Word of mouth is still a powerful marketing tool in the field of construction. Yet most members of the industry — whether architects, contractors, subcontractors, interior designers, landscapers or building materials suppliers — are aware that developing a company website is a good way to reach clients.
It’s possible to get so lost in daily work and website development that you forget to raise your eyes and scan the business horizon. Those who look up see that mobile marketing is a rising sun.
Aiming at a Moving Target
Remember when you were a kid and tried to win a carnival prize by shooting at pretend ducks in constant motion? Today, the only targets that may interest you are customers. Aiming your message at them requires shooting from a variety of virtual duck blinds.
Certainly, your company website is crucial, but how easy is it to navigate that site on mobile Internet devices such as smartphones, computer tablets and other Internet-connected devices? Setting up related webpages that are slimmed down and configured for mobile use is becoming increasingly important.
Mobile marketing executive Scott Forshay, interviewed by Mashable Business, noted that mobile users “are not tethered to a desktop.” Consumers use mobile devices to connect from many locations throughout the day.
Creating Useful Content
It isn’t necessary for a company to invest time and money in developing its own applications, such as online landscaping tools or cost estimators. According to Forshay, any company marketing online primarily needs to “understand who is shopping and what problems they can address for the consumer.”
Then, for a mobile webpage, it is necessary to streamline information about how you can meet customer needs. Forshay noted that it is helpful to seek market research about the kinds of mobile devices your potential customers are most likely to use. A mobile page configured for a smartphone may not look right on a computer pad. In addition, smartphones aren’t standardized, so a page created for one type may not work well on another.
Participating in Social Media
Forget about blowing your mobile marketing budget on banner ads appearing on popular websites, Forshay said, because research shows that the majority of clicks are accidental.
For a small construction-related business just getting into mobile marketing, it would be better to invest in professional IT help simply to configure mobile pages. Hiring a social media consultant likely would also be helpful, especially if you have never even participated in Facebook.
Current and potential customers of all ages are flocking to a wide variety of social media sites. A consultant in this growing field can help you set up an effective Facebook page, provide ideas for interacting there with customers and other companies that compliment your services and identify other likely sites.
Becoming a Pin-Up on Pinterest
Consultants can help you set up effective virtual duck blinds, then it’s up to you to follow advice and aim for customers by posting daily or as frequently as possible. Pinterest is a booming site that is attracting designers of all sorts, as well as their customers.
Pinterest is like an online album of virtual bulletin boards. Construction companies and designers are among the many members who “pin” pictures and brief comments about their work on bulletin boards of their own making.
One example of a construction page might be a board focused solely on basement remodels. Before and after photos are particularly effective. By clicking on one of your pins. Other Pinterest members help spre
ad the word about your work by “re-pinning” your photos on their own boards about related topics.
In a visual field, such as design and construction, photos communicate a lot to potential customers and give former customers at dinner parties a reason to pull out their smartphones and show your company’s work to friends when making a referral. When that happens, the virtual skies and your duck blind will begin getting crowded.