Construction survey shows digital marketing more effective then traditional advertising
The construction industry is pushing aside traditional marketing options in favour of digital platforms, a new survey has revealed. The poll by full-service marketing agency PMW Communications saw digital platforms taking the top three spots in a list of construction companies’ marketing priorities.
Conducted at the recent South East Construction Expo and UK Construction Week exhibitions, the research gives an intriguing snapshot of the current marketing landscape within the industry.
Delegates at the trade shows were given 10 tokens each, which represented 100% of their marketing budget in 10% denominations. Participants were then asked to place the tokens into six category boxes: social media, traditional advertising, brochures, PR and events, website, and digital advertising.
The more tokens placed into a box, the higher priority that element was. Across the two exhibitions, PMW surveyed over 200 people who represented various companies within the construction industry.
With 24% of the vote, having a professional and informative website was high priority for delegates and topped the survey, which is not surprising considering the number of registered websites has grown by 109% in the last four years.
Digital advertising came second with 20%, and social media completed a digital top three with 19%, highlighting how marketing priorities have changed dramatically over recent years for construction industry companies.
Peter Sutton, Managing Director of PMW Communications, commented: “PMW is celebrating its 25th anniversary this year, so we’re in a great place to see how marketing options have evolved and expanded. The results of the survey reflect the fact that technology has become integral to our daily lives, as we no longer rely fully on adverts in newspapers or magazines, instead choosing to Google, or look on a company’s website or social media platforms for the information we need.
“It’s therefore now vital for businesses to optimise SEO so they appear on the first page of online searches, or to be engaging with customers over Facebook, Twitter or LinkedIn.”
It was not all bad news for more traditional marketing options though, with brochure design and PR and events being tied in fourth with a respectable 15%. Traditional advertising methods were the lowest priority picking up 7% of the vote.
Peter added: “Despite the expected growth in digital options, there is still a place for more traditional marketing activities in the construction industry. Creative PR is a really cost-effective way of reaching target audiences, and can offer excellent value in terms of ROI, and events give a company the chance to engage with potential customers in person, which is something the digital world can never replace.
“It’s difficult to predict what marketing options will be available to construction companies in the next 10 years, but in such a fast paced industry, we’re excited to find out.”
