Adapting Your Construction Marketing Strategy To COVID-19

You May Need Do Adapt Your Marketing Strategy With COVID-19

Since COVID-19 was first detected in December 2019, businesses of all kinds have been seeing their plans change.  For some in a good way, for many bad.  As a construction and building company, how are you adapting to the changes that you now face?  How is your construction marketing strategy looking?  How are you going to generate new tenders?  What about the existing tenders in your sales pipeline?  What about your workforce – how can they carry out their rolls embracing social distancing?

As a construction company owner, these are all questions that will be keeping you up at night.

The best piece of advice we can offer is to take a deep breath and take stock.  You MUST re-think your existing sales and marketing strategy.  Almost over night the tables have turned.  The landscape has changed and we now are living in a different world.

What Is The Biggest Challenge The Construction Sector Faces?

Social distancing is going to be one of the main challenges to tackle.

The UK government is wanting to get the wheels of commerce turning as soon as possible, but only if it is safe to do so.

The last big challenge you faced was the downturn in 2008, and you survived, whilst others sadly did not.  Marketing in 2021 and onwards into a post-COVID Britain is and forever needs to be different.

Here are a few things to consider:

1/ Update Your Website

Your website is your shop window and does need to reflect the new world we live in.  Does it communicate what your status is?  Is it business as usual?  Are you staff working from home, or remotely?  Have you temporarily closed?  Is there a phone number your customers can reach you on?  Do you have staff answering this phone (have you considered using a call answering service)?  What safety precautions are you taking?  Do you have an SEO strategy for this year and how to develop it to the changing environment post COVID?

Your website does need to communicate clearly some of this information (and more) clearly.

2/ Cashflow

This is something your have been most worried about.

Events – If you were planning an event or exhibition during 2020 (perhaps at the NEC or Excel) this was cancelled.  Talk to the organisers and see about refunds.

Staff Costs – Your staff are your greatest asset, so keeping staff informed and in the loop is essential.  Some staff may be furloughed, some may still be working.  Communication and the personal touch will reinforce staff loyalty.

Site Overheads – As with any large office or workspace, social distancing means you may have to cut back.  This is a good thing, as a leaner business your overheads should be less.

Marketing – Do you cut back on your marketing or do you invest more?  This is a difficult one, we at Marketing Quotes have seen some businesses completely cut their marketing (stopping PPC advertising, stopping telemarketing, stopping PR campaigns), and others have burst into live.  This all depends on what your customers are doing.  If you customers have stopped, then you need to stop.  If your customers are still actively operating, then you should have a marketing presence.

3/ Does Your Business Need To Adapt

With the new landscape we now face, how can you adapt your building product or service?  If your construction firm is very people focused, can you adapt it?  If you architectural practice is centralised, can your staff carry out the same work from home (longterm)?

You must adapt to survive.

What have your customers been saying in their feedback?

What are your competitors doing?

4/ Talk To Your Customers

It might sound daft, but communication is the heart of marketing.

Whether your customers are still actively trading or not, the whole economy will (at some point) be back on track.  The wheels of commerce will be turning again and you need to address damage control as much as possible.

You want your customers to remain loyal to you, and not to go to your competitors.

By sensing a personalised e-mail to your point of contact, will show them you are still there for them.

A PR campaign is also a good option, and can even help to grow your business now or in the future when the dust settles.

The Changing UK Construction Economy

The reality is that this virus has brought around another UK recession.  Construction supply chains have been disrupted.  Getting hold of building materials has become more difficult.  Construction tenders for capital projects have been delayed.  Workforce movements have been disrupted under the new social distancing guidelines.

However, great change can bring great opportunities.  You need to adapt your construction marketing in order to survive this pandemic.

The world has changed (in many ways for the better longterm) and how you adapt your business now, will effect how your come out of this in the future.

Stay safe.