USING MARKETING TO GROW AND SUCCEED
Martinez says that Vencon uses the company website to highlight projects and case studies, which showcases what type of work and what scale of projects the company has completed, enabling them to then ask for the prime to place Vencon on their bid list.
“ We also use the resources provided by the CTAP and MWIS,” he added.“ We meet regularly with their subconsultant who introduces us to primes we may be able to work with. You have to remain motivated and involved with others in the construction industry here.”
Another resource his company takes advantage of is called ConstructConnect, which lists projects on a bid board. If there is a project for which they are good fit, they will directly email, phone, or use LinkedIn to make a connection.
Tools of the Trade
There is an old saying that“ when times are good, you should advertise; when times are bad, you must advertise.” The same holds true for your marketing efforts.
But first, you must ask yourself several questions: What trades do you specialize in? Are you a one-person LBE? Or are you a company with 15 people? Do you usually work on residential, commercial or government projects?
“ We reach out to prime contractors and actively look at their websites to see if what they are looking for fits our niche.”
– Diego Martinez, Program Manager, Vencon Construction
Next, paint a picture of who your dream client is: How established are they? How big is their company? And once you have your dream client in mind, you have your target audience. This applies to having primes and government entities as your target audiences as well.
The most widely used and cost-effective methods of marketing is social media. This is a great tool to reach your target audience because it’ s both free and / or relatively inexpensive. Facebook, for instance, is used by 68 % of all adults, and is a good way to
08- imwis. com