Backup in websites and Construction Marketing

About 15 months ago, I migrated the primary Construction Marketing Ideas blog from this site to one on a server under supposedly under my control, using WordPress software and templates.  When I switched things to the new site, I considered whether to redirect the posts here to the new location, and essentially shut this blog down -- but decided instead to leave things alone, perhaps posting less frequently.

The decision to leave this blog intact (in general) has proven to be wise -- especially after things went very wrong last week on the new blog.  Suddenly, spam comment postings -- previously blocked by the blog's software -- started pouring into the in-box.  Meanwhile, the "load time" to update and maintain posts increased to the point that the blog became nonfunctional.  Worse, as I researched the problem, I discovered a totally unauthorized individual had gained access to the blog's back-end control panel as an "authorized user".

Fearing the worst -- that a hacker or some malicious individual had gained access to my blog -- I started working on defensive measures.  As one solution after another failed, I reached the "nuclear bomb" stage when I decided to clean out the entire server -- saving what I could, but essentially erasing every file, database and posting.

I then installed security software, new blog software and tried to reload the postings I had been able to save.

The problem remained as bad as it had been originally.  Worse, my Internet Service Provider (ISP), asked me to take my business elsewhere, saying my problems were causing serious problems in email transmissions for the service provider's other clients.

I dug into the problem even deeper, asking an offshore consultant to set up a parallel blog with exactly the same software on a totally different server (the consultant had the foresight to set this blog to be invisible from the search engines to avoid duplicate content penalties.)  His conclusion:  Everything worked fine, so it must be my ISP.

This indeed turned out to be the case.  Suddenly, yesterday morning, everything started working properly on the new blog -- and the ISP sent me an email saying, indeed, they had discovered the problem at their end.

Of course, I have many hours of rebuilding to do.  I need to reset the links, features, and other elements of the new blog and (more significantly to readers here), catch and correct cross links which may now lead to defunct or non-existent pages).

As for the ISP, I'm following through on their recommendations to move to a dedicated server with an upstream host.  This will give me some more control, ability to expand, and lower costs overall.

Of course, I'm glad I didn't close this blog down in making the transition because it has been able to continue throughout the problem and backup data and resources here will help me in the rebuilding at the new blog site.

Price, relationships and value

Last night, before our sons' hockey team started playing, an entrepreneur updated me on his construction marketing challenges.  He distributes an environmentally effective LED lighting system -- in fact, a few years ago, he was one of the first to the market with this low-energy lighting model, and discovered (with some incredibly positive media publicity), distributors clamoring at his door for the opportunity to sell his product.  In other words, as a true early adaptor with positive publicity behind him, he had found (at least temporarily) the holy grail of business/entrepreneurship -- a market so strong that individuals would actually pay him for the right to sell his product.

He rationally, then decided to focus his marketing strategy on finding more distributors.  And things worked quite well for a while -- until problems started happening.  The distributors started selling other competitive products, they wouldn't listen to him, and he found it harder and harder to find new distributors.  This seemed puzzling at first, because demand for the lighting product seemed to be increasing and the whole concept has approached mainstream interest. 

Finally, as he experienced the "great recession" last year he learned the painful truth:  His product, once at the leading edge, had become normal -- and high volume manufacturers especially in China were producing variations, perhaps of much lower quality and durability, but at certainly lower prices.  How could he compete.

Well, I'm supposed to be a construction marketing expert but I cannot tell anyone how to run their business (except, perhaps, my own).  The more I listened to him, the more I sensed he was working on things which might be sidetracks to the main issue. 

Clearly, unless he wishes to work for coolie wages, he won't be able to compete with those low-cost Chinese products, and he won't be able to compete with high volume orders to major distributors and retailers.  He can compete by being ahead of the curve, truly the most knowledgeable in the industry, and selling to other early adaptors and visionaries.  He also probably can compete by plugging his product in the service area, by building strong relationships through appropriate influencers. 

He confirmed that, indeed, his "best" market channel is through renovation contractors as this is where his product has a natural entry point.  I suggested he engage with local home builders and renovations groups.  This requires however significant hands-on effort and relationship building.  (I advocate in my Construction Marketing Ideas book that you prepare for three to five years of time-based effort in this sort of association marketing before you reach the point where you have a naturally sustainable network of relationships).

Now, this sort of work and effort -- with painfully long commitment for relatively small volumes of business (one local market would take much effort) -- is of course not the equivalent to the great "high" at the early stages of this individual's business, where opportunities seemed to beckon and the whole world seemed ready to join him in enthusiasm for his product. 

But the problem is sustainability.  Unless you are truly fortunate or exceptionally brilliant, it is truly difficult for any business to maintain this early-adaptor lead, especially when your product/service loses its entrepreneurial advantage and becomes available more as a commodity.  In fact, it is truly hard to sustain any really powerful concept or market position, unless you have exceptional resources, agility and staying power, because competitors will nip and attack -- sometimes resorting to expensive litigation or dirty tricks.

One way to overcome these problems is to redefine the price/value/relationships matrix.  It is how I survived brutal competition, increasing industry anger about our sales techniques and methodologies, and technological changes, which have really cut to the core of the traditional business-to-business print media market.


Of course, sometimes I reflect on the "glory days" when sales seemed to arise almost effortlessly and the wild and exciting adventures of earlier business ideas where we (briefly) caught the publicity wave and had people virtually begging to do business with us. 

The power of respect

Bill Caswell's Respect Revolution is one of my primary resources.

"Respect" is an interesting and challenging concept in defining relationships, both in business and personal life.  The concept advocates that you acknowledge and sometimes even honor indivudals whose views may diverge from yours and who might even be hostile to you.

In business, and in life, the respectful attitude has some rather major advantages, even though these may seem counter-intuitive at first impression.

With respect, you disarm the competition and diffuse anger.  Now anger isn't always a bad emotion but if you let it get to your head, you can do dumb things, especially in a competitive situation.  By respecting the competitor, you elevate yourself above the dog-fight and make it easier for neutral individuals (who might otherwise have to choose between you and the competitor when, otherwise, they could work with both of you) to take sides.

This respectful attitude is why we've made the Page 1 story of the upcoming issue of Ottawa Construction News into a highly positive article about a business owner who has expressed strong opinions against our primary business/selling model and has taken actions which certainly have not helped our interests.  (I'll post the link when we publish the paper, next week.)

The respectful attitude, combined with a second principle of mature thinking, accepting responsibility, are cornerstones of my personal value systems.  I consider "attacks" and hostility to me and my business to be important sign-posts and review whether I need to make changes in response. 

These values don't make me into a push-over.  For example, we continue to conduct business the way we think best even if some disagree.  As well, if someone tries to cause harm to me through underhanded, illegal or unethical practices, I'll fight back with all the skill and resources I can apply.  Guess what -- I generally win, without stress, these competitions,

Rebuilding your business: Some guidelines

In the current Construction Marketing Ideas blog, you can read some simple guidelines -- based on hard experience -- on how I moved beyond conflict to discover opportunity.

I've learned that, while in business we need to stand up for ourselves if competitors or others seek to bring us down, equally, we need to respect and grow from the experience, which sometimes requires a healthy dose of humility.

The Construction Marketing Ideas newsletter

This morning, a few thousand people will receive the latest Construction Marketing Ideas newsletter.  You can register (and receive the newsletter beginning next Tuesday) here.

The newsletter this week tackles and reports on some of my ethical and business failings.  Yes, I've made plenty of mistakes -- almost at one point, putting my business near the edge.  Ironically, the start of this blog also marked one of the most dramatic turn-arounds in business I've ever seen.  (You can find clues in the "about" box at the new Construction Marketing Ideas blog or go into the deep archives of this blog.

The Best Construction Blog competition: The final week of voting

The final week for popular voting for the Best Construction Blog competition is approaching.  The polls will close at the end of the day on Monday, March 7.

You can vote for as many blogs as you wish, once from any email address. (This means, yes, if you have more than one valid email address, you can have more than one ballot.)  It is okay for you to campaign to get out the vote.

Parallel with the voting, a judging panel is evaluating the blogs which entered the competition and the three judges will report their opinions by mid-March.  We'll translate the results into the most popular blog, the blog favored by the judges, and the overall winner and runner-ups, and build a story on the results in the spring Design and Construction Report.

(If you check back, you'll notice the results will continue changing -- at least until the polls close.  This chart is updated in real time.)

You can vote at this link.

Construction Marketing Ideas on Facebook and LinkedIn

You can follow Construction Marketing Ideas on Facebook and LinkedIn (as well as Twitter).

I generally focus my blog postings here and on the "new" Construction Marketing Ideas blog site, but the LinkedIn group has close to 1,000 members and the FaceBook page has several hundred supporters.

Your best construction marketing ideas

Some days, I scratch my head.  Construction business owners waste a small fortune of money on crappy marketing -- then conclude that marketing is a waste of money.

Well, if you used a crappy contractor, sub-trade or supplier, you would rightfully conclude that the contractor, sub-trade or supplier were a waste of money -- but I doubt you would take down the entire trade or industry.

Of course some industries (and marketing practices) are better than others.  You really should not expect good value when you visit a used car dealership or time share sales office.  In the same light, many of the marketing "solutions" sold by intrusive telemarketers and spam mailings are, well, crappy.

So how do you make the right decision and choices?

Word of mouth

Yep, it is the basic, oldie but goodie.  If you receive positive feedback from friends, colleagues, clients and even peer-group Internet forums, you are probably safe.  The key here is to validate the word-of-mouth and be sure it is genuine and not a creative marketing ploy.  I've seen some consultants show up on forums, appear to build a good name for themselves, and then blow away their good-will when they show their true selves.

Your existing clients

Take them out for lunch or coffee and learn about their interests, their value, and which marketing messages they follow.  This will take some careful listening as people will often put on a different public face than they really are in their head.
 
Books, seminars and conferences

These can be cheap (you can read my Construction Marketing Ideas book for as little as $20.00 if you request the PDF version from my website) or outrageously expensive.  Use your common sense.  Sometimes the most expensive option is the best but it doesn't need to be.  Take your time and think about where you are going.

(If you are wondering where you can find the money to pay for your marketing, look at where you are wasting it now.  Start with the Yellow Pages.)

Learning about construction marketing integrity

Serge Massicotte (right) receives the General Contractors Association of Ottawa Integrity and Ethics Award.

In today's other Construction Marketing Ideas blog, I tell the story about the winner of an Integrity and Ethics Award who sought to bring our business to the ground because of his perception that we lacked integrity and ethics.

The ironic story has some rather surprising observations, including the recognition that this blog started when I began to figure out what I needed to do to change our business values and relationships.

You can read the posting here.

Free or fee (some more thoughts)

As a journalist/writer, the norms are generally that we don't pay for interviews, especially when the publicity serves the the interests of the person we interview as much as our own.  The challenge, rather, is to fend off offers of "free editorial content", which of course are initiatives by publicity seekers to obtain the effective credibility of free publicity rather than pay for advertising.

So, I felt some shock yesterday when an industry expert recommended by a client association for a profile on the industry said he would only conduct the interview if he is paid.  My initial reaction:  "No way, Jose" and in fact I can write the story without this person's expertise.  But I'll probably pay him because (a) he insisted, (b) he validated his value by insisting on the fee (and his credible references) and (c) because his fee is reasonably modest -- about what I would pay a freelancer for extensive note-gathering and reference research.

Can these observations provide you with some construction marketing insights?  Well, I hope you question the marketing challenges and realities of "free estimates" for anything more than simple ball-park figures to qualify your potential clients and the incredible frustration and mental energy waste in chasing bids, especially in a declining market.  Of course, equally, you also need to respect the conventions -- asking to be paid where the norms are "free" is risky, so you should be confident of your reasoning and secure in your understanding of the business value/proposition you are delivering if you put a price tag on something you give away.

My Construction Marketing Ideas book is a good example of where you can take this sort of thing both ways.  The book is free to existing client who wish it and I'll provide review copies to logical centres of influence (but generally these copies will only go out on my initiative, not the reviewer's request).  Everyone else pays and the revenue for a project, which originated as a client service initiative, is now meaningful for my business.

The Best Construction Blog competition: An update

Here are the current results for the Best Construction Blog competition.

The Construction Law in North Carolina blog has skyrocketed to second place, but Michael Stone's Markup and Profit Blog remains in the lead.  (It is okay to encourage friends, colleagues and clients to vote -- and it seems that happened with the Construction Law in North Carolina blog yesterday.)
Note:  The data on the graph is updated in real-time, so if you read this blog some weeks later, the results will be different.
Voting continues until March 7.
You can vote here.

The weekly Construction Marketing Ideas e-letter

In today's e-letter, I share my three biggest construction marketing (and business) blunders.  You can subscribe at the link above, but of course will miss the details this week.  However, I'll post a summary tomorrow in the new Construction Marketing Ideas blog.

Strategic alliances: White Paper resources

In a few minutes, I'll complete the citations, bibliography, executive summary and other final details for my Society for Marketing Professional Services (SMPS) Foundation White Paper on strategic alliances best practices.  The project then moves to the editing and review stages, before it reaches publication in time for the SMPS Conference this August in Chicago.

In my research, I discovered the Association of Strategic Marketing Professionals and its related LinkedIn user group.  Not surprisingly, few architectural, engineering or construction businesses belong to this association -- our industry is usually among the last to catch on to marketing innovations or improvements (which of course gives anyone in this industry who wishes to study the activities of other businesses a real edge in marketing innovation.)

The new Canadian Design and Construction Report website

We've just flicked the switch on the relaunch of the new website for the Canadian Design and Construction Report.  This site will set the template, as well, for the U.S.-focused Design and Construction Report and is built on our successful North Carolina site designs.

Our websites are certainly not leading edge; we probably could do better to incorporate more bells and whistles and advanced interactive features.  Equally, however, we keep them from getting stale and periodically review and rebuild them to ensure they are relevant and useful to viewers.  I think in the current era, you should certainly review your website design at least annually and contemplate a major update/revision at minimum on a three-to-five year cycle.

Thinking about strategic alliances

My brain is decompressing from several days' writing about strategic alliances.  You can read my thoughts on the topic at the new Construction Marketing Ideas blog.

Here, I'll simply encourage you to visit Mike Jeffries' site if you are a contractor focused on the residential market.  His Closing Success Tips newsletter is free -- and you'll undoubtedly find valuable insights there.

Creating marketing value without giving away the store

This blog is free to read.  My book is not (unless you've done business with me and/or will help me sell many more copies.)

I don't expect you to provide a comprehensive, detailed and thoughtful "free estimate" on a major renovation or building project.  I expect you to be able to provide ballpark price ranges without playing the "what's your budget" game?

Why, then, do so many people in this business race like lemmings when someone advertises a job, crafting estimates, presentation materials and the like, when they don't have the slightest connection or history with the organization offering the work.  In these situations, you are behaving much like the unemployed (and perhaps unskilled) worker, scanning public job ads and firing off resumes -- maybe even thoughtful and careful ones -- for a temporary job, where the person who offers to work for the "lowest pay" gets it.

If you are in this mind-trap, you need to wake up.  Think of how your business might increase if you can induce/encourage and promote repeat and referral business (not just by relying passively on this sort of business to happen naturally) -- and you can price your work at a level which allows you a fair profit, not just to be the low bidder.

You can be generous in spirit and resourcefulness, but you don't need to give away the store to stay in business. Think marketing -- think smart.

Best Construction Blog voting heats up

Lots of people voted for in the Design and Construction Report's Best Construction Blog competition yesterday -- 75 at latest count.



Here are the results.  (Note the results are updated in real time, so the actual votes on Feb. 16 won't match these numbers if you read this posting later.

I'll discuss the contest, its objectives and some ways bloggers can increase their opportunity for success at today's experimental live broadcast feed at 2 p.m. EST (February 17, 2011).  You can go to the broadcast link here.

Voting continues through March 7.

You can vote for as many blogs as you like, but only once from each valid email address.

The voting ballot is here.

Publicity and your construction marketing brand

The popcorn story related in the previous two blog postings shows the opportunities (and limitations) of gimmicks and tricks to achieve publicity and attention.  If these activities match your business message and brand, then of course they can make a lot of sense.  If they are done just for the sake of achieving "viral results", well, the real value to the business is limited.

I realize that most people in this industry won't go near stunts like this.  Instead, they will play the boring concepts of publicity -- the line-em-up-shoot-em-down pictures of a bunch of executives with golden shovels at ground breaking ceremonies, or the giant cheque for a (really small) amount of money in support of the charity of the day.  There's nothing wrong with this sort of thing, of course, if you want to be safe and boring -- but if you really want to make the news in a constructive and positive sense you will need to do much more.

No one, however, can suggest a simple publicity approach in an impersonal blog posting.  This is custom work.  It requires a real understanding of your business, your local (or national) market and your objectives.  Then, we need to overlay luck as a crucial factor.  Even the best-laid publicity plans are at the whim of the media's own biases and other events outside of your control.  (As an example, a well-planned media event scheduled for September 11, 2001 probably would have resulted in absolutely no publicity for the organizers.)

You can hire publicity and media relations experts but the problem here is you need to have enough knowleedge about the media industry to properly assess their potential and abilities. Still, if you are spending money on marketing, allocating a portion of your budget to media relations and publcity makes sense.  If you are marketing on the cheap without a cash budget, if you really focus your energies and can come up with unique, creative and brand-building intiiatives, go for it.  You may achieve the best results for the smallest amount of money possible.

The viral video (2)

If you believed the video in yesterday's posting, you were fooled with some camera trickery and a 2008 marketing ploy by Cardo Systems, in an effort to promote its headsets.

The idea of this sort of scheme is to create viral intensity and mystery, and then track back to your product or service.  Of course the question is, does it actually help you sell more stuff?

That is more debatable, but if the activity is in good fun and no harm is done, then of course you gain the secondary benefits of attention and "free advertising".

In my case, a colleague living in Hong Kong who worked with me three decades ago on the Bulawayo Chronicle (Rhodesia turning to Zimbabwe) sent this video to me, before following one of the most crucial journalistic rules:  "Don't believe anything that is too strange to be true -- unless you wish to be caught by an urban legend?"

I learned about urban legends early in my career when I started investigating what would have been a truly huge story if true.   After a few brick walls, a kind soul told me about urban legends. I learned then the  basics of cautious skepticism.  Just as urban legends an spread like wildfire on the Internet, you can usually debunk them equally quickly with a quick Google search.

So, no, ringing cellphones can't actually pop popcorn and, while there are possibly some risks from cellphone radiation, you don't need to worry about frying your brains out this way.  Better strategy:  Head to a movie theatre and eat some of that fattening, utterly unhealthy stuff -- and enjoy the show.

One of several articles describing this hoax is here.

Time and place: The viral video

Yesterday, one of my colleagues from "way back when" sent me this video.   We worked together on the Bulawayo Chronicle in 1978-80.

POPCORN (This will blow your mind)

This is probably what it does to our brain cells - like putting your head in a microwave .
 Check this out! And we're supposed to believe that cell phones are safe?

Click on the word 'POPCORN' below and watch.

Pop Corn téléphone portable micro-ondes

What is wrong with this story?  You can comment now -- or I'll tell you tomorrow.