As a construction company, general contractor, or builder, one of the most powerful tools you have to increase your brand image and boost results from digital marketing is video. People consume more video content than ever before, making it one of the most valuable tools any construction company has for building their social media followers and driving more traffic to their website.
You can use this video in the social media posts you create. You can use it as a component of your email campaign to bring back clients who may have requested a quote. It may also be an effective tool to help you during prospecting calls or meets with prospective clients. Video counts, and it's more accessible than ever.
The question many people have, though, is what type of video to use. What could you say? What do you have to put into a video that people want to see? Here are several types of video marketing construction companies will find beneficial in nearly all cases.
Brand Story Video
A brand story video tells people about your company, including the company's values and goals. Send this video with your proposals or place it on your website. It provides the prospective client with insight into who your company is, adding professionalism to your brand right away. It's also a great way to get their attention when you cannot be with them in person.
To make it work, be sure your brand story video is uniquely you and skips out on the terms everyone else uses like "professional" or "comprehensive" but instead tells more about what your objectives are. Why should people invest in your business? You can talk about your personality and work ethic. Provide a story-style video that tells the beginning of your business. Why did you create it? What type of an impact is your business making on the community around you?
To do it well, keep the following in mind:
- Include your people, as they make up a big part of your company
- Discuss your company’s values
- Include information on anything that makes your construction team different, such as the use of technology or innovative features
- Include footage from projects you’ve completed when possible
- Be upbeat and modern, but tell the story of your business rather than just a sales pitch
Testimonial Video
Testimonials are quite important. Investing in a home or a new commercial building means putting a lot of trust (and money) into a company, and often the customer does not know much about your company. This is where testimonial videos work well. Any of your satisfied customers and clients are going to be your prime target here. Your existing customers could provide the information that new customers need to make a decision to work with you.
Testimonials are excellent in convincing and converting prospective clients once they learn about your company. They provide a real look at how the company works and what they could expect if they decide to work with you. Testimonials are a tool that enables clear communication about the company’s best practices, customer support, and workmanship. The best of them display challenges that occurred during a project and how the company managed to overcome them.
When creating testimonial videos, focus on:
- Use a storytelling approach where your previous clients communicate what you did for them based on their needs or problems
- Focus on authentic testimonials – your prospective clients can tell if it is a marketing gimmick instead of a true previous client
- Encourage clients to talk about difficulties and problems, and then discuss how you fixed the problem
- Avoid having the clients talk about how great your business is and instead focus on what you did for them
- Don’t script it but instead create a conversational piece
Educational Video
Construction companies can often benefit from incorporating educational videos in their marketing. Today, consumers do not just want a solution. They want to know what their options are, how they will work, and what to expect. They need information. Whether you are using innovative building materials or you are creating eco-friendly spaces, you want your customers to be able to understand not just what you do but also how and why.
This type of video doesn’t have to be long, but it should be full of valuable information created for your specific audience. This will help your clients to best understand processes, products, methods, safety, and other factors that impact the work you do for the client as well as how you complete it. One of the best reasons to use educational content like this is because it elevates what customers think of your business. You are no longer just a general contractor, but you are an expert and have the ability to do what they need.
To ensure you get the best results from this type of video content, keep the following in mind:
- Research what people ask the most about your business's products, services, methods, technology, or other components of your operation
- Do you have something new that is going to change the way you work?
- Create videos that truly provide value to the person watching them
Walkthroughs and Time Lapse
Construction companies can do well to include walkthroughs and time lapse videos in their marketing efforts. These vehicles are fantastic ways to show people what happens and how it happens. They do not require a lot of words but rather rely on the actual video images that tell the story of what occurred.
Walkthrough videos can help to show what a person’s experience is walking through that space, perhaps viewing the layout and functionality of the space. This can help to convert prospective buyers quickly. They can easily see how the changes can impact their lives and day to day experiences. It also takes something that is typically a two dimensional drawing and helps to bring it to life. You can use previous projects as well as new designs to help people to see this.
Time lapse videos do a great job of this, too. They allow people to see (and usually become pretty impressed) exactly what changes occurred. When it comes to projects like renovations and remodels, perhaps even home additions, this type of process works the best.
When creating these videos, remember to:
- Shoot them professionally to ensure the quality is present as a smartphone video just is not going to create the same results
- Provide some premise about what the client wanted in previous projects, so the watcher knows how well you meet their needs
- Create different angles and vantage points, often incorporating the use of technology, to ensure the video is clear
Process Videos
Process videos break down what occurs at various stages of the construction process. Use them to show people what to expect. What is the process of completing the design? What happens after the approval of the design? What is the process of the build?
The more information you show like this, the more likely the customer is in agreement that this is the right decision for their needs. Process videos are a fantastic way to help alleviate worries and answer key questions before the client is ready to sign.
When creating process videos, focus on the following:
- Determine what your prospective client's pain points are
- Be accurate and ensure the client that they can expect a process similar to this
- Talk about why the process is important to understand
Creating video as a component of your video marketing as a construction company is a fantastic way to ensure your message gets through. Words are great, but images help to show people exactly what to expect.
