Without your clients and customers, you simply don’t have a business and if you’re fortunate enough to have built up a pool of regular and loyal clients who always choose you over your closest industry competitors, obviously, the more customers; the better.
Both well-established and fledging construction companies alike are constantly facing competition, and as such, this article may well make all the difference for your business. With this in mind, here’s how to expand your construction company’s customer base and increase customer satisfaction.
Targeted Email Marketing Campaigns
Firstly, even though building and consistently updating an e-mail marketing list is one of the oldest ways of building a loyal customer base, it’s still one of the most effective, and indeed, the most affordable.
Targeted email marketing campaigns, involving everything from project updates, exciting new developments within the company, introducing the key personnel, and informing customers about special offers are all fantastic ways of engaging customers, both potential and current.
Email campaigns are, therefore, also a useful method of building strong and long-lasting relationships with your clients and encouraging them to remain loyal to your own construction company over your nearest industry competitors.
Showcase Your Reviews & Testimonials
Although you’ll likely be aware of how effective positive reviews and recommendations can be in encouraging customers and clients to do business with your construction company can be, you may be surprised to learn just how influential they are.
Customers are looking for competence and trustworthiness above anything else, and as such, looking into the experiences of people and companies in the same position as them, with the same needs and values, can heavily influence their decision to work with you over a rival company.
Effective ways to improve and increase your client testimonials include:
- Following up with each and every client once the job is complete
- Addressing negative reviews as soon as possible and seeking to rectify them
- Rewarding those who leave a review
- Placing every positive review front and center on your official company website
Tighten Your SEO
SEO (Search Engine Optimization) is one of the fundamental differences between a company website drawing in higher volumes of traffic, to those who barely reach a hundred hits in a day, and as such, working with a company like Rsmconnect.com will pay you dividends.
Hiring a SEO expert will not only ensure that you’re listed on the first few, if not the first, page of an internet search containing relevant keywords to your construction services, but also provide the following benefits:
- A way to quantify results of the metrics
- Coordination across your social media channels and website
- The provision of new online opportunities for your company
- Less money required for marketing and sales
- A way to compete with your closest industry rivals
Attend Regular Networking Events
Networking is, in terms of the phrase itself, a relatively new concept in terms of the millions of dollars ploughed into worldwide and national events in each and every industry, but at the basis of networking lies one word; communication.
Instead of doing everything you can to never be in the same arena of your closest industry rivals, forming solid professional working bonds across different construction companies who specialize in different areas can actually work to solidify your reliability and brand presence, both online and in person.
Making yourself and your company familiar and therefore, firmly in the forefront of the minds of other construction professionals will encourage them to recommend your services, or at the very least, keep your brand relevant.
Always Meet with Potential Clients in Person
Naturally, nobody would expect you personally, as the manager or owner of the construction company, to spend your day personally traveling across the state and beyond to meet with every potential client, but as long as someone from your company represents you, this can reap numerous rewards.
As previously touched upon, communication forms the cornerstone of every single business interaction, regardless of the industry, and as such, meeting potential customers in person is substantially more impactful than speaking on the phone or sending emails back and forth.
The best way to attract new customers is to be a personable business, regardless of the size and scope of your company, and in addition, you should be as transparent and as honest in your business dealings as possible.
Expand the Payment Options You Offer
Especially in the current economic climate, larger businesses and individuals alike are tightening their belts when it comes to the amount of money they can justify in spending, especially in terms of expanding their buildings and construction work on site.
This is why a relatively simple, yet effective, method of attracting more clients is to offer flexible payment options and financing services, specifically for larger construction projects, and this new offering of a choice in payment could make the difference between winning and losing a tender.
It would, however, be worth pointing out that offering flexible payment options does open up a potential issue when it comes to late payments, and as such, you should also ensure that there are effective and sufficient strategies in place to cover any unexpected delays with the payment of invoices.
Make Yourself Known in the Community
Finally, whether you’re the head of a national construction company, or else are a more local business focused on residential work, it’s not only important to establish yourself within the professional arena, but also to make yourself known in and around your community.
As a rule, the average client, especially on a smaller scale, is far more likely to prefer a local business, and with this in mind, a local construction contractor who’s known to help and give back to the people in their area will be highly favored.
Perhaps you could donate to a local school, sponsor a marathon through the town, or even sponsor local sports teams with your brand, which will serve to familiarize and personalize yourself with the people in your area, and of course, promote your company.
