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A dozen or so years ago (who’s counting?) I co-wrote an article aimed at marketing and the heavy civil construction industry. Luckily I had 40-year veteran project manager Paul Cunningham of Skanska Underpinning and Foundation to help me bring the contractors’ perspective. Paul is currently with Tutor Perini Civil, working as Project Controls Manager. With some revisions and Paul’s blessing, the revised article follows… Involve everyone in your organization Imagine a typical construction firm with no marketing department, no […]
A dozen or so years ago, I co-wrote an article aimed at marketing with your internal resources in the heavy civil construction industry. Luckily I had Paul Cunningham of Underpinning and Foundation Skanska to help me bring a contractor’s perspective. We’ve both learned a little something since then. Paul, now with Tudor Perini, helped me dust this off and gussy it up for 2022. Thank you Paul! Create an Internal Marketing Team for Brand Authenticity Paul Cunningham, Tudor Perini […]
With sincere thanks to Jill Harris, of Lester Communications, Editor of Piledriver and Piling Canada Magazine, and to Scot Litke, Executive Director Emeritus ADSC International Association of Drilled Shaft Contractors, and former Editor of Foundation Drilling Magazine, for their contributions to this article. Construction is largely a word-of-mouth industry. The construction industry media is an opportunity to get your company’s activities read, re-told, and amplified. However, it starts with a press release to pique the interest of an editor or […]
The following is a sample press release for use in modeling your own construction industry news release. The project and names are fictional. FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE ABC Construction Corporation Completes $3.5M Value-Engineered Driven Pile Project in Denver, CO Denver, CO – September 8th 2021, 5:12 PM MST – ABC Construction Corporation shut down its D-180 Diesel hammer on completing the installation of the final H-pile driven on the Denver Metropolitan Airport Terminal Expansion project. A total of 2,500 […]
Take the horror and myth out of Social Media. It’s simple, “Tell people what you do, and who you are”. Engage. Repeat. I know – It’s scary. It is a commitment of time and coordination of talents and resources. However, when done right, social media is a powerful promotional tool that can project your brand into the marketplace effectively and on message. Perhaps to the uninitiated, the Number 1 challenge is the daunting number of options: Facebook, LinkedIn, Twitter, Instagram, […]
Advertising should be about getting the most reach, as close as possible to the target demographic, for the best budget. That’s the goal. Campaign Plan Do you know the difference between pushing rope and pulling rope? Pulling rope is leading; knowing where you’re going. Pushing rope is a sure way to waste time and effort. Advertising without a campaign plan is pushing rope. A campaign plan defines who are you planning to reach, the strategy to do so and the […]
Curious how to get the best photos out of every job? Read on… Pass on too. The more of your people on your sites with cameras and basic photography knowledge = deeper photography asset. Safety Check with Superintendent as to what Safety orientation classes are required for the site and get your sticker if required. Wear all required Personal Protection Equipment (PPE). Have a talk with the Project Manager (if present), site EHS Manager (Environment, Health & Safety), Superintendent and […]
Ten years ago, Construct Marketing developed an”interview” to help clients understand the needs of a website development project, create a clear vision, and define expectations for a project’s outcome. We’ve expanded on this to give readers a running start on their website development projects with some developer’s perspective and experiences. Investing a little time now will pay significant dividends in the development and programming phase, and ultimately the outcome, by reducing gray areas and assumptions. Get a yellow pad of […]
Told the client, “It’s actually not “your website”. “What?” “It’s the user’s website. The Project Manager looking for a solution. The estimator trying to nail down some pricing. The client principal trying to decide if you’ll make a good ‘partner’ to help them deliver a job. “Huh.” Perspective has a great deal to do with how you approach the architecture and content of your website. The client was not wrong in what he was seeking to do with his website, […]
Every Construct Marketing client is promotion ready. How? Mise en place is a term meaning “Put in place.” This term comes from French cooking and refers to the practice of having and keeping necessary items, ingredients, equipment, etc. in the same place – everything is ready to cook. Therefore no time or energy is wasted scrambling to find the “@#$% watermelon ball making thingy.” I do not know the French term for watermelon ball making thingy. What can we do? […]
To sustain a strong social media presence, get organized, keep up a steady content flow of content drafts – do in for a quarter and don’t release a thing. Start with the end in mind Whatever vehicles or channels you’re using to disseminate your material, a steady, balanced flow of information is the goal. For clients not already running a content marketing campaign, or struggling to perpetuate a campaign consistent content, we recommend the following: take a quarter, produce […]
At their best, associations are a microcosm of their industry. “What’s in it for me?” you ask? Construct Marketing Principal George Compton spent the first 15 years of his career at the head of a professional association in the heavy construction industry. Here is his answer… Listening It’s a great place to listen. To me, listening is synonymous with learning. An association can offer layers of opportunities for listening. Listening in the conference presentations is one thing, but pretty […]
Twelve things you need to know about stickers. Construction loves its stickers. Hardhats, equipment, toolboxes – stickers find their way onto every corner of every job site. However, not all stickers or decals are created equally. Here are some points written by printing industry veteran, Brian Wantaja of Proven Graphics, who have printed graphic stickers for Construct Marketing and many of our clients. Things to consider The ‘Substrate’ is the sticker material, i.e., vinyl or paper. Printing/graphics on one […]
SEO is Like Investing: It Takes Time and Incremental Adjustments to Build a Portfolio that Yields Results Guest blog author: Alisa Meggison, Green Sky Development Search engine optimization, what geeks like me call SEO, is the process of making web pages easier to find in search engines for different keyword phrases searches by “optimizing” elements of website site pages, or even the site itself as a whole. If you talk to someone like me, who has been optimizing websites […]
Guest blog author: Alisa Meggison, Green Sky Development What is SEO? SEO stands for search engine optimization. It’s a big bucket ‘o stuff that helps make your website more likely to be found when people go to the search engines to search. SEO helps direct search traffic to your site. SEO does not create search demand (your marketing efforts do this). SEO helps route search traffic. This is an important distinction. SEO is a combination of “off-page” and “on-page” tactics […]
As a marketing department for hire, Construct deploys in-house design and creative to meet our client’s needs. As needed, Construct has a pool of talent and partners to specialize in delivering the elements requiring specialization. It’s this mix that is Construct’s greatest asset to a client’s economics, flexibility, and outcome. In-House Where construction meets creativity. Construct’s advantage is our understanding of the construction industry environment, its sectors, and that details matter. In working with principals directly, we communicate and […]
Creative Basics: Know the difference between Vector files and Raster files. Know the difference between process color and spot color. It makes all the difference. Graphic File Types: Vector & Raster. Raster files. (Common: .JPG, .TIF, BMP, GIF, PNG, etc. full list HERE.) Pixels compose the image. Depending on the original size of the image in the file, resizing an image will cause the pixels to resize, resulting in a loss of fidelity. It is important to note that […]
So if you’ve been in a conference audience and thought, “I think I’d like to do this…” Kudos. Make it happen. Presenting in front of your peers is extremely rewarding and a great way to establish leadership, and promote your expertise. How? What to speak about? Job Story? Materials? Equipment? Testing? Value Engineering? Design-Build? Go to your strengths. Provide Technical Expertise to an area of your experience and proficiency. The adage “write what you know” holds sway here. Subject selection […]
Industry events aren’t just for hiding behind a 6-foot table draped in your company colors. Still, as not everyone is Jill or Joe Salesperson, there are still some objectives from the Tradeshow experience that, Sales notwithstanding, are a benefit to Tradeshow ROI. 1. Engagement. Forget about sales for a minute. In fact, forget about sales altogether. While we’d like you to come back from the show with that big sale smile on your face, that’s not why you’re there. You’re […]
Lincoln on Marketing. Give me six hours to chop down a tree and I will spend the first four sharpening the axe. – Abraham Lincoln Perhaps President Lincoln meant that at the end of sharpening your ax for four straight hours, start whacking at your tree for two. I prefer to sharpen as I go – but with the same ratio. I like Abe’s rate of 3 to 1, and it applies well to marketing. If we budget 6 hours […]
Where to spend the advertising dollar? Decisions. Decisions. Decisions. This article is a different one than one we would have written in 2006 when Construct Marketing started. Still, advertising decisions begin with a budget. It is always an indirect cost or a cost unattached to production quantities or volume. Budgeting still requires marketing intelligence, construction industry knowledge, and experience. The difference today is not, “Digital or Print?” but “Where to set the budget for digital ads and where to set the […]
You may have heard the phrase, ‘Content is King’. Trite, cute marketing nonsense, right? Big, Fat NO. Undoubtedly this is for retail and service industries, not the heavy construction industry, right? Double, BIG, FAT NO. To begin with, we know the construction industry runs on word of mouth. “Who’s doing what” “What happened on ‘x’ project” “Project ‘y’ just started and who’s on it.” Consequently, in heavy construction, the breadth and scope and chatter of the work of your latest […]