The Sydney Build Expo 2019 was a fantastic event for us, both personally and professionally. We not only had opportunities to engage with leaders in an industry we are very passionate about, but we were also able to gain some valuable insights into their skepticism around the value of digital marketing for an industry that prides itself on aspects of safety, regulatory compliance and process.
The building and construction industry is not an industry that typically shies away from change. This is an industry questioning their place in cyberspace, particularly with a medium that seemingly thrives on fake news, memes and cat videos. It is a personable business that relies on referrals and repeat business, rather than expensive marketing campaigns, to connect and engage with their customers but it’s also a very innovative industry, one that has been tasked with creating the valuable spaces within which we live, work and play.
Digital Marketing, with its various intricacies, including SEO (search engine optimisation), content creation and social media engagements, are all techniques that can be used to enhance a business’s digital presence. Effective digital marketing strategies, more cost-effective, further reaching and more targeted than traditional marketing, have the ability to ‘filter’ out the noise of the internet by finding your business’s target audience, including potential and ideal customers. The benefits of this are bountiful: your brand, your message, including ones about safety, cost management and procedures, will all be falling on receptive ears. Your target audience, those interested in your industry and the services you offer, want to be assured that you are going to give them the best value for money, that you are well-versed on the latest regulatory requirements and that you are able to project manage and offer sage advice at crucial stages throughout a build.
Topics that are the norm in your industry, things that are part of the mundane and everyday, may be the very tidbits of information that your customers and target audience want to know about. It could be the very information they have been looking for to inform a decision. Digital marketing is not about competing with the fake news, the memes and the cat videos. Digital marketing is your opportunity to engage directly with your target audience on relevant issues and topics that matter. The information you offer could help inform a decision, determine a design element previously unthought-of, prevent them from incurring costs because of a decision made through ignorance. You will be providing an invaluable service to people who may be going through the process of building their dream home, who have a myriad of questions because they are embarking on, what for some, will be the biggest financial undertaking of their lives.
So, what we learned at the Sydney Build Expo 2019 is that communication is key. Connecting and engaging with your audience are important aspects of business development, and are the building blocks upon which digital marketing can improve profitability, increase your market share and find and engage a whole new client-base, even if your industry is steeped in procedures, regulations and process because this is the very information your target audience would love to receive from an industry expert.
