BUILD Q4 issue

17 Q4 2018 Build he construction industry is vital to the growth of the UK econ- omy and the wellbeing of millions of Britons – yet it does itself a disservice. Often portrayed as adversarial and combative, pinched between NIMBYism and a planning postcode lottery, construction professionals desperately need to communicate clearly their proposition to the people that matter in order to build trust and cement their credibility. The property sector is ripe for disruption and the marketing departments of developers, architects and others are on the frontlines. Why? The market- ing communications game has changed. Grab a Slice of the Attention Economy As the internet has unleashed a tidal wave of information, this deluge has increased competition for what has been called the Attention Economy; where your clients’ attention is a scarce and finite resource. Construction industry prospects now typically rely on at least 11 sources of online information before taking an action, such as making a telephone or email enquiry or booking an initial meeting. Google data shows that half of your web visitors will not follow an online ‘call-to-action’ – such as ‘get in touch’ or ‘sign up to e-newsletter’ – if they feel the webpage takes too long to load. Most property-related websites rely on large numbers of high-quality images, making this quite the balancing act. The vast quantity of easily available information can feel overwhelming, making it harder for your prospects to make a decision, and for them to feel confident in decisions made. This is especially true for such high-value services as those in the property and construction sector. The key to cutting through this information ‘noise’ is credibility/trust, visibility and authority. Help ThemTrustYou, Make Them KnowYou The faith your clients have in your business’s ability to reliably act in a positive way, meeting their expectations and not disappointing - Brand Trust – is consistently one of the most important factors in their buying decision. When it comes to our homes, you can’t get more personal. Trust really matters. Through an integrated and strategic approach to your marketing, you can align your brand with credible people and related brands that your prospective clients already know and trust. Consistently appearing in the editorial pages of credible magazines and newspapers, for example, is one way to build vicarious trust. The digital environment means every ‘touch point’ your prospective clients come into contact with must also be credible; each of those 11 sources of information must be consistent. Without joining up the dots on everything from your company’s messaging to optimising its online presence (includ- Build Your Reputation Construction professionals desperately need to clearly communicate their proposition to those that matter, in order to build trust and cement their credibility. Anna Lawlor explores what it takes to thrive in today’s marketing environment. T ing image selection and search-engine optimisation) and building vicarious trust, doubt creeps in to corrode trust. Otherwise, it doesn’t matter how amazing your designs, products and services are. If you’re invisible to those who matter, your competitors are ‘eating your lunch’. Partnering with the right communications agency can provide the confi- dence and external perspective for construction and property firms like yours to really break free from their peers. The Luminescence Approach We are a small communications agency renowned for creating the high- est-quality content and the best-performing marketing communications for businesses like yours. Based in Cambridge (UK), we have started making waves in the construction sector by focusing on an outcome-based and integrated approach to marketing; as a result, Luminescence has won multiple national, regional and property-sector awards for its work. Luminescence has a unique advantage in combining its deep roots in na- tional and trade journalism, which provides an in-built super-sense of what makes a media-friendly story, with a superior and bespoke training service. This means that whether you want to upskill your in-house team to deliver more impactful and coordinated marketing communications or prefer to collaborate with a strategic independent agency on a discrete project or on a more holistic basis, Luminescence can flex to your marketing needs and budget. Find out how we achieved 2,700% return-on-investment (ROI) for an architect client , visit www.WeAreLuminescence.com/Case-Studies or call 01223 850 359. © Clear Architects By Anna Lawlor, co-Founder of Luminescence Communications