers are using when looking for the products and services you offer. These are the phrases that should form the basis of your blog content.
There are many other software programs that can tell you what type of content your potential customers are searching for, clicking on, and engaging with. Create content around these search terms and phrases to improve your website's ranking for certain keywords in Google and other search engines.
Online directories provide your website with valuable back links that help drive your website up in search results. You don't need to list your construction in every directory, but you'll want to be sure you're listed in local and industry-related directories.
Some popular construction business directories are Brownbook, Builder Central, Houzz, and HiPages. Be sure to fill out your profile pages completely, and respond promptly to any questions a potential customer may have.
Networking at conferences, trade shows, and meetups is one of the most effective ways to promote your business. Networking involves more of a time commitment than other forms of marketing, but attending the right events can lead to a great volume of new referrals for your construction company.
For a free marketing plan template for construction companies, download our Tradies' Template Pack today:
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