Overview Of The Construction IndustryMany construction businesses are struggling currently; due partly to the changing economic climate, but also to the countries recession.The nations population is ballooning however houses are not being built to house the population sufficiently. With growing population comes the need for facilities (schools, libraries, businesses) also which are not being build quick enough.The problem lies with the funding; because many clients are being careful with their money it is not being spent on capital projects. The big construction firms are therefore struggling due to big projects being put on hold or canceled (which costing millions of pounds each is a big loss) which is then cascading down to the smaller construction firms, electricians, builders, plumbers etc.The large companies have financial reserves that they can draw on, or can cost cut in order to ease cash flow up; however the smaller companies (or freelancers) are hardest hit as they may rely on the feed of work.Marketing In The Construction IndustryConstruction companies historically do not really market themselves (as a general rule) but do historically rely on word of mouth or on recommendations from friends in the trade.The need therefore needs to be on construction companies being more proactive and actually hunting down work. This is a change from years gone by when work did used to be plentiful and business was booming construction companies had the freedom to pick and choose. However as work had dried up, it is a case of taking what they can get. One other thing that makes things harder is that during the boom years of the 2000′s many new construction companies started up and quickly grew, now things are hard many are now competing on the existing projects that are left so competition is high.Construction businesses are great at construction but not very good at construction marketing; most have not done marketing in the past and do not really understand how it works. Many construction companies do not have websites or done any marketing historically – as the industry has been busy, word of mouth has been used.Marketing Options For Construction CompaniesAll construction firms are different (architects, builders, M&E etc) but there are marketing options that each can utilise.As the industry is deep in recession, all construction companies need to ‘shout’ in order to pick up new business. Shouting would be done through marketing – by being seen an heard will mean they will pick up contracts and construction projects.Websites For Construction CompaniesFirst and foremost, all construction businesses would benefit from having a website. This gives a ‘virtual’ presence and a chance for customers to find out more without the need of a phone call or visit.As we are now in a digital world, the construction industry as a whole needs to modernise and get on board.PR for Construction CompaniesAnother good marketing tool for construction firms to do for starters, would be to talk to construction experienced PR agencies that may well be able to help them with industry exposure.PR is all about generating exposure and by talking to a industry experienced PR agency construction firms should be able to stand out in the crowd and get more sales enquiries.The type of marketing that construction firms would need would depend on the sector that they are involved in. PR has been generally known to be effective for most industries however within the construction sector; there are other forms that may be more suited.Telemarketing For Construction CompaniesConstruction companies may well benefit from using telemarketing as a way to generate new sales leads; this is generally acclaimed to be a fairly quick form of marketing in generating new sales enquiries. Although it may be expensive in the short term, in the long term it should prove worth while. Telemarketing is a very pro active form of marketing and as such would certainly boost new enquiries in the short term.The Need For Construction MarketingThere are numerous different forms of marketing on offer, each one does it’s job effectively; however it would be wise to talk to a specialist marketing company that knows the construction industry in order to find the right one for your construction business.The problem is that the work is out there, it is just that the work is not as plentiful as the boom years – so construction companies need to be aggressive in their marketing, pro active and shouting louder than the competition.
Millions Now Find Local Business on the Internet Even Though Yellow Pages Lie on a Shelf in a Closet
What keeps you awake at night, indigestion boiling up your esophagus, eyes open, staring at the ceiling? What do you secretly, ardently most desire? Is your business growing to satisfy all of your needs?Is your local business getting enough phone calls?With the radical changes in the economy and people moving away from Yellow Pages, newspaper ads and other old school advertising media, your customers are looking on the Internet for you. They search the Internet, and then they go down the street and buy what they want and need. If they don’t find your Local Business in their search, they are not buying from you.Times have changed, indeed. The Internet is still new; but, it is everywhere, and it is not going away anytime soon. The Internet has transformed our world, shrunk the whole world into a computer you hold in your hand, heretofore known as a cell phone. If you don’t get your business in position to be seen on that small screen, your customers are going someplace else.WARNING: Your customers are looking for you online right now!If your Local Business is found on the Internet, you can sell. If…Perhaps, a few statistics will shed light on this mystery:
Over 1 Billion local searches performed every month — growing over 50% a year
80% American consumers are using the Internet [2009]
80% of people first search online before making a purchase
97% Internet users use the Internet to shop [NPD Group]
90% Internet searches result in offline brick & mortar purchases [Comscore]
82% Internet searches result in calls & contact with businesses [Comscore]
74% Internet users perform local searches [Kelsey Group]
73% Internet searches are related to local content [Google]
66% Internet users use Internet for local searches [Comscore / TMP]
25% Internet searches have purely local commercial focus [ Kelsey / Bizrate]
Pepsi, FedEx pass on 2010 Super Bowl ads — shift ad dollars to new marketing efforts mostly online.What are your customers looking for?Old school marketing is still King. Times have changed, and media change, too. None of us alive today remember the King’s herald announcing news from the official scroll. Some of us recall barkers calling out theater or carnival sideshow attractions to passers-by. Most of us have bought something from a newspaper advertisement, or called to order something prompted by a Yellow Page spread.The Internet and computing devices are new media. Applying old school marketing principles to new media is a wise idea. That’s exactly what we are about to show you here.Can your customers find your Local Business on the Internet?Local Business Search ResultsDon’t worry — if you’re a Fortune Multi-National Conglomerate, you don’t need to appear in the Local Business Results.One of the best kept local Internet marketing secrets is the Google Local Business Center. Until your business is registered here, it cannot be found in the search results map. Google implemented this feature in early 2009, and it’s been evolving ever since. For those buying locally, however, this is the first thing most searchers see… and probably the first links on which they will click. Once here, not only are you at the top of Page One — look at that map! They now know where you are and how to get to you…If you’ve seen maps and GPS on cell phones, this is how your Local Business shows up on mobile devices. The Mobile Market is enormous and truly the wave of the future.Organic Search ResultsAdditionally, you need to be at the top of the normal, Organic Search Results, the traditional results area on the left, mostly below the Local Business Results. When your web page link is in the top six Organic Search Results — your Local Business has another clickable link on this first search page. Multiple clickable links on the first search page increases your odds that your customers will go to your web site… once there, we believe you can close them.Your Organic Search Results are a function of the quality & credibility of your Local Business presence on the Internet. You want all online roads leading back to you and your web site. There are virtually unlimited credible and respectable sources throughout the Internet, and from there nearly infinite routes back to your Local Business web site. Remember traditional referrals and testimonials from old school marketing? Referral links back to your web pages from everywhere on the Internet are testimonials to your Local Business relevance.The local business with the most links wins!Content Search ResultsFurthermore, your online content must also appear in the top search results! All content relevant to that search adds more links back to your Local Business on the first search page. You and your Local Business are going to be viewed as the top authority on all matters regarding this search. Google loves rich, relevant & rewarding online content!!!
Online Videos (YouTube.com)
Online Press Releases (PRweb.com)
Online Articles (EzineArticles.com)
Social Content Sites (Squidoo.com)
Online Classifieds (Craigslist.org)
Online Business Directories (MerchantCircle.com)
Online Review Sites (Kudzu.com)But, wait, there’s more! Pay-Per-Click (PPC)You want to be in the Pay-Per-Click and/or Sponsored Results up there in the top yellow box and down along the right side. Pay-Per-Click is Pay-As-You-Go — your ad only shows up when somebody searches for your specific key words. Your ad is only shown to your best customers who are searching specifically for what you have to offer. You set how much you are willing to pay, and you only pay when somebody clicks on your ad — the fully qualified buyer.So, the question is, How much is each fully qualified customer on your web site worth to you???Geo-Targeting Your AdsFurthermore, you can also target your ads to local customers in your area. By focusing on local customers, your ad is only seen locally. Locally seen ads are more likely to attract local customers, are cheaper for you, and you do not compete with companies on the other side of the world.For example, a consumer searches, “I need a plumber.” Google knows where the local plumbers are. When you only show your ad to people in your city for these “generic” keywords, you get cheaper clicks, targeted traffic and less competition.What if your web pages sit atop the search engine results?What if you are the #1 Authority online?Imagine what that will mean for your Local Business! How many more customers do you want coming to you every single day? every single week? every single month?What will it do for your Local Business when you have your online market domination plan in place?If you have a Yellow Pages ad, you are already spending marketing money. What is your return on that investment???Every search engine result page can present only the most relevant web pages that fit into the limited space on one page. Only an elite few Local Businesses can possibly be seen there.Do your own homework. Look for yourself. Do a search using keywords that your best customers will use to find your Local Business.Which Local Businesses are on the first search page? How many Local Businesses are on the first search page? Is that your biggest competitor there in A. or B. in the Local Business Results? Are your best customers going to your Competitors because they find them — NOT YOU — in the search results?As you see, nobody can possibly do a credible job placing more than six Local Businesses in your market on Google page one. Furthermore, when you consider your goal is to have multiple links to your Local Business on that same Google page one, you must carefully consider the sales hype of typical SEO geeks! There can be only one Number One — will it be you and your Local Business?
Ways to Organize a Multi-Family Vacation Travel Plan
Many a times it does happen that the family members are quite close to each other, yet due to various reasons such as careers, in-laws or personal preferences, it becomes difficult to find time to meet each other. The increasing busier lives of the people has made it extremely hard to make get together a reality and the rising cost for travel is also one of the major reasons for this. It is important to understand that once you are offered the chance of a family get together, you need to make the maximum use of this opportunity. All you require to achieve this is a little bit of upfront planning and then everything will fall into place.The best times to plan together a family travel plan is during Thanksgiving and the Fall and Winter breaks. Most of the commonly visited spots get filled up fast and when you are on a multifamily vacation, there is no doubt that there maybe more than a dozen participants and thus availability will pose as a big issue in such matters. Keeping in mind, all the problems and possibilities, the following tips have been put together to help you come out with the right multi-family vacation travel plan for you and your family. Make one person as the in charge of the vacation – This way one responsible person can coordinate different aspects of the family vacation with each other. While each of the members will be responsible for their own itineraries, but there will be one person who will look after the master schedule of the travel plan. In this manner, decisions can be made quickly without much delays and all the members will have a central point of contact which will reduce the confusion and malaise during vacation time.
Early decision on the dates, location and the venue is important – The part of deciding on the venue is the tough task as each of the members has their own likes and dislikes. Taking the opinion of the majority of the members is the best way of planning the trip. Also, each family member has their own budget restriction and thus putting together the family travel plan involves paying great attention to all these fine details.
Choosing the accommodations – Finalizing the kind of accommodations is extremely crucial in the travel plan. Depending on the average budget of each of the group members, you can either decide to go in for a villa rental or cruise or hotels and resorts.