Construction Marketing

Check out this superb free ebook full of practical Social Media Marketing tips written by John Jantsch over at Duct Tape Marketing.

This creation of this ebook was sponsored by Microsoft Office Live Small Business (but don’t write it off just because it’s trendy to rip on Microsoft right now.)

In this ebook, Jantsch breaks down social media into bite sized chunks that any contractor can swallow, regardless of your level of online expertise.

There are a couple of case studies in there too. The one about the guy who uses social media to market his business selling fishing lures really grabbed my attention. There’s proof that a business that’s about as “offline” as it gets can use social media to grow and prosper.

So check it out, and start strapping up your marketing system right now with some extra handy duct tape marketing.

Technorati Tags: duct tape, marketing

“Do you know how to go out, kill it, and drag it home?”

That’s marketing.

Your business is your tribe. And you are the warrior, the samurai, the hunter-gatherer.

You must drag home enough business to fuel your company through all four seasons. Can you do it?

Master that skill - marketing - as the leader of your tribe, and you’ve mastered the most important skill in business.

My goal for this website? To provide you with at least…

“One marketing skill you can use today to land your next client.”

So welcome to the Construction Marketing Blog.

Here’s to the next job, more clients, and higher profits!

Now go out there, kill it, and drag it home.

Technorati Tags: Drag It Home

If you’ve ever considered doing the door-to-door thing to try to drum up new business, read more and see if this gets your brain juices flowing (or perhaps tells you what you need to know to rule it out altogether.)

Check out Mark Buckshon’s in-depth article about the ins-and-outs of canvassing in construction.

Mark took a bullet for the proverbial Construction Marketing Team by flying to Columbus, OH to go on a canvassing training reconnaissance mission.

Here’s a little excerpt of what he found:

“I felt a little like an FBI surveillance agent today, sitting in the back seat of a car, camera in hand, as I observed canvassing consultant Joseph Needham show Rob Sangster, working on contract for Feazel Roofing, how to knock on doors.”

“So the trick is to drive through the neighbourhood, assess whether the roof is the ‘right’ (cheaper) type, and then knock on doors, to see if they would like a free inspection, and if anything is found wrong, to prepare a proposal for repairs that would be covered by the home owner’s insurance. (And if you agree to put a sign on the lawn, you can have a $250 credit towards your insurance deductible costs.)”

“Is this a magical formula for everyone? Obviously not — You need the systems, processes, and organization to handle the leads, (or the willingness to stomach the rejection and tension involved in canvassing yourself), and obviously this type of canvassing works rationally when there is a visible exterior problem or qualification for the service (it would be harder, if still possible) to canvass for interior renovation and maintenance work.)”

Going door-to-door (like cold calling) is the black sheep of sales and marketing tactics. But if you’re like me, the thought has at least crossed your mind once or twice as an idea for finding new work.

Buckshon gives us a much appreciated glimpse into what’s possible, how it works, what to expect, as well as drawbacks and benefits of implementing a canvassing campaign.

As for me, I’m going to continue with my current marketing strategy which is heavy on networking and online marketing. But I can see why some want to sip the Canvassing Kool-aide, especially if you’re a roofing, siding, gutter, window, or painting company. Or maybe a landscaper or lawn guy.

Construction Marketing Bottom Line: It looks like canvassing could be a viable option for some…if you’re willing and able to fully commit the time, money, and energy into a professional, well-thought-out campaign.

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Technorati Tags: Canvassing, Construction Marketing

When it comes to growing your business in the construction industry, here are three categories it really helps to focus on:

1. Marketing

2. Building Trust

3. Teambuilding

As a builder, contractor, remodeler, plumber, or whatever your do, these principles apply.

Look around the site and you will find resources and more information on all three of these key areas.

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Technorati Tags: Construction Small Business

Are you maximizing 100% of all four marketing quadrants in your business? Which areas are you neglecting?

I’m going to break construction marketing down into four quadrants. Doing this allows us to drill down our marketing strategy and allocate our time and resources to the most effective marketing activities.

Here are the four quadrants:

1. Face-to-Face Marketing

• Ask Questions – Focus all your energy on how you can really help your clients most.

• Use a strategic referral request system.

• Networking on steroids -Only go to events that put you in front of real prospects, not fellow contractors.

• Know how, when (and if) you should give a prospect your business card.

• Form strategic alliances and joint ventures with other business owners.

• Use positioning & reversal techniques to close more sales.

2. Direct Response

• If you don’t use direct response you are leaving cash on the table.

• There are two very simple keys to direct response that will explode your results:

-An Offer

-A Call to Action

• Integrate your direct response marketing offer and call to action into everything you touch.

• Use persuasive communication (NOT intrusive sales jargon) to influence your prospects to buy from you.

3. Media and Advertising

• “Advertise the advertising”, or…

• Use media to drive prospects to your offer and your call to action.

• Use “guerilla” free press techniques to position yourself as an expert, and—you guessed it—drive traffic to your direct response system.

• Use persuasive copy and direct response in all your sales letters, ads, flyers, brochures, tv & radio scripts, webpages, articles, yellow page ads, signs, your trucks, and ANY contact with a potential prospect.

4. The Internet

• Use email autoresponders to build a list of prospects so you can market to them.

• No one cares if your website is pretty, especially if they can’t find it. Use Search Engine Optimization (SEO).

• Don’t make the common mistake of designing your website like it’s just a way for the people who already know you to find your address.

• If your website doesn’t offer something of value, you are wasting your time (and $) on an expensive “business card” hidden in the cyber jungle.

• Offer + Call to Action + Autoresponder = “Drag It Home” approved marketing.

So, those are the four quadrants. Look around the site to learn more about how to maximize all for quadrants in your construction business.

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Technorati Tags: Construction Blog, Construction Marketing, Construction Small Business

As a contractor, you must design your website around sound marketing principals.

Your website needs to:

1. Get traffic, get visitors to your site.

2. Convert those visitors into actual clients, actual customers, and actual sales.

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Technorati Tags: Construction Blog, Construction Marketing, Construction Website

As a contractor, it’s very important—if you’re going to spend time and money building a website for your business—you need to do it right.

Here are a few things you can do to really build a great website to market your construction business.

You can get a free website critique by clicking on the “Website Critiques” tab at the top of the page.

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Technorati Tags: Construction Marketing, Construction Website

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Technorati Tags: Construction Blog, construction marketing videos

Check out this brilliant web design article by Dmitry Fadeyev over at Smashing Magazine.

Here’s a quote that sums up the must-have philosophy for sound web design:

“Web design isn’t art. It involves a whole collection of different skills — from copywriting and typography to layout and art — all fused together to create an interface that not only features a pleasant aesthetic but that communicates function and facilitates easy access to its content.

“But in order to combine all these elements of Web design together and achieve successful results you must have a clear direction, a direction that will guide each and every aspect of your design towards common goals. You must think strategically.”

Amen, brother. Usability is key. So is marketing strategy.

How many business owners do you know of who’ve spent thousands of dollars to get a website designed, and all they ended up with is a fancy looking porfolio site that gets 3 visitors per month?

It’s crazy.

In addition to all the great tips in Fadeyev’s article, your online marketing master plan must come first, bar none.

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Technorati Tags: Online Marketing, web design

Branding is as important a topic in construction marketing as “referrals” and “value engineering.”

So, how does a small business establish a brand? Let’s start by talking about trust.

What is the foundation of trust? Trust means confidence. Distrust means suspicion.

As Steven R. Covey says in his book The Speed of Trust:

“The difference between a high and a low trust relationship is palpable. Relationships of all kinds are built on and sustained by trust. They can also be broken and destoyed by lack of trust. Try to imagine any meanful relationship without trust.”

Branding is the act of establishing instantly recognized trust with your prospect. Easy to say, right? But how do you create a brand of trust as a general contractor?

Often the quickest and easiest way to do this is by incorporating your personality into your brand.

For most construction companies, your brand is you!

You must answer the question in your prospect’s mind, “Who is behind this business, and what are they all about?” You can do this by injecting your face, your voice, and your “handshake” into your marketing system.

Reach out and touch people through your website, your advertisements, your networking activities, and your mailers. Be the brand of your company, commit to spreading your personality and integrity, and your brand will get a huge boost.

For larger companies, or for contractors who hope to sell the business someday, don’t worry. You can’t do much harm by injecting yourself into your business. For example, look at Bill Gates. He has left his position running Microsoft, but he is still injecting his image and his personality into Microsoft’s brand in those infamous PC commercials. We trust Bill Gates, and that is Microsoft’s best branding strategy.

So, put your name and face behind your business. You are your brand, and your brand is you.

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Technorati Tags: Branding