Big Data and Contractors: Are You Ready?
Powerhouse organizations, like Amazon, have been using customer metrics and data banks of information to customize user services, identify trends, and maximize profits. One company – BuildZoom – is taking big data and contractors to the next level, and you should be concerned if you haven't been on your best behavior.
Big Data and Contractors – How It's Done Today
BuildZoom recently raised $2.15 million from venture capitalists looking to support the team that's using big data and contractors to make sense of the construction industry.
Mining through public records information such as contractor licenses (including suspensions and formal complaints) and construction permits, BuildZoom is creating one huge database of construction and remodeling professionals. The company is beginning to work with the BBB to incorporate their ratings, complaints, and reviews into its own listings.
Seeing the Bigger "Big Data" Picture
This isn't so much about one specific company as it is about the grander scheme of things. From your web citations to 3rd party review sites, information about your company is spread throughout the world wide web. While Google has been using your citations and NAP as a factor to determine the worthiness of your web site, it is only a matter of time before other data aggregators grow smarter and gather all the information about your company from throughout the web and consolidate it to their advantage.
As the information age grows more refined, we'll see more services scraping the internet to compile the all reviews, photos, news, and usable content about businesses into nicely wrapped packages of data, readily available for consumption by everyday users. The future of big data will hopefully reward the contractor that is providing the best service while hindering those in the industry that give the job a bad wrap. It could be possible that these such future services may be able to determine via state business licenses if a contractor is changing company names every few years to dump bad reputation – or may be able to identify and feature up-and-coming construction professionals with an explosion of positive reviews and good quality portfolio images. Who knows what the future of big data and contractors may hold? It's important to be ready for anything.
How to Prepare Your Contractor Marketing for the Robot Uprising
Luckily, if you are currently a member of the Footbridge Media family, our staff already maintains your citations on a regular basis. We're already hard at work maintaining continuity for your web site's name, address, phone number, and industry specific information on over 90 different web citations.
On your side, it's still important to elicit client feedback, which can be accomplished by building your own feedback collection system. Also, adding photos of your work and your finished projects to your web site and social media pages is helpful. This will help to build unique content, which is beneficial for your site rank now, while also being prepared for services like BuildZoom to potentially scan for your company's previous work portfolio in the future.
About Chris Lonergan
Chris Lonergan has over 12 years of contractor marketing experience with Footbridge Media. With a background in web design, print design, content creation, and online marketing, Chris is focused on providing quality marketing and business solutions in the construction and service industries - helping small business owners to more efficiently manage their companies and grow their operations.
Chris Lonergan has previously contributed to and/or been featured in PM Magazine (Plumbing & Mechanical | Contractors x Engineers), theNEWS (ACHR - Air Conditioning | Heating | Refrigeration), Service Roundtable's blog, inPAINT Magazine, the SMB Marketing Agency Show, and the Green Industry Podcast. Chris is also a past SGI/CertainPath breakout session presenter.
