The construction industry is harsh — only serious players can really succeed in this field. It’s not like starting a small business from scratch where it’s easier to gain traction from the start. With construction, you’re going up against people who have been in the industry for decades and are used to specific ways of doing things.
That being said, digital marketing strategies such as search engine optimization (SEO) and pay-per-click (PPC) advertising are useful for putting your construction company ahead of the game. These strategies are proven to get you more leads and help your business thrive!
But what’s great about these strategies is that they can be used in conjunction with one another to create a well-rounded and effective marketing strategy for your construction company.
For example, you can use your PPC ads to promote your website or social media profiles. You can then use the content from those pages to create an email newsletter. These are just a few examples of how different strategies can work together to produce leads and grow your construction company.
A solid marketing strategy for your construction company means more exposure, awareness, and leads. And with more leads comes more profit!
In this article, we’ll share with you some incredible construction marketing ideas to help you gain an edge over your competitors. Let’s get started!
Why is marketing important?
For years I’ve been sharing the power of marketing for construction companies, whether it be on this blog or through one-on-one consulting. I’ve found that many owners don’t understand the benefits of marketing their business, or they don’t know how to market their business effectively. They end up making mistakes that can cost them time and money and, even worse – miss out on new customers!
Whether working in residential or commercial construction, learning how to market your business will help you attract more clients and win more work.
When you market your business effectively, it builds brand awareness and perception of value for your products and services. The more people know about your business, the higher the likelihood of gaining new customers.
Marketing is a way to reach out to potential customers and current clients to keep them engaged with your company. Marketing also shows that you believe in what you do, inspiring trust in your customers.
It’s not just about telling people what you do, but how well you do it, why they need it and who you are. Marketing includes everything from business cards to a full-on marketing campaign. Marketing is essential because:
- You can communicate more effectively with your customers.
- It helps you build your brand identity.
- It makes you stand out from the crowd.
- It creates awareness for your business and its products or services.
- It generates leads that will eventually turn into sales.
Construction marketing challenges
It is difficult for a new business to rise in the construction industry. It is especially hard for small construction companies. These businesses have to face competitive challenges from giants which are well established in the market and have strong marketing capability.
This means that good marketing is crucial for small businesses in the construction industry. You’re competing for customers with large corporations, and it can be hard to get their attention when your brand isn’t very memorable or distinctive.
That said, there are still great opportunities in this market because construction is a high-touch customer service business. Construction companies will spend weeks renovating a single house and then sell it to the customer. So they have lots more time than other types of companies to spend on things like customer service and building trust with customers.
Here are the top five challenges that construction companies face when it comes to their marketing:
- Marketing to real people who want to buy your products. That’s not so hard. You can advertise on the web and in print media for free, but you have to make the ads relevant and compelling to actual customers.
- Selling more than one service. That’s a chicken-and-egg problem: how do you get people to buy your services when they don’t know they exist?
- Building a website that is easy to use and attractive to prospective customers. Designing is easy; actually building it isn’t, especially if you have no website development experience.
- Getting your message across in an efficient way. You can hire a professional designer cheaply or do it yourself if you have enough skill with HTML, Photoshop, and other tools. But finding the right message can be more complicated than it seems, especially if you’re starting from scratch with a brand new company.
- Making sure that your website shows up high on Google searches for related terms like “construction services” or “construction company.”
Getting construction leads as a small business
If you want to generate more leads for your construction business, you first need to understand your audience.
For example, if you wanted to sell a small home renovation service, you’d first have to know who would be interested in buying it and where they will be located. Then after securing a few leads, you could ask them why they bought your service. Was it because they saw an ad? A postcard? A friend? This information can help you with future marketing efforts and increase referrals.
However, as a construction company in a large area, you need to do more than just sell building materials or even finished homes. You need to create a relationship with the customer that lasts for years past the sale date so that when they are ready for another upgrade or addition (and this will happen eventually), they call your company first!
Some questions to ask yourself are:
- What’s hot right now in construction?
- What are people looking for when they look for a new home or building?
- What is the current style?
- How much are homes selling for right now?
- How much are shopping centers selling for?
- Are there any trends on either consumer or commercial construction?
An easy thing to do is simply Google “hot construction trends.” You’ll get a sense of what people are looking for in their homes and what they’re willing to pay more for. If you take that information and use it in your marketing, you’ll start to attract more leads.
Another great way to keep up with trends is to look at photos of houses with exteriors that have been painted recently. Find colors that seem prevalent in your area, and then do some research to determine why homeowners choose those colors. Is there a new architectural trend that’s driving their decisions? If so, how can you make sure your materials reflect that trend?
You can also keep up with what’s new by following home design blogs for inspiration. Look for colors used together and find ways to incorporate them into your work. If a particular style is gaining popularity in another part of the country or world, consider adding it to your repertoire if it fits in with the neighborhood you’re working in.
Below, we explore some of the top marketing strategies for your construction company.
Encourage word of mouth
One of the most efficient marketing strategies for local construction businesses is word of mouth.
There are several ways that you can encourage word of mouth. The first is participating in meetups with your customers (if possible). For example, if you are a home builder, perhaps you can attend the neighborhood block party. If you are in commercial construction, maybe you can host a construction event for other companies with which you work.
If this isn’t possible for the type of business that you run, there are other ways that you can encourage word of mouth. You could consider joining BNI groups or participating in networking events. These are often filled with people who are looking for recommendations for great companies, and once they know about your company, they will undoubtedly spread the word!
Another way to get more word-of-mouth referrals is to make it easier for your happy customers to refer you by providing them with pre-written testimonials and sample tweets they can use on social media.
You can also offer discounts and rewards to people who refer your business. For example, you might promise a $50 gift card to anyone who refers a new customer who spends over $1,000 with you.
Diversify your marketing channels
Research shows that consumers use at least ten different channels to find services. It’s not enough for a construction business to rely on traditional marketing methods like print and TV ads or word of mouth to spread the word about its services. Instead, owners need to diversify their marketing channels to stay competitive in today’s digital world.
For example, if you only focus on SEO, you’ll miss out on all the customers looking for your services on social media or through word of mouth.
If you’re just starting, it’s important to choose marketing channels that are most likely to give you a return on investment (ROI). This will help you make sure that your business is sustainable and profitable.
The best way to find out which channels work best for your business is by experimenting with different options and measuring the results.
For example, if you run Facebook ads and get a lot of engagement from them, but no one hires you, Facebook isn’t working for your business. You can try running ads on another platform instead or investing more money in SEO. You can also hire a marketing consultant who specializes in construction businesses to help guide your brand strategy to be more effective.
Construction Business Ads
PPC marketing for construction companies can help small business owners find new leads while increasing conversion rates and sales.
Suppose you have a construction website with relevant content about remodeling projects or the services you offer. In that case, it could be displayed as an ad in front of the people searching for what you are offering in your area.
For example, if someone searches for “remodel my kitchen” in Los Angeles, they will see your ad if they are located close enough to your company and you have bid on that specific keyword phrase with Google AdWords.
The same principle applies to other forms of paid advertising like Facebook Ads or LinkedIn Ads, where you can target people based on their location, age, gender, and additional personal information they provide.
Use Local SEO to your advantage
A Google search for “construction companies” returns over 3 billion results. If you’re in the construction business, chances are your competitors are already ranking high in search results and getting potential customers before they even reach you.
If you aren’t already optimizing your website for local search results (or SEO), it’s time to start. You don’t have to be an SEO expert; just paying attention to the basics can significantly improve your website’s ranking.
Add yourself to local directories such as Google My Business or Yelp so that customers can find you easily when looking for builders in their local area. By adding your business to these directories, you can also provide information such as opening times, contact information, and directions to your offices which makes it easier for people to get in touch with you or visit you in person if they need help with their home renovation.
Use visual content on social media
Social media is an essential marketing tool for any business, big or small, and it’s no different for construction companies. Social media allows you to engage with potential customers, promote your services and increase brand awareness of your business overall.
Start with one social media platform that you feel comfortable using (for example, Facebook or LinkedIn) and build up from there.
Make sure you add as much visual content as possible, showcasing your work by displaying before and after pictures.
Set up email sequences for potential clients
Businesses that offer construction services are constantly struggling with finding new customers. This is especially true for smaller businesses that don’t have the resources to hire a marketing agency or invest thousands of dollars into advertising campaigns.
Many construction companies often forget that they might already have a solid email list of potential clients, and they can start marketing to them before they even reach out. This is what we call “email marketing,” and it can be one of the most effective ways to drive leads and sales for your business.
If you own a construction company, you can use email marketing to:
- Promote your products or services. You can give your customers or prospects information about any promotions you’re running or any new products or services coming out soon.
- Give industry news and advice. You can keep them up-to-date on what’s going on in the construction industry and give them tips on how to get the most from your products and services.
- Get feedback from customers. You can ask for suggestions for new products or services and encourage customers to leave reviews about their experience with your business.
Offer valuable information and be the go-to source
As a construction company, you can build trust with your customers by offering helpful information and being the go-to source for construction projects. This can often be done by creating content and sharing it on social media.
One way to do this is by creating an informative blog that provides useful information for your target audience. This can be anything from tips on hiring a contractor to new technology in the industry and what trends are happening over time in the market that your target customer is interested in.
You can also send out monthly newsletters with links back to your website or blog. These newsletters serve as a great way to keep in touch with customers and keep them informed on what’s happening at your business. Ask them if there are any topics they’d like you to cover, and take advantage of this opportunity to answer some of their questions.
Ask for referrals
One efficient way to grow your construction business is through referrals. You can get more referrals by doing any of these:
- Referral cards – tell your customers to refer you to their friends.
- Customer thank you notes – send your customers a handwritten thank you note after every job to build a deeper relationship with them.
- Business cards – give these out to anyone who may need your services in the future.
- Business profile brochure – showcase your company to potential customers.
- Postcards – let everyone in your area know about your business and keep them updated on new jobs you complete or offer specials for new customers.
Use photos (Show off your construction projects!)
It is helpful to include various images that demonstrate different aspects of your business. For example, if you are a kitchen renovator, you may want to include some before and after shots of your undertaken projects. If you are looking to attract the attention of commercial clients, they will be impressed by your past successes as it gives them a flavor of what they can expect from your service.
Including images in your online portfolio allows potential new customers to learn more about what you do and how you do it. It will enable them to see the quality of your craft and the professional approach that you offer. Customers can judge whether or not they would like to use your service based on the evidence presented in front of them.
Call past clients on a specific schedule
Don’t just welcome your new client on board when you sell something. You should also constantly follow up with your previous clients.
The best way to follow up with your customers is to do so personally and consistently.
If you have a large customer base, I highly recommend using an automated email marketing platform such as Mailchimp or Keap to ensure that your customer communications are consistent and ongoing.
Create an authoritative website
If you haven’t already, you should create a website for your construction business. A good website design is the simplest way to demonstrate your professionalism and values as a company.
A professional-looking website will give customers confidence in your construction business and increase their likelihood of contacting you. If you don’t want to create a complete website, at least get a landing page created where people can find out more about your business and contact you.
A website is also a great place to start marketing your construction business. Not only is it a landing page that you can share with potential clients and customers (and provide to other websites), but it’s also an easy way to showcase your construction projects, services, awards, and more. Plus, your website should be built to drive lead generation so that you can easily capture contact information from interested visitors.
Conclusion
Marketing is not as complicated as you may think. Just be aware of your goals and needs, then capitalize on your marketing opportunities for an effective way to reach those goals.
The Internet is a place that can help you in many ways—just make sure you treat it well because it will pay you back big time!
