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So the long anticipated wait for the tCn top 100 influential tweeters in the built environment has been published on Construction News today. We are very chuffed to be ranked 30th in the list, and be one of the only agencies who ‘made the cut’. A big well done and congratulations to everyone. Happy tweeting!
You can view the list here: http://www.peerindex.net/tcntweets/group/tcntop100
Some construction professionals still view social media as a waste of time and cannot see the benefits it can have to their business. Sure, social media takes up a significant amount of time and effort but what marketing doesn’t? How much time do you spend in meetings discussing how to raise your brand awareness, how to plan and execute the next product launch, where to place your next ad and how much of your budget will be allocated to all these different activities? Hours? Days? Even weeks?!
Social media is simply another channel that can help communicate, listen, engage, react and educate your target audience. Time is only wasted on social media if you have not developed a solid social media strategy and set clear objectives. If you are scared your employees will waste time online instead of using it to productively grow your online community and build up your reputation – then do not blame the technology, blame the internal education and culture. Inspired and motivated employees will gladly take up the job to use social media to promote and strengthen your brand online. This quote from Mitch Joel explains the point I am making:
“We’re always quick to blame the technology and not the people. I always argue that those who are not wasting their time on YouTube (because a company has blocked it) have probably figured out something else to do to waste their time (hint: they’re not happy and energized to be doing their jobs … it’s not YouTube).”
Updated 2015
The growth and prevalence of social media has changed the way companies and brands are communicating – forever.
No longer a fad, social media platforms are part of modern communication; in life and within a business’s marketing plan.
The various and infinite social media platforms (LinkedIn, Facebook, Twitter, YouTube, Google+, Instagram, Pinterest, Snapchat etc) are allowing businesses to connect, share information and even collaborate on projects online.
Social media is conversational and facilitates user participation and dialogue… Read More
Social media is all the hype at the moment. Everybody wants a piece of the action. Social media has been around for several years but has only just hit the mainstream over the last couple of years. It really has changed the way businesses go about developing their marketing strategies.Read More
We recently presented at the CIMCIG Digital Marketing Workshop in London about measuring what really matters to your bosses and directors .
The presentation focused on what construction marketers should be measuring if the aim of your marketing is lead generation. Your website is and should be the heart of your digital marketing strategy and it is a lead conversion tool – but is it doing its job? How do you know your marketing activities are working if you are not measuring leads by source or campaign?
Lead generation and conversion is an important marketing and business goal, so are you measuring how your website is performing? How many leads is your website generating and how many of them are converted into prospects? Which campaigns are working better than others? Where are you spending most of your budget and is it generating you leads? How can you reduce your spend yet increase conversions or generate good qualified leads?
Some marketers only report metrics such as visits and page views which doesn’t tell you anything. Marketers should instead report results and outcomes, not observations. Measure what matters!
For many construction marketers who are creating social media plans or are already participating in social media, their first task should have been to find out whether their audience is using Twitter (or not) as a communication tool. If they are, then there is potential to engage with this audience and achieve valuable business goals such as lead generation, brand awareness, relationship development, research and general networking.
I came across this handy tool the other day called Follower Wonk. It basically allows you to find Twitter users by searching for keywords within their biographies. Most professionals’ bios contain their job title, who they work for or which industry they work in.
So to help product manufacturers to kick start their social media campaigns, we have created a list of Architects within the UK on Twitter using Follower Wonk.
Meet Steve. He is the new Specification Manager for a company that manufactures and supplies rainwater harvesting systems for the commercial sector. Steve has just started using social media to connect with specific audiences online and his objective is to tap in to those Architects and Designers who communicate online and don’t respond to his emails or cold calls. We take a look at how he is getting on……..
MONDAY 4th JUNE 2011
8.47am – Got into work, started searching for some Architects on Twitter using the Twibes website. Very interesting, found a large group of Architects and then some smaller niche architects who specialise in specific areas of design and architecture. I found the category ‘Environmental Architects’ which has about 150 architects within the group, or ‘Twibes’ as they call themselves. Maybe they are the ones I should follow. Give it a try.Read More
CIMCIG kindly invited me to present at the Marketing to Architects half-day seminar on the subject of ‘Social Media Marketing to Architects’. Majority of the audience were marketers from Product Manufacturing companies and a handful of marketers from software providers and design services. 89 marketing and business development professionals attended the event which was great news for the organisers and presenters. The event provided a unique networking opportunity and gave delegates a chance to learn about enhancing existing communication channels and integrating new channels into their marketing mix to target and communicate with Architects more effectively.
Social Media Marketing to Architects for Product Manufacturers
CIMCIG organise and host a wide variety of events aimed at construction marketing professionals. Have a look at what else is happening this year: http://www.cimcig.org/events.php
LinkedIn boasts the largest network of professionals on the Internet, with over 70 million members from 200 countries and representing 170 industries. What makes it unique is its focus on ‘networking’ rather than ‘socialising’. This crucial point makes it a key business tool for any industry but specifically the construction industry. Where else can you get unlimited access to so many potential clients, product manufacturers, industry opinion leaders, architects, contractors, fellow marketing professionals and even your competitors? If you are still not convinced, here is a brilliant infographic, designed by Hubspot, which illustrates some surprising statistics about LinkedIn and the way it is used.
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.