Marketing gurus have been preaching the importance of a web presence for two decades now. Most industries have been quick to set up websites and Twitter (now X) accounts. The construction industry, on the other hand, has been painfully slow to take the advice.
Fortunately, it’s easier than ever to establish your digital footprint. With the right advice, platforms, techniques and potential partnerships, construction companies can draw more clicks from their potential customers. In this guide, I’ll go over eight ways to grow your digital footprint that I’ve learned through my years of working in construction content marketing.
What Is a Digital Footprint?
This refers to a company’s ability to be found on the internet.
Just as you could find someone by following their footprints in the snow, a digital footprint is essentially all the different methods and activities a business uses to connect with its ideal customers. These include the following:
Website
Creating a website is generally the first (and often easiest) way to grow your online presence.
Your website acts as your digital office, providing customers with information like past projects, galleries, rates and important links to your social media accounts. The About Us page is one of the most important, as today’s customers want to get to know their contractors before they hire them.
Also, set up a contact page on your website. These can be tricky, so be sure to follow any steps or procedures necessary to link your email address with the contact form. If it’s not working, customers may think you’re ignoring them — a bad first impression by any measure.
Blog
Blogs are anything but dead. While they used to be fun ways for people to tell personal stories, now they’re helpful outlets for companies to build trust with their customers.
Writing blog posts that answer questions customers might have, explaining the type of work the company performs and outlining other on-brand topics will establish the company as an authority in its field.
SEO
SEO stands for Search Engine Optimization. It’s a term that encompasses all the online tactics a company can use to bring its website to the top of search engine results pages (SERPs). It’s a complicated topic, but a critical aspect of digital marketing.
SEO encompasses many factors. First, it involves using the correct words in the right places on web pages, blogs, social media posts and other published content. It also means making websites easy to navigate, providing flow from one page to another, as well as some indicators (like the way a URL is written). Site speed is also a major component of SEO.
There’s a lot to know and understand about SEO, and it changes over time. But it’s one of the best ways to organically grow a company’s footprint.
Google business profile
Google Business Profile (formerly known as “Google My Business”) is a free tool that helps businesses by improving their positioning on Google searches and Google Maps.
Your profile includes your business name, location, hours, any important details you need to share with your customers, and your Google rating. It also shares your website address and some relevant photos, making your business appear more professional and approachable.
Social media
Social media profiles are critical to a company’s brand. They’re a platform to update customers about projects, introduce their crew and share deals.
More importantly, though, it’s a method for brands to build a community of followers that interact with their posts, leave comments and send direct messages (DMs). Back-and-forth interaction triggers the social media platform’s algorithm and puts new posts in front of similar platform users.
Try to master two of the following: Facebook, Instagram, TikTok and X. Don’t overextend yourself. It’s difficult to be proficient at all four at once, and managing comments and likes is difficult across multiple platforms.
Email marketing
Once you see some traffic coming to the website from Google or social media, it’s time to capture that traffic and make it permanent. How do you do that? With email marketing.
This outreach method builds a loyal customer base of readers interested in the brand, establishing it as the perfect place to make announcements, offer deals, provide advice and share insights.
The easiest way to capture email addresses? Create something people will exchange their email for. Great options include a free coupon to replace a window if you buy a set number; a downloadable checklist about deck maintenance and care; or a floor plan for house models potential customers might be interested in.
Starting an email campaign with weekly or bi-weekly newsletters can go a long way toward getting customers to think of your company the next time they start a project.
Video content
Today, companies must start thinking about video content. Filming YouTube videos and video social posts, then uploading them to their websites, is a great way for companies to attract more customers to their brand. Customers watch the videos and get to know the people behind the company, building trust.
Companies don’t have to spend a lot on video production, or become the James Cameron of the construction industry. A smartphone, tripod, microphone and short script are all it takes to start producing the types of videos needed to increase business.
BBB and review sites
Today’s customers scour the internet for signs they shouldn’t hire a contractor. They search websites like BBB.org, Trustpilot, Google reviews and others for ratings and reviews. Contractors need to know about these sites and monitor what’s being posted about them.
The best way for a company to establish and maintain a sterling reputation is to deliver quality results, on time and on budget. But things happen in this industry, and sometimes a customer’s expectations aren’t realistic. Paying attention to the reviews and responding to them, good or bad, is a necessity.
Remember good business practice here. No, the customer isn’t always right, but it’s important not to argue with irate ones on these sites. Respond to show potential clients you’re willing to talk over disputes. And no matter what, always stay calm and professional.
Start Growing Today
Companies can perform most of these tasks in-house and save a lot of money. However, if you lack the time or interest to do the work yourself, hiring a digital marketing expert, writer or social media manager can be a big help. And they’ll likely start to pay for themselves in no time.
