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Forget Predictions, What Will You Do Differently in 2014? 2015?
Updated Jan 2015
It’s still true that the majority of generic B2B marketing predictions mean very little to the modern construction marketing professional.
Whether its building products, materials, contractors or professional services within construction generally, the route to market is typically protracted and complicated.
Let’s be kind to ourselves again this year.
Way back in June 2010 we carried out an analysis of how the top 15 construction companies in the UK were using social media to connect with their audience online, we then carried out the same analysis in November 2011. 3 years on, social media is now the main hub for discussion and interaction, the uptake of companies using social networking has grown enormously so how are the top 15 Construction Companies using social media in 2013!? I have used the same Construction Index as previously, that publishes an annual list, ranking UK construction companies according to turnover so again I have picked the top 15 construction companies of 2013 for my analysis.
The first notable change over the past three years is that the majority of these multi-million companies have jumped onto the social media wagon and are now using the top 3 platforms out there, Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn. All but one of the top 15 Construction Companies have a presence on Twitter and are regularly tweeting about Company and Industry News. Despite this, only half of these companies seem to be interacting with their followers, Why is this important? Social media channels can be used as a conversational tool to connect with members of the supply chain and your target audience, conducting research or just interacting with other people within the construction industry and having interesting discussions.
You only have to look at Balfour Beatty’s twitter following to know they are clearly doing a good job. With nearly 17,000 followers Balfour Beatty use their Twitter page to not only shout about recent projects and winning tenders but to also interact with their followers by answering questions and responding to any issues that have been raised. It is not only Twitter that Balfour Beatty have a big presence on, both their LinkedIn group and Facebook group have a massive following, making Balfour Beatty not only top of the Construction Companies but top of the Social Media table…see the link!
When compared to the previous 2011 analysis, only 3 of the top 15 companies even had a twitter profile let alone used this tool to interact with their followers. This shows………
Updated Sept 2016
Is your marketing strategy for the year ahead in hand?
Are you ready to hit the ground running?
Are your monitoring tools, marketing measures and tactical approaches (PPC, SEO, CRM, lead generation, content plan, automation etc) agreed for the coming year?
As James Cameron (Film Director – Google him) once said;
Hope is not a strategy. Luck is not a factor. Fear is not an option.
If the last week or three are a barometer for the coming few months, it seems this year more than previous years, is going to the busiest ever for Pauley Creative and it’s clients.
Understanding what worked this year, what needs improving and what needs killing stone dead will be an essential foundation for building the next years plan…
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Google today announced they are introducing a new feature to its search results focused on delivering ‘in-depth articles’ to users who are searching to learn about broad topics.
Google states “10% of users’ daily information needs involve learning about a broad topic. Topics like stem cell research, happiness, and love, to name just a few. That’s why over the next few days we’ll be rolling out a new feature to help you find relevant in-depth articles in the main Google Search results. ” This move is certainly is relevant for the construction industry.
First things first, read this quote 3 times before reading the rest of this post:
“The only sustainable competitive advantage you have over your competitors is the ability to learn faster than them and act on it”
Now that you have this drilled into your head, think about how your business is currently going about its marketing. Are you learning faster than your competitors?Read More
Recently launched #socialspec invites crowdsourced specification recommendations through social channels (mainly Twitter at the moment).
The guys over at Specifiedby product directory have come up with this fantastic idea where Architects and Specifiers can tweet the @socialspec Twitter account with a specific product requirement and @socialspec will in turn ask their followers for any recommendations.Read More
Yesterday we were kindly invited to speak at the CIMCIG Digital Marketing Seminar at the Building Centre in London. It was a well attended seminar with a good mix of construction companies and people at all levels within their own respective businesses.
We decided to talk about Google Analytics for one reason. We have noticed a massive rise in marketers interested in this area over the last 4-6 months so felt it was necessary to focus on something which is new for many marketers within the construction industry.Read More
I recently was involved in a LinkedIn discussion about the value of a website and how much budget should be allocated to a redesign. I asked what the objective of the website was and to which I got the reply ‘no objectives, it’s just a shop window to our business’. My answer was ‘then spend £0’.
A website for any building product manufacturer should never be considered as a shop window. This is the old 1990’s way of thinking about websites, the web has moved on since then and so should you if you still use this phrase. Read More
So Ecobuild 2013 draws to a close and many manufacturers and other exhibitors are in the follow up or nurturing process. If you didn’t make the show or followed it on Twitter (like I did) then this may be of interest to you….
