Effective Social Networking in Construction

Here are the slides I delivered to the Forum For The Built Environment Kent Branch this morning.

In essence the message is:

Social Media is about people talking to each other online. It is no longer about broadcasting; it is about conversations. This has made the internet a completely different animal to when we made static ‘brochure style’ websites and thought that was enough.

There are so many websites online’ the chance that someone will stumble on to yours is slim. You need to understand what people are looking for online and make it possible for them to find you when they need you.

In construction we should talk to each other more. As SME’s in a difficult economy, conversation and collaboration are essential, but we’re not as good at is as we like to think. And we have long memories!

The internet can show us not only how little we know but also how much expertise is out there online. It can also show other people our expertise.

Having conversations online is time saving – you can access the information you need; people will help you.

Sharing information online is time saving – you can point your clients there; but also complete strangers can come and understand where your specialisms lie.

If you don’t have your linkedin profile optimised for searches on Google, what do people find when they Google your name? Make it what you want them to find.

Online you can talk to a small group, or you can talk to everyone. The latter is useful to get you and your clients in the public eye if you have something worthwhile to offer that public.

When you locate yourself online on a map you locate yourself in the real world and other people locally can find you. This is what the ArchitectMap is for. Maps can also affect human behaviour and show what’s wrong with how we work. See ConstructCO2 for an example of mapping construction carbon from travel to site.

How to Get Started?

Audit. What is happening online already? Where are your clients, your collaborators, your competition, your employees? What are they doing online?

Plan. Decide what you want to achieve and get help to identify the right way to get there. Don’t assume that someone else is successful – where’s the proof?

Train. Just because your people are on Linkedin or Twitter, doesn’t mean they are doing something useful. Implement your plan through training.

Measure. A huge amount of what happens online can be measured, but does it matter? Measure the outcomes you value. Everything inbetween is just to give you confidence; the end result is what matters.

Are you doing it yet? If you’d like some help, why not get in touch?

PostScript: Several people at the event asked about my Linkedin Workshops. The next London workshop is on 10th July. You can find out more and register here, or sign up for information about future workshops here.