Old School vs. New School Marketing

Research shows that 45 percent of organic Web searches are conducted using a mobile device, and experts expect mobile searches to double by 2019. If your construction company is dragging its heels behind the online revolution, it’s time to sit up straight and pay attention. It is nearly impossible for your company’s brand to develop and grow if you still rely on old-school marketing techniques. Your construction marketing plan may be considered old school if:

• The overall marketing budget does not include digital media options.
• You haven’t redesigned your website since you originally commissioned it 10 years ago.
• The same keywords are recycled over and over again.
• You don’t have a Facebook page or a Twitter, LinkedIn or YouTube account.

The online era changed the marketing game for construction companies, but the mobile era has taken that change and raised it a few notches higher. Sticking with old-school techniques can virtually erase your company from the online map.

Renovate Old-School Techniques to Increase Qualified Leads

The following statistics might help you find the inspiration to renovate your old-school techniques. Update your marketing plan to meet the needs of your target customers and the ever-evolving search engine algorithms.

• B2B marketers who blog at least once or twice a month generate 70 percent more leads than those who don’t (hubspot.com).
• Using marketing automation (via CRM software) can increase your qualified leads by more than 450 percent (salesforce.com).
• Ninety-three percent of buying cycles begin with an online search about a company, product or service (marketo.com).

Now it’s time to make these statistics work for your construction company. To do that, design and execute your new-school marketing renovation.

Revitalize with New-School techniques

1. Redesign your website

When was your website designed? If it was more than five years ago, it is high time to update it. If it was more than 10 years ago, you need an entirely new website. One of your top priorities will be creating a mobile-friendly design that will automatically adjust so your website and content both read well across the spectrum of devices that will be used to view it.

2. Convert print mail to its online equivalent

If you have relied heavily on print media in the past, that’s okay. First, you should know that you are about to save some serious cash. According to hubspot.com, traditional, outbound marketing costs about 62 percent more than using your website, social media accounts and e-newsletters to bring new clients to you.

Your traditional print media has created a great foundation from which to launch its online equivalent. Brochures and print advertisements can be converted to product and service-specific webpages. Direct newsletters can be sent in their email form.

The best part is that, unlike direct mail and print forms, which are simply crumpled up and thrown away, your online versions have hyperlinks to additional website pages, blogs and landing pages that keep your visitors engaged with your brand for longer, increasing their chances of converting into customers.

3. Switch radio and TV ads to tweets and YouTube videos

Your radio and TV ads are similar to print media in terms of their”one and done” impact. Even worse, you are missing out on the millennial crowd, many of whom never hear or see commercials because their entertainment is streamed commercial free online. Speak directly to your audience via social medial channels like Twitter and YouTube. These platforms can include visuals and will direct users back to your website. They also promote more engagement with followers who will tweet back, comment or share relevant posts with their social network, expanding your exposure exponentially. It takes the age-old idea of “word of mouth” marketing to whole new levels.

4. Optimize your trade show presence

Trade shows are one version of an old-school technique that is still going strong, with a healthy dose of modern marketing influence. To optimize your trade show presence, promote your participation well ahead of time via social media channels and email invitations to key vendors, subs and clients. Once you are at the show, consider using smart technology to enhance presentations and to encourage attendee engagement at your booth. Continue your conversation with qualified leads in real time using Twitter and Facebook. It’s a revolutionary way to personalize interactions with customers.

Don’t let old school marketing techniques leave your construction company in the dust. Every aspect of your current advertising strategy can be renovated and transformed into a newer, shinier and more user-friendly version that followers and future leads can easily find via online searches.