If you were to take a look at the UK's top construction companies' Twitter profiles, you might come to the conclusion that they only have a cursory presence on the platform – and you'd be right.
While some might argue that they should be leading the way on social media, others might suggest that their lofty position in The Construction Index's Top 100 gives them the impression that they don't need to try too hard to engage potential new prospects.
It's the same for suppliers across the built environment, unfortunately. It's an industry with an established need, established contractors and very often, established products. You can certainly see the logic in prioritising tried-and-tested methods of acquiring new work, but it doesn't exactly suggest future-forward thinking.
Let's think about the next generation of specifiers, architects and engineers for a minute: communication via email and telephone is no longer 'the norm' for them – it's all about social media and messaging apps – so how will they take to being told they must primarily conduct their business on a landline? They'll get there eventually, sure, but at what cost?
It's time to harness the digital skills of the next generation. Play to their strengths and the rewards will surely follow. If nothing else, creating a Twitter profile creates a healthy precedent for the future – laying the foundations, if you will.
It's also time to dispel the notion that construction companies can't use Twitter for lead generation – the engagement is there, it's just a matter of realising it. Look at Balfour Beatty: they have over 40,000 followers on Twitter, yet if we're honest, they rarely offer up any truly engaging content, instead using the platform to broadcast company news.
Now, we're not saying you shouldn't be posting company news – just be a bit more creative about it than simply copying and pasting from your press release. Twitter gives you licence to put the hard hat to one side for a minute and take a few chances in the name of lead generation.
Here's the sort of thing we're talking about:
1. Behind-the-scenes visuals
Don't be misled into thinking that due to the nature of your industry, nobody is interested in seeing some pictures from behind the scenes. If you want evidence to back up the theory that people are interested in the production side of business, look to the Discovery Channel's 'How It's Made' TV programme, or BuzzFeed's post entitled '22 Mesmerising GIFs That Show How Things Are Made' (which has nearly 1.5 million views). We also love the #SiteSelfie hashtag on Twitter.
The trick here is to make the visuals alluring and interesting. A still, low-quality image just won't do. GIFs, however, can be mesmerising and are great for being shared.
2. Contests
"How on earth can you get people excited about a construction-based competition?" you might ask. The beauty of social media is that it's less serious than other media, presenting you with an opportunity to be a little more creative than you might be with other routes to sale.
It's those sorts of ideas that have the propensity to resonate with social media users, who are used to businesses taking a more creative approach to engage them.
3. Real-time tweeting during events
There's plenty of industry news out there to comment on, but is this really going to engage your followers? It's fine to 'news-jack' some of the more interesting snippets of industry news, but posting for posting's sake is not a wise tactic. Once people label you with posting 'boring' construction news, it can prove hard to shake off.
A better way of keeping your followers in the loop is to live tweet from events. The content you're sending out is likely to be more personal and more opinion-based, which tends to ignite conversation a little better than fact-based offerings.
4. Tips
What practical tips can you offer up that will be helpful (and do-able) for your followers? Some believe the social media generation are less practical than previous generations. If true, this could play into your hands as maybe you can convince them that 'doing it yourself' is not as difficult as they thought it was. How about tweeting regular installer tips?
The construction industry might not be as tips-friendly as, say, the baking industry, but there is scope nonetheless. If you provide a tip that serves a follower well, your business will live long in the memory.
It's tough, but not all businesses have the sex appeal of, say, Apple. The less social media-friendly businesses have to prove themselves as being a worthwhile firm to follow, and businesses in construction might have to work a bit harder to convince people that they can add something to their own online experience.
However, that shouldn't be seen as an excuse to not bother. Social media is here to stay and businesses, regardless of the industry they operate in, will start to lose ground unless they acknowledge its existence.
Want to learn more about how you can build quality sales leads through inbound marketing for the built environment or the construction sector, download our free E-book here.
