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39 Top Construction Marketing Ideas From the

Pros
By Alana Rudder on August 30, 2019 | Marketing, Marketing Strategies, Tip List | Comments (21)

Construction marketing involves online and o ine relationship-building. In many cases, nding
construction clients requires maintaining a solid network of customers from past builds whom you can
tap for referrals. You can also source clients using online ads targeted to industry associations. For help
with these and other strategies, we reached out to construction marketing pros.

Here are 39 construction marketing ideas from the pros:

1. Join an Industry Association

Andrea Smith, Marketing & Communications Manager,
Southwest Washington Contractors Association

The best way to gain traction in your marketing e orts is to join an industry
association. These are resource hubs that can o er quality connections that
 will lead to business success. This is especially true in construction because
all work is built on relationships and reputations. Added bonus: Associations
often allow their members and supporters advertising and marketing
resources at low or no cost!

2. Manage Your Social Media Wisely

Jeremy Levine, Business Development Manager, Fit Small
Business

We all know how important social media marketing is for small businesses,
but are you really using your platforms to their full potential? With Hibu, you
can save time and keep your social media presence active by letting the
experts schedule your posts and curate fabulous content for posting across
Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram. They also monitor page performance for
you, so you always know how your interactions are performing. Click here to
get a free consultation.

3. Follow Up With Leads & Customers

Jonathan Weinberg, Founder & CEO, Builder Prime
One very simple, but often overlooked, way of marketing your business is
simply to follow up with your existing leads and customers. Many contractors
are extremely busy trying to stay a oat and things fall through the cracks.
You can be missing out on great opportunities if you fail to keep following up
with the leads you already received. You should also be following up with
your existing customers a few months after completing a job, just to check in
and see if you can help them with anything else.

The customer will be impressed that you called and it could lead to more
business. If the customer is happy, you can even ask for referrals. A good
customer relationship management (CRM) tool that is designed for small
construction businesses can help you make sure nothing slips through the
cracks and that you can always provide great service to your customers.

4. Focus on a Niche
James Sinclair, Trade Finance Marketing Manager, Trade
Finance Global

From a proposition perspective, niche construction companies are deeply

embedded and focused on delivery of a speci c type of project—be that
residential property for high tra c streets, specialist school construction, or
perhaps work-live properties in major cities. By rooting a strong proposition
and niche, construction companies are then able to talk to new and potential
 customers about their unique selling proposition, and that is what they are
known for in the market. Therefore, when it comes to marketing their
services, the construction company would nd it much easier.

5. Use Email Marketing Software

Miranda Paquet, Marketing & Operations Manager, The Close

Email o ers a non-intrusive way of providing useful information to existing

and potential customers, thereby becoming their trusted, go-to construction
expert. As such, my tip is to make sure you’re reaching out with engaging
email marketing so that you’re top of mind for referral and repeat business.
To do so, consider an email marketing provider like SendX. Starting at $7.49
per month, you get intuitive and a ordable email marketing software. It
includes tools for starting email newsletters and drip campaigns, pop-ups
and forms, and other email automation. Click here to get started with SendX.

6. Connect With Building Material Companies

Geoff Hoesch, CEO, Dragon y Digital Marketing

From a search engine optimization (SEO) perspective, one of the best ways to
quickly strengthen a small construction company’s keyword rankings is to
 reach out to building materials companies and ask for links. Many materials
companies have pages that list construction rms that use their products.
The emails should be brief and simply state that you enjoy using their
materials and want to know whether they’ll list you on their page.

7. Experiment With Running Expos

Karthika, Marketing Manager, PVS Builders Calicut, Kerala

A recommended marketing e ort that can attract more customers and

increase sales is conducting an expo. It is one of the best and trusted
methodologies. The biggest advantage of conducting an expo is that various
kinds of people approach you who may have di erent requirements and
outlooks. People may sometimes be looking for good interiors, modern
facilities, and so on, so you have to have ample scope to captivate them. The
challenge is that conducting an expo can incur huge expenses, but if you
look at the potential returns, these e orts could pay o in the end.

8. Target the Leads Who Call You

Blair Symes, Director of Content Marketing, DialogTech
Target those likely to make calls with the best search, social, or display ads.
Customers who call a business spend 28% more than non-phone customers,
according to Forrester. When someone calls, it is a powerful signal as to their
overall value and how they want to interact. Construction marketers can use
data on their callers to improve their digital ad targeting and show the right
audiences the right ads to convert to customers. When someone calls and is
a good lead, retarget them with the right ad campaigns for the right cost.

Extend your reach by targeting new look-alike audiences that resemble

customers who called. Exclude callers who aren’t good leads or who became
customers from seeing digital campaigns meant to generate new leads.

9. Introduce Yourself to Older Adults Aging in

Place
Darren Slaughter, Owner, DarrenSlaughter.com

Market toward older adults looking to stay in their homes. Aging-in-place

(AIP) construction modi es existing homes to make them more accessible to
people having trouble getting around. Things like ramps, stair lifts, and
kitchen and bath modi cations are huge right now. You can market to them
using Facebook since older adults are one of the bigger demographics on
Facebook (it’s a great way to stay up to date with grandkids). You can market
using direct mail as well since seniors are more willing to give your o er a
shot because they are used to receiving o ers in the mail.

10. Answer Every Phone Call

Nicholas Thomas, Business Development Manager, Fit Small
Business

All the marketing in the world won’t do much good if a customer gets sent to
voicemail when they decide to call you. Nearly half of calls to small
businesses go unanswered, leading to many missed opportunities. Read this
short ebook from CallJoy and you’ll learn how to never miss a call again, how
to analyze calls to make better business decisions, and deliver a best-in-
class phone experience for your customers.

11. Develop Your Brand

Dennis Michael, Brand Builder & Visual Problem Solver, Wake
Creative

I have worked with two construction companies and the most successful
marketing idea they implemented—that made the most impact for their
revenue and increase in work—was creating a brand. They took the time and
invested money into creating a logo and brand that stood out from their
 competitors. Overnight, their company changed. They were attracting the
right clients, can now charge what they are worth without anyone balking,
and lastly, they are far more con dent about their company and future
direction.

12. Sponsor a Home Sports Team

Cara Moroze, Communications Manager, King Rose Construction
(NYC)

Most likely, there is a local school, organization, or community group that has
a sports team of kids needing corporate sponsors. O er to out t a team for
prominent logo placement, and watch your company’s name score a home
run. If you have enough personnel to eld a team of your own, you can score
big with a fun team-building activity while inviting opportunities for good-
spirited competition with your channel partners or customers. Consider
making it an annual tradition so you can become a proud sponsor over the
years.

13. Run Targeted Ads

Vladimir Mirnii, CEO, ContentAdore
One of the most common errors I regularly see in construction marketing is
trying to be everything to everyone. If your billboard, landing page, or
homepage are just a list of the services you provide, you don’t make a
di erence. You should stand out from the competition. People don’t
remember a construction company just because it o ers all the services you
can think of. But they do remember a company if it o ers the exact service
they need at that speci c moment in time. Running uber-speci c ads
exponentially increases the conversion rates and lets a larger number of
people become your customers.

For example, let’s say I need to renovate my basement, and your company
says it can do that in 10 days and shows me the quality of your work. Other
people may ignore your ad, but I, and other people who need that service, will
go right away to you. And guess what? The next time we need a construction
job done, you’ll be our go-to guy.

14. Give Back to Charities

Steve Twomey, Founder, MasterMind SEO

My advice would be to nd a local charity that you can apply your

construction skills to. Find a Habitat for Humanity chapter in your city. Sign
up your crew (yes, you should pay your guys if it is during a weekday), and
get your top-notch building crew working on whatever project is going on
near you. Of course, you want to promote this a bit. Reach out to your local
newspaper. Tell them what is going on in advance. Then they can send a
reporter who can get a quote on how your construction company is giving
back to their community.

Afterward, run a press release. Stories like this can get picked up and
syndicated to hundreds of ABC, NBC, and CBS local a liate markets. That
press and goodwill will help bring tra c and links back to your site, which
can, in turn, help your website rank higher for building-related terms in your
area so you can land more building contracts.

15. Make Sure Your Website Looks Professional

Marc Prosser, Fit Small Business

No matter how good your marketing is, an amateur website can hurt your
credibility and turn away new clients. A professional website shows that
you’re legitimate, clearly describes your services, helps you market online,
and lets you showcase your best projects. Dreamhost lets you host your
website starting at just $2.59 per month. You get a free domain, powerful
online marketing tools, and an easy-to-use website builder with pre-made
templates to give your business a professional look.
16. Use Hoarding Signage on Your
Construction Site
Stanley Tan, Digital Marketing Specialist, Selbys

A lot of our construction clients use hoarding signage (signage on temporary

structures at construction sites). One of the biggest bene ts to hoarding
signage is it provides free advertisement for the construction company
during the life of the construction. If the construction lasts two years, they
get two years of free advertisement. Imagine paying for two years of
advertising on a billboard!

17. Produce Content That Can Be Sourced by

Wikipedia
Max Robinson, Founder, Ace Work Gear

We decided to produce a guide that provided detailed information about

cordless drills. After publishing the guide, we submitted it to Wikipedia and it
was accepted immediately. This guide now receives steady trickles of tra c
every month through Wikipedia, much of which converts into sales for us.
Having content on Wikipedia shows that your business is trusted, and is a
great trust signal for customers to see.
18. Utilize Direct Mail Marketing
Al Levi, CEO & Founder, The 7-Power Contractor

The keys to construction marketing are to use things like oversized postcards
or priority mailers that get looked at. And it’s best to pick a targeted area to
test your mailing, which needs to be sent at least three times typically over a
six-week period to know if it works or doesn’t. Why three times? Think about
where you are when you open your mail. Probably in the kitchen with a
garbage can close by. It’s not until you keep getting it do you nally stop and
look. There’s a reason Bed Bath & Beyond and other smart retailers do all that
mailing.

19. Run a Facebook Promotion

Chris Pontine, Publisher & Owner, Creating a Website Today

A fun and unique spin I do for clients is run a Facebook campaign to

homeowners in targeted cities. I then create a Facebook ad stating if you call
us for your home improvement estimate, it’s totally free same day and the
rst ve get a $10 gift card. It’s a great way to generate buzz for our company
and great for the area because you can get likes and shares generating.
20. Become Recognizable With a Custom
Logo
Jeff Steen, Marketing Editor, Fit Small Business

Having a personalized logo goes a long way when it comes to brand

recognition. One only needs to see a silhouette of the “golden arches” to have
the image of a juicy cheeseburger spring to mind. Create a similar powerful
association with your company by hiring someone at Fiverr to design the
perfect logo for you, starting as low as $5. Click here to see examples.

21. Solicit Customer Reviews

Tabitha Naylor, Small Business Owner, Tabithanaylor.com

One idea for your marketing strategy is to solicit reviews, because positive
word-of-mouth is one of the major drivers of business for construction
companies. And that’s probably truer in this industry because these projects
are so time-consuming and expensive, and happy customers create less
doubt in prospective consumers about hiring you to handle their projects.
One caveat here: Platforms such as Yelp have strict regulations about how
you can solicit and post reviews, so make sure you read the ne print before
using these popular review platforms.
 And also make sure that you respond to any negative reviews immediately
and in a way that resolves the customer’s dispute, because that is the best
way to show that you’re a company that is responsive to a consumer’s needs
and will do whatever it takes to ensure satisfaction.

22. Try Google’s Custom Intent Audiences

Eagan Heath, Owner, Get Found Madison

Google recently rolled out new functionality called Custom Intent Audiences.
These allow advertisers to target web users with banner ads and YouTube
videos based on their recent Google searches and even website visits. We
always recommend that our clients start with search engine optimization
(SEO) and Google AdWords, but this is another, lesser-known way to target
people who are likely in the market for your services.

23. Create a Success Story

Michelle Garrett, Writer & Public Relations Consultant,
MichelleGarrett.com

Having worked with clients in this sector, success stories can work very well.
A company would interview a happy customer using a list of questions about
the project, including outcomes (did they meet the completion date, what
was the feedback from their employees and customers about the new
facility, and so forth).

Then, those answers would be used to create a success story for their
website. A photo of the nished building or property could also be included.

24. Advertise Using Technology Customers

Already Use
Kayla Hunt, Marketing Coordinator, Iversoft

Instead of recommending traditional marketing strategies, or even social

media marketing, we prefer to address construction marketing using tech
that a consumer actually wants to engage with. The marketing ideas that we
have traditionally used include tech-based solutions, such as mobile
applications and touchscreen product viewings and customizations, as well
as virtual walk-throughs. We also employ beacons—Bluetooth-enabled
devices that target mobile devices—to attract new clientele and increase
brand awareness.

Lately, our company has been leveraging other tech-based tools, such as
marketing tactics, in targeting home buyers, builders, and renovators. One
app, MyReno, was built speci cally for the Canadian Home Builders
Association (CHBA) and is a tool that immerses home renovators in the
renovating experience—from addressing frequently asked questions (FAQs)
to material sourcing and locating a contractor. Consumers can also be upsold
on a product, making the app valuable for construction companies’ pro ts.

We are also currently building 4D and 5D environments with virtual reality

(VR) and augmented reality (AR) for construction companies so that
interested clients can take part in an elevated brand experience that results
in product sales and upgrades.

25. Use a Press Release to Promote Your

Project
Maggie Aland, Writer & Review Manager, Fit Small Business

Sending out a press release about your project is a great way to get media
attention. We recommend using eReleases because they o er the best
distribution for the price. Their on-sta experts help you critique and polish
your press release, then distribute it to handpicked journalists, as well as the
PR Newswire and Associated Press (AP) Newswire networks, for between
$299 and $499. In the end, your press release reaches thousands of
websites, journalists, and nearly every newsroom worldwide. Click here to get
started with eReleases.
 26. Create DIY Content That Goes Viral
Brandon Maciel, SEO & PPC Specialist, New Dimension
Marketing & Research

When attempting to generate buzz around an industry such as construction,

I have found success with “DIY/Idea/How To” sites like YouTube and
Pinterest. Creating good video content or a creative how-to post explaining
how to build or x a given thing can help build trust and interest in your
company.

It is also a chance to showcase your expertise as well as amplify the content

with ease. The ability for you and the viewer to easily share the content goes
a long way. At the end of every DIY video, you can provide a call to action
such as, “For expert help with your next project, call 555-5555” or “Visit our
site for more helpful construction tips today,” and begin gathering new
business leads and building overall buzz around your company.

27. Go Mobile
Aaron Norris, Founder, The Norris Group
 Get a mobile-friendly website yesterday! You can buy a beautiful, mobile-
friendly template that can get you a functional and easy-to-update site for
$500 or less. No excuses. Don’t point your online leads to a website that
doesn’t show o your work. It makes potential customers feel like you don’t
care.

28. Alert Google to Website Reviews

Ata Khan, Partner, Xoobo

Incentivize current and past clients to write reviews on the construction

company’s website. Then mark that text up with schema tags so that Google
and other search engines display those reviews next to your business listing.
Having reviews associated with your brand on search results pages is one of
the most important things you can do, as it will increase the likelihood of
visitors clicking on your link vs your competitors.

29. Optimize Your Map Listings

Daniel Ashton, Digital Marketing Manager, BrainSpin
Generally, when a potential client is looking for a company, they will do their
research online to nd a construction company. Whether they are searching
on PC, Mac, or mobile, one of the rst things they will see is a map listing. My
rst priority if I were to do marketing for a construction company would be
optimizing map listings. I would add as much information to the listing as
possible; this includes your address, website, photos, and services. After the
listing has been completed, I would run a campaign asking customers for
reviews on the map listing. It makes a company look much more reliable and
established to have a 4.9 rating with 1,000 reviews, and it will de nitely bring
in future customers.

30. Create an Industry-resource Blog

Jorge Fontan, Owner, Fontan Architecture

Anyone in the construction business can start a blog where they provide
helpful information on the speci c types of projects they work on. In this
industry, people often do a great deal of research, and you can have a blog to
become part of someone’s research process. Having a website that is a
resource for people in the preliminary steps of planning can lead to potential
clients who want to work speci cally with you after getting help from the
information you post on your site.
 31. Run Google Local Services Ads
Matt Bermudez, Marketing Manager, Yael Consulting

One of the things Google is pushing for is Google Local Service ads. This is a
type of paid-search marketing that actually appears above the rest of the
ads. If you search for “plumbers near me,” you’ll see the normal expanded
text ads above the map. However, above those ads, you’ll see a few company
names along with their reviews, a “Google Guaranteed Badge,” and their
phone number. These are the local service listings. One of the really cool
things about this is that you only pay for leads, rather than per click. Also, the
leads go directly to a call.

To rank better on these listings, you need to do things such as keeping the
most up-to-date information on the page, collecting and having good
reviews, always answering the phone and being responsive to these leads,
and marking the status of the leads to keep Google informed.

32. Use Webinars to Educate People

Jeremy Knauff, CEO, Spartan Media

Focus on sharing useful content that your audience can use, even if they
never become a customer. The construction project management software
company, Procore, does an amazing job of this with their webinars featuring
industry experts sharing their knowledge. The idea here is to tell stories
about your industry and the people in it rather than just shouting for people
to buy your products or services.

33. Use Online Quizzes & Calculators

Michelle Frome, Co-founder & CEO, Shark Branding Solutions

One tactic in particular is online quizzes and calculators. We’re using that
right now for a client o ering crane certi cation training. It can be di cult to
nd potential students, so we are utilizing fun calculators and promoting
them through paid social media ads. The quiz could cover how much money
you can make as a crane operator. The user answers several questions and
receives the results when they provide their email address. Based on the way
they answer speci c questions, it helps to qualify them as a potential
candidate for the school.

Now that we’ve quali ed the lead and received their contact information, the
sales rep can reach out to the candidate directly. We also use their contact
information to serve them speci c ads based on their responses to the
calculator. This increases the chance of the sales rep getting a call or email
back if they are unable to reach the candidate on the rst contact attempt.

34. Get Referrals With Great Customer Service

Dillon A. Mitchell, PE, Founder & CEO, KowabungaStudios.com

Word of mouth is going to be a great asset for you. Finding people who do a
great job on a project, aren’t crazy expensive, show up on time, and treat
everyone well on the project is the best marketing that you can do. That
homeowner will then refer you to their friends and it will expand from there.
This takes time, but will grow your business and reputation.

35. Dig Into Visual Media

Wendy Manganaro, Founder, Social Abundance Marketing

At the end of the day, most people love a good HGTV show. Not every
company has the ability to be on HGTV to get more business, but they do
have the ability through a smartphone to take “before” photos, take pictures
during the progress of the project, and then go back when nished and do
staged photos. Have those pictures combined into a short two-minute video
with the story of the family, why they chose you, and the nished project.
Once you have your content and story, send it in an email blast, post it on
your social, and create a print story book for the family to use as a co ee
table book so they can share their story with their friends and family.

36. Optimize Your Website for Local Search

Victoria Christensen, Marketing Assistant, Ormí Media

Do not neglect your website—it does need to be optimized for local relevance
and your content should be optimized with local search in mind,
incorporating local keywords, your address, and your phone number. If you
have a team that can assist you, should discuss schema markup to further
boost your online presence.

37. Collect Local Info to Inform Email

Campaigns
Elliot Hall, Email Marketing Executive & Mailchimp Partner,
StrategiQ

As a small business, your local community is your lifeblood. Understanding

who that community is, including their interests, needs, and buying habits, is
integral to good email marketing. Try to capture this data and record it in your
mailing list to create personalized campaigns that provide additional value to
 your customer’s experience with your brand. Free resources, tips, discounts,
and reports are great places to start.

38. Get Listed in a Directory

When a homeowner is looking for a construction company, they may bounce
around from site to site. More often than not, they will land on sites that aren’t
construction company websites, but rather directories such as Yelp or Angie’s List
that help them nd construction companies in their area. To ensure that your
construction company has the best possible online presence, it needs to be on
those directories. As Digitalux claims, “It isn’t necessary to be on every single
directory, but you will want to have pro les on local directories and industry
relevant ones too.”

39. Spring for Dinner & Cocktails

Set up a dinner and cocktail reception for your former clients, and encourage
them to bring their friends along. Peter Danis, a contractor in Ontario, tried this
and said, “To my surprise, out of the 32 friends that came in for cocktails, 26 of
them signed a total of $464,000 worth of work.”

Bonus Tip: Implement Drone Photography

 Fortune magazine recently noted the following regarding the use of drones in the
construction industry: “For builders, the case for return on investment is
straightforward. Drones are cheaper to y than manned aircraft and faster than
human surveyors, and they collect data far more frequently than either, letting
construction workers track a site’s progress with a degree of accuracy previously
unknown in the industry.” Drones do more than track progress, however—they can
provide detailed photographs of large-scale sites that allow you to show more
clearly the kind of results you o er.

Bottom Line: Construction Marketing Ideas

Construction marketing is a collection of both online and o ine e orts to build relationships with
consumers and convert them into customers. It begins o ine with positive customer experiences, then
continues online as prospective customers search for your business on internet directories, review sites,
search engines, and via social media. For the most success with your construction business, leverage
these tips and the additional tips above.

About the Author

Alana Rudder

Alana Rudder is a sta writer at Fit Small Business specializing in Marketing and Tech.
Before joining the team, she built her career o ering content strategy, marketing
project management, and content writing services to Fortune 500 brands, including
 Adobe, and leading tech rms like Workfusion. She’s currently an MBA candidate at
Excelsior College. Alana has also contributed her expertise to Business2Community
and Towards Data Science.

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 Like Ask a Question

Allison Kraftson October 10, 2019 at 2:29 pm

Excellent Article! We will continue to refer to it in the future as well as we work towards
stepping it up with the business! Thank you!

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Amanda Norman October 13, 2019 at 8:54 pm

Hi Allison,
So glad you like the article.
Thanks for reading and for commenting!

Mandy, Moderator

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Kalank Movie May 24, 2019 at 8:27 am

 Really this post is awesome. I really loved it.
buildingconstructor.co.uk

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Amanda Norman May 28, 2019 at 9:13 pm

Hi Kalank,
Thanks for commenting. Glad you enjoyed the article.

Mandy, Moderator

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🎖Otto Duarte Bautista March 7, 2019 at 7:47 pm

Great content.

Really thanks!!!

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Alexey Birukov February 14, 2019 at 7:42 pm

Thank You very much. Very interesting page !!!

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Frederico (Fred) Schillings Ferrer October 13, 2018 at 1:20 pm
Hello Ana, your article is simply fantastic, it’s a plain text with the opinions and insight of
di erent people and complete. An excellent compiled of tips that can be applied to virtually
every business niches! Congrats on the great job 🙂

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