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It’s not about whether you will become a digital contractor, but when. And if not soon, your company will eventually disappear from the public eye.

This is the reality many companies faced a decade ago, and digital demands are fast catching up with the construction world – even earthmoving and heavy / highway companies with a small customer base.

A “digital contractor”, according to Brett Sutherlin, is one who leverages all of the technology available, especially the technology that enables you to reach more customers, forge better partnerships with suppliers, and to recruit world-class professionals. Technologies like GPS, BIM and Telematics are also important, but their value and necessity depend on your job. Not everyone needs a GPS machine control. But the technology you need to market your business is important to any type of contractor.

Sutherlin is the founder and CEO of Lead Revenue, a website and digital services company, and the founder and chairman of fusionZONE Automotive. He has helped dozen of automotive and industrial customers, contractors, and dealers improve their digital game. We asked him how Sagittarius can get into and master this new digital marketing area.

“It’s about exposure, it’s found,” says Sutherlin. “Ninety-nine percent of our efforts are primarily aimed at getting found on Google. If you’re not there and can’t be found, that’s one of the main reasons you’re missing customers. “

1. Start with Google

Sutherlin recommends Google My Business, a free app that enables businesses and organizations to manage their online presence across the Google ecosystem, including search and maps. You can use it to help customers find your company, tell them your story, and edit your company information. You can also read and respond to reviews from your customers and post photos that show what you are doing.

If your Google My Business pages and social media are set up properly and you regularly add new content to your website, you will see results for the first time. “At Google, content is king, that’s the key to really showing up and increasing relevance,” says Sutherlin.

When you create content and social media posts, you increase your relevance score on Google and really help your business get found on Google. “All of this is step one. There is nothing else without traffic, ”says Sutherlin.

A company blog is a great way to help customers make informed purchasing decisions.Brett Sutherlin2. Train customers

A big part of marketing is educating customers, Sutherlin says. For a road construction company, this training could take the form of web posts showing customers how to prepare their roads for winter, budget for paving, or what to expect when the installation team arrives.

“That’s what sets you apart from the people who are always trying to sell hard,” says Sutherlin. “Once people read your blog articles, they will most likely read more than one of them.”

“First and foremost, you want to provide the customer with a wealth of information to make them feel comfortable,” says Sutherlin. “Be the knowledge base that people go to to learn. Once that happens, they’ll dive into your website, check out all of the products and services you have, and eventually become customers. “

3. Inexpensive advertising

Google AdWords and Facebook are two great ways to target specific customers and get your message across, says Sutherlin. Google AdWords is a pay-per-click online advertising platform that enables advertisers to place their ads on Google’s search results page. Facebook retargeting shows your ads to people who already know your company through Facebook or Instagram.

“It’s great to find customers on Google and then re-engage them on social media because once they see your name five or ten times, they’ll remember it instead of seeing it just once on Google,” says Sutherlin. “That is the double punch that I like to use. And it brings great results for our customers. “

Neither platform is particularly expensive. In fact, $ 5 a day can be enough to get your business message across to potential customers, says Sutherlin. “Facebook is pay-to-play. If you don’t have a budget, you’re likely only reaching 1 percent of your target audience. But even a small budget will produce big results as the ads are targeted at a very specific and local audience and are not broadcast around the world. “

4. Recruiting through social media

Almost every contractor struggles to find qualified employees. Many contractors rely on word of mouth and ask staff to get the word out, but you won’t find a bigger or better word of mouth network than your social media presence.

“Today’s recruiting is an extension of your marketing,” says Sutherlin. “You want to show how satisfied your current employees are in your company and spread this on social media. Post about five facts about why you want to work for ABC Company, then link to the employee reviews that talk about the company culture. “

Brett Sutherlin5. The importance of photos

Photos and videos go a long way in helping Google find your information. The Google bots not only scan your text, but also read the metadata of your photos and increase your search engine ranking accordingly. And don’t forget, Sutherlin says, YouTube is the second most popular search engine in the world.

“Research has shown that if you have more than 100 photos on your Google My Business listing, your calls increase 500 percent and your website visits increase by over 1,000 percent,” says Sutherlin. “So photos and videos are important and shouldn’t be neglected.”

The study cited by Sutherlin was carried out by the company Brightlocal and can be found here: https://www.brightlocal.com/research/google-my-business-insights-study/

Make it easy for your customers to find you and work with you.Brett Sutherlin6. Don’t adjust and forget

Although much of the functionality of any website is automated, it still takes a lot of work to make your digital public relations work for you.

“You need a writer who creates new content every day and addresses occupation weekly,” says Sutherlin. “There are many hours in it. I think it would be a full time job to have a writer on the team who does whatever it takes to be front and center in the eyes of Google. “

And once your website and advertising programs are up and running, you need to gather data and measure the results, says Sutherlin.

Track things like incoming calls, directions, form submissions, requests for information, the frequency with which an article or blog is read, how much time is spent on the website. A good website will give you all of these metrics and use them to gauge what works and what doesn’t.

Brett SutherlinAdjust or disappear

Over the past decade, car dealers who haven’t done digital marketing and stuck with old-school newspaper ads have disappeared, ”says Sutherlin. “I think that’s going to happen in the construction industry,” he says. “From a digital perspective, the construction industry is about a decade behind most companies. But if 96% of people start their search online, contractors need to have a digital presence there to grow. “

If you’re looking for examples of contractors doing digital right, take a look at the links below for some of the websites Sutherlin’s company built for contractors: