You’re up against major competition no matter what your construction company is doing — whether providing raw materials, equipment or services. If you want your online marketing to be effective, you’ll need to create advertising that convinces potential customers to pick you rather than someone else.
Your construction company’s web presence is the hub for your digital marketing efforts. You have a wide variety of tools at your disposal, from your website to social media to content marketing to industry publications. Using the full range of advertising techniques available is key to building an advertising strategy that works in a crowded market.
These four methods will help you stand out in your niche and build a web presence that goes above and beyond your competitors.
1. Make Site Navigation Easy
Potential clients often come to a site looking for information — what a company does, how much they charge and where to contact them. Making this information as easy to access as possible can go a long way in ensuring they find what they’re searching for and enhance the customer experience.
Site navigation elements — like a header or sidebar — are necessary for a robust business website. It’s generally good practice to include links to essential pages, like those providing contact information and services offered. You must also provide your number and email on your website — typically, designers will place this on a contact page and in the footer.
When determining what other information should be available, consider what is most important to your clients. You may also want to look at what the competition is doing and what information they highlight on their website.
2. Design Effective Landing Pages
Even if your advertising campaigns are effective at drawing traffic to your site, your efforts won’t translate to conversions unless your landing pages are also convincing.
Effective landing page design is all about clarity. It should be immediately clear how the page relates to the ad that a user clicked on. A call-to-action — in something like a lead form or product catalog link — should be the main focus of the page.
Michigan CAT, a Caterpillar equipment dealer, does a few different things to immediately clarify the function of the page. First, it puts the call-to-action front and center — there is a green button that links to the company’s product catalog. Context, in the form of site copy and relevant visuals, makes it clear where this link goes.
The page also includes standard navigation elements in the form of a header. This allows potential clients to investigate the company further and look for critical information if they’re not fully convinced just yet.
3. Leverage Social Media
Social media can be a powerful tool when trying to differentiate your business from the competition. Frequent posts allow you to develop and strengthen your brand identity, demonstrating the work your company is doing and the values your brand stands for. Over time, these posts can provide a strong argument for why people should choose your business rather than another.
Fluor Corp., one of the largest American construction companies, shows how you can use social media in your marketing on its LinkedIn page. The page hosts various posts that provide updates on the company’s work and the different activities it’s involved in. You can see the company promoting an initiative that distributed cold-weather clothing and hand sanitizer to young students in South Africa.
Social media may not seem like it can be a major marketing strategy for a B2B company, but many of them leverage it effectively. This is especially true on platforms like LinkedIn, where potential contacts may spend a good amount of time networking and browsing.
The social media approach to marketing, however, works best with frequent-enough updates. Fluor, for example, posts about once a day. You may not need this much content, but a regular schedule can help keep your content fresh and let potential customers know you’re still in business.
4. Create Valuable Content
Content marketing is a go-to strategy for digital marketers wanting to attract new business and strengthen the relationship their company has with its audience. Content that is both valuable and relevant will encourage readers to put more faith in your brand and personal industry expertise.
DemandStar, an online marketplace that connects businesses with government procurement officers, published an opinion piece written by CEO Ben Vaught. It includes information that is relevant to its audience and provides advice on how to secure government construction contracts. There’s a link to the DemandStar website and a mention of the CEO’s name — two elements that will help steer traffic to the site and build brand awareness.
Many online industry publications are always looking for articles and other content. If you have experience in the industry, you probably also have valuable information that you can use to create an article or opinion piece. If you find a publication willing to work with you, it can provide a useful source of traffic and help you spread word of your brand.
You can also host the content directly on your site, instead. While you won’t be able to take advantage of a publication’s readership, it will still help you draw traffic to your site. The post will provide value for your visitors, which can encourage them to keep coming back. Over time, this can easily lead to conversions or significantly improved brand awareness.
Digital Marketing That Will Help You Overtake the Competition
Your online advertising is up against some serious competition — but a good strategy can help you stand out in any market. Creating valuable content, making your website clear and easy to navigate and leveraging all the tools at your disposal will help you build a convincing online brand.
Lexie is a digital nomad and graphic designer. If she’s not traveling to various parts of the country, you can find her at the local flea markets or hiking with her goldendoodle. Check out her design blog, Design Roast, and connect with her on Twitter @lexieludesigner.
