These 6 Areas Need to be in All Digital Marketing Plans for Tradespeople and Construction Companies
First things first, yes tradespeople and construction companies do need a digital marketing plan or strategy. Not only do you need a digital marketing plan, you need a good one. The digital world can be somewhat overwhelming and the technical side of things can be incredibly confusing. The following tips will be a helpful start for your company and act as the foundations for your digital marketing strategy.
Here at Shake & Speare, we’re aiming to help tradespeople and construction companies embrace the digital world and all of the benefits that it can deliver. You won’t be alone, in
Construction and Tradespeople Marketing Strategy Statistics
Of
88% of them were looking to increase their social media marketing strategies including
71.4% were planning on creating an email marketing strategy to contact their clients and interested audience members directly.
71% were going to decrease their direct paper mail.
These statistics clearly show that tradespeople and construction companies are moving away from traditional marketing methods and into digital. Newspaper adverts, radio, billboards and mail dropping.
These old methods are proving to be expensive, wasteful and outdated. Digital marketing, thanks to detailed analytics, allows you to see how much you’re spending, the results that they give you and suggestions of next steps.
What needs to be included in your construction company’s digital marketing strategy?
There are 6 key areas to focus on. They’re almost all linked together and it all starts with your website. The website itself is your set of foundations. Social media, a content strategy, email, paid
1 – Your Website: The Face of Your Construction Company
It’s an age-old saying but it still rings true- first impressions count. Nowadays though, the first impression that people get of your company isn’t you, and nor is it the people in your business…
What’s the first thing that most people do when searching for a product, service or information? They Google it.
No longer is the face of your company just you and your team. Your website is your ‘shop window’, and should be regarded as a member of your team and therefore accountable.
If it’s slacking then it’s probably time to have a word and get it back up to scratch. If you don’t, then it could drag your business down and provide a negative face for your company.
Generally, people are becoming less and less keen to pick up the phone, at least in the first instance, and instead will come to your website.
The internet and especially Google is now the first place that everyone goes when searching for information, and customers will judge your company as soon as they land on your website. Your job is to make them feel confident and positive about the services you offer.
Your site needs to make your customer trust you, understand your brand and speak to them on their level.
2 – SEO (Search Engine Optimisation) – Making Your Construction Company Attractive to Google
Conducting SEO is the process of optimising your website for search engines (in this case Google). The aim is to make your site attractive enough that Google puts you higher up the ranking!
Ignore SEO and you’re wasting the potential of your website.
People who might want your services simply won’t be able to find your
Investing in SEO means investing in your business. The more attractive your site is to Google, the more likely it is to be found, meaning more potential clients visit your site and more clients get in touch.
There are many ways to improve the SEO of your website, including:
- Using keywords effectively
- Improving on-page features like headers embedded in the text, compressing images and titling links correctly
- Improving page load speeds
- Building links to your website from other, trusted websites
- Designing and using an effective content strategy
The most important
3 – Social Media – The Social Side of Your Construction Company
By the end of 2016, 67% of adults in the UK owned a social media account. That number will have only grown in 2017/2018 and beyond.
When it comes to construction companies, there are 3 key platforms to be part of:
Twitter – Excellent for quick news, the latest trending ideas and news direct from the horse’s mouth. This is your direct access to people thanks to the @ method of tagging people you want to target.
LinkedIn – A professional networking tool. This is your way of making meaningful connections to those in businesses you want to work with, for or simply for finding jobs.
Facebook – Facebook speaks for itself nowadays. You can build a company page and develop your reputation thanks to the review feature.
With all of these, simply having an account isn’t enough. You’ll need to be active, post regularly and engage with your audience. That means asking
That said, don’t fall into the pit of wasting time on social media. By using tools like Hootsuite, you can schedule posts that will post automatically at a specific time. Set aside 20 minutes a day to respond and engage, or employ someone to manage it on your behalf.
4 – A Content Strategy for Construction Companies
When we talk about ‘content’ we basically
A content strategy is a way of managing that content so that it works for you and your business to attract new customers or engage with your current audience.
Content can come in many forms:
- Articles and Blogs (our main focus in this section)
- Videos
- Infographics
- Photo albums
- Case Studies
- Checklists and help sheets
- Social Media updates and interactions
- Viral memes etc
Blogging or article writing is by far the most popular element of a content strategy and with good reason. Writing articles is your opportunity to become an authority in your area. Your voice becomes the leading one in your field and you can quickly gain traction in different circles.
The best thing about this style of strategy is that once it’s out there, it’s always out there. People will continue to find your piece and perhaps share it.
If this seems like too much effort, you can always look into content writing services.
5 – Paid Advertising (PPC – Pay-Per-Click)
PPC is a form of paid advertising and gives you the power to jump to the front of the queue for a fee.
There are two main platforms for online advertising related to construction and trade companies.
Google AdWords:
Displays results related to the keywords that a user has searched for
You bid an amount to pay Google to show your advert
Google shows your advert when users type in a specific term
Your adverts can be at the very top or bottom of page 1.
Google will only show ads that are linked to great websites and great content, after
You can pick text only or image ads.
Search network ads are only shown on Google and are purely text (for the most part)
Display network ads can be image based and are shown on Google’s partner websites
Facebook:
You create a visual ad based around a picture or video with a textbox and a link to your site
You set a daily budget amount and timescale
Facebook shows your advert to users in the demographics and locations that you choose
You can set your audience based on their search history and interests
Ads can also be shown in Messenger and Instagram
Both of these are great options but require a lot of set up, management and time. Most importantly, they also can spend a lot of money quickly.
Plus, it’s only effective as long as your website is able to convert visitors. Spending money on advertising that leads to a poorly designed, inefficient website is no different than throwing money down the drain.
6 – Email marketing
Building an email list might sound somewhat old school when it comes to digital marketing but it is still an incredibly powerful tool. Psychologically speaking, people still feel that email is a more formal method of communication and, as long as it
Email allows you to talk
Use email to send tips, update your readers with a newsletter and generally stay in touch with them.
Time to launch a digital marketing strategy for your construction company!
If that hasn’t made you feel motivated to start a digital marketing
Questions, or comments, let us know! How are you planning on launching your strategy? Have you already started? What are you doing? Questions, questions, questions!
