Posts By: Stuart Dinnie

A collection of iPhone apps for the construction industry

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You would probably think that there wasn’t going to be that many construction related iPhone apps in the app store, right? Well actually you would be surprised at how many apps are in fact related to various audiences within the construction industry.

They range from calculators and design tools through to guidance books – all available to use on your iPhone. Something I noticed is the lack of reviews for each app which may indicate that mobile apps have not yet been discovered due to poor promotion, over pricing (some are) or just simply not needed on an iPhone. What are your opinions on apps for the iPhone when it comes to our industry? Are there any which you use on a regular basis? Are iPhones, or any smartphones, useful for work related processes?

Here are some apps which I stumbled across within the app store, I am sure there are more so if you know of any please do suggest them within the comments section.

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What makes a blog successful?

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Many of you have already started a personal or business blog, and there will be some of you who are contemplating starting a blog in the hope of driving additional traffic to your website. If you are in the ‘contemplating’ category then I suggest you probably need to start pretty soon.

The content you write is visible for all on the web and particularly those who are searching to find the answers to their issues, problems and questions. Search engines love blogs too. This is because, unlike your website, the content within your blog is always changing depending on your posting frequency.Read More

Wrapping up a busy 2010 for construction marketing

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As the saying goes “Hasn’t this year just flown by?”

Indeed it has and what a year it has been too. 2010 has seen the rise of social media and how construction companies, large and small, look to embrace social platforms for pushing out content and increasing networking opportunities. Interesting discussions have taken place regarding the uses of social media within the industry and whether any form of ROI can be calculated. It seems as though many companies and marketers are still trying to work out how it can be used to assist with their business objectives and goals.

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The construction industry is gradually embracing digital communication strategies and tactics

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Last week Pritesh and I attended the 2010 CIMCIG conference held in London. The event was full of marketing professionals and construction industry experts. It offered a great networking opportunity and the chance to meet influential people with whom we had been talking to on social media sites such as Twitter and LinkedIn.

A major sign that the industry has come a long way is the fact that the #cimcig10 hashtag on Twitter was more popular that day than news about Gillian McKeith in the jungle. On average there were about 10 individuals tweeting live throughout the event (including us), thereby giving professionals, who were not able to attend the event, exclusive up-to-date insight into the topics being discussed. The overall reach accomplished by the #cimcig10 hashtag was over 54 000 people which is phenomenal and would have been very difficult to achieve without social media.

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5 ways construction professionals can use LinkedIn to build a network

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LinkedIn provides a platform for construction professionals to connect with each other and increase their networks by providing valuable business tips and advice. LinkedIn is used slightly differently compared to other social media platforms such as Facebook and Twitter. It has a professional reputation and should not be used as a selling tool. Smart construction professionals will avoid excessive self-promotion and instead sell themselves and their services by being a valuable knowledge source in the community which they serve.

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Building loyalty and reducing one night stands

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We’ve spent a lot of time over the last few years re-analysing clients’ web data and measuring the performance of their website(s) against their competitors, business objectives and plans set out for the forth coming year in preparation for the next. Mining through the data to find the insights which will enable me to answer real business questions such as:

  • “Is my website attracting quality traffic?”
  • “Are visitors, and in particular Architects, engaging with my website?”
  • “How many visitors entered my website via my key product pages?”
  • “Is my website converting traffic into leads?”
  • “Which sources are performing the best in attracting traffic and then converting?”
  • “Why do people leave the site from the homepage?”
  • “Which search terms are performing the best against their rankings in Google?” (Hint: Ranking first in Google does not always produce results)

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Integrating your online and offline construction marketing strategies

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The new year is quickly approaching and many businesses have already planned their 2011 marketing strategies. However, for those who haven’t yet, this post provides useful tips and guidelines for integrating your online and offline marketing activities to ensure maximum impact and effectiveness. Some companies in the construction industry still keep their offline and online marketing activities separate, leading to confused messages, inconsistency and wasted budgets.Read More

Social product marketing for product manufacturers in the construction industry

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The advent of social media has led to new strategy development and various opportunities to do business in different ways. This post will focus on product manufacturers and how they can combine traditional marketing methods with social media to increase brand awareness and purchase intentions. This strategy is referred to as ‘social product marketing’. It is based on the concept of the hierarchy of effects model, developed by Lavidge and Steiner (1961), which argues that people pass through several stages from product awareness, to preference and eventually to purchase. This model can also be applied in a B2B context because company decision-makers go through similar stages when deciding which firm to do business with.Read More

How social is your construction company?

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To start off with, a definition for ‘social’ is needed. Social can be described as ‘interaction’, with each other or the environment around us – either voluntarily or involuntarily. People enjoy engaging with others and like to feel included. This is why we form communities. So you might be asking why this is relevant for construction marketers and B2B companies. The answer is that social media is simply another platform through which we can interact with others and become more ‘social’. The aim of this post is to find out what makes a company more social than another.Read More