The Construction Marketing Awards recently hosted a webinar called Traditional meets Digital. We invited leading industry players, all of whom are working on the interface where digital and traditional media come together, to sit on our panel and share their views.
The panel were all agreed that it is not a case of one medium over another but a matter of a blended approach. Different media have different roles. Those roles are decided by the type of information to be delivered:
• Is it nice to know or need to know? Legislation or technical data may be better presented in a digital format, which is instantly available.
• What format is best suited to the information? For example plans of a building may be more easily viewed in a hard copy format.
• How many and where are the audience? With an online presentation it is possible to reach 1,000 people around the world.
• Do participants want to meet to build relationships? In which case a live event will be best to achieve this.
What is important is that people can enjoy a tailored experience which works for them.
What is also clear is that marketers need to have a well thought through approach, ensuring their engagement is effective. For example, when manning an exhibition stand it is important to think about what the visitors want. For them it is an opportunity to learn much more about your products and services. So, the people on your stand need to be able to deliver a high level of understanding. Perhaps it should not be just the sales team but the technical experts who can explain concepts in detail.
A digital approach permits a granular approach to communications. For the marketer this means quality not quantity and understanding the customer’s challenges. This is not new, but a mediocre approach is becoming less acceptable. The construction sector needs to improve its game to match the standards set by the B2C sector. Standards which the Construction Marketing Awards recognise in their shortlisted finalists.
The Panel comprised:
• Chris Ashworth, Vice Chairman – CIMCIG
• Liam Bateman, Managing Director – The Think Tank
• Robin Cordy, Marketing Director – NBS
• Kate Perrin, Marketing Director – Barbour ABI
• Helen Castle, Director of Publishing – RIBA
• Jonathan Stock, Publishing Director – Architecture Today
• Nathan Garnett, Director – UK Construction Week
You can view a recording of the webinar here.
