Social media enables the construction professional to find, evaluate and engage directly with the correct people within an organisation. It is a particularly popular tool for construction professionals in that it builds on their preferred method of obtaining advice and services; the referral network.
To be effective therefore, social media marketing within construction should:
- Leverage the authority of existing advocates for the organisation and its products or services, helping them to recommend you;
- Enable simple direct contact with technical expertise and information;
- Make the same human-faced quality of service online as offline;
- Create and encourage sharing of useful materials, thereby encouraging online advocacy.
A successful social media strategy will include:
- An Internal Audit to establish existing presence and skills within the company, and an External Audit of key competitors, targets(clients, consultants and contractors) and existing advocates to inform the strategy process.
- Strategic Integration within the brand’s overall marketing strategy, identification of objectives and measurable goals.
- Identifiable branded Company Homes – a social media enabled website, company Linkedin page, blog to be useful and encourage engagment, and branded Twitter profiles, for example.
- Social Objects – useful, shareable, topical resources, tools and guides to assist in making the case for using services, e.g. blog posts, downloads, E-Newsletters
- A workable social media Policy and its adoption across the organisation;
- Personal profiles for key individual participants within the organisation who are target-facing (e.g. internal Technical support, External Reps/BDM and CPD delivery, marketing support personnel) to enable them to become key contacts within the organisation and where appropriate, liaise directly with advocates and enquirers, for example responding to queries about blog posts.
- Training for key internal participants in Linkedin and twitter where appropriate, plus blogging training and/or ghostwriting where appropriate.
- An ongoing process of Hunting and Farming – developing, delivering and promoting resources and engaging online. This process to be carried out by all parts of the team including marketing support, individuals within the firm, engaging with external advocates and prospects.
- Measurement and Review including traffic reports, results including goal conversion and quarterly reviews of strategy and implementation.
How to make it happen
I help all construction organisations, large and small, maximise the use of internet tools to create better performance and profit.
- A Construction Professional’s perspective on your objectives
- Extensive connections within the UK Construction and Architectural community
- A strong, credible Social Media evangelist to look differently at your campaigns
- Clear commitment to the meaningful measurement of results
- Deliver tangible Value benefits on your activities.
“My approach as a consultant is to identify where you need external assistance to produce results, and where you have the skills and potential to deliver in house. I then help you get systems in place that will bring the best long-term results.”
Su Butcher
If you’d like to know how Just Practising can help you leverage social media to achieve your business objectives, then get in touch or request a call back.
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