New Website for Larson & Associates Goes Live

Have you seen my new website design yet?

I recently completed this website for the company of Larson & Associates in Pierce County, which specializes in the services of land surveying, land use & planning, civil engineering and project management.  Larson previously had a simple website, which was created more than ten years ago, so they were long overdue for a fresh new home page to direct potential clients to and display their bevy of services.  Although they do not currently implement any social media or blogging activities, the simple elegance of their new website allows for them to easily integrate these features any time they like in the future.  The calm, cool and collected simplicity of the design shows off the sophistication of the company and all that they have to offer to the development community in Western Washington.  They now have a place on the internet that they can be proud of and make potential clients feel welcome.  Check it out here at www.rrlarson.com.  

You can view more of my work over on the einstein website at www.einsteindesignconsulting.com. 

Weekly Wrap Up 6/14/13

Just in case you missed any of my social media postings this week, here's a wrap up of all my links...

The way SUCCESSFUL marketing works today! http://bit.ly/18OZk3S

Good information about the housing industry from the NAHB... http://lnkd.in/QQfG6f 

5 Ways Social Media Supports All Critical Areas of Any Company http://ow.ly/lUasi 

This is where I like to daydream. You might, too. Design Inspiration: http://ow.ly/lUby5 

5 Steps to Calculate Social Media ROI Using Google Analytics: http://ow.ly/lUaDO 

Designer Concrete That Displays Decorative Patterns When Wet...  http://ow.ly/lUbbI 

Website Envy...This one is a good example of how to get potential clients to stay a while. httow.ly/lUbYL

Instagram is hot in social media right now. Here's some Instagram Tips from Photographers ttp://ow.ly/lWwTZ 

Legos & architecture decide to hook up...‘LEGO House’ To Be Built In Denmark.  http://ow.ly/lWxeL 

Original Mad Man David Ogilvy on the 10 Qualities of Creative Leaders... http://ow.ly/lWygm 

I think I need one of these...Privacy Pod: Massaud Work Lounge for Coalesse NeoCon 2013 ttp://ow.ly/lWACc 

Finally! The Hashtag Hits Facebook...http://ow.ly/lYIKS

More good news on the horizon for the housing industry...http://lnkd.in/axMyNa 

Infographics on Infographics! The Ultimate Guide to Marketing Infographics http://ow.ly/lYJ39 

Hey all you Architects out there! What do think of this? A Notebook Specifically For Architects tp://ow.ly/lYJl5 

Some good advice on how to do it right...Digital Marketing: It's Not Just Business, it's Personal ttp://ow.ly/lYJE1 

Instagram Tips: Build rapport with your followers & strengthen your brand by participating in #throwbackthursday http://ow.ly/m0WZx 

What a Great Homepage Does to Hook Customers http://ow.ly/lYLtW

Happy Friday!

Social Media Basics: 5 Ways to Promote Your Construction Blog

The necessity of content marketing has been pretty much beat into our brains for quite a while now.  It doesn't matter if you're a builder, a remodeler, a wood floor installer or a realtor.  You have to be able to provide some sort of valuable information that your customers can take away and use on their own.  It sells them on your integrity, your know-how and your awareness of what's happening in the building and construction industry.  So what are the best methods of getting your informational content out there into the world in an effective way that ensures people will see it?  It's really quite obvious...social media, of course.  Here's how to do it.

The first step, naturally, is to write and post an article on your blog about a relevant topic.  It could be information about the upcoming home show, ways to survive your kitchen remodel experience, the best kind of lighting to utilize in your custom closet, etc.  When that's done....enter social media.  

1.  Provide a description and a link on Twitter.  Make sure to add all the applicable hashtags to your tweet.  For all of us in the construction and building industry some very helpful hashtags would be the following:  #construction #building #remodeling #homes #residential #commercial #houses #realestate #kitchen #bathroom #interiordesign #design, etc.  How word spreads:  If your content is good and folks like you and your company, they will retweet it, thus the trickle-down effect.  Now, instead of reaching 1000 of your followers, you're also reaching your follower's 1000 followers.  That's 2,000 followers!

2.  If you have a Linked In account (and I hope you do), you can also post a description of your blog article in addition to a link.  This is the perfect way to make sure all your professional buddies get to see what you're up to.  Linked In has the same potential trickle-down effect that Twitter does.  If one of your professional friends shares your link, then your reach just increases.

3.  Provide a link to the article on your Facebook page.  In addition to making sure your professional associates see what you're writing about, Facebook provides the opportunity for personal friends and family to see it as well.

4.  Your email newsletter is a really great way for customers and prospects to have access to your content.  It also maintains top-of-mind awareness for your customer if you haven't seen them in a while. It will make it hard for them to forget you when they are thinking of moving on to their next home improvement project.

5.  Pinterest is a method of communication that not everyone thinks about as a means of providing blog links.  It is customary to add a photo to most blog articles.  Why not pin the photo to a board on your Pinterest account that specifically represents your company's blog articles.  Call the board "Domicile Experts Blog", for example.  Pin the photo, add a caption and link to your article and you're done!  Just another potential clicking chance for your followers to access your information by.

Of course these are just the very basic means of getting your content out there for the public to see.  Get creative and the possibilities are really endless.

Do you need assistance in managing your social media?  Einstein Design & Consulting can help you with that.  Just click on the link below to go to our website and see what we can do.

7 Things That Your Construction-Related Company Should Be Blogging About

A blog is just a basic marketing tool of every successful business nowadays, so you are doing the right thing by pursuing your new year's resolution to post valuable content to your blog every week.  But what should you be talking about?

Here are seven topics of conversation that folks in the construction industry should be blogging about:

1.  Your current projects.  If you are a remodeler, this could be before-and-after photos of that kitchen renovation that you've recently completed.  For a new home builder, it could be pics of the home you are in the middle of construction on.  Anything that shows good things that you are up to in your business.

2.  Industry news.  Is there something happening in the world of home construction that you know your customers would appreciate being informed about?  This could include anything from land rezoning news to dips in the current rate of new construction loans to the latest design trends.

3.  Charity work that you've done.  Your attention to detail and fine craftsmanship may win over some customers.  But for others, the hook may be your amount of participation in the community and all of your charitable giving.  By putting your charity work on display, you are showing that you care about the place where you live and do business.  What could be more important than that?  So go ahead and show off your involvement in the MBA Paint for Tomorrow program or your recent contribution to Habitat for Humanity.  It builds up your level of integrity and customers will appreciate your commitment. 

4.  New products or services that you are unrolling in the new year, season, quarter.  For example, if you're deciding to go green with your company, you might want to discuss what kind of sustainable building products you are including in the specs of all your new homes. 

5.  How-to's.  It's always a good idea to provide easy projects that homeowners can do on their own without your help.  They will appreciate your offer of valuable information on occasion that doesn't always include a price tag.  Some examples might be ways to make your home more energy efficient or how to prepare your house for the winter.

6.  Sales, contests, and deals that you are offering.  A blog is nothing if not a chance for free advertising.  Use it to showcase opportunities to get people in your front door.  Having a contest or featuring a sale on your blog can be the perfect way to reward people for becoming blog subscribers.  Why not host a sale that caters only to those who read the blog?  For example, you could post an article that promises "20% off when you mention this blog article".

7.  Upcoming or recent events, both for your business and other industry-related businesses.  Company charity events, auctions, seminars, MBA meetings, Food Bank drives, community meetings, special occasions.  These are all events that you should be mentioning.  Notify your followers of dates and times and how these different events will be of benefit to them.  You could also provide good photos in articles you post after the events actually take place, which act as evidence of the great time that was had by all and the different community leaders that might have attended.   This is undoubtedly a chance to side-market your affiliates, too, if they are hosting or attending a special event.  They will appreciate it and could return the favor at some point.

These are just a few ideas of different subjects that you could write about.  The possibilities are really endless.  Just make sure to keep it professional and relevant to your business.  And remember to always post links to your blog articles throughout all of your social media outlets.  If your company employees also have social media accounts, encourage them to post links as well.  The more hits, the more prospects, the more business.  Happy blogging!

Do You Go the Extra Mile?

The other day I decided to go through the drive thru lane of a local coffee stand on my way to work and pick up my regular order of a 12 oz drip with rice milk and two raw sugars.  It was a wet, rainy day.  A very, very wet, rainy day.  I pulled up to the stand, rolled down my window and gave the kind lady my order.  In the mean time, all that dampness proceeded to irritatingly work its way into my car as the rain drip, drip, dripped through my open window while I patiently waited for my cup of hot brew.  In a short time, though, my lovely cup of java was presented to me and the fee was exchanged for it.  Here’s where it gets good.  Something happened that has never ever happened to me before, even though I live in one of the most rainy, wet states in the lower 48.  The barista handed me a big bunch of paper towels to dry off the interior of my car that had gotten wet.  Yes, I’ll admit, it doesn’t sound all that exciting.  But it did make me extremely happy to have something to do with all that uninvited moisture.  Plus, and this is a big plus, it made me feel taken care of. 

Now, let me just say, this wasn’t an aha moment for me that made me decide that I will forevermore patronize this coffee stand and no other coffee stand for as long as I shall ever drink coffee.  That’s because, for various reasons, it has always been my favorite local coffee stop.  The baristas are nice, it’s relatively inexpensive, and the coffee is consistently good.  They always had me.  But it definitely gave me one more good reason why I will continue to come back.  And sometimes, as business owners, that’s exactly what we need to do.  We should always give great service.  We should always offer a great product that we truly believe in.  And at times, we should give our customers one more good reason that they should continue to come back.  It’s called going the extra mile.

What have you done lately to go the extra mile?  Have you made your customers feel like they have been well taken care of?

DO YOU HAVE A SOCIAL MEDIA PLAN?

The new year is officially upon us.  It’s therefore time again to reassess all aspects of business planning.  So where should you be focusing on planning for your company?  If business development is high on your priority list, you might want to think about updating your social media plan.  “Social media plan?”  you might say to yourself.  Yes, that’s right.  Think of it as just one small piece of your total marketing strategy puzzle.  It doesn’t have to be fancy, just something simple and to-the-point that keeps everybody’s eye on the prize.  In other words, it’s the day-to-day method of implementing steps within the grand marketing plan.  Because, as you undoubtedly already know, in this age of content-focused marketing, social media is certainly one of the most (if not the most) powerful marketing weapons we have…and it’s cheap.  If you don’t keep up with it, though, your company is likely to get lost in the vast universe that we call the internet.  It can all become a bit overwhelming if you don’t have a good plan of attack.  Here is an example of what a simple social media plan might look like.

SAMPLE SOCIAL MEDIA PLAN FOR 2013

Twitter

• Design a Twitter Page.
• Follow a minimum of 5 people a day based on industry interests.
• Post a minimum of 3 tweets a day.  
• Links to articles on my company blog.
• Links to Company website.
• Links to sale advertisements on the website.
• Links to portfolio.
• Links to Company successes.
• Special offers to followers.
• Comments with those I follow and who follow me.
• Retweets of content from others.
•  Moments/Commentary from my daily life.
• Exclusive free information. 
• Interact with at least 3 other people a day.

 Facebook

• Design a Facebook Page.
• Like/Friend a minimum of 5 businesses/people a week.
• Post a minimum of 2 times a day.
• Links to articles on my company blog.
• Share comments/thoughts with others.
• Pictures of different company events.
• Informational content.
• “Like”/comment on the activity of at least 1 other business/person a day.

Linked In

• Design a Linked In Company Profile.
• Have all employees add their own individual Linked In profiles.
• Connect with everyone that my company does business with.
• Follow all companies that my company does business with or wants to do business with.
•  Join at least 4 Industry related groups.
• Post at least 2 times a day.
• Links to articles on my company blog.
• Share others’ content from their posts.
• Market research.
• Share articles from Linked In news articles.
•  Join groups of the associations that I belong to.
• Participate in group discussions.

 Pinterest

• Set up Pinterest Account/Page
• Start/Maintain a minimum of 10 Boards.
• Follow a minimum of 5 Industry/Company related boards a week.
• Pin at least 10 industry related images a week.
• Repin at least 10 industry related images a week.
• Comment on a minimum of 10 images a week.
• Pin company sale images.

Blog

• Write at least 2 articles a week.
• Design
• Marketing
• Social media
• Customer Relations
• Post link to blog article on Twitter, Facebook, Linked In.
• Pin image from the article to Company Pinterest Board.
• Post ads for company sales.

And that’s it.  In a generic nutshell kind of way.  It might also be helpful to prepare a daily/weekly social media checklist to help the people in charge remember all the pertinent tasks that they need to get through each day.  It does seem overwhelming, but try to remember, social media can be fun…and profitable!

Need help keeping track of your company’s social media accounts?  Einstein Design & Consulting can help you with that.

Click here to go straight to the website for more info about us!