Although the construction industry seems to be booming right now, winning new projects is still a challenge that every contractor and builder faces. How many times have you spent hours gathering quotes, putting together extensive proposals, and schmoozing potential clients, only to find out that the project was awarded to another company?
I’m all too familiar with the challenges of trying to win new projects and growing the number of clients that return for more work. Before launching my first company and going full time, I spent years working as a lead estimator for a multi-million dollar commercial construction company.
The good news…
The good news is, there are some simple things that you can do to immediately differentiate yourself from other companies in your field and add that “wow” factor to your marketing and bid materials that will demonstrate the level of care and experience that you bring to every project. Enter online video. Video has quickly proven itself to become one of the best ways that you can boost your sales and marketing efforts.
- Video in an email can lead to
200-300 % increase in click-through rate. - People are up to 85% more likely to buy a product or service after watching a video.
- People are 4x more likely to watch a video than
read text
What kind of videos are working?
Here’s the kicker.
1. Brand Vision Film/Company Overview
The first type of video we recommend is a strong brand vision or company overview video. This will be the video that introduces your company, your values, and what makes you unique.
The benefits:
Having a solid brand video on your website and even contained within your proposals
Why it works:
This video is the next best thing to being right there in person with your prospective client. And we all know that being face-to-face always increases the likelihood of winning new work.
Pro tips:
- Stay away from buzzwords like “professional, comprehensive,
ect ”. Go deeper and find ways to include your own personality, origin story, and anything else that may resonate with the audience. - Remember to not just talk in bullet points and facts. Include the bigger picture values that your company holds to be true. As Simon Sinek says, “People don’t buy what you do, they why you do it.”
Example:
2. Testimonial Videos
One of the most powerful video types that will have an immediate effect on your sales process is testimonials or “success stories”. Testimonials feature past clients talking about how you helped them on a past project.
The benefits:
Testimonials are extremely effective in convincing and converting prospective clients that have discovered your brand. They show
Why it works:
Testimonials are effective because they are “3rd party endorsements”. Think about it this way. If I told you that I made the best videos around and you should hire me, that would come across as arrogant and not very convincing. But if someone who is just like you told a story about how we have helped their business using video and recommended that you give us a shot, that would be much more effective.
Pro tips:
- Focus on story
- It’s not about getting the person to talk about how great you are. Instead, have them talk about the real challenges that they faced and how you helped overcome those challenges. More importantly, how did that make their lives better?
- Ditch the script and shoot for conversational.
Example:
3. Educational Video Content
OK so now you have a strong brand video that helps nurture prospective clients that find you. And you’ve paired it with some powerful video testimonials that help show real results and aid the decision-making process. But there’s one more thing you can do to really supercharge your sales and marketing efforts and that is by creating short educational video pieces. Often times, these will feature a representative of your company speaking directly to the camera about a specific topic that is relevant to your audience.
The benefits:
These videos are extremely powerful in establishing credibility for your brand. By creating videos that help your potential clients and feature you or your company speaking from experience, you are demonstrating your expertise in your field, not just claiming to be experts. These videos are also helpful in arming your prospective clients with the upfront knowledge to aid the success of a project and ensure a smooth workflow.
Why it works:
This video type leverages a powerful psychological concept called reciprocity. By adding up front value to your prospective clients without charging them a dime, the are more likely to want to return the favor down the road and give you work.
Pro tips:
- Do some research to find out what pain points or questions that your prospective clients have to make videos that are actually relevant to them
- Focus on adding as much value as possible. Simply throwing together a video with “fluffy” content will not have a positive effect on your business
- Share the videos through an email newsletter to get even more use out of them
How to get it done?
There you have it! Implement any one or all of these video types properly, and you will be sure to see lasting results on your sales goals. If you need help with any of this, please reach out. We not only help produce the best videos possible but work with you to gain clarity on your unique brand messaging as well as determine what content is going to resonate most with your audience. Finally, rather than sending over a video file and walking away, we will work with you to ensure that your videos are properly being implemented to ensure real results.