By Mark Buckshon
If you can imagine a table or structure which needs foundation ?legs?, you will appreciate how to apply these four supporting construction marketing concepts.
Properly measured and in alignment, all four will ensure your success, but you can get away with three (and in fact, your structure will be quite stable). Less than three, though, and you won?t stay above ground very long.
I tried to develop these concepts into an acronym, but the closest I could come up with is RIMC. Think of ?hockey rink? but turn the N into an M for ?Money? and you?ll have it.
It doesn?t matter which order these elements are available, but you need at least three to succeed.
R ? Relationships
Your ability to develop and maintain relationships with employees, clients, and influencers is certainly a cornerstone of effective marketing. If you don?t have much relationship-creating power, you can blast your way with lots of Intensity, Money and Consistency (but you had better be sure to have lots of money!)
I ? Intensity (or Focus)
If your relationships (and business) are all over the place, scattered here and there, without much energy applied to any element, just whispers in the wind, you won?t leave much of an impact, and you won?t achieve much in terms of marketing results. But if you have plenty of relationships, money and consistency, you?ll probably still succeed, simply because the cash will ?buy? you some intensity and if people like you, they will do business with you.
M ? Money
Of course, money can ?buy? the other categories, or help you work around them. No relationships, intensity, or consistency: You can bribe someone, or spend a fortune on advertising, or hire someone for great pay who is good at relationship-building. You can overcome deficiencies with lots of money (or waste it!).
C ? Consistency
Your clients need to see you for who you are; you need to convey some consistency, even if that consistency is unpredictability. In other words, if your image one day is of a staid and secure organization appealing to quiet, mature people, you will not have much success if you jar them suddenly with an appeal to youthful exuberance. But you can overcome inconsistency with cash, relationships and intensity. (Think ?rebranding? initiatives.)
What is the best way to achieve construction marketing success? Without spending much (if any money) build your relationships, intensity and consistency. Then, when you have the money, add it to the pot. You?ll dominate your market.
Originally published in the Construction Marketing Ideas blog, August, 2009.
