The first in a series of blog posts about the construction industry, Neil takes a look at the key challenges for marketing in this sector.

Scrutinised budgets, pressure to maximise return on investment and a need to differentiate your brand from the competition – at the moment, marketers in the construction industry need to relish a challenge.

The solution however doesn’t lie in cutting back your communications activity, or following the latest fad (remember Google Wave and Quora?). Assessing your marketing strategy and communications mix with a clear focus on objectives and measurement is key to achieving your strategic goals and maximising returns.

Evaluating the results of your marketing activity at regular intervals provides essential insights to make informed decisions about the most effective approach. How you use this information is the next step. The digital revolution has given construction marketers valuable visibility into how their customers and other target audiences interact with their brand, while also presenting new challenges in how product manufacturers and service providers use this understanding.

Rocking the foundations

The construction industry has changed immeasurably in recent years with the increasing use of digital communications tools, social media and a significant shift in how target audiences access and engage with the media. Recent research discussed by CIMCIG, the specialist construction interest group of the CIM, in some ways dispels previous thoughts on how target groups within the construction industry use traditional media. A surprising statistic is that over 50% of architects surveyed by Competitive Advantage no longer read hard copy magazines or access online news stories.

With this in mind, how do construction marketers negotiate the new range of communications tools to create successful campaigns that generate results? At BDB, we believe in taking an integrated approach to strategic marketing communications – matching business objectives to relevant, proven and effective tools, both on- and off-line. Marketing within the construction industry is experiencing unprecedented change. At a time when the value of brand communications is increasingly under the microscope it’s important to focus your budget and attention on the channels that deliver tangible returns.

If you’re interested in evaluating your marketing communications strategy and looking for a fresh approach, get in touch with our experienced built environment team.

BDB’s commercial director Henry Dixon comments: “Now we have the whole building, we are able to add new meeting rooms and storage for our clients’ marketing materials as well as break-out areas for creative workshops and training sessions. We offer our staff a great place to work with the space and facilities to meet their needs now and in the future.”

As the UK’s 2011 international PR consultancy of the year and MiNetwork’s b2b marketing agency of the year, BDB is the go-to agency for industrial companies who want to promote their products and services in the UK and abroad.