Client Challenge

Shay Murtagh Precast has been a specialist in precast and prestressed concrete solutions for over four decades. By 2006, however, the Irish construction market had faced a sharp decline, resulting in reduced demand for precast products.

Rather than retrench, SMP recognised the need to diversify markets and reposition the business. The UK construction sector presented a growth opportunity, but entering a new market required building visibility, credibility, and demand from the ground up.

Strategic Objectives

• Market Diversification Reduce reliance on the shrinking Irish market by entering the UK.
• Brand Leadership Position SMP as a trusted leader in precast concrete solutions in the UK.
• Sales Enablement Establish a digital-led sales and marketing platform capable of generating and nurturing cross-border demand.
• Long-Term Growth Build a sustainable, scalable framework for international expansion.

Strategic Approach

Working in partnership, SMP and Emarkable adopted a fully integrated strategy, balancing market intelligence, brand positioning, and digital execution:

Market Readiness & Positioning

• Conducted SWOT and competitive analysis to identify opportunities.
• Defined product differentiation and a clear value proposition for UK audiences.

Digital Market Entry Platform

• Launched shaymurtagh.co.uk in 2008 as the central hub for UK market engagement.
• Optimised for UK search engines, ensuring visibility at the research and specification stage.

Content & Thought Leadership

• Created sector-specific content, video blogs, and technical resources to establish expertise.
• Used questionnaires and feedback loops to align messaging with UK customer expectations.

Integrated Campaigns

• Deployed SEO, link-building, PPC, and social media campaigns to drive awareness.
• Implemented Salesforce CRM with structured lead nurturing via email workflows.
• Aligned point-of-sale and sales collateral with digital messaging for consistency.

Continuous Measurement & Adaptation

• Embedded metric analysis and intelligence monitoring to refine campaigns in real time.

Results & Strategic Impact

The initiative transformed SMP’s business trajectory:

• Sustained Growth: A pipeline of consistent web traffic, leads, and conversions supports ongoing sales growth.
• Market Share Shift: The UK now represents the majority of annual turnover.
• Employment Growth: The expansion led to the creation of 41 new jobs, underscoring the significant scale of success.
• Digital Leadership: SMP secured leading positions in Google UK search rankings for core products, ensuring long-term discoverability.
• Brand Authority: Established as experts and thought leaders in the UK construction sector.

SMP’s UK expansion demonstrates how digital strategy can underpin international diversification. By aligning market analysis, digital execution, and sales enablement, the company successfully transformed a domestic market challenge into a growth opportunity. Today, Shay Murtagh Precast is not only thriving in the UK but is also positioned as a recognised leader in precast concrete solutions.