Today’s consumer is harder to reach than ever before, from a marketing perspective. But now there is finally a solution.

Your prospect is a moving target. People are no longer anchored to their desktop computers, they are on the move. Your prospect is now mobile, using a number of different devices to access information and entertainment, and build relationships with people. Gone are the days where you can use singular channels of marketing to get more customers, increase your conversion from prospects to buyers, and increase your profits using simple marketing systems. Well, at least, until recently those days were gone. Now, there is a huge opportunity. It’s called cross-channel marketing.

Watch this video (to your right) about the upcoming webinar, and then sign up below for a double dose of marketing strategy for your business. Observe the follow-up process when you register for the webinar, and imagine how a similar system could help your business increase profits. Then, watch the webinar for some specific and powerful tactics for getting new prospects through some brand new and extremely powerful high-ROI methods. Sign up now:

To Sign Up:

Text your name, email, website to (615) 547-2726

OR Scan this QR code with your smart phone, right from the screen.

Technorati Tags: Construction Marketing, Contractor Marketing

1. What kind of return on investment can I expect with your services?

2. Will you charge me per click, per call, per lead, or on some other basis?

3. As an Adwords account matures, if managed properly, the account should get a better and better Quality Score, and thus cheaper and cheaper clicks relative to the competition, right? So, with your service, who owns the Adwords account? If we part ways down the road, who gets control of the Adwords account? Do you pass the cost benefit of a high quality score on down to us, or does that only benefit your company?

4. Do you offer phone call tracking? If we part ways, who gets the phone number used for the Adwords campaign?

5. What about landing page quality? Do you set up a new website for us and handle all issues with landing page quality? If not, will you guide us on whatever changes might need to be made to our website to help our Adwords campaign convert as well as possible?

6. If you set up a new website for us, who gets control of that website if we part ways? If you keep it, can you guarantee you will pull it off line? Or will it keep getting leads down the road that do not come to our business?

7. What else do we need to know in order to ensure the highest possible return on investment?

8. Do you have any specific success stories of businesses like ours getting a measurable return on investment?

9. How much do we need to spend per week to meet our revenue goals? How will we measure this a month from now after we’ve got the campaign going, and into the future from that point on? Because the only thing that matters to us is return on investment, so we need to discuss campaign accountability and tracking that will occur once we’ve signed on the dotted line, so we may as well determine this now, right?

10. What is a reasonable Click Thru Rate (CTR) to expect for a campaign like ours?

11. What is a reasonable average cost per click to expect for a campaign like ours?

12. How many clicks will that likely generate for us?

13. What is a reasonable conversion rate for that number of clicks? (Meaning, how many new clients is that likely to generate for us?)

14. If those numbers don’t pan out after a month or two when we can clearly see the results of our campaign, what will happen then?

15. Is our campaign likely to provide us with a measurable ROI right off the bat, or will it take a certain amount of time to show a return? How long?

That should give you a pretty good start.

Technorati Tags: Construction Marketing, Contractor Marketing

Welcome to the ultimate small business marketing resources website. If you’re a small business owner… you’re in the right place. Grab a cup of coffee, relax, and take a look around.

There is a whole vault of resources here to help you improve your marketing skills.

• Free report: Marketing Overview.
• Guide to internet marketing.
• The Marketing Manual for Today’s Information Age.
• Educational videos.
• Audio tutorials.
• Hundreds of informative blog posts on marketing for small business.

So feel free to take a look around and see if you can find that one valuable tip you can use today to land that next project!

Technorati Tags: Construction Marketing

A Google Adwords Pay-Per-Click (PPC) campaign is an excellent way to get instant, targeted traffic to your website.

In fact, recent marketing studies have shown that potential customers who click on Sponsored Links on Google are more likely to make an immediate decision to purchase.

With our PPC campaign management service, you can control your own budget, and know what you can expect from day-to-day.

Benefits of PPC Management:

• You pay for your clicks at cost.

• No mark-up, just one flat monthly fee.

• We build you an asset that you own (your own Adwords campaign with a high Quality Score.)

• Your cost per click gets cheaper over time as your Adwords campaign matures.

• It’s all hands-free, done for you.

• You can turn it on and off at will.

• You set whatever click budget you are comfortable with, and you can raise and lower it any time.

• You get weekly reports showing you where your leads/customers are coming from, click data, and more.

• You can call us any time and speak directly to us to resolve any issues.

Contact us for more information about starting your own PPC campaign.

FREE – Download our Pay-Per-Click Checklist (pdf) on how to manage your own Google Adwords Pay-Per-Click campaign. To download, click here.

Download your copy now.

Get a free Pay-Per-Click consultation from a Google Adwords Qualified Individual.

Technorati Tags: Construction Marketing, Google Adwords, Pay-Per-Click

Where They’re Still Building Strong in the US.

In this recent article from BusinessWeek, we get the inside scoop on America’s 20 Strongest Building Markets.

Some are due to recent storms, some because of an influx of population; and yet others are due to factors such as recovery funds and even *GASP* a strong economy.

Builders: If you’re miserable where you are and your market is in the tank for the foreseeable future…do you ever think about picking up and moving to where the action is?

Those of you who live in these areas are cursing me right now. But, well, sometimes you just have to take matters into your own hands and take some action, right?

What do you think?

Technorati Tags: Builder Marketing, Construction Jobs, Construction Marketing

I keep getting a kick out of how so many people keep talking about Twitter, Facebook and social media (et al.) like they are ridiculous time-wasters, unable to be comprehended by a reasonable, practical, effective person.

Are you one of “those people?”

I got the headline for this post from an article in Wired Magazine, talking about the difference between Jimmy Fallon interviewing a Twitter guru, compared to Charlie Rose doing the same. Rose’s interview is referred to as seeming like an episode of “Grandpa Learns of the Magic Computer Box.” Jimmy Fallon, on the other hand, is doing his best to stay current and understand these modern social tools.

Which camp do you fall in? Social media hater, or social media participant?

The Case Against Social Media

For those of you pessimists, you can read this article about how Facebook may risk the effects of “infantilizing the human brain.”

Quote from the audio in the above article:

“Every generation is phobic about the effect of new technology on the morals of the next.”

She goes on to discount the application of this phenomenon concerning social media, and why this time it’s different.

So, you can find good information in both camps.

My point, relative to Construction Marketing, is this:

You can either grump around, refusing to understand or participate in the new social media trends, and fall behind. OR, you can experiment and try to find cool new ninja ways to use this stuff to expand your relationship base and perhaps even grow your business.

It’s your choice. If you want to remain a grinch about it, I totally get it.

But the truth is, this social media stuff is all just a new, very powerful way of communicating with the world. And it’s trending like a juggernaut.

So ask yourself: Do you want to waste time throwing a futile tantrum about how you think it sucks, and you want to go back to the “good old days” of wasteful, one-sided shotgun marketing?

Personally, I’m going to keep my eyes on the horizon, and scoop up what I can along the way.

Now go follow me on Twitter.

Technorati Tags: Construction Marketing, Social Media

Merlin Mann of 43Folders.com and InboxZero.com talks about the book he is writing on productivity, in your inbox and in your life.

I’m Writing a Book. from Merlin Mann on Vimeo.

For those of you contractors and construction marketing enthusiasts who are trying to get good at using online video to market your blog and/or your business, there’s more: Pay attention to how to be compelling with just yourself, the wall behind you, and whatever food you have on your desk.

Technorati Tags: Construction Marketing, Productivity

Jeffrey Gitomer says he often introduces himself as “The Best Sales Trainer in the World.”

Read, listen to, and watch his stuff, and you will end up believing it!

Take this video as an example.

Technorati Tags: Construction Marketing, sales

To me, sales is an extension of marketing. And if you’re like many contractors, you are both Marketing Director and Sales Manager, as well as your own top salesman.

So, when a great free sales training resource is available in a convenient package, I will always find time to work it into my busy day. How about you?

Bill Caskey and Brian Neale pump out the Advanced Selling Podcast free of charge. I find their podcast to be an excellent primer for getting into a good sales mindset.

To me, a good sales mindset consists of three key elements:

1. Focusing on building an environment of trust.

2. Positioning yourself in an adviser role, earnestly looking out for the best interest of the client in a “detached” way (meaning, you are not desperate to get the sale above all else.)

3. Being bold enough to show your prospect that you can lead them where they need to go.

After listening to almost all the episodes of the Advanced Selling Podcast, I believe Caskey and Neale have these three principles at the core of what they teach.

Also, and perhaps more importantly, they show us a model of generosity that works like gangbusters as a marketing tool.

They publish a free podcast that anyone can grab at any time. This indirectly promotes their sales training services to those who might be interested in such a thing.

Theres no pushing, no salesy B.S., and no direct promotion. It’s all content. But if you have a need for sales training on an organizational level, then your ears are definitely perking up listening to their stories. (And guess what? It’s also entertaining! Great job, guys.)

I wish everyone marketed themselves in this way. It is the way of the future, and it’s time to get on board.

Provide value. For free. Don’t be salesy. Targeted customers will come through the woodwork if you are generous with your knowledge and expertise.

Now, go listen to the podcast. Learn about selling in an ethical and effective way. And, if you pay attention, you will no doubt think of some awesome ways to use the generosity model in your own business, and get results.

(You can download all the Advanced Selling Podcasts on iTunes right now for free.)

Technorati Tags: Construction Marketing, Contractor Sales, Podcasts

Mark Buckshon taught me that awesome content is awesome content, even if in posting it you do have two similar posts on two similarly themed blogs right next to each other in the search engines.

Boy, this “Change Order” image is fun, isn’t it?

Hilarious, even.

Although, my first instinct is, “Boy, I’m glad this isn’t MY boat. I would have a hard time looking my clients straight in the eye.”

How about you?

Maybe, if this boat really belongs to a contractor, the guy is retired and no longer has to sell jobs. Or, perhaps it doesn’t really belong to a contractor.

Nonetheless, the picture is funny. But, if you want my advice, I would advise a reduction in cockiness is usually a good thing.

I would love to hear your thoughts. (And I would love to know if the guy who owns this boat is still laughing in this recession.)

If nothing else, sending this image to a contractor friend might lift his spirits during a time when good spirits are of utmost importance. It’s good to laugh, don’t you think?

Technorati Tags: Boat, Change Order, Construction Marketing