Rich Newsome
It’s been a couple of weeks since the Insynth team returned from our visit across the pond. The main aim of our trip was to attend Inbound 2019: an annual sales and marketing conference that brings together industry leaders to deliver high-quality, educational sessions.
As you can imagine, I learnt a lot! You can read about my top five highlights here.
Prior to the Inbound 2019 event, however, we had a couple of days to explore the delights that New York and Boston had to offer. Little did I know at the time, but those two days allowed me to look at marketing from a whole new perspective.
So I thought I’d share some of my experiences and how they’ve allowed me to view my role as a marketer [in the building products and construction industry] in a new light.
1. The Customer Service
I should probably mention that this was my first time in the States, so I was quite surprised at the level of customer service delivered in comparison to what we get here in the UK.
Professional, friendly and helpful are all words that come to mind. Sales assistants and restaurateurs couldn’t do enough for us and they always went above and beyond to ensure our needs were met.
Within the US hospitality industry, the wages are notoriously low, and many workers rely on tips as a way of earning a decent wage. I can’t say that I agree with poor wages, but this could account for the level of professionalism we received; their earnings depended on it!
It made me think: Do we spend enough time making our customers happy? In digital marketing, this could mean anything from a friendly follow-up email or an outstanding exchange between one of your office staff and a potential customer.
Are you capturing these positive experiences on your building products website? Think about your case studies and testimonials.
Good customer service goes a long way. In fact, when we carry out monthly reports for our clients, guess which of our client’s pages often have the most views? You guessed it: the ‘case studies’ page.
I later found out that Bostonians are renowned for their unfriendliness, according to fellow Americans. I can honestly say that I did not experience this, which might have a lot to do with what I’m used to back home!
2. The Architecture
Being a bit of an architecture enthusiast, you can imagine that most of my time spent in New York and Boston was spent with my jaw on the ground. I don’t think there’s a word in the English language that could describe the awesomeness of the architecture, and quality of workmanship.
We all know the famous picture. The one where the construction workers casually eating lunch across a beam hanging 850 feet in the air on the site that was to become the Rockerfeller Centre. For me, it sums up America: somewhere that is always building, always progressing and always leading the way. Here's my own sketch of the famous piece of art.
Architecture in America is projected to grow 8 percent from 2018 to 2028, faster than the average for all occupations, demonstrating that those buildings will continue to impress for years to come.
3. The Branding
Every coffee shop you went into, you could purchase a t-shirt, mug, or any other handy household item. These little add-on-sales serve a number of purposes. Firstly, it’s additional profit for the company. Secondly, it’s a great way to build brand awareness.
Our favourite breakfast spot in Boston was a bakery/coffee shop called Flour. They did a superb job at marketing themselves as a cool, vibrant eatery that values organic produce and anti-plastic solutions. Every morning, the shop would be heaving with young professionals, grabbing a bite to eat before work.
Places like Flour highlighted the importance of brand awareness, no matter what industry you’re in.
Consider ways you can build your brand awareness. Could you sponsor a local football team and get your logo printed on their kits? Are your products sustainably sourced? If so, promote it.
Conclusion
America leads the way for innovation in many aspects; from marketing to building and construction. I’m thankful for the experience, and I’m looking forward to returning one day.
We’re always looking for ways to improve, and part of this requires us to be ahead of the game in digital marketing within the building products and construction industry.
Trips like this are invaluable for our professional development. Our new knowledge of innovative marketing practices enables us to provide exceptional service to our new and existing clients. If you’d like to benefit from the work that we at Insynth do, get in touch today.
About Insynth
As the only HubSpot certified agency to major on construction marketing, we bring together construction marketing strategy, digital strategy, website design, SEO, content marketing, email marketing, sales automation, marketing automation and HubSpot CRM implementation to produce successful campaigns and great results for our clients.