LinkedIn Groups

LinkedIn was created for business professionals to communicate within a trusted network. These discussions happen within LinkedIn groups and fuel most of the interaction across the whole site. LinkedIn Groups opens a world of possibilities and allows you to accomplish several business activities. Your personal profile allows you to join and display up to 50 groups that you belong to, which you can use as a way to demonstrate your areas of expertise.

Groups can either be open or closed. If you join an open group you immediately become a member.

Open groups are important because they allow search engines (e.g. Google, Bing, Yahoo) to index the content displayed in those groups (content in closed groups does not get indexed). Closed groups are good for controlled content, membership oriented groups/associations, or even alumni networks that require you to have actually attended a specific school. These closed groups also allow you to capture emails if you are the group administrator (this will be discussed further under the category of owning a group). Overall, groups are an important strategy to attract industry professionals to a specific topic, and use as a marketing vehicle.

Join, Introduce, Participate

You can identify relevant LinkedIn Groups via keyword search. Joining larger groups is always a good idea, because it means your posts will have a larger reach. However, larger groups may mean that interactions may not be as valuable when it comes to building a business relationship. Whenever you join a new group be sure to introduce yourself with a discussion post. Let the group know why you have joined the group, what your professional interests are, and request a connection. Be careful not to be too self-promotional or sales-oriented. Provide useful or educational information and let the user decide whether to contact you. The number one rule behind any social media interaction is to give value, then ask for value in return. As an example, before you ask for people to sign up for and attend your webcast, be sure to post articles and comment on discussions happening within the group.

Build your Network through Groups

Some people are inherently social and have no issues with increasing the size of the LinkedIn network because they have so many contacts outside of LinkedIn before they joined the site. For those who don’t have a large network of connections, LinkedIn allows us to network with anyone in the entire world at the click of a button. LinkedIn limits your ability to connect with someone by forcing you to tell them how you know them. Groups give you the bridge to connect with someone that you may not have a previous connection with. If you are within any group you belong to, you have the ability to look at the members list. Within that list you can see who you are already connected with, and those who you are not yet connected to. You can request a connection with anyone in that group by going to group member profiles, click on “invite to connect”, then select Groups, and what group you would like to connect with them through (you may belong to multiple groups with one person). If you already have joined your maximum of 50 groups, you can leave a (e.g. smaller) group and join another and continue to grow your network with the steps above.

LinkedIn Group Administration

Understanding how to start and manage a group yields several opportunities for the person who is the group administrator. Content control and management falls onto their shoulders, and if someone is abusing the group guidelines or policies the administrator can remove their post, and even remove them from the group if the post was egregious. As group administrator you capture everyone’s emails who joins the group (if it is a closed group; if it is open you do not receive their email information). If the group is branded, or covers industry or company relevant content it will show up in Google results (if the group is an open group). Lastly, owning a group showcases your industry expertise and elevates you to be seen as a subject matter expert within your network on LinkedIn.

We certainly hope these two blogs have helped you generate ideas on next steps for improving your LinkedIn presence on the web in integrating your personal profile with your Company page. Be sure to share your experiences on leveraging LinkedIn groups below and retweet, facebook like and share this post with your colleagues.

This blog post is the first of two that will provide you with tools for leveraging LinkedIn for your company. Below is a list of seven steps to complete and optimize your company page within LinkedIn, along with tips on which applications will help you leverage your company’s page listing.

Steps to Complete Your LinkedIn Company Page

1. Have all employees listed under your company (on their personal profiles)
2. Fill out company description (use same company description used on other social mediums)
3. Add your company logo
4. Build a following
5. Ask for and receive recommendations for your company
6. Create a Products and Services page – This will allow you to highlight your companies products or services, and link to websites, videos, registration pages, brochure downloads and more.
7. Ask for recommendations for your products/services

An example of the Construction Marketing Association LinkedIn company page is below:

1. Company Description
2. Services Offered Section
3. LinkedIn Ads
4. Number of Followers, Services, Recommendations
5. Main LinkedIn Navigation

Utilize LinkedIn Applications

LinkedIn has a number of powerful applications that allow you to maximize the effectiveness of your personal profile on LinkedIn and help promote your company page. Such applications include WordPress, SlideShare, Google Presentations, Behance (portfolio display), Events, LinkedIn Today and Amazon Reading List. All of these applications have their strengths. There are more applications on LinkedIn than listed below, but these are the most business friendly, useful applications.

WordPress – As we’ve mentioned again and again, having a blog is cruicial for getting the word out about your company. A blog lasts forever, where a social post lasts only 48 hours. So, advertise your blog as much as you can! WordPress has an application that will allow you to embed your blog in your profile. This way someone can easily see what you are writing about when the visit your profile page, and then move forward to connect with your company.

SlideShare – This robust application allows you to upload any size Powerpoint presentation you want to your LinkedIn profile. However, PDF’s can also be uploaded to SlideShare (their orientation can be either portrait or landscape). This is a great application to show off presentations you’ve given, and a way to highlight your expertise through a presentation. You can also show off the company you work for by uploading a presentation that they’ve given in the past, a PDF of a brochure, or a capabilities sheet.

Google Presentations – This application is just like slideshare, however it gives you the functionality to add video to your profile on LinkedIn.

Events–Do you have a lot of live events at your company? If so, this is an excellent way to get the word out to others. You can advertise any kind of event, even if it’s just a live webinar!

LinkedIn Today– LinkedIn Today aggregates content from around the internet. This is a great source to find industry articles, relevant industry information, and what the people within your professional network are interested in. The best articles that are shared the most, and have the most comments are elevated to the top of LinkedIn news, so you see only the most important articles first. The first time you go to the LinkedIn News portion of the site they will suggest industries that have news that is relevant to you. Be sure to follow these and tell LinkedIn what industries you are interested in. These news articles are aggregated primarily from twitter, so you will see a 140 character format for article descriptions. This is a great resource for anyone that is interested in real-time news.

Stay tuned…the Construction Marketing Association will soon post another blog on how to leverage LinkedIn for your company. We’ll cover the importance of groups and how you can use groups to build your network! If you are interested in LinkedIn and are currently utilizing it to build your company presence, share your experiences below. Be sure to retweet, facebook like, and share this post with others!

In 2011, Construction Marketing Advisors worked with several clients in the construction and building products industry including Weather Guard®, Knaack®, and Crane Composites. Read about the projects further along in this post.

“We are thrilled to be named a Top Agency by BtoB Magazine for the second year in a row! It’s great to know that hard work and dedication paid off and that we are producing results to fuel our clients’ businesses. Working with each of them has been wonderful in generating new ideas and campaigns to take the marketing of their business to the next level,” said Neil Brown, Chief Marketing Officer of Construction Marketing Advisors.

2011 Work by Construction Marketing Advisors in being named Top 2011 Agency

Construction Marketing Association

The Construction Marketing Association expanded with the help of their Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, YouTube, Google+, the Construction Marketing Blog, Website and so much more.  Along with establishing an online presence and increasing membership to the association, Construction Marketing Advisors developed their awards program, a certification program, training program and more.

WEATHER GUARD®

Construction Marketing Advisors helped launch both WEATHER GUARD® truck and van products. New Hi-Side truck boxes and new Nissan NV van solutions which included brochures in English, French, and Spanish, launch kits with labeling and CDs, print ads, videos and more.

KNAACK®

The top brand for jobsite storage, KNAACK® celebrates their 50th anniversary with end user and channel marketing communications. Construction Marketing Advisors developed the 50th anniversary logo, print ad, trade show graphics, dealer banners and field vehicle graphics. In addition, publicity, social media, channel POP and sales collateral.

Crane

With a focus on architecture and building products Construction Marketing Advisors knew social media was a perfect fit for CRANE Composites. Developing great content and implementing across all social media has led to increased website traffic.

The Construction Marketing Advisors is a full-service marketing and internet agency specializing in and marketing to the construction industry. Construction Marketing Advisors is agency for many leading construction brands, as well as the Construction Marketing Association. Full information on the association is available on the website at www.ConstructionMarketingAdvisors.com. The site links to the Construction Marketing Blog with marketing news, resources and related content, and Twitter, Facebook, YouTube and LinkedIn pages. Questions? Contact Neil Brown at 630-579-8383.

Need help on a marketing project? Construction Marketing Advisors would be happy to assist you. Be sure to share this news with others, through the social share icons below, who are interested in growing their construction brands.

Since 2009, we’ve added hundreds of knowledgeable construction marketers to our association and we are looking for even more great minds. Over the last few years our association has generated tons of discussion on the construction marketing industry, increased connections among industry professionals and presented awards to the best-of-the-best in construction marketing. The need for solid marketing strategies in the construction industry is still strong and we are working to continuously provide marketing best practices and stimulate new conversation about construction marketing throughout this industry.

This Spring, if you become a new member of the Construction Marketing Association, we will offer you an additional 1-year membership for FREE for one of your friends or colleagues.

To become a member click here to register. If you have any questions about registration, do not hesitate to contact questions@ConstructionMarketingAssociation.org today.

Wondering why you should become a CMA Member?

Here’s what you’ll have access to:

• Free Whitepapers on the Latest Marketing Practices

• Free Webcast Training Presentations

• Free Marketing eNewsletter

• Free Access to all Resources and Databank including lists, research and more

• Free Listing in the Resource Directory

• Access to other CMA members for networking

• Access to the CMA Career Center

• Discounts on Award Entries

• Discounts on Professional Certification

• Discounts on Training Programs

Become a new member of the Construction Marketing Association and take advantage of this offer which is available to you until May 15, 2012. To enjoy this opportunity, first register and then submit the 2nd member’s information to Questions@ConstructionMarketingAssociation.org in order to redeem their free membership. Email us at this address if you have any questions about becoming a new member, registration fees, etc.

If you know someone who may be interested in this offer, please share this posting with them via the social share buttons below!

Practical Marketing Considerations for Construction Brands Free Webcast – Tuesday, May 15, 2012

A webcast from the Construction Marketing Association (CMA) will address the three very important aspects of marketing in the construction industry:  hiring marketing talent, selecting marketing partners, and improving teamwork between marketing and sales departments. The free webcast for members and non-members is scheduled for Tuesday, May 15, 2012, at 1 pm CST.

Panelists include Carrie Halle, Product Strategy Manager for Sloan and CMA board member, and CMA Chairman Neil M. Brown.

Other panelists to be announced.

“With the fast-changing marketing mix, it is more difficult to find qualified marketing staff and agency partners,” states Neil M. Brown. “Establishing effective communications and processes between marketing and sales has always been critical, but has some new considerations with the changing roles of marketing.”

To register for the free Practical Marketing for Construction Brands Webcast, link to: http://www.constructionmarketingassociation.org/CMI_Events.cfm.

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ABOUT CMA

The Construction Marketing Association (CMA) provides professional development and training, resources and information, networking and recognition to marketers in the construction industry. CMA sponsors the annual Construction Marketing STAR Awards, and Construction Marketer

of the Year Awards. Full information on the association is available on the website at www.ConstructionMarketingAssociation.org.The site links to the award-winning Construction Marketing Blog with marketing news, resources and related content, and the association’sTwitter, Facebook, Google+, YouTube and LinkedIn pages. Questions? Contact Neil Brown at 630-579-8383.

© 2012 Construction Marketing Association. All Rights Reserved.

ABOUT Carrie Halle

Carrie Halle, Product Planning and Strategy Manager for Sloan Valve Corporation, manages product strategy for Sloan. Carrie’s specialty is eMarketing in both B2B and B2C including such brands as Verizon, Sprint/NEXTEL, Motorola, OnStar, Bluetooth, Mercedes-Benz, BMW, and Zurich North America. She graduated from the University of Wisconsin-Madison, with both a BBA and an MBA.

ABOUT Neil Brown

Neil M. Brown is Chairman of the Construction Marketing Association, and Chief Marketing Officer (CMO) of Construction Marketing Advisors. Prior to these roles, Brown was CEO of numerous marketing consulting and creative agencies for the past 15 years, managing some of the biggest brands in the construction sector. Brown was a brand manager at electrical products marketing powerhouse IDEAL Industries, and later CMO of an architectural metals manufacturer. Neil earned an MBA from Northern Illinois University, and a BS-Marketing Cum Laude from Southern Illinois University. Neil is a frequent speaker, author and contributor to Advertising Age, BtoB magazine, Marketing News and many other publications. In 2009, he published the book, Branding Best Practices:  A Guide to Effective Product and Business Naming.

While your current website is most likely viewable on a mobile device, it is NOT mobile optimized. Attempting to click a link with your finger-tip on a 3.5 inch screen is quite a challenge. The ultimate goal is to structure your mobile website to be user friendly on each and every mobile device. Ultimately, those users who visit your site via a mobile device need to be converted to leads, which requires convenient navigation and a logical site structure.

Essentially, mobile website conversion requires the development of stripped down versions of a larger website, with different versions for each mobile operating system. Android, iPhone and Blackberry control the market with 41%, 27% and 22% respectively through July, 2011 (Source: comScore).

As an example, the mobile website for Intel is only 9 pages, compared to over 80,000 pages for the regular website. The most popular blog software, WordPress, offers built-in widgets for mobile website conversion. A popular one that we’ve recommended to others is WPtouch Pro.

Using a Content Management System to Build a Mobile Website

One efficient option for mobile website conversion is through your content management system (CMS). Many popular CMS systems offer mobile Plug-In’s. This usually strips out any complicated CSS and large image files. It “stacks” the site so it is viewed primarily vertically. To view a very rough example of this check out Skweezer’s stacking tool, and it will render an ultra-simplified mobile version of your website. Any Plug-In available from your CMS would allow for a much cleaner look.

Using an Online Provider to Convert a Regular Website to a Mobile Website

There are several options available online that will convert your existing website into a mobile website. Google offers a mobile site creator that you may want to try. A more recent mobile website creator that we discovered, which takes your existing website and creatively organizes it into a mobile website, pulls your brands colors for customization, and provides a simple CMS, is offered by DudaMobile. They provide a free mobile website option, but we recommend going for the $9 per month option since you will automatically get a mobile URL customized to your website, which is better for search optimization. Definitely play around with it so you can see what your website could look like mobilized, and give you some ideas to go off of.

Building a Mobile Website from Scratch

Another option for mobile website conversion is to build it from the ground-up. The same information that is relevant and important on your full website may not be relevant to a mobile viewer. Often times large amounts of copy and large image files are distracting and cumbersome. A mobile user will not read a mass amount of text, and they will not wait for a large file to load. Small image file sizes and minimalistic copy is important. Also be sure to make user navigation very simple. Be sure to set up a ‘mirror’ for your website and direct all mobile traffic to the URL http://mobile.yoursitehere.com. You will see several variations of this often times including m.yoursitehere.com.(i.e. www.knaack.com becomes mobile.knaack.com or m.knaack.com). This gives you a sub-domain to build a mobile website under.

A Word Of Caution: If you don’t build from the ground up and use an online service to automatically create your mobile website, the mobile URL is related to your search optimization. If the site ends up turning your regular website into a mobile website, yet uses their company URL without associating to yours, it could hurt you in search results.

Additional Mobile Web Development Tips

Due to the technical nature of a mobile website, it is important to have a skilled developer involved in the process. However, this is often why marketers choose the off the shelf solution even though it is not the best option. It is also a best practice to allow users to view your normal website if they so choose. The reasons they may want to do this include being connected via Wi-Fi or a hotspot, or Load time is not a deterrent from viewing the full site. When choosing to design your own mobile website remember to use large buttons, and if using a form ask for only the necessary information!

Mobile Website Checklist

Mobile web technical development involves programming in HTML, PHP, CSS, along with specific requirements of each hardware operating system. Specifically Apple/Mac (iPhone, iPad), Android and Blackberry. Other mobile conversion technical considerations include the following:

///LOGO: make it attractive but small, no more than 2-KBs in size
///NAVIGATION: include links to your main pages, places, and points of interest; reduce the viewer’s need for typing
///CONTENT: make it clear, distinctive, and exact; keep it consistent with the content on your primary website; use snippets when possible
///GRAPHICS: use small images, sparingly; use images only where contextually relevant
///FOOTER: keep the footer simple and clean; avoid hyper-links
///KEEP THE CODE VALID: mobile browsers are not so forgiving as their PC counterparts
///FOCUS ON FLUID LAYOUTS: set widths by percentages rather than pixels
///TARGET SPECIFIC DEVICES: utilize unique style-sheets for each specific type of handheld device
///AVOID FANCY SCRIPTS: many mobile devices will choke on Flash or Javascript code; it may even lock up the viewer’s phone
///USE AUTOMATIC MOBILE BROWSER DETECTION: success is in the redirection.

Mobile device interfaces are small, typically limited in speed, and set to pre-defined dimensions. Craft your mobile website conversions to meet these restrictions, but provide the content that your business partners require and expect.

Mobile Applications or Apps

Besides mobile website conversion, Mobile applications, Mobile apps, or Apps are Internet applications that use mobile devices including smart phones and tablets. Often mobile applications are tools like price calculators, configurators, even games.

Like mobile website conversions, mobile applications have to customized to each operating system (OS) including Google’s Android, Apple’s iOS, Blackberry, along with Apple iPad and other tablets.

After targeting the OS that your company wishes to reach, focus on your users’ needs and what will make it easiest for them to reach you so you can assist them. Be efficient in your design and try to plan ahead of any potential problems such as network strength issues or low memory, and make sure that your designers and developers work in conjunction to achieve the most effective mobile application to effectively market your business through the use of this skyrocketing medium.

Does your company have a mobile website? What have you found to be the most challenging task in creating one? What works well? What doesn’t? Please share your thoughts in the box below and retweet, facebook “like” and share this post with others.

Modern Marketing for Construction Brands covers all aspects of marketing in the construction industry, from building products and equipment, to A/E/C services and retail, along with specfic examples of construction marketing implementation. Construction professionals will learn useful information as it relates to the construction industry on strategic marketing, tactical marketing, specialized channels and segments (distributor and retail channels, marketing architectural, engineering and construction services), practical marketing considerations and construction marketing resources.

In addition, Modern Marketing for Construction Brands serves as the as the study guide for CMA’s Certified Construction Marketing Professional (CCMP) program, which now offers a test to receive CCMP certification. For more information on the program, and to sign-up for the certification, please learn more about the marketing certification program and review our previous posting.

“Marketing is changing rapidly. Many textbooks, curriculums and marketing certification programs have not kept pace with the realities of modern marketing, certainly not with specific focus on the construction industry. We saw the need for sharing modern marketing best practices, which is aligned with the mission of the Construction Marketing Association,” explains author and CMA Chairman Neil M. Brown.

To purchase this book, please CLICK HERE.

ABOUT THE CONSTRUCTION MARKETING ASSOCIATION
The Construction Marketing Association (CMA) provides professional development and training, resources and information, networking and recognition to marketers in the construction industry. Full information on the association is available on the website atwww.ConstructionMarketingAssociation.org. The site links to the award-winning Construction Marketing Blog with marketing news, resources and related content, and the association’s Twitter, Facebook, YouTube and LinkedIn pages. Questions? Contact Neil Brown at 630-579-8383.

TOOLS OF THE TRADE: ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Neil M. Brown is Chairman of the Construction Marketing Association, and Chief Marketing Officer (CMO) of Construction Marketing Advisors. Prior to these roles, Brown was CEO of numerous marketing consulting and creative agencies for the past 15 years, managing some of the biggest brands in the construction sector. Brown was a brand manager at electrical products marketing powerhouse IDEAL Industries, and later CMO of an architectural metals manufacturer. Neil earned an MBA from Northern Illinois University, and a BS-Marketing Cum Laude from Southern Illinois University. Neil is a frequent speaker, author and contributor to Advertising Age, BtoB magazine, Marketing News and many other publications. In 2009, he published the book, Branding Best Practices:  A Guide to Effective Product and Business Naming. In 2012, he published, Tools of the Trade:  Modern Marketing for Construction Brands.

How do I create a Google Plus Business Page?

Set-up is free and easy, similar to Facebook’s business pages. You will need to be sure to have a Google+ account (which you can build from a Gmail address)
before creating your business page. Hubspot offers a killer e-book on how to create and utilize Google Plus Business Pages.

Show me the Numbers!

Compete generated a 2011 analysis on how popular the site became since launch. Highlights include:

• In 7 months (through December 2011), Google Plus generated:
  • 20 million unique visitors to it’s main landing page (half of Twitter’s unique visitors).
  • 50 million visits
  • 200 million page views

NetworkWorld has also discovered some interesting stats on the social site:

• Two-thirds of Google+ users are men, in contrast to Facebook having a higher user base of women.
• CEO Larry Page claimed Google+ had 90 million users as of January 19, 2012 (compare this to Facebook having around 800 million)

Simply Measured also posted a study on Google Plus brand page adoption and engagement trends based on the Top 100 Interbrand Brands’ Google+ pages.

Key study takeaways include:

1. Companies post and engage primarily during work hours, Monday thru Friday. You won’t see the numbers spike as high during the weekend. 86% of engagement occurs during work hours (5am to 5pm) and 89% of engagement happens Monday thru Friday.
2. Most posts are visual. In fact 65% of engagement comes from photo and video content.

Importance of Photos on Your Google Plus Business Page

After reviewing the above, it brought us to an important discovery from Simply Measured’s results and why photo posts are important. Google Plus was actually built for image sharing. Think about this: Google owns Picasa. Picasa has an image editor on Google+. Whenever you create a post with a link, it automatically generates a picture button where you can click through the images found on that page and choose one to put alongside your post.

Here’s another thought: Wonder why the newer social network Pinterest is doing so well? It’s purely pictures that stimulate visual interest and then generate re-pins (re-sharing). In summary, it may be useful for your Google Plus Business Page posts to have pictures alongside the content.

Construction Marketing Association Google Plus Page

What’s the deal with that +1 button?

Simply put, the more +1s a page gets, the more resourceful or popular those who viewed and +1’d the page perceived it. This is super helpful when browsing the web: you can get to the top pages quicker rather than digging around for them. Moreso, result pages that feature +1 content from your circles will appear sooner, mainly because Google thinks if you are connected with an individual, you may share the same interests.

There are reasons to believe that the +1 button is good for search engine authority. It encourages higher Click-Through Rates (CTR); if people see more +1s, they are more likely to click that link, not to mention the fact that it is a SEO tool created by THE top search engine (Google). Mashable recently posted a great blog on how the +1 button affects search engine optimization (SEO).

Keep in mind – you cannot +1 other pages unless you are logged into a Google+ account. Also, just because your site has several +1s, this does not mean it gets ranked higher in search results.

Are you concerned about how your Google Plus Page is performing? Check out this cool Google Plus Analytics tool that Simply Measured created that shows your Google Plus Business Page’s analytics.

What is your opinion on Google Plus Business Pages? Do YOU think it is worth it for businesses to use?
Please comment and let us know below.

How? First, A/E/C marketers target owners or managers of public or private construction projects. The focus of marketing is lead generation and winning projects. Relationships and reputation are critical in A/E/C marketing as the financial risk of construction projects is great.

No question, A/E/C marketing is becoming more competitive with lower construction activity, and new (competitor) entrants. A/E/C marketing includes all aspects of marketing, with different emphasis than other industries. Read more to see some results of a national survey conducted by the Construction Marketing Association, followed by a list of  the Top 10 Marketing Best Practices for A/E/C Firms.

A Recent Survey Asked:

1. What types of marketing does your A/E/C firm use?

2. What marketing initiatives are most effective?

3. What marketing initiatives are least effective?

4. How do you measure marketing?

Some of the highlights of the survey include:

Marketing Best Practices Defined for AEC Firms

The Construction Marketing Association defined the Top 10 A/E/C Marketing Best Practices in a 2011 webcast, with sequence or chronology intended:

1. Understand your brand perception, position, segmentation and SWOT.
2. Develop a marketing plan with objectives, action calendar and measures.
3. Search optimize your website with all search engine optimization (SEO) features (meta coding, site maps, reviews, etc.)
4. Aggressive networking with associations (local/gregional, AGC, ASA, BOMA, AIA, etc).
5. Develop/manage lead generation (project leads, customers, targets, contacts, emails).
6. Build awareness through PR, Advertising, article placements and more.
7. Leverage blogs and social media to communicate company and industry content.
8. Deploy ongoing communications to contacts, titles, verticals, etc. via email campaigns, social posts, etc.
9. Experiment with new markets, example geographic, government, etc.
10. Leverage free publicity, wire distribution, editor lists.

Are you involved in marketing architecture, engineering or construction (A/E/C) services? Please comment below on your suggested marketing best practices.

Webcast – Thursday,
March 15, 2012

A webcast from the Construction Marketing Association (CMA) will address the challenge of strategic marketing for construction brands, and offer guidance on how to achieve market growth. The free webcast for members and non-members is scheduled for
Thursday, March 15, 2012, at 1 pm CST.

CMA Chairman Neil M. Brown will focus on the importance of strategic marketing, new market and new product development, and marketing programs that emphasize new customer acquisition and customer retention strategy. Additionally, he will explain how market research, planning, and various tools support strategic marketing.

“There is a strong need in the construction industry for more strategic marketing initiatives. It is important to consider all the opportunities available for construction brands in order to develop and grow existing and potential business,” explains CMA Chairman Neil M. Brown.

To register for the free Strategic Marketing for Construction Brands Webcast, link to: http://www.constructionmarketingassociation.org/CMI_Events.cfm

ABOUT CMA

The Construction Marketing Association (CMA) provides professional development and training, resources and information, networking and recognition to marketers in the construction industry. CMA sponsors the annual Construction Marketing STAR Awards, and Construction Marketer of the Year Awards. Full information on the association is available on the website at www.ConstructionMarketingAssociation.org. The site links to the award-winning
Construction Marketing Blog with marketing news, resources and related content, and the association’s Twitter, Facebook, YouTube and LinkedIn pages. Questions? Contact Neil Brown at 630-579-8383.

© 2012 Construction Marketing Association. All Rights Reserved.