How to Benefit from NRMCA Internet Promotion

By Glenn Ochsenreiter, NRMCA Senior Vice President, Marketing & Promotion

The last issue of Concrete InFocus carried an article on promoting concrete on the Internet. This article focuses on how members and partners can benefit through participation in NRMCA Internet promotion programs (Last issue’s article is available for review HERE).

Gain Customers and Additional Site Visitors with NRMCA Reciprocating Links

Educate Your Site Visitors to Create Buyers: NRMCA has so far created eight “Websites for the Industry” to help you turn browsers into buyers.  five of the eight sites are currently ranked number one on Google for the related key search terms. When you provide links from your site to these outstanding concrete-application specific sites, many of your visitors will return to your site with a higher interest in doing business. Your site will also gain first-time visitors through links from the NRMCA sites. Through this approach you are also relieved of the challenge of posting comprehensive application-specific Web information and maintaining it. 

Seven of the NRMCA sites focus on specific applications-- ConcreteParking.org, PerviousPavement.org, FlowableFill.org, SelfConsolidatingConcrete.org, GreenConcrete.info, ConcreteBuildings.org and GreenRoofTops.org. These sites contain comprehensive information on their topic. For example, the pervious site includes all the content from the best-selling booklet that provides an engineering overview on the subject, Pervious Concrete Pavements, produced by PCA and published with NRMCA. NRMCA’s most recent Web site is ConcreteAnswers.org. This site serves as the central hub that we direct specifiers to that need assistance on any ready-mixed concrete topic. Comprehensive information is provided on concrete benefits in general and links are provided to all our application-specific sites.

Enhance Your Site’s Position in Search Engine Results

Under the theory that Web sites provide links to other sites that their visitors will consider high-value, Google and other search engines use the Web as a “voting platform” to point to the best sites for categories of information. Therefore, the key to gaining site visitors is to be linked to by other sites—both because visitors on those sites can click on those links directly to reach your site and because the links elevate your site value in the eyes of search engines, raising your position in search results. In particular, a link from a top-rated site such as the NRMCA sites is valuable in Google’s site-value algorithm.

Benefit from NRMCA’s Search Engine Ad Investments

NRMCA is investing significantly in search engine advertising in 2007 based on encouraging test results in 2006. These ads, which appear on the same page with regular search results, are effective in bringing additional targeted visitors to NRMCA sites.  By participating in NRMCA reciprocating Web programs, members and partners can connect with a share of those visitors.

How To Enable Reciprocating Links with NRMCA Sites

NRMCA sites offer separate link referral pages for non-profit promotion partners, specifier sites and NRMCA members (this service is not offered to producer/associate non-members). The only requirement for gaining such a link from a specific NRMCA site is that a reciprocal link be provided to that NRMCA site. NRMCA provides how-to linking information and attractive link graphics for all the sites at NRMCA.org/Link. State affiliates and non-profit concrete promotion organizations that want to participate in NRMCA’s reciprocating link program should contact Kimberly Pittmon at kpittmon@nrmca.org or 240-485-1146. NRMCA producer and associate members interested in mutual links should contact Glenn Ochsenreiter at 240-485-1140, email gochsenreiter@nrmca.org.  

Concrete Promotion Partners: Obtain Specifier “Project Planning” Leads—Join the Project Assistance Network All the Websites for the Industry prominently offer free project and planning assistance to specifiers. NRMCA lists on each site our non-profit promotion partners in North America that have joined our Project Assistance Network for that site and application. Many of the specifier assistance requests represent significant promotion and sales opportunities. NRMCA forwards requests to the appropriate geographic partner.

State affiliates and non-profit concrete promotion organizations that want to join the Project Assistance Network should contact Kimberly Pittmon at kpittmon@nrmca.org or 240-485-1146.

Promotion Partners and Members: Benefit From CPA Parking Lot Leads

Concrete Pavement Analyst (CPA) software has proven to be an effective tool to assist promoters in demonstrating the long-term advantages of concrete parking compared to asphalt. On ConcreteParking.org, email links of trained CPA personnel are listed so that specifiers can request a consultation that compares the two materials. NRMCA will list on request concrete promoters and sales people that have been trained to conduct such presentations using Concrete Parking Analyst software—contact Kimberly Pittmon at kpittmon@nrmca.org or 240-485-1146.

Future Opportunities Abound

New promotion and marketing opportunities are developing rapidly as the Internet expands its position as the tool of choice for professionals seeking information.

NRMCA is exploring video search engine advertising, a concrete promotion site for promoters and new sites on self consolidating concrete, architectural concrete and the green benefits of concrete. ConcreteAnswers.org will also be regularly expanded to become the ultimate specifier assistance site that it is intended to be.

NRMCA invites you to take advantage of NRMCA Web opportunities that exist today and to stay tuned for rapidly expanding possibilities in months and years to come.

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Graphics to support the article follow, with captions below. A total of three are provided, note that the second one is being provided in two options to provide layout flexibility. The third graphic is less essential but would be nice to have if there is room. 

Caption for Graphic 1 (above): The home page for ConcreteAnswers.org invites specifiers to request planning assistance on their projects—a proven method for creating  promotion relationships and generating valuable leads. NRMCA forwards these leads to the appropriate Promotion Network Partner based on specifier location.

Graphic 2—Option 1

Graphic 2—Option 2:

Caption for Graphic 2, either option:

NRMCA provides “link” graphics to assist members and partners to invite their site visitors to learn more about particular concrete applications through a link to an NRMCA site. Links for garages, paths and whitetopping lead to those focus areas within ConcreteParking.org. NRMCA provides reciprocating links back to referring sites so that all parties benefit.

Graphic 3—

Caption for Graphic 3:

ConcreteBuildings.org is one of NRMCA’s “Websites for the Industry, “ published with the support of the Tilt-Up Concrete Association (TCA) and the Insulating Concrete Forms Association (ICFA).