With the Christmas break concluded, and this blog’s transformation to WordPress from Blogger complete (though of course the former site, with its high SEO status will remain in place for archives and occasional special postings), I’ve discovered something surprising and important. For those of us fortunate to have a little knowledge, experience and leadership, the new online era provides us with a multi-media and multi-dimensional marketing gold mine, for virtually no cash.
As part of the site rebuild, for example, I formalized the Linkedin.com Construction Marketing Ideas group, a new Construction Marketing Ideas Facebook page and completed the galley proofs for the Construction Marketing Ideas book (which will ready for the online print-on-demand service most likely within the next two months.) And the Construction Marketing Ideas video page is set up, and you will see at least monthly videos from me on topics of relevance.
Is all of this working? Well, among the inquiries and joins for the Facebook page and linkedin.com group, we’ve received some serious inquiries from qualified potential clients for editorial features and advertising in our publications and readers have started completing the form (not set out in an extremely obvious or in-your-front place) for the Construction Marketing Ideas book.
Of course, I bring some specialized knowledge and experience to the table. I’m a reasonably competent writer and excellent journalist. But I am not a web designer, videographer, nor intentional expert on online marketing or search engine optimization. (However, perhaps because I started in this space early with a blog in 2006, I have become something of a true expert in online marketing, if unintentionally.)
The question is, should you try to do similar things yourself? Reading through the forums and online resources, I sense the most successful leaders in the field either have the resources to pay top dollar for truly high quality experts and capacity or are, indeed, managing their own DIY online marketing program. What doesn’t work, I sense, are sporadic, paid short-term initiatives, where you listen to a sales representative or a particular website catches your eyes, and you rush out for the latest and greatest solution, by writing a cheque (or more accurately, making an online credit card payment)
Here of course is the challenging dichotomy between delegation and self-initiative. If you don’t know enough about the process first-hand, it can be hard to get someone else to do it, unless you are ready to pay someone who knows, to find the right resources for you. These services are not and should not be inexpensive. (My personal consulting fee is $150 per hour — though I’m happy to answer questions online and in brief conversations, without charge.) You probably aren’t wasting money if you select a competent consultant because he or she can guide you correctly and you then can use much less expensive resources for the actual execution.
Or you can do it yourself, like I have. The trial and error can be painful, but the results and rewards are incredible. If you look, you will find virtually every answer you need online, or through informal sharing and co-operation among friends and colleagues. You will trade your time and sweat equity for marketing power at a price that will blow you away (virtually nothing).
. . . Now, if I could only find someone quickly to clean up the office . . ..
