The Importance of Timely SEM in the Construction Industry

For marketers, timeliness is everything. And it makes all the difference. It’s the difference between giving a purchase offer to a lead who is ready to buy, and giving a purchase offer to a lead who is just shopping around.
As a marketer, your goal is to reach the right customer at the right time with the right message. If you can do that, as difficult as it can often be, you’ve done your job. The rest is up to sales.
SEM is a fairly unique digital advertising channel. There are a number of ever changing factors which can directly influence the performance of your ads. As external factors and trends influence customer search and purchase behavior, you have to constantly adapt your SEM to improve performance.

The big question: as a search engine marketer, how can you positively react to new search factors and trends?

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Industry Buying Season

Every industry has an important buying season. As a larger industry, you may have an important, industry-wide season like retail and online shopping (i.e. Black Friday and Cyber Monday). There is also the possibility that your industry’s major seasons are different for each manufacturer or dealership.

You have to take advantage of these seasonal changes in customer purchase habits.

Using SEM in conjunction with promotional offers can help you convert customers during a peak selling season. You can offer exclusive discounts or free merchandise in your SEM ad copy. Customers are more likely to buy when they see something is on sale, or they get free things.

During strong buying seasons, many customers will be on the lookout for the best deals.

You may want to consider bidding on related terms like “sale” or “discount.” These general terms could be expensive, so consider mixing in some brand terms or other terms specific to your product to lower the cost.
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Reacting to Press

Your products and your company are going to get press. Sometimes it will get positive press coverage, and other times it will be negative press coverage. That’s just how things work out.
Bad press can be devastating for a company. Fortunately, press releases and press kits aren’t the only weapon in your arsenal to combat bad press. SEM can help you get the final word on the subject in a timely way.

You can build SEM campaigns to directly respond to negative press coverage.

You can use your social listening platforms to help you get an idea for the different keywords being used. After you’ve done some keyword research, bid on terms related to your negative coverage and explain the facts.
Use simple, information landing pages that show the facts about your products. They should easily debunk the bad press. Comparison charts are easy to scan and can help you transmit difficult information.

You may even be able to convert detractors into customers.

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New Product Launches

New products are a big deal. It doesn’t matter what industry you’re in. For construction, new products with extended capabilities are a great opportunity for both dealerships and OEMs. It’s something that both national and local marketing and sales teams can get excited about.
Whenever you launch a new product, there has to be a single, cohesive message. Your SEM ads need to have the same messaging as your social media and banner ads and press releases.

Your campaign channels must be consistent.

There are a few important steps you can take to ensure your SEM is on message and effectively converting contractors.

• Talk to public relations.

  See how they are pitching the product to the media. For much of your audience, media coverage may be their first introduction to your product. You need to stay consistent with the way the press is covering your new equipment.

• Product development are the people who know your products best.

  They know the features to emphasize for the consumers you’re speaking to. They also talk to these customers; so listening to the way they speak to these people can help your performance.

• Use keyword insight tools to see how people are looking for your new products or similar products.

  Figure out the values and things people associate with your brand and speak to those points.

Of all your marketing channels, SEM is one of the most timely. It begins displaying to searchers almost immediately, and you can use this to your advantage. Most importantly, you can use SEM to make the right offer at the right time.

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