More often the general builder decides which products and brands are used. This makes general builders an important target group for other parties in the chain, including manufacturers. The Contractor Monitor H2 2019 report shows that social media slowly become a more important channel for general builders to keep up with the latest market developments.
Social media used for professional purposes the most by Dutch general builders
The results of the Contractor Monitor H2 2019 show that 49% of European general builders use social media for business purposes, but there are major differences between the European countries. In the Netherlands, 77% of general builders use social media for business purposes, which is the highest percentage in Europe. The percentage of general builders who use social media for professional purposes is the lowest in France and Poland, with respectively 39% and 27%. The percentage of general builders in Germany, United Kingdom, Belgium, Italy and Spain who are using social media for professional purposes are in between France and the Netherlands.
These results are not surprising. Other studies of USP Marketing Consultancy among different construction target groups have shown that digitisation is the most advanced in the Netherlands. The use of digital media is the highest there. This is exactly the opposite in France and Poland.
News on the latest market trends
29% of the Dutch general builders use social media to keep up with news on the latest market trends and 27% of them use it for networking. Facebook is used by 66% of Dutch general builders, closely followed by LinkedIn with 64%. In Poland, 35% of general builders also use social media to keep up with news on the latest market trends. 18% of them use social media for technical advice on products (applications). Facebook is the biggest social media channel there: 75% of the general builders use it.
Use of social media important for marketing communication strategy
Due to their increasing influence in the building process, the general builders become more important for manufacturers. To develop a good marketing communication strategy, it is interesting for manufacturers to know which media channels general builders use to inform themselves. The H2 report of Contractor Monitor shows that social media is a very effective tool in some European countries, but in others the use of social media is still very low. The social media strategy of manufacturers must therefore be determined per country.
For more detailed information we refer you to the Contractor Monitor H2 2019 report.
