The construction industry is not generally associated with Internet technology, since so much of its work is done far away from computers. But thanks to technology, any construction company can interact with other team members and clients using smartphones and tablets.
As a study from Construction Marketing Associates points out, this connectivity now extends to social media. When asked if they use social media to conduct business, 90 percent of construction professionals answered yes. This includes networking with others in the industry through LinkedIn and attracting new business through sites like Facebook and Twitter. As in other industries, the construction industry has found social media is a great way to interact with the public and attract new business.
Internal Social Media Management
The vast majority (91.3 percent) of respondents state that their social media accounts are handled internally, with their own staff keeping up with each social media profile. The numbers drop slightly when it comes to blogging. Only 61 percent of the construction professionals surveyed say they maintain a blog. There are many benefits of blogging, but creating regular blog posts could be challenging for those construction professionals who are limited to tablets and smartphones as their social media tools.
LinkedIn is the most popular social media tool for construction professionals, with 88 percent stating they use the networking tool for their business marketing tasks. This was followed by popular social media site Facebook (81 percent) and Twitter (71 percent). Interestingly, while LinkedIn was ranked as most effective, it was followed by Twitter. When asked which social media outlet is the least effective, Facebook received the highest response, at 33 percent.
The Results
Raising awareness is the top benefit of all of this social media work. Sixty-nine percent of construction professionals state that they’ve achieved awareness by marketing through social media. Website traffic also increased as a result, with 65 percent saying they saw an increase as a result of their social media campaigns. Respondents also indicated they’d improved their search rankings and received sales leads.
As with many other industries, construction businesses are realizing the value of networking through social media outlets. Since construction professionals often secure recommendations through others within the industry, it’s no surprise that LinkedIn is a large part of construction companies’ social media strategies. As construction crews continue to realize the large role social media plays in networking and customer relations today, it will likely become an even greater part of how they market their services.
About PDI
PDI is an Indianapolis-based wholesale brokerage firm with a network that includes thousands of insurance agents, brokers, architects, engineers and contractors in all 50 states. Since PDI’s beginning in 1980, we’ve handled a single line of coverage: errors & omissions (E&O) for design professionals.
