Generating high quality leads is the lifeline of any business. It does not matter whether your company has been in business for only two years or if you have been crushing it for the past twenty, your business will suffer without a regular influx of new customers.
Gone are the days when all a construction or architectural company had to do to bring in new customers was word-of-mouth referrals and a basic online presence – which was simply a brochure website, stuffed with keywords.
Unfortunately, that strategy no longer works.
Today, content is king and if your company is not investing in content marketing, you are literally leaving money on the table for your competitors who understand the way the modern consumer thinks.
Several studies have shown that content marketing can directly influence the way today’s consumers research and consume information in order to make a buying decision online. The average client has done his or her own research extensively before contacting a construction or architectural company. In fact, their decision to contact a particular company is based entirely on the efficiency of that company’s content marketing strategy.
Content Marketing: What It Is, How It Works and The Importance of Providing Value
A simple definition for content marketing is creating helpful and valuable content (instead of infomercials and direct marketing adverts) to attract, educate, nurture and convert your target audiences through online channels such as a blog, social media, and email.
The keyword here is valuable, but many companies seem to miss the point.
Content marketing is a strategy that gets your business found online. It is more than just writing blog posts and flooding your social media with poorly crafted sales pitches disguised as valuable content. Yet, this is a mistake we see a lot of construction and architectural companies make online.
However, this will eventually hurt your brand because, according to the Economist Group’s “Missing the Mark” report, about 71 percent of readers say they were turned off by content that seems like a sales pitch.
So, how does b2b content marketing work exactly? Surprisingly, it starts with a mental shift.
The first thing we do with new construction or architectural companies we work with is to help them understand the content marketing mindset. We do this before we talk about their funnels and what content marketing strategy to utilize in bringing in high-value clients (HVCs).
We help them understand that by creating valuable content that answers the questions prospective clients are searching for, they will start attracting the right audience to their website. This, in turn, will boost their search engine ranking by signaling to Google that their website is a reliable source of high-quality information.
Content marketing works in four simple steps: attracting your ideal audience, educating them on your industry, nurturing them until they are ready to work with your company and converting them into clients when they are actually ready to start a project.
- Attract: By creating valuable content, your company positions itself to attract prospective clients that are using search engines to research more about their problems and possible solutions. According to recent research, about 86 percent of buyers conduct non-branded search queries and consume about 4 pieces of content before making a purchase decision. As you can see, it is about delivering the right piece of content at the right time and for the right audience.
- Educate: Your content should always aim to educate prospects about their problems and, if possible, offer possible DIY solutions instead of trying to get them to call you “for a free consultation”. While this is not entirely a bad idea, most people are wary of taking up the offer because they do not want to feel any obligation. Encouraging them to leave a comment with their questions, instead, opens the communication in a risk-free way and enables you to demonstrate your expertise and professionalism.
- Nurture: This stage is about building a relationship with your prospective clients that serves two distinct purposes. The first is to build trust because that is the number one factor when trying to get new clients online. The second purpose is to remain top of mind with these protects until they are ready to start a construction or architectural project.
- Convert: This is the final and most important stage of the entire content marketing framework because it is where all the hard work starts to pay off. By creating content to attract, educate and nurture your prospects, you are getting them primed to want to do business with you because of the immense value they are getting. Therefore, it is a natural progression for them to reach out to you when they are ready to start a project.
Now that you understand what content marketing is and how it works, we want to show you some of the reasons why you should invest in content marketing today, and also the types of content we have seen to be converting the most for our clients.
Top 3 Reasons Why Your Company Should Invest In Content Marketing
There are several reasons why you should invest in content marketing. In fact, you are literally leaving money on the table if you are not.
This is because your potential clients are using the internet to conduct their own research instead of relying on the opinion of others. Content marketing allows you to stand out from your competitors during this research stage, thus enabling prospects to find and connect with you.
And just in case you are still not convinced, check out our top 3 reasons why you should invest in content marketing for your company.
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Content marketing enables you to display your expertise and thought leadership
Simply saying how awesome your firm is and why people should hire you instead of the next construction or architectural company is not enough to motivate potential clients.
On the other hand, demonstrating professionalism and highlighting your firm’s expertise through valuable and high-quality content would establish you as a credible thought leader within your industry.
The internet is divided into two very basic verticals:
- Those who create content, and
- Those who consume content
When potential clients are in the research phase, they are consuming a lot of content. A 2016 research by DemandGen states that 95 percent of B2B buyers consider content as trustworthy when evaluating a company and its offerings. So, the more valuable content you are able to feed them with, the more convinced they are that your firm is not only trustworthy but also more knowledgeable than your competitors are.
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Content marketing helps your company attract quality website traffic
At the end of the day, the number one reason why your company will invest in ANY type of marketing is to bring in high-value clients.
The good news is that content marketing allows you to do that on autopilot.
You see, content marketing is all about creating relevant content with relevant keywords. Content that addresses a specific need of potential clients. And the more relevant your content is, the higher the chance your website has of being indexed by Google and other search engines.
When you take into consideration that 85 percent of users ignore paid ads and focus on organic search results, then you will realize the importance of using valuable content to drive targeted website traffic.
By offering relevant and specialized information on the specific matters that concern your potential clients, you demonstrate how your construction or architectural firm can add value to their design or construction projects, thus capturing them earlier in the research stage of their decision-making journey.
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Content marketing is a cost-effective way to build brand loyalty
The internet is so full of misinformation; hence why today’s consumers are highly skeptical of self-praising content that offers little to no value. It is always a sigh of relief whenever potential clients come across a piece of content or information that is truly relevant to their current situation.
We cannot stress the importance of creating valuable content enough. That is what will differentiate you from your competitors. By consistently offering educational content (and top quality service), you will eventually build loyalty and long-lasting relationships with your clients.
Loyal clients are what keep a business afloat because they not only bring in repeat work, but they also act as your brand advocates – telling others about awesome your firm is through case studies, testimonials, and word-of-mouth.
The Most Effective Content Marketing Types Your Company Can Leverage To Build Brand Loyalty
For the umpteenth time, creating valuable content is the key to attracting, educating, nurturing and converting a potential client into an actual high-value client.
However, many construction and architectural companies struggle with creating content that actually resonates with their audience. From our experience working with several of these companies, the number one reason for this problem is not having a complete understanding of your target audience and their pain points
Fortunately, the solution to this problem is simple.
You just need to stop thinking like an architect or contractor and start thinking like the people you actually want to serve. You need to ask yourself questions like: What are their pain points? What problems are they trying to solve? Why are they trying to solve that problem? Understanding these key insights will enable you to work on creating a content strategy that actually serves your ideal audience.
An amazing thing occurs when you do this. You start seeing all the possible ways you can serve your audience with your content. The following are types of content we have experimented with and recorded huge success.
- Blogs and articles:
This is a great way to gain credibility and build thought leadership. Writing a blog post that provides actionable tips and step-by-step DIY tutorials will endear you to many potential clients. This type of content can further be optimized by including graphic images or infographics.
- Whitepapers:
These are a more in-depth alternative to blog posts and articles and they are usually offered in exchange for contact information. Whitepapers take your credibility and thought leadership a notch higher, thereby positioning your firm as knowledgeable about your industry.
- Case studies:
Testimonials are a form of social proof that helps potential clients who are researching contractors or architects to narrow down their options. However, case studies are ten times better. They are a longer, more in-depth, version of testimonials and if done right, they can convert a potential client into an actual client there and then.
- Webinars:
These are the digital versions of seminars and they are a great way to build trust with potential clients, nurture them until they are ready to buy and display your professionalism and credibility all at the same time. With about a third of all online activity spent watching videos, it is no surprise that webinars have exploded in recent years. We have helped various contractors, and architects include webinars in their content marketing strategy with very positive results.
- Social media and email marketing:
These are necessary for your company. You need social media accounts and a vibrant social media marketing strategy to promote your content, make new connections and answer client questions. Email is another beast that you absolutely need to grow your business. Not all potential clients will hire you the first time they come across your content or visit your website. However, if you have their email address, you can easily nurture them with valuable content until they are ready to start their design or construction project.
Conclusion
No matter how big or small your company is, content marketing can help you attract, educate, nurture and convert your potential clients into actual clients cost-effectively.
Thought leadership, client loyalty, and long-lasting relationships are some of the many ways content marketing can put your company at an advantage when compared with your competition.
Now that you know the benefits of creating valuable content for your audience, the question is, will you take the necessary step needed to take your business to the next level?