Posts Categorized: Construction Marketing

15 things Marketers must stop doing now!

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Here is a list containing 15 things marketers must stop doing now largely based on recent conversations I’ve had with marketers, things I’ve observed and also from my own previous experience working client side for a large product manufacturer.

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1. Stop wasting money on big, heavy, glossy product brochures

Start putting things online. Drive people to the website where the information is most up to date and can be viewed on mobile or tablet. Save money on print costs and valuable space in the back of sales reps car boot. That space could be filled with golf balls.

2. Stop doing the same things you did in 2007

Start experimenting. Try something new for a change. Challenge the status quo for once. Push the boundaries and start learning something new. Stop something and see what the impact it has on the business (hold-out test) then you’ll realise how valuable that tactic is.Read More

“We’ve just launched our new building products website” Now what?

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Most marketers would consider the launch of a new website the end of a successful project and off they move onto the next project or job on the list. For us at Pauley Creative and our clients it’s only the start. This is where the action begins.

After launching a new site it’s perfectly normal to allow for a few weeks to monitor the change over from old site to new site from a visitor level and from Google perspective. Visitors who were regular visitors to the old site are now having to adjust to the new site. New visitors will have never seen the old site so it will be the first time they navigate through your website. Where will they start and where will they end? This is the period where lots of information can be collected on how users behave on the new website.Read More

How to manage embargoes in a digital age

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Last week I used an embargo on a news story, it’s not something I do often (certainly not yet this year) and as a result it started to make me nervous that journalists didn’t respect the embargo any more… in this digital media relations age, was the ‘embargo trust pact’ dead, or alive?

What is an embargo? Well, technically it’s a ‘stop’ caveat on a piece of information that you’re sharing ahead of time with journalists, which hopes to stop sensitive material from being published before ‘full disclosure’ or a specified date.Read More

Better product positioning (and why it will help you become more profitable).

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We’re continuing to explore the challenges facing today’s construction marketers when it comes to putting together an effective web presence.
Delivering a website that not only qualifies new leads quickly, but builds confidence and credibility – encouraging prospects to buy or specify your products over the competition’s – is the key goal for building product manufacturers when improving their website.

This post on ‘Why better positioning will help you become more profitable’ is part 2 from our new series of posts that discuss how to get great results from the web-build projects you undertake.

We will expand upon a popular article on ‘Why your Construction Website needs Targeted Landing Pages’ and the more recent post on ‘What makes a good construction products landing page that generates leads?’.

Positioning for profit.Read More

The Perfect Lead Generation Dashboard for Construction Marketing Websites

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Are you a construction marketer who hates using Google Analytics because the information you require is so hard to find?

You’re a marketer who doesn’t have time and would prefer everything you need to know all on one screen?

Well, a Google Analytics dashboard might just solve your problems.

We’ve spent the last couple of days creating a number of dashboards in Google Analytics for the Pauley Creative website and our clients.

By creating a lead generation focused dashboard it allows us and others within the business and our clients to get a quick snapshot view. To see quickly how the website is performing and where leads are coming from.

Users don’t need to go through multiple reports or tabs and nor do they need o keep applying lots of filters to get the info we all need.

So what does this dashboard look like?

Dashboards are accessed and created in the ‘Home’ tab located at the top of the screen in Google Analytics. Dashboards are made up of a number of configured widgets which you can create depending on what you want to know.

The dashboard looks something like this (click to enlarge):Read More

Taking the first step towards complying with the EU Cookie Law

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So, we’re only a few days away until the EU Cookie Law deadline is with us and Pauley Creative have taken the first step in working towards complying with the law. With all the consultations, seminars, papers and posts already written on the subject we thought that by making a small step forward it is better than taking no step at all. In my opinion the majority of marketers, web masters and business owners have adopted a ‘wait and see what others do’ approach. Only yesterday we heard that the ICO will be sending letters to the top 50 website owners but did not state which 50 websites they were but site traffic was one of the criteria.Read More

10 ways to create viral videos as part of a construction products campaign

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Definition Viral video: A video which becomes popular through social sharing (Facebook, YouTube, Twitter etc)

Viral videos can be great – great fun, great for branding and great for reach without necessarily having access to spectacular budgets.

The brilliant thing about these videos is that they have the magical ability to take you out of your ‘construction’ pigeonhole. The techniques and tactics which make a great viral will transcend your industry labels and appeal directly to basal human instincts… curiosity, sympathy, humour, sociability.

Reviewing some of the greatest viral videos from the past few years, it’s clear to see trends in some of the more successful tactics employed by the creative agencies.Read More

What is BES 6001, do your building products meet the grade and more importantly are you telling your customers?

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BES 6001 is part of the governments drive to ensure a building product manufacturers’ sustainability claims are proven and that their materials have been resourced responsibly.

The standard describes a framework for the organisational governance, supply chain management and environmental and social aspects that must be addressed in order to ensure the responsible sourcing of construction products.

In reality certification for BES 6001 ensures a manufacturers credibility is safe guarded thus providing the reassurance specifiers, contractors and building owners rely on when meeting the governments requirements for sustainable development.Read More

Do journalists use social media to research their stories?

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It’s the question on everybody’s lips at the moment – do journalists use social media to research their stories? Are you missing a trick if you’re not engaging with key editorial contacts on Twitter? Which channels should you focus on developing?

Certainly within the PR industry there is significant rumination going on at the moment – PR professionals are desperately trying to anticipate the platforms that journalists might be trialling, hoping to stay one step ahead so that they are ready and waiting should a journalist come looking for them, and yet still trying to cover all bases by email broadcasting news in the more traditional way.

I met a PR professional at an event a few weeks ago who confidently told me “Journalists always prefer me to tweet them now (rather than phone or email) – I never email anybody any more”. But how true really is this? Can we rely on our audience using Twitter alone to source their news stories, or do we need to try and spread our efforts between maintaining social media alongside more traditional communication methods?Read More

Good Things Get Done By Construction Companies Doing Good

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Why marketing your construction business CSR programs through social media platforms is good for business.

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Image courtesy of Fourfront Group – commercial interior specialists

Let’s not split hairs here, the majority of CSR programs are a good thing. Besides the business agenda, at the very least some ‘social or sustainable’ good is being done. However, is it really still acceptable to invest time and energy in planning and running Corporate Social Responsibility [CSR] programs if the only ‘promotional’ outcome is a flimsy report?Read More