Tips for Marketing a Civil Engineering Startup
Whenever you need to market a startup of any kind, the first thing you need to do is research your market. In most cases, a civil engineering startup will be local because of the nature of what it is this type of company does. You are in business to design structures of various kinds and for this, it does help to be ‘on site’, or at least close enough to make as many trips to location as necessary. Therefore, you will almost certainly be looking to market within your local area, and any surrounding communities you feel comfortable enough serving. In general, here are a few tips on marketing a civil engineering startup.
Identify Your Target Audience
As mentioned above, you will probably be looking for clients in your general area. However, that doesn’t mean that you would want to design a multi-lane freeway if your specialty is high rise architecture, for example. Yes, you need to target your market area, but when you are marketing engineering online, you also want to target the right audience within that general market.
Highlight Educational and Professional Accomplishments
If you are trying to reach an upscale target market, highlighting any noteworthy accomplishments is imperative. For example, if you studied at the renowned University of California Riverside, that online masters in engineering will hold a lot more weight than one from some obscure educational institution no one has ever heard of. When it comes to a project that is likely to run into the millions, a real estate developer wants to be assured you know your industry and have had the advantages of the latest research and technology.
Take Advantage of the Internet
As the old adage goes, a picture is worth a thousand words. You can tell prospective clients about all the buildings you’ve designed, but if you show them, it is much more effective. The Internet is a perfect vehicle for providing high resolution images of work you’ve done. You can also set up chat features, contact forms and content about your industry. You will get the broadest reach online, so take advantage of this amazing marketing tool.
Be Social – It Pays!
While you might want to take prospective clients out to dinner and cocktails, that is usually reserved for those all-out attempts to close a sale. In the interim, get on professional social networking sites like LinkedIn and build a strong following on Facebook. Not only does this allow you to start real dialogue with potential customers, but it also helps them to learn who you are and what you do. Build brand by building relationships and all of this will work together towards building trust.
Whether you are looking to market a civil engineering startup or any other kind of business, it is crucial that you let your audience know who you are and what you can do. That is the foundation of marketing and if you can successfully establish a relationship with a visitor to your site or social media page, you will have their undivided attention when it comes time to pitch the project.
