There is a growing problem in the building trade. Consumer confidence has declined, the cost of living “crisis” is making some people close their wallets and interest rates are more than double what they were 2 years ago. Suddenly lead generation is top of mind for owners of construction related businesses. It can cause a bit of a downward spiral if you don’t take action. A typical story goes like this…
In today’s digital age, having a strong online presence is vital for the success of any business. A well-designed and user-friendly website can be a powerful tool for attracting customers, boosting brand credibility, and driving conversions. While DIY website builders like Wix and Squarespace offer convenience and affordability, there are compelling reasons why companies should opt for the services of a professional web design company. In this article, we will explore the key advantages of choosing a proper web design company over these DIY platforms. Read more……
For those of you old enough (like me) to remember Leonard Nimoy as Mr Spock on Star Trek may also remember the Vulcan Mind Meld trick he used to perform. In order to understand a subject person better or uncover hidden memories, Spock would place his hands on a person’s head and mentally become one with them. He would then be able to think as that person thinks and of course help save the day in some way.
What does Star Trek got to do with marketing for builders and trades?
In terms of marketing for builders, quite a bit it turns out. When developing your marketing and sales strategies, I want you to think, “Vulcan Mind Meld” as the first thing you do BEFORE you think about spending any time or money on implementing tactics.
Why? Learn more…..
A good way to naturally rank higher on Google (everyone’s goal) is to ensure that your construction website blog has a good amount of useful information on it that Google recognises as helpful to potential customers. The problem is not many tradespeople are natural writers, or even know where to start. That blinking cursor in the top left hand corner of a blank screen can be a frustrating and scary thing.
As a residential construction company, there are several blog topics that you can write about to showcase your expertise and provide value to your readers. To help get those creative juices flowing here are some ideas:
A lot of people (including me) talk about competitive advantage and how it is vital to have one for the ongoing success of your business. This is very true, but what is the BEST sort of competitive advantage to have?
In a highly competitive industry like construction, it can be challenging for small businesses to stand out and establish a competitive advantage. However, with the right strategies and mindset, a small construction company can gain a foothold in the market and develop a competitive edge that can help them thrive and grow. In this article, we will discuss some effective ways to develop a competitive advantage for a small construction company. Click on the article to read more
Who has put hours of effort into pricing a job only to loose it to someone else that the client says “is a better fit”? Everyone, right? This can be even more frustrating if the other company has put in a higher bid! Why didn’t you get the job? Your price was competitive. You do quality work. You have the capacity to do it. What it may come down to is that the prospective client didn’t TRUST you enough.
But you’re a trustworthy person! Can’t they see that? Well, possibly they can’t, or at least you didn’t do enough to build up that level of trust more than the other company did. In the residential market in particular, building up the level of trust at the early stages of the sales process is vital to increasing your chances of securing a sale, without having to slash your price. With the country going into a period of economic and political uncertainty, consumers are going to be looking even harder for companies that give them a feeling of comfort and certainty.
If you rely on your website content (either via a blog or the core web page content) to help you rank on Google, you need to take notice of this major change in Google’s algorithm. The helpful content update will target websites that have a relatively high amount of unsatisfying or unhelpful content, where the content has been written for search engines rather than humans. This could mean those sites will rank lower in the Google search results that are served up to consumers using the Google search engine (which is most people on the planet!)
Google’s new helpful content update specifically targets “content that seems to have been primarily created for ranking well in search engines rather than to help or inform people.”
The purpose of this algorithm update is to help searchers find “high-quality content,” Google said. Google wants to reward better and more useful content that was written for humans and to help users.
Having the right culture in your company is vital to its success. The culture that exists in a company can make or break it, so it is important to make sure the right one is proactively developed. Establishing an agreed set of Core Values is the best place to start. By not taking a proactive approach the culture will simply evolve in a random way, usually by drifting towards whoever is making the most “noise” in the company. If that person is a positive, uplifting type then you are lucky and the culture will generally be positive. If, on the other hand the noisy one is a moaning, slack-arse, negative type, then you have a problem. Other people will be dragged down to this level and the whole company culture will become negative. You will end up loosing your best employees and retaining your worst.
While most construction businesses are still pretty busy and the runway of work ahead should see you into 2023 without too many issues, the longer term picture is looking a bit more fuzzy. It’s time to start reviewing what you are doing in the marketing and sales space and look to make some improvements.
There is a habit of many business owners in the trades to just take what the market dishes up and not put some proactive systems in place to generate work. “I get all my work from word-of-mouth” is what I hear a lot. That’s great when WoM is working, but what if it isn’t? What’s the back-up plan? Usually there is none. This is particularly true when the market is stronger and the perceived need to generate leads is less. With building consents running at record levels over the past year, you can understand why marketing has not been high on the priority list of most people. Inflation, Covid, supply lines and labour shortages have naturally dominated the headlines. A downturn in building activity however will naturally make some of those issues die away. The need to generate more leads and improve your conversion rate will start to sneak up on you if you don’t take proactive steps.
Your “purple cow” is also known as your signature system, your unique selling proposition, or USP. It is a sentence or phrase that explains what makes you special. It gives your prospects a reason to do business with you rather than your competitors. A good USP that is properly used makes your marketing a lot more effective, because it gives you dominance over a market niche.
It can be one of the most transformational shifts in your business right now and can be done at little or no cost. So how can you do this?