Step 1

Focus on the construction sectors that are growing. According to research firm IBISWorld, revenue opportunities grow in line with the economy and increased business investment . Monitor economic trends and review industry research to ensure that your strategy is aligned to the prevailing business environment.

Step 2

Look for opportunities in niche sectors where you have specialist skills. "Construction Business Owner" reports that firms offering specialized services win almost twice as many bids as firms offering general construction services. Specialization means that you have fewer competitors for particular types of job and you can also develop a reputation as the expert in a sector.

Step 3

Analyze the strengths and weaknesses of your company and develop a plan for dealing with the weaknesses. Use the analysis to identify opportunities and threats to your business. Focus on improving areas of the business that would enable you to take on more profitable projects. Compare your capability with your competitors' to provide a benchmark for developing your business.

Step 4

Identify the factors that differentiate your business. In a competitive tender, emphasize factors that are important to the project, such as speed of completion, use of innovative design techniques or materials, or sustainable building techniques. Demonstrate value to the client to move the decision away from one that is purely based on price.

Step 5

Create an effective website. Provide comprehensive information to clients who are carrying out preliminary research before selecting a short list of potential suppliers. Include details of your company's experience, areas of specialization and capability. Emphasize the skills and experience of your workforce and include details of successful projects.

Step 6

Develop a communications plan to target existing clients and new prospects. Publish an electronic newsletter to keep existing clients up to date with developments in your company. Maintain contact between projects to ensure that your firm is short-listed for future work. Ensure that prospects have up-to-date profiles of your company. Monitor announcements of new construction projects in the trade press and online tender databases. Prepare a company profile and capability presentation so that you are prepared for the tender process.

Promote Your Promotions 

If you are having a special deal at your home improvement company, you should get the word out through mediums that have the audience you are targeting. For instance, you can place ads in our high quality digest-size direct mail magazine. You can also use the Web as a way to reach out to current and future clients. If you don’t already have a Twitter and Facebook account, you should consider opening one. Start befriending your clients and reaching out to others who may be interested in the home improvement services that you have to offer.

 

Word of Mouth

This never fails in the construction industry. Sometimes, spreading word about a service you’ve received is testimonial enough to get you new clients. Speaking of testimonials, you should request that your clients leave one so that you can post it on your web site. When a potential customer is looking for a product or service, the areas they click on most at any web site are the FAQs, home page and testimonials. As consumers, we want to know whether others have been satisfied with your home improvement services.

 

Internet Marketing

You will find that Internet marketing is one of the fastest and cheapest ways to get the word out about your business. So if this isn’t a part of your home improvement advertising campaign, add it quickly. You can use all sorts of web sites that are related to the construction industry, or even sign up on home improvement forums. If you go the forum route, make sure to establish yourself as a member of the site and contribute with ideas and answers. Going in as a business owner and home improvement advertiser will have you shunned from the community. No one comes to be marketed to. Forums are for communication and help, so offer up your expertise and you will make plenty of friends that can either become customers and spread word about your business for you. If you have a blog set up, even better. Have your blog link in the signature of your posts and eventually people who like your tips and answers will click on it.

 

Put Your Clients to Work for You

Just as word of mouth can be beneficial to you, having your past clients vouch for you will equally churn out more leads for your home improvement business. Create a program that will bring you new clientele and bring back your prior clients, such as with a referral reward system. For each new customer that your clients bring in, they receive $50 towards another service. You can put a cap to how much they can earn or not. This will motivate your current

clients to tell everyone they know and literally urge them to come in and use your home improvement services. Then the money they are accumulating will bring them back to using your service. By placing a limit to how much they earn will ensure that when they do come back, you’ll be getting actual money and not just reward money.

How the Construction Industry Uses Social Media

Social media has revolutionized the way many businesses approach marketing, customer service, and even recruiting. For some brands, such as entertainment and consumer packaged goods, it seemed like a no brainer. But what about the less glamorous industries like construction or sanitation?

New data from the Construction Marketing Association revealed that an incredible 97 percent of construction professionals use social media in their marketing programs. That’s a seven percent increase over last year’s total. Additionally, 93 percent of those companies manage everything internally.

In terms of platforms used, LinkedIn is the most popular among construction professionals at 91 percent. Twitter (84 percent), Facebook (83 percent), YouTube (68 percent), blogs (47 percent), Google+ (40 percent), and Pinterest (26 percent) round out the top seven.

Each one has seen an increase in usage between two percent (Facebook) and 16 percent(Google+) since 2012. It’s also worth noting that the industry has adopted newer platforms like Instagram and Tumblr within the last year.

As for paid advertising, it looks like the industry is still warming up to the idea. Only 12 percent of construction professionals use paid ads on LinkedIn, followed by 11 percent on Facebook and two percent on Twitter. In fact, 83 percent don’t use paid advertising at all.

In the infographic below you’ll find more data, including the ways in which social media has helped the construction industry and what the most and least effective in doing so.