What the construction industry needs to use social media to its full potential

I’ve always had a keen interest in construction and building, although I am by no means going to ditch my heels and get my hands dirty.

Nevertheless, construction is an industry that fascinates me and one that I feel is really not using digital platforms, especially social media, to its full potential.

But how does an industry like construction that is very hands on make use of social media? Here are a few pointers.

The facts

Earlier this year, UK-based Sales And Internet Marketing partnered with The Building Centre and asked its members to take part in a social media survey.

The aim was to find out who currently uses it, what for and what if there’s a plan use social media more heavily in the future.

Who are we talking to?

One of the biggest things to remember in this industry is that not everyone in construction is in overalls and laying bricks. There are a number of highly respected industry professionals, who are tech savvy and who actively engage on social media platforms.

From the survey the respondents were made up of architects (26.7%), contractors (8.7%), manufacturers (31.1%), quantity surveyors (6.8%) and ‘other’ (26.7%).

The majority of these industry professionals operate in the B2B space and stated that they currently engage in social media platforms on behalf of their company. Interestingly enough though, 63.6% admitted that they don’t have an actual social media strategy in place, and they don’t have much training.

The thing with social media, and any strategy really, is that without clear objectives it’s difficult to measure what works, engage with a target market or define success. So establishing a solid social media strategy is key to the success of your business on these platforms.

Twitter came out as the most popular platform followed by LinkedIn and Facebook. Yet almost 50% of these industry professionals said the main reason for not using social media is due to lack of knowledge. Twenty-eight percent said they couldn’t see the point, although this could tie into their lack of knowledge and 12% stated that the lack of resources was the reason for not using it.

Where to from here?

The majority of industry professionals use social media to tell people about their products and services followed by wanting to engage with customers, and building brand awareness.

Ninety-seven percent of respondents started using social media two years ago or less, which indicates that the uptake of these platforms is on the rise in this industry. The question is – how do you make use of it effectively?

Social media platforms can’t operate in isolation, and you need to have a full digital strategy in place in order for it to really be effective and see results. Here are a few steps that you can follow to start building your social media strategy and get it off the ground:

Step 1 — Formulate a strategy: Before you can start doing anything you need to have a clear idea of where you want to go. Often this stage might include a bit of research – so understand which platforms are most relevant to your business, and your customers, and then start building a strategy to incorporate them.

Make sure you have a solid understanding of what your customers are going to be using the various social media platforms for. If you understand this you can optimize your platforms so as to add the most value. Know what people are looking for and how they are looking for it. You can then make sure you incorporate these terms into your marketing communication so as to appeal to what people are already interested in.

Step 2 — Update your website : Make sure your website is up to date. Static uninteresting websites can do more damage than anything else. Remember you are dealing with creative people and they expect to be wowed by what you have to offer. Make sure it is easy for them to get in touch, or request information from your site – always think about why they would come to your site and what they would be looking for, and then make sure that information is clearly visible and easy to find.

Step 3 — Set up a blog: Adding a blog onto your website can be extremely valuable. Use your blog to talk about topics or interests that your audience / customers will find useful. Position your business as an authority within the industry and allow your blog to become a trusted resource of insightful information for industry professionals.

Step 4 — Get Social: Only once you have established a strong website with a blog platform can you really start engaging on social media. Your social media strategy will fall flat if you have nothing to say so use the content you create on your blog to drive your social media activity.

It’s a good idea to plan ahead what you want to talk about on your blog and social media platforms. Develop a content plan each month indicating what the theme and focus for that month is, and then start creating, curating and sharing content in line with your content plan.

Also make sure you pick the right platforms — think about your audience and where they are most likely going to engage with you and then establish a presence on those networks.

Twitter: Twitter came out as the most popular social network for the construction industry so make sure you establish a strong presence here.

Start following your peers in the industry to begin growing you following. Post insightful tweets and when you respond to a tweet make sure you add value.

LinkedIn: In the B2B arena LinkedIn is extremely powerful. Make sure you have a company profile set up, as well as an individual profile. Start connecting with others in your industry and use this platform as a way to connect with potential customers, suppliers, and partners.

Facebook: Facebook will be more relevant to companies targeting the end consumer, so if you are a supplier of materials or even and interior designer Facebook will be a good platform. Facebook is a good way to build a community, and brand presence, so if this is part of your strategy this platform should be included.

Pinterest: As a completely visual platform Pinterest is a good way to showcase your work or share ideas, design inspiration, trends and advice. Creative people are more likely to engage with you on this platform than they are on Facebook. Create multiple boards, but not limited to your business offering.

YouTube: Maybe you want to show a project from start to finish or even share a message from your CEO, major clients or chief architect working on a specific job. YouTube is a great platform to post short videos providing insight and depth into your business. Besides just showing your work, it provides a human element to show your audience what your company, and the people behind it, is really about.

Apps: App development might also form part of your strategy – for example, do you want to create a tool that your site managers can use to manage their jobs, or a resource architects can use to spec out certain projects. All of these considerations come into play but if you are going to be considering an app you need to make sure that the app fulfills one specific function.

If you do create an app, be sure that you make it visible on your website and social media platforms and actively promote it to your audience.

There are many more social media platforms that you can add to your mix but these are some of the most suitable ones to the construction industry.

Image: Elvert Barnes (via Flickr).