If its September 2017, that means its two years since the Construction Media Index(the industry’s largest independent communications research programme) was last published, and we have another round of insights available into how decision makers, including architects, are using communication channels.

Journal readership

After a decade of evolution in the use of communication channels, it does seem that in some respects usage has settled down, with very little change in architect’s readership of hardcopy publications since 2015. Many Architects like to read a hardcopy journal, considering it more appealing to flick through and perhaps a relief from constant online search? However, those who have switched to online, see bulky hardcopy publications which rapidly go out of date as a disadvantage. And yes, age does make a difference in a preference for hardcopy, but it’s important to remember that many Baby Boomers are senior decision makers.

PC or mobile?

Current thinking is that web copy needs to be written for Smartphones first, PC and tablet second. And this view is supported by the research findings, with a major shift in usage of Smartphones. But this is a trend that has not been adopted by architects to the same extent as other construction industry decision makers. Perhaps this reflects the fact that they spend a lot of their time using design software with big-screen PCs and also access other information this way.

Manufacturer websites remain the most important source of technical information. Those considering a re-design need to give greater thought to the interplay of a variety of factors; compatibility with different forms of devices, interplay with blogs and other online information sources such as YouTube, the role of social media in directing decision-makers to the site and which social media to use in what way. Much of this requires a specialist knowledge of the construction industry, rather than just web design capability.

Information sources

Another interesting trend is the increased frequency of access to blog articles and social media. These now see daily visits by a significant proportion, and even most of the Baby Boomers access at least once a week. What has also changed is the number of sites that are regularly visited in a proactive manner, as opposed to following a link from a newsletter, email or tweet.

Facebook is the nation’s leading social network with over 42 million Facebook users in the UK. It accounts for one in every six minutes spent online and one in every five minutes spent on mobile. As with the rest of the population, membership amongst architects is up significantly compared to 2015. But far fewer say they use it for business related tasks compared to LinkedIn and Twitter. Yet Hubspot tells us that in 2017 Facebook is used for professional purposes by 74% of people. And we see similar figures for other construction industry decision makers.

But do not just focus on Facebook, our findings show that most architects are members of multiple social networks. For example, if a member of Twitter, the respondent will also be a member of LinkedIn and/or Facebook. Put simply there is not one social network that meets all the requirements of the construction marketer, a tailored multi-channel approach is required.

 

Chris is founder of Competitive Advantage Consultancy which specialises in market research and training for the construction industry. They have just published the 2017 Construction Media Index. He is a specialist in specification strategy, a member of theBIM4M2 working groups and serves on theorganising committee for CIMCIG, the Chartered Institute of Marketing’s Construction Industry Group.