Message from Doug…

The Presidential Election & Other Scary Things

Here we find ourselves in November. It seems as though we were just warming up for a busy summer and having the kids home for their summer break. Halloween is over (check out my gorilla pictures on the back page). At this point, all of the “good” candy has been gobbled up by the children – and their parents.

Now we begin that fast, hectic bobsled run through the Holidays. Before we know it, we’ll come to our senses in mid-January and wonder where the last few months went. The older we get, the faster time seems to go by.

You are receiving this Newsletter after the Presidential elections. However, due to the time requirements of publishing a document such as this, I am writing this prior to the elections.

Remember how uncertain you were a few weeks ago about the results of the upcoming election? That’s how I feel while writing this message.

Aside from the Zombie costumes, the most frightening thing for me during Halloween was the thought of the upcoming Presidential election.

Whatever the final results of the election, I will jokingly tell you that you can now find me down at the local pub. If Obama is re-elected, I’ll be crying in my beer wondering how much damage can be done in another four year period. If Romney has been elected, I’ll be suggesting toasts and buying rounds.

We all know that regardless of who gets to live at 1600 Pennsylvania Ave, life will go on. We will still have to work harder and smarter to keep moving forward.

There are some positive signs out there about our industry and about Atlanta in particular. For example, Builder magazine recently revealed their “Best Markets for 2013.” The report focused on the largest 100 markets in the country. They created the lists based on forecasted economic market health, volume of new-home sales, and growth in new-home sales over 2012.

The Atlanta-Sandy Springs-Marietta market ranked:

• 4th in Best Overall Sales
• 2nd in Best Forecasted Growth

No matter who has won the election, those are excellent forecasts.

We’ve just been through the worst time for our industry since the Great Depression (some say the worst time, period). We’ve learned how to adapt and get by on a lot less than before. Whatever happens in the next four years and beyond, we’ll figure out how to deal with it and forge our own path.

Happy Thanksgiving,

Recent Referrals

Thanksgiving and the Holidays are around the corner. As we begin making plans to visit with family and friends and enjoy our holiday festivities, we want to take a moment to give a sincere THANK YOU to the following people that recently referred our company:

Kevin Nelson, Cobalt Contracting – Builder www.CobaltContracting.com

Kevin Young, David Weekley Homes – Builder www.DavidWeekleyHomes.com

Greg Palmer, Harrison Design Associates – Architect www.HarrisonDesignAssociates.com

Social Media for Contractors

Does it Bring In Sales or Just Waste Your Time?
By Doug Herbert

Are you one of those contractors who fears that if you aren’t completely engrossed in social media that you are missing out or doing something wrong? I don’t blame you; social media seems to be all we hear about these days. I believe social media is just one of many marketing tactics that we should be using.

The Social Media Trap
The social media craze has taken over all industries, whether it makes sense or not. It reminds me of the fallacy of “branding” for small businesses. Years ago, marketing textbooks would tell you to spend your marketing budget on image ads that established your brand. That may work for Coke and Ford, but not you and me. We are small business owners. We operate on a very small profit margin. Every dollar or hour we spend on marketing has to return to us with a prospective customer attached to it.

Image ads didn’t work for small businesses back then, but they were easy. You just paid someone to put an ad in the paper or on a billboard and that was it. That may have been easy, but it didn’t result in new customers.

Just as those image ads were easy, social media is easy, too. The big draw is that it is seemingly free. “Hey,” you say, “It would cost me a couple hundred bucks to send post cards to potential customers. But, social media is free.” It may be free to have a Facebook page, but your time is not free.

 

“If all of the time you are putting into social media isn’t working, then change what you are doing. It doesn’t matter that everybody else is doing it if it doesn’t help YOUR business.”

Every hour you spend on social media could be better spent on other areas of your business. You could be implementing marketing tactics that work more effectively. Or, you could devote that time to streamlining your operations to squeeze every dollar out of the work that you currently have.

I think many people are hiding behind social media, and are taking the easy way out. Re-tweeting interesting thoughts and articles is easy compared to calling on a prospective customer. Adding another blog post about a recently competed job is a lot more fun than implementing a system for tracking where your leads are coming from.

Sure, you may have friends on Facebook, connections on LinkedIn, and followers on Twitter. But can you specifically and confidently show me what leads have come from that? Do your social media efforts directly correlate to checks in your mailbox? Let me ask you this: if you cut in half the time you spend on social media, would your work fall off by 25 to 50 percent? Or, if you stopped your social media efforts altogether, would you notice any drop in sales?

Utilize Multiple Marketing Strategies
Let’s be realistic. If all of the time you are putting into social media isn’t working, then change what you are doing. It doesn’t matter that everybody else is doing it if it doesn’t help YOUR business. Put that time and energy into strategies that actually bring in new customers.

Spread your marketing efforts across multiple tactics. Social media can be one tactic in your overall sales/marketing strategy. Measure the effectiveness of every marketing tactic so you know what works for your business. Eliminate the tactics that don’t bring in new customers, and pour the coals to the tactics that work.

Limit Social Media Time
Are you afraid that you’ll miss the boat if you are not involved in social media? If so, then have someone manage it for you, such as your Office Manager. Or, hire a college kid for part-time work (they know more about social media than you do, anyway). Give them guidelines, a little direction and let them handle it.

Can’t bear to have someone else manage your personal image online? Then limit yourself to fifteen minutes a day. Schedule that time at the end of the day. If your important meetings and tasks throughout the day cause you to fall behind schedule, all you’ll do is miss your social media time. Worse things could happen.

Should you have a presence in social media? Sure, have a presence. But, don’t let that be the only marketing that you do. Hold it accountable for adding to the sales of the company just as you would any other marketing tactic. Spend your time on the things that will have the biggest impact on your business in the shortest amount of time.

Jacklett Construction Award

 

Herbert Construction Company received the 2012 Basement Project of the Year by the Concrete Foundations Association earlier this year. Construction on this Equestrian Estate located in Alpharetta, GA, is scheduled for completion in May, 2013 by Jacklett Construction Company. We really enjoyed being a part of such a prestigious project, so as a token of our appreciation, we presented Jacklett Construction with a plaque commemorating the honor we received from our industry leaders.

How About A FREE Turkey for the Holidays?

We at Herbert Construction Company are so thankful for our customers and newsletter subscribers, and as a way of expressing our thankfulness, we are giving away four frozen turkeys – absolutely free!

YOU can be a winner! Just be one of the first people to call Doug at 678-859-2304, even if it is the weekend. He will personally deliver your 16-18 lb. frozen turkey to you, just in time for Thanksgiving Day.

Don’t worry, there is no “catch” or “hook”. Doug won’t try to sell you on anything. So even if you haven’t done business with us before, or haven’t been able to use our company in a while, please call! You can bring home a free turkey for your Holiday feast – and your family will love you for it!

Just remember, only four free turkeys will be given away, so call right away to reserve yours. Limit one turkey per company. This offer is only available to our inner circle of newsletter subscribers… not the general public.

Have You Seen This?

Line 2 Pro (formerly Toktumi) is an app for smart phones that allows you to add an additional phone line to your existing phone, or turn your iPod or iPad into a phone.

This great app means you no longer have to carry around two phones, and helps you to keep your personal and business lives separate.

Pick a new phone number (even 800 numbers are available), or transfer an existing number, and place and receive phone calls over WiFi, 3G/4G data, or cellular voice networks using your Line2 number. You can try it free for 7 days by visiting  http://www.line2.com/home/pricing/line2-pro.

Halloween Pictures

Every Halloween I dress up in a Gorilla suit for the Trick or Treaters in our neighborhood. I built a gorilla cage out of rebar and put it in our front yard. Once the kids grab their candy, I break out of the cage and chase them down the hill. Then, its back into the cage while I wait for the next group of kids! This has turned into a tradition in my neighborhood, and has become a huge hit with both the kids and their parents.

To see a video of the gorilla breaking out of the cage and chasing kids down the driveway, go to our company facebook page.