Social media: a
Social media has established its place in the construction industry – but are we in danger of overload, and can we follow it all? In the second part of our series, CIMCIG’s Kirstie Colledge, director of online PR Agency SMPR, gives us a practical guide to managing activity for maximum return
S
ocial networks are already shaping how business is done. From how contracts and projects are managed to how clients interact with your company, social networks are here to stay, and
word of mouth marketing has never been so powerful. With so many major contractors now represented across a growing number of sectors and social networking platforms, your peers are doing it, your competitors are doing it – so can you afford not to engage and join in the conversation? There are several social networks out there to choose from. There are the obvious big ones, such as LinkedIn, Twitter, Facebook, and Google+ that will be covered here, but once you start searching around, you soon realise there are many other industry-specifi c networking sites to explore. How do you keep up with it all? Like any new medium, there is a danger of overload. One of the biggest objections when it comes to social media participation is: ‘How do you follow all the conversations and still have time to do your job?’
Keeping on top
Because social media is real-time, you can dip in and out, while setting up searches and RSS feeds for content of interest that you might otherwise miss. The development of the smartphone makes it far easier to do business on the go, and accessing social media portals, and being responsive to current issues and conversations as and when they happen. This can become a big part of your working day. If you are using social media, you will wake up, check your smartphone and discover your email inbox full of messages or comments on one of your ‘Built Environment’ LinkedIn group posts, receive messages from new Twitter followers and follow links from your social networking circle. You still have to manage your time effectively. Aim to strike a balance and think about the real value that you are getting out of it. Construction industry business development and marketing functions should already have plans in place for social media, as an integrated part of the modern marketing mix. They should have identifi ed their target audience, set clear objectives, and be working to a social media plan using
62 ECA Today September 2012
specifi c tactics to share the fi rm’s social media content through the various social media platforms.
Marketing
In addition to the obvious brand recognition, social media enables word-of-mouth, real-time viral marketing. By creating and publishing optimised online content (social media content), you can gain market share, benefi t from collaboration, sharing and partnering while improving your company’s public and media relations. Because social media marketing is completely measurable, you can quickly see what’s working, what’s adding value to the bottom line and how you are measuring up to your social media objectives.
Get connected with your industry peers and your target audience
By using the search functionality on each social platform, you can quickly fi nd people, companies and groups that are relevant to your industry. You can connect to the people, follow the companies and join the groups. On LinkedIn, for example, once you are part of a group you can start a discussion, participate in someone else’s conversation and share your marketing wares. LinkedIn enables you to become part of relevant industry specifi c groups. If you take the time to engage within groups, you can quickly become a thought leader and gain new relevant connections.
Optimise and update your social media profi les
Your approach is about
establishing a presence and then giving advice and guidance free of charge
On all social media platforms, you should use your profi le to say who you are and what you do. Give people a reason to connect with you. Make it relevant! If you specialise in a specifi c sector, say so. Twitter only allows a snapshot biography, so be clever and brief. Think of it as an ‘elevator pitch’ for getting people to connect with you. LinkedIn has progressed over the last year, and now enables you to showcase your organisation and your products and/or services, rather than just a personal CV of your own work. A company profi le on LinkedIn will show against each employee that has linked themselves to the company. If your employees are active on LinkedIn – sharing, engaging and participating, then there is the potential to reach thousands of relevant users on a day to day basis.
LinkedIn (
www.linkedin.com) There are more than 350,000 construction professionals on LinkedIn in the UK. Effi cient use of LinkedIn is a great way to generate leads and network online. Contractors like a
SHUTTERSTOCK / MAX GRIBOEDOV
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