Diving Deep Into Marketing in Construction (My Takeaways)
As the pandemic surged in 2020, people stayed home, and demand for home improvement services went through the roof. Construction companies swooped in and launched targeted marketing campaigns.
One example is Brett Landscaping, which sold almost its stock of higher-priced porcelain paving products.
Fast forward to 2024, people are at work. The economic outlook is grim, and interest rates and inflation are high. These factors have led to one outcome: declining interest in construction and home improvements.
Our yearly business recap shows the construction industry saw decreases in customer acquisition metrics. Inbound leads are down by 3.8%, web conversions by 0.65%, and web traffic by 6.84%.
Despite these challenges, now is the best time to double down on your construction company’s marketing efforts. As Warren Buffett famously said, “Be fearful when others are greedy, and be greedy when others are fearful.”
In this article, I’ll discuss 13 marketing strategies you can use to find and acquire clients for your construction company.
Below are 13 marketing strategies you can use to generate leads and clients for your construction company.
A few months ago, I stumbled upon a Reddit post about a business owner who wanted to build a construction website. The person said, “I just want to show some pics of work I’ve done as well as a little contact me section.”
Pictures of work and a “contact me” section alone aren’t enough to make a construction website.
From my experience, sites like this don’t deliver the desired results because they don’t communicate your value effectively. Beyond your portfolio and contact info, your website should show your services, testimonials, and case studies.
Take Turner Construction, for instance. The elegantly designed website provides information about the company, services, projects, etc.
Image source
Besides its design, I like this website because of its performance and fast-loading pages, which let users quickly see the content they want.
Turner Construction also has superb site health.
According to Ubersuggest, it doesn’t have a single SEO issue.
Image source
This means the website is SEO-friendly, uses proper meta tags, has well-formatted URLs, has no broken links, uses image alt text, etc.
Put these qualities of Turner Construction together, and you have a formidable site with great odds of ranking high in search engines.
Websites that work don’t have just pages. They have helpful web pages, social proof, attractive design, persuasive writing, and SEO implementation.
These qualities give leads a memorable user experience and can help bolster your conversion rates.
Author of Sticky Branding Jeremy Miller says, “Only 3% of your prospects are ready to buy now.”
The remaining 97% are not in purchase mode or don’t need your solution yet. Instead of considering them lost opportunities, a better strategy is to build brand awareness with SEO content.
Your goal? Educate your audience. Establish authority. Build trust. Win clients who search for information related to your services.
AFT Construction is one brand that milks its SEO content to build brand awareness. For instance, their article on Kerf door jambs ranks #1 for Kerf door jambs on Google.
Image source
But it wasn’t always this way.
According to Semrush, the article took about five months to take off and snag almost everyone who searched for Kerf door jambs.
Besides the organic visitors, this post ranks for 227 keywords.
What’s even more interesting is the $772 traffic cost that AFT saves monthly from this post.
If AFT has 100 other posts like this, they’ll save $77,200 in Google Ads costs. Add the leads that could come from these posts, and it’s easy to see why SEO content is immensely beneficial for construction companies.
A website is worth it only when people know it exists. One of the cheapest ways to give visibility to your site is by publishing SEO content. Remember to identify keywords that relate to your audience’s needs when creating SEO content.
Also, recognize that SEO content takes months to drive results and bring clients to your business.
According to a Bright Local Survey, 98% of consumers use the Internet to find information about local businesses. One popular directory these consumers use is the Google Business Profile.
Creating or claiming your business on Google means you won’t lose revenue from people searching for you locally.
For instance, I searched for commercial construction service companies in New York, and here are the top results:
This result gives me an overview of three companies, including their address, reviews, phone numbers, business hours, and core services. I can decide who to call from this information without visiting their website.
Optimizing your Google Business Profile requires many moving parts, but here’s a snapshot of how to do it:
A Google Business Profile (GBP) increases the visibility of your business in your locality. It also helps prospects to find your contact info and make a quick call. However, one GBP element you must address is your reviews.
Many customers trust Google reviews, so encourage your clients to leave positive reviews on your GBP profile. Also, respond to both positive and negative reviews.
Your Google Business Profile is one of many local directories like Yelp and Angie’s List. These platforms allow potential customers in your area to discover your construction company.
If I was a Yelp user, I could search for construction services in San Francisco and find several companies. With over 95 reviews and a 4.7-star rating, Prosper Construction Development stands out as a great company to work with.
Besides popular directories, Houzz, HomeAdvisor, and BuildZoom are specific for promoting construction businesses. After listing your business in a directory, you also need to optimize it to rank high in the search.
Here are some tips for doing that:
Leveraging local directories provides visibility to your business. Like your Google Business Profile, you must build reviews on these directories by providing excellent service. Also, respond to any negative feedback.
Many brands used to overlook social media. Today, the perception has changed. Founders and CEOs are now in charge of promoting their businesses and generating leads on social media platforms.
Brendan Bechtel, the Chairperson and CEO at Bechtel Corporation, excels at this. He uses his LinkedIn profile to share updates about the company’s projects. The example below has a massive 2,104 reactions, 56 comments, and 35 reposts.
This post can get the company a truckload of brand awareness.
Experience has taught me that the daily creation of fresh content for social media is difficult. For this reason, I’d advise you to repost your CEO‘s or employees’ thoughts on your company page — especially those going viral.
This will help you humanize your brand, build trust, and show expertise. Again, Bechtel Corporation does a great job with this.
Remember to tailor your content to different platforms when posting content on social media.
For instance, LinkedIn is great for sharing industry insights, blog posts, case studies, and testimonials.
Facebook and Instagram work well for showcasing your stunning projects, behind-the-scenes, how-to videos, and community service.
Twitter is great for joining relevant discussions, sharing tips, and engaging with industry professionals.
Social media marketing is all about building a connection with your audience by publishing thoughtful content. CEOs of various companies lead the charge, hoping their employees do the same.
If you’re over a one-person team, a great way to get your team in line is to incentivize them and publish content that drives the collective growth of employees and the company’s revenue.
Getting your company’s website on the coveted Google first page is a game-changer for attracting clients. The catch? SEO takes time to drive results. Remember the article about “Kerf door jambs?”
It took about five months before it became the first result.
I’d advise you to run PPC marketing campaigns like Google Ads to cover this time. This can help you rank at the top of Google’s sponsored search results.
For instance, while the keyword “construction service company” gets 90 searches monthly, its paid difficulty (32) shows it’s highly competitive to rank for. Also, it costs a whopping $9.18 per click.
It makes sense to bid for keywords in your local area to keep your costs low and targeting narrow. This improves your odds of getting a top spot when people search for your services.
For instance, a keyword like “construction service company in Boston” is easy to rank because it has a low search volume and CPC.
Google Ads is an excellent way to increase brand awareness quickly and get ready-to-buy leads for your construction firm. But to get more leads at lower costs, ensure you track, analyze, and optimize your ad campaigns.
Recent stats show email marketing generates $36 for every $1 spent. This makes it a cost-effective channel for developing and nurturing leads until they become paying clients.
Email-only works when you have a quality email list, i.e., a database of people who subscribed to receive communications from your company.
One effective way to build an email list is adding a form on your website — something I’ve noticed most construction websites don’t have. Newsflash: a bare form is not even enough.
To capture leads, you need to incentivize visitors with valuable freebies like an e-book, a guide, or a free consultation in exchange for their contact information.
This prevents you from losing potential customers who might leave without taking action. Here’s an example of an e-book I consider valuable from AFT construction:
Brilliant email marketing campaigns have the potential to transform your construction business. Pay attention to metrics such as open, click, and unsubscribe rates to gauge the success of your campaigns.
Also, while it’s tempting, buying an email list is never a good idea. Your best bet is to take the time to build your mailing list.
Customers you satisfy will happily share their positive experiences and recommend your company to others.
A Nielson study reveals that 88% of consumers trust recommendations from people they know over other forms of advertising. Your referral network could also include other businesses.
Below are some referral marketing tips for your construction business:
Referral marketing is a powerful tool for growing your customers. But it can’t work if you don’t ask. As you consistently deliver exceptional service, ask your customers, “Think you might know someone interested in our product/service?”
In the construction industry, showcasing your projects is vital to client acquisition. But beyond the pictures of fancy buildings, future clients want to know if you can deliver on time, on schedule, and within budget.
These are further proof of your expertise, and it’s where social proof shines.
Social proof is a great way to show prospective clients that your company can handle their projects based on stakeholder needs.
One way to build social proof is by creating case studies of successful past projects. Describe the challenges you faced, the solutions you provided, and the positive outcomes.
For example, Hoar Construction has over 20 completed project case studies on its website. They also include before and after images and videos to show the construction process from start to finish.
Other ways to build social proof include displaying positive reviews or testimonials and showing off industry awards and certifications on your website.
Building social proof requires time, patience, and consistent effort. Focus on delivering exceptional service, maintaining positive client relationships, and actively seeking testimonials.
Doing this helps your company attract more clients, stand out from competitors, and establish a strong reputation.
Video marketing has become increasingly popular in recent years. Wyzowl’s State of Video Marketing reveals that 91% of businesses use video as a marketing tool — an all-time high and a significant jump from previous years.
This data shows that creating video content, especially in the construction industry where visuals reign supreme, is an excellent way to increase awareness, engage your audience, and attract new clients.
Examples of video content you can create include:
I love how The Quorum Group uses high-quality videos to promote the company’s projects and employees. Blending innovation and storytelling, their eye-catching videos increase awareness and generate engagement.
For example, the Instagram video below has over 200k likes and 1400 comments.
Besides getting the attention of potential clients, it shows future employees that Quorum Group may be a great place to work.
Video marketing is a powerful tool for promoting your construction company. It helps you establish brand authority and stand out in this cutthroat industry. But creating video content isn’t enough.
Promote them across different online channels. That’s the optimum way to increase brand awareness, reach a wider audience, and attract potential clients.
Associations and groups let you connect with like-minded individuals in the construction industry. This can lead to new partnerships, collaborations, and business opportunities.
You also get exclusive access to industry resources, networking events, and workshops that could be valuable to your company.
Displaying your membership certificates also shows your commitment to professional standards and ethics. You can do this on your website, social media platforms, and marketing materials.
Image Source
Title: Membership certificates in a construction website
Some examples of U.S. construction associations include:
Joining associations and groups and getting a membership certificate is half the battle. The other half is gaining visibility, networking opportunities, and referrals. You can do this by contributing to the body’s goals.
Another innovative way is to share your thoughts about the body on social media. How did you join them? Why did you join? What have you learned? What benefits have you gotten? You get my drift, right?
Doing these establishes you as a credible and active participant and makes you visible to notable industry players.
Influencer marketing isn’t just for those in the fashion, beauty, and lifestyle industry. Construction businesses can also use it to reach a wider audience and generate quality leads.
When selecting influencers, look for those with ultra-specific characteristics: large following, engaged audience, similar audience to yours, and alignment with your brand values.
Partnering with influencers can take various forms, such as sponsored content or social media takeovers to promote your products, services, or projects.
Influencer marketing in the construction industry requires a more targeted approach. To make it work, you must identify influencers genuinely interested in construction-related topics and agree on specific campaign goals.
Local networking events and trade shows help you connect with potential clients, partners, and industry experts. These events also allow firms to showcase their portfolio, discover industry trends, and stay up-to-date on best practices.
Here are some tips to make the most out of participating in these events:
Some popular construction events in the U.S. include:
Events and trade shows are excellent ways to meet potential new clients.
Attending them also gives you a shot at boosting your brand awareness, getting referrals, networking, and growing your company. Making them a part of your marketing plan will be a plus.
The goal of any campaign is to position your company as a reliable and trusted choice for construction-related services. To market your product and services, you can explore four construction services marketing ideas.
Relying solely on referrals and networking events to get clients won’t cut it. You need a targeted lead generation campaign that brings in a steady source of high-quality leads for your company. This way, your sales pipeline never runs dry.
Organize a local event to display your construction products and services to your targeted audience. It’s also a great way to increase awareness, reach a wider audience, and generate quality leads.
Collaborating with businesses in similar sectors helps your company reach new audiences.
For example, you could join forces with an interior design or landscaping company. This way, you can create joint marketing campaigns, co-host events, or offer bundled packages that combine your services with theirs.
This partnership allows you to tap into each other’s customer base and cross-promote your products. It also adds value to your offerings, making them more appealing to potential customers.
What better way to give back to your community than to participate in events or sponsor local initiatives? This helps to increase brand visibility and establish your company as a trusted community partner.
Remember to track and analyze the performance of your marketing campaigns and make adjustments as needed to optimize your results. You can try HubSpot’s marketing automation tool to get started today.
Clients are the lifeblood of successful construction businesses.
But to get them, you need a marketing strategy that effectively promotes your construction services. While every tactic may not apply to you, it’s essential to determine the most effective ones for your business.
Over at Masters in Marketing, Caroline, Laura, and I have interviewed some very bright minds…
As a content professional with almost a decade in the game, I have been a…
Welcome to Creator Columns, where we bring expert HubSpot Creator voices to the Blogs that…
As a content marketer, I‘ve always been ready to team up to boost a brand’s…
I went to a psychic when I was 22. She told me I was “about…
Welcome to Creator Columns, where we bring expert HubSpot Creator voices to the Blogs that…