What are the 8 core components of a construction marketing plan?
The 8 main components are;
1. Research
2. Find the problem & offer a solution
3. SWOT/TOWS Analysis
4. Set the Strategic Direction you need to take
5. Detail exactly what you want to achieve
6. Detail the course of action to achieve results
7. Go do It!
8. Analysis
There are many ways to structure a Construction Marketing Plan. You can go down the traditional route (SOSTAC or RABOSTIC) or you can use something created more recently such as RACE. Whichever model you use the 8 elements above must be covered and you can read more about each one here: 8 Simple Steps to Build a Successful Construction Marketing Strategy.
Do construction companies need marketing?
The short answer is – Yes.
The construction industry is mainly a B2B industry, which historically is seen to be less about Marketing Planning and more about selling. This couldn’t be further from the truth. The same Marketing principles are true in the construction industry as in any other.
We are still influenced by the same things regardless of the industry; branding, perception, cost and availability, which are all influences on our purchasing decisions.
Although within a B2B environment, there might be more than one decision-maker or more people influencing the decisions within a business and the purchasing life-cycle is longer than in a B2C context, there is still a need to understand the problems businesses face and provide a solution to these problems while communicating that our solution is the best – or put in another way – Marketing.
Who is the target market in construction?
The construction industry is vast, from large multinational corporations to DIYers, you don’t get a much more diverse industry.
This diversity leads to a number of target markets of which there are multiple subsections, but for the purposes of this answer we will focus on the main roles that you find within construction, in order of how they would appear in a standard supply chain;
Manufacturers.
Architects.
Specifiers.
Engineers.
Trade Associations.
Surveyors / Inspectors.
Contractors.
Sub-contractors.
When viewing this from an on-site or ‘on the tools’ perspective we start to look at specific trades such as;
Labourer.
Bricklayer.
Plumber.
Electrician.
Scaffolder.
Carpenter/Joiner.
How do construction companies get clients?
There are many different ways to gain clients within the construction industry and this all comes down to three simple questions:
1 – What problems do you solve?
2 – Who are your solutions for?
3 – What is the best way to get your message across?
Once you understand the answers to these questions you stand a much better chance of getting new clients. The first two questions only really you can answer, but the third we can look at more closely.
3 – What is the best way to get your message across?
There are two things you will need to consider here:
a – What messages do you need to get across to your target market?
What are the benefits of your solutions and how does it actually solve someone’s problems? These are questions you may need to know in order to communicate effectively with your audience.
b – What channels are needed to get these messages across?
Here is a list of some of the more popular channels:
Social Media.
Website and Search Engine Results (mean you will need to focus on SEO).
Forums.
Review Sites.
Podcasts and Audio.
Blogs.
Advertising (online and offline).
Direct Mail / Email.
Print – Trade Publications and Newspapers.
Exhibitions.
What is trending in the construction industry?
Here are the main topics that are trending within the UK construction industry at the moment (these topics are the ones that are creating seismic shifts within the industry for various reasons).
Brexit.
Grenfell enquiry.
Golden Thread.
Digitisation.
Labour shortage.
Skills shortage.
Rising costs of materials.
Sustainability and building green.
Smart cities.
HS2.
Doing your own research into these will help you understand how they may impact your own organisation. Here is more information on some of the above-trending topics; 7 Seismic Shifts Marketers in Construction Need to Know About
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