[ Focus: Social media]


to accept that approach. Instead, we need to get their permission to sell to them. The fi rst stage of this is becoming part of their network of acquaintances or, at the very least, being recommended by that network. This is where social media comes in. Many people now have a network of contacts through Facebook, LinkedIn and Twitter. Their fi rst point of contact for recommendations will still be the friends and business associates they have personal contact with, but after that they will turn to their social networks for advice. It will be through this network that they will select suppliers. It is, therefore, important to be part of that network.


Research Earlier this year, Competitive Advantage published its annual survey of communication channels, the Construction Media Index. This shows how social media is being used in the electrical sector. The sample of M&E contractors, main contractors and building services engineers were found to have between 68 per cent and 74 per cent membership of Facebook, and 42 per cent to 44 per cent membership of LinkedIn. This is not just something for the kids. So what should you be doing to develop social media?


You can employ an agency to help you, but make sure they fully understand your business and are presenting it in the way you would wish. Far better is if you, or a colleague in your business, take on the role of writing for social media. This will reduce the cost of a social media programme but will require a signifi cant investment of your time. Research has found that consumer confi dence is lowest


when calling on a break-down service, where contact is less frequent or where issues are complex and customers have limited knowledge. This summarises many of the situations when an electrical contractor is required. If you can use social media to develop a rapport before there is a requirement, you will have already reduced these barriers and will have an advantage over your competitors when you are contacted by a potential customer.


Basics The fi rst rule of using social media is that this is not about selling. The very last thing you should do on a social network is to try to sell to people. That, in itself, has to be good news for many electrical contractors who do not want to get involved with sales. Your approach is about establishing a presence and then giving advice and guidance free of charge, to create an image of yourself as an expert. Then, when people do need your services, they are more likely to come to you, because you are no longer a stranger, but someone they feel they know and have confi dence in. First you need to provide the basics: website and blog.


Today, no business should be without a website. It does not need to be complicated, and there are plenty of online do-it- yourself options available at low cost. As a very minimum, the website should provide contact information and details of your services. In addition, it could include testimonials and links to your social media activity. An effective means of presenting your image as an expert is via a blog. This is a mechanism to allow you to publish your own articles. It can be a part of your website, but there are advantages in operating a separate site, as this


Your approach is about


establishing a presence and then giving advice and guidance free of charge


can help improve your search engine rankings (so your site appears higher among Google search results). You might write about a project you have recently completed, with details of how you solved a problem, perhaps comment on a new product that has come onto the market, or explain what some of the legislation means – Part P or the Green Deal, for example. The aim is to provide information of value, but also to be quite specifi c. In this way, if someone has that problem, when they Google it they will be directed to your blog – and then you.


Target About the author


Chris Ashworth Chris Ashworth has worked in the construction industry for more than 30 years and is founder of Competitive Advantage Consultancy, which provides strategic marketing services to the construction industry. He is a fellow of the Chartered Institute of Marketing, a member of the organising committee for the Chartered Institute of Marketing Construction Industry Group (CIMCIG) and a regular contributor to industry journals.


Other media you use will depend on your target customers. If you sell to consumers, then Facebook is a good choice; if business-to-business, LinkedIn is better. In this article we will focus on the business-to-business environment – although many of the points also apply to consumers. First priority for LinkedIn is to present a profile of yourself and your business, explaining what you do and introducing any specialist skills. LinkedIn then provides you with two options to build relationships. You need to build connections; these are people you link to that you know or with which you have a common interest. Connections will hear about any changes you make to your profi le. More important are discussion groups; these are groups of people with similar interests, allowing you to communicate with people you don’t know. Select subject areas that you think your customers would be interested in. Monitor discussions and contribute to these as an ‘expert’. Remember not to sell, but to give information of value. Once you have become familiar with how these work, you can post your own discussions. Discussion groups will also allow you to post details of blogs you have written, helping to publicise your expertise. Twitter is not just about celebrity trivia, it is increasingly being used for work, with people posting requests for information or feedback on issues. The Construction Media Index found that, year-on-year, usage for work has doubled, and it is currently used for work by 19.3 per cent of M&E contractors, 17.5 per cent of main contractors and 15.6 per cent of building services engineers. Setting up a Twitter account and following other industry spokespeople (such as @ECALive) will keep you informed and provide you with information that you can re-tweet. It is also a means of promoting your blog articles and other activities.


Content


Creating this content as a social media novice is relatively easy. Providing an integrated approach and using your content to its maximum benefi t is where you will need help. The channels all inter-relate. For example, items on LinkedIn and blogs can be tweeted, and Google uses the references from Facebook, LinkedIn and Twitter to help decide its rankings. This is where working with an agency that specialises in this area can have benefi ts, and can maximise the return on your effort. Social media has only started to matter in the construction


industry in the last few years, but it is rapidly being adopted and will be the way we communicate with our customers and promote our businesses in the future. Make a start now and gain a lead on your competitors.


July 2012 ECA Today 61


Page 1  |  Page 2  |  Page 3  |  Page 4  |  Page 5  |  Page 6  |  Page 7  |  Page 8  |  Page 9  |  Page 10  |  Page 11  |  Page 12  |  Page 13  |  Page 14  |  Page 15  |  Page 16  |  Page 17  |  Page 18  |  Page 19  |  Page 20  |  Page 21  |  Page 22  |  Page 23  |  Page 24  |  Page 25  |  Page 26  |  Page 27  |  Page 28  |  Page 29  |  Page 30  |  Page 31  |  Page 32  |  Page 33  |  Page 34  |  Page 35  |  Page 36  |  Page 37  |  Page 38  |  Page 39  |  Page 40  |  Page 41  |  Page 42  |  Page 43  |  Page 44  |  Page 45  |  Page 46  |  Page 47  |  Page 48  |  Page 49  |  Page 50  |  Page 51  |  Page 52  |  Page 53  |  Page 54  |  Page 55  |  Page 56  |  Page 57  |  Page 58  |  Page 59  |  Page 60  |  Page 61  |  Page 62  |  Page 63  |  Page 64  |  Page 65  |  Page 66  |  Page 67  |  Page 68  |  Page 69  |  Page 70  |  Page 71  |  Page 72