Marketing a construction company doesn’t have to be a daunting task. I’ve worked as a consultant for small- to medium-sized construction companies for the past five years and have seen the industry evolve in ways that continue to surprise me.
In this article, I’ll provide an overview of the basics of marketing a construction company, from developing a brand to creating effective campaigns.
We’ll cover everything you need to know to create and execute a successful strategy that will give your business the boost it needs.
Construction Marketing Tactics
When marketing a construction company, there are few one-size-fits-all solutions. You’ll need to develop a strategy tailored to your business’s needs.
With that in mind, this guide will cover tactics such as:
- SEO
- SEM
- Social Media
- Direct Mail
- Email Marketing
SEO
Search engine optimization, or SEO, is an essential marketing tactic for construction companies wishing to attract more customers.
SEO involves optimizing a website to increase its visibility in search engine results and rank higher for relevant keywords.
By optimizing their websites for specific keywords that potential customers may search for, construction businesses can ensure that their site appears prominently in organic search results and drive more organic traffic to their website.
Additionally, SEO can be used to create content that is relevant to the construction industry, such as the following:
- Videos
- Blog posts
- Infographics
These tactics help improve the visibility of a company’s website on search engines and improve its ranking in organic search results.
Check out this ultimate guide to SEO to help you get started.
SEM
SEM, or search engine marketing, is a critical tool for construction companies. This type of marketing strategy can help to drive more traffic to your website and boost conversions.
It’s essential to focus on targeting the right keywords with laser-like precision. You should also invest in pay-per-click campaigns tailored to your target audience.
The benefit of SEM is that it allows you to track and measure the performance of your campaigns in real time. This will help you understand what works and what doesn’t so that you can adjust your strategy accordingly.
Social Media
Social media is an important marketing tool for any construction company looking to increase its visibility among potential customers and partners. Through the use of social media platforms, construction companies can create a stronger online presence that includes engaging with target audiences.
Some of these platforms include:
- YouTube
It’s important to understand the types of content that can be shared on social media to effectively reach and engage customers.
Companies can educate potential customers about their services while providing timely news updates and industry trends by creating content such as blogs, videos, photos, and animated GIFs.
Additionally, social media offers a great way to promote special offers or discounts that may be relevant to potential customers.
Direct Mail
Direct mail is one of the most effective tactics when marketing a construction company.
This traditional marketing approach allows businesses to reach out directly to potential customers, providing them with information about their services. When done correctly, direct mail can be an incredibly effective way to generate leads and increase brand awareness.
When creating a direct mail campaign, it’s important to consider the message you want to convey and how your target audience will receive it. It’s also important to ensure that your direct mail pieces are visually attractive to stand out from other mailers and get noticed by customers.
Utilizing personalized messages or targeted information can also help make your direct mail more effective. Additionally, using a combination of text and visuals in your design can help capture the recipient’s attention and encourage them to take action.
Email Marketing
Email marketing is a powerful tool for construction companies to reach out to potential customers and stay in touch with existing ones. It’s cost-effective, measurable, and versatile.
Some email marketing tips for construction companies include:
- Creating targeted campaigns
- Segmenting emails by customer type
- Personalizing messages and content
- Crafting compelling subject lines to capture attention
- Including visuals to break up text and help tell a story
- Utilizing A/B testing to measure the effectiveness of different approaches
By carefully crafting emails, construction companies can build relationships with their customers and encourage them to take action.
Steps to Market Your Construction Company
The steps to successfully market a construction company are not as difficult as you think. You can create an effective marketing plan with the right strategy and tactics to help you reach your goals.
Here are some steps to get started.
Step 1: Define Your Target Audience
When marketing your construction company, you’ll need to understand your target audience, your location, and the services that you offer. Once you’ve identified your core audience, you can start tailoring your marketing initiatives toward them.
For example, a porta potty rental company in Detroit that serves festivals and outdoor events will have a different target market than a residential construction firm in the suburbs. Considering who your audience is and what they need from you will help shape your marketing plan.
Step 2: Research Your Competition
Researching your competition is a crucial step in marketing your construction company. It’s important to understand the market landscape, what other businesses are doing, and how you can differentiate yourself.
To do that, look at competing companies’ services, prices, and results to identify where you have an advantage. Consider things like how accessible their services are, how long they’ve been in business, and what people are saying about them online.
It’s also beneficial to attend industry events, or trade shows to gain insight into what they’re offering customers and what solutions competitors have implemented successfully.
Additionally, look at their strategies to promote their construction business across all channels.
Ask the following questions:
- Are they running any ads?
- Which social platforms are they on?
- What kind of content are they putting out?
Doing this research will help you understand who your competition is and what sets you apart from them.
Step 3: Create a UVP & USP
A UVP (Unique Value Proposition) and USP (Unique Selling Proposition) are essential for marketing your construction company. A UVP is a statement that describes what makes your business unique, while a USP focuses on why customers should choose you over your competitors.
Your UVP and USP should be clear, concise, and easy to understand. Additionally, they should align with your target audience’s needs and interests and how you can solve their problems.
Both are key components of any successful marketing strategy and can help prospective customers better understand your company’s value.
Step 4: Craft Your Messaging
Once you have identified your target audience and competition, it’s time to craft the messaging for your construction company.
Messaging is how you communicate who you are and what you can do through different channels like the following:
- Ads
- Website
- Social media
When crafting your messaging, make sure to emphasize the unique selling points of your business and be sure to use industry-specific jargon that appeals to your customers.
Your messaging should also reflect the tone of voice that best resonates with prospects so they feel comfortable engaging with your brand.
Step 5: Create a Beautiful Website
A website is essential for marketing a construction company.
It’s the first point of contact that prospects and customers have with you, so it should be:
- Easy to use
- Visually appealing
- Full of information about your services
When creating your website, including helpful content such as blog posts, case studies, customer testimonials, and detailed descriptions of the projects you’ve completed. You should also add calls to action throughout your site that drive visitors back to your main pages or motivate them to contact you for more information.
In addition to having an eye-catching design for your website that reflects who you are as a business, pay attention to how quickly it loads on all devices.
Step 6: Optimize Your Website for Search Engines
Optimizing your website for search engines should be a priority when marketing your construction company.
To do this, ensure to include relevant keywords throughout the content on your site and create compelling titles and descriptions for each page. Additionally, ensure that all of your pages are linked together properly with anchor text, so they’re easy to find by search engines.
You should also consider optimizing images by adding relevant descriptions and tags so they also show up in image searches.
Step 7: Run a Targeted Adwords Campaign
Running a targeted Adwords campaign can help you reach more customers and increase visibility for your construction company.
When running an Adwords campaign, make sure to create ads that are tailored to the needs of your target audience. Additionally, ensure that you’re targeting the right keywords and don’t waste time and money on irrelevant ones.
You should also split-test different ads against each other to see which ones perform best and adjust bids based on performance. Finally, keep track of metrics such as cost per click (CPC) and conversion rates to optimize future campaigns.
Step 8: Create Video Content
Videos are an effective way to showcase what sets your construction company apart from the competition. Creating videos that demonstrate the quality of your work and highlight customer testimonials can help prospects trust you more easily, making them more likely to use your services.
When creating videos for marketing a construction company, keep them short and engaging so viewers don’t lose interest. You should also tailor them to your target audience so they understand why choosing you is the best option.
Finally, use video hosting platforms like YouTube or Vimeo to get maximum exposure and SEO benefits.
Step 9: Write a Blog for Each Video
Writing a blog post for each video is important when marketing your construction company.
The blog post should include the following:
- An introduction to the topic
- A summary of the video
- Any additional details that weren’t included in the video itself
Additionally, be sure to link back to the original video so viewers can easily access it on your website.
It’s important to provide readers with actionable tips or advice related to the topic of the video so they feel empowered to take action after watching it.
Step 10: Build an Email List
Building an email list is an essential step in marketing a construction company.
You can use your website, blog posts, and social media profiles to collect email addresses from prospects interested in learning more about your services.
Once you’ve built up a list of contacts, you can use it to send out the following:
- Newsletters
- Special offers
- Updates about projects you’re working on
Additionally, having a direct line of communication with customers through email is a great way to build relationships and keep them coming back for more.
Step 11: Send Direct Mail Campaigns
Direct mail campaigns are another way to reach potential customers and inform them about your construction company.
When sending a direct mail campaign, make sure to include an eye-catching design that stands out from other mailers. Additionally, include a clear call-to-action so customers know what you want them to do after reading the mailer (e.g., visit your website, call for a quote, etc.).
You should also consider running targeted campaigns with different offers based on customer profiles so you can maximize the effectiveness of each direct mail piece.
Step 12: Measure EVERYTHING
Finally, it’s essential to measure the success of your marketing efforts so you can adjust your strategies as needed.
Using metrics such as website visits, social media engagement, ad performance, and open email rates can help you understand what works and doesn’t when marketing a construction company.
If you’re unsure where to start measuring results, consider setting up Google Analytics or other tracking tools on your website so you can track user behavior and see where they go after they land on your web pages.
Who You Need for Your In-House Marketing Team
You’ll need an SEO/SEM manager and a general marketing specialist for your in-house marketing team.
SEO/SEM Manager
An SEO/SEM manager is a highly specialized individual responsible for optimizing your website for search engine rankings. They will create high-quality content, use targeted keywords, and build backlinks to ensure that your construction business website appears in relevant searches.
The responsibilities of an SEO/SEM manager include the following:
- Tracking results
- Creating PPC campaigns
- Generating new ideas to increase web traffic
- Optimizing your website and content for search engines
General Marketing Specialist
A general marketing specialist is an all-around marketing expert responsible for overseeing your construction business’s overall marketing strategy.
They will use market research to identify opportunities and develop campaigns to increase visibility, engage customers, and grow sales.
The responsibilities of a general Marketing Specialist include the following:
- Conducting market research
- Developing advertising campaigns
- Creating content and social media strategies
- Analyzing results and making adjustments as needed
By having dedicated experts handling both SEO/SEM and general marketing needs, you’ll be able to ensure that your construction company’s marketing efforts are successful.
What We Would Outsource
While you may have an in-house marketing team, there are certain tasks that can be outsourced to save time and money.
For example, you will likely want to outsource content writing and website design/development.
Content Writing
Content writing can be a time-consuming task, so it’s best to outsource this to an experienced copywriter.
A copywriter can create compelling content that resonates with your target audience and helps you achieve your goals.
This will include the following:
- Website copy
- Blog posts
- Press releases
- Case studies
- Other content pieces
Website Design/Development & Maintenance
Website design and development is also a task that’s best outsourced to professionals.
By hiring experienced professionals with a solid portfolio of past work, you can ensure that the website design is high quality and optimized for the best possible user experience.
This is important, as a good website design will help customers to understand the services offered by your construction business, as well as keep them informed about any new projects or offers.
Additionally, it will further create an impression of professionalism, which could, in turn, boost customer loyalty and convince more individuals to hire your services.
Maintenance of the website is also an important factor when marketing a construction company.
Hiring an experienced developer or agency to update and maintain your site regularly will help ensure that it remains secure from potential malicious attacks or outages due to server malfunctioning.
They can also carry out necessary updates, such as fixing bugs or implementing new features, while allowing you to focus on other aspects of growing your business.
Conclusion
Marketing your construction company doesn’t have to be complicated. Following the steps outlined above, you can create an effective marketing strategy to help you reach your goals and grow your business.
Remember to measure everything to track progress, adjust your strategies as needed, and keep moving forward. Good luck!
Do you have any questions? Let us know in the comments below!
