Last week after I presented at SMPS Build Business, I was asked why The Brand Constructors do so many articles, presentations, and even blog. Its really not that complicated; here are the two main reasons we do it:
1) Educate Our Clients & Prospects – We know a more educated prospect will choose to work with us. Also, when we educate our prospects & clients, our work goes smoother. It’s not rocket science. I love when a client says they were reading an article or a blog post we wrote and asks if that applies to them – that’s cross-selling without trying.
2) Exposure & Positioning – Because we are so vertical in working in the construction industry, in particular large general contractors, we can not advertise to the masses (without wasting millions of dollars). The infamous Super Bowl ad is not for us. Writing articles and presenting builds exposure for us and positions us as the experts in this narrow market. Think about when you buy something, you want to hire the best people possible. These methods give us great exposure to our target audience and we can share our expertise to educate our prospects and clients.
This isn’t a new concept and is the core of PR (Public Relations), but it is part of the new terms content marketing and inbound marketing, which usually refer to online work such as blogs and social media. A strong content marketing strategy will include offline channels such as articles, presentations, lunch & learns, networking, etc. to drive traffic to your website.
Articles and presentations also reassure our current clients that they are working with the best team possible. When my article in CFMA’s Building Profits came out this month, a client sent me an email that said, “Saw you in CFMA’s mag – glad we’re working with the experts.” I have to admit that I couldn’t stop smiling for hours after that email!
