The construction industry is rapidly moving away from traditional marketing in favour of digital platforms, a new survey has revealed.

The PMW Communications survey, conducted at the recent South East Construction Expo and UK Construction Week exhibition, asked participants to provide a list of construction companies' marketing priorities.

The results of the survey saw digital platforms claim the top three spots in the list.

Delegates at the trade shows were given 10 tokens each, which represented 100% of their marketing budget in 10% denominations. Participants were then asked to place the tokens into six category boxes: social media, traditional advertising, brochures, PR and events, website, and digital advertising.

Over 200 people participated in the survey, representing a number of different companies within in the construction industry.

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With 24% of the vote, having a professional and informative website was high priority for delegates and topped the survey.

Digital advertising came second with 20%, and social media completed a digital top three with 19%.

Peter Sutton, Managing Director of PMW Communications, said: "PMW is celebrating its 25th anniversary this year, so we're in a great place to see how marketing options have evolved and expanded. The results of the survey reflect the fact that technology has become integral to our daily lives, as we no longer rely fully on adverts in newspapers or magazines, instead choosing to Google, or look on a company's website or social media platforms for the information we need.

"It's therefore now vital for businesses to optimise SEO so they appear on the first page of online searches, or to be engaging with customers over Facebook, Twitter or LinkedIn."

Brochure design and PR and events were tied in fourth with a respectable 15%. Traditional advertising methods were the lowest priority picking up 7% of the vote.

Mr Sutton added: "Despite the expected growth in digital options, there is still a place for more traditional marketing activities in the construction industry. Creative PR is a really cost-effective way of reaching target audiences, and can offer excellent value in terms of ROI, and events give a company the chance to engage with potential customers in person, which is something the digital world can never replace.

"It's difficult to predict what marketing options will be available to construction companies in the next 10 years, but in such a fast paced industry, we're excited to find out."

(CM/MH)