A Guide To Marketing For Construction Companies

Are you confused about the best way to generate quality leads for your building company?

Thanks to the internet, marketing for construction companies has completely changed over the past 10 years.

So, if you’re still marketing your construction company the old way, then generating new leads is getting harder and harder, every single year. And unless you change your construction marketing strategy, soon you won’t have enough leads to sustain your business.

The “I Don’t Need To Advertise” Myth 

One of the biggest myths in our industry is that custom home builders who ‘don’t need to advertise’... are doing well. The truth is, those guys are not hitting the benchmark for gross or net margins because they don’t have enough demand for their services.

You see, the builders that advertise, understand the basics of business. That is, when demand exceeds supply, margins go up.  Conversely, when supply exceeds demand, margins go down.  And if supply and demand are equal, then nothing changes … No margin growth and no revenue growth.

When you start advertising your construction company, you’ll be able to create more demand than you need and then turn down the projects and the clients that you don’t want to take on. When you do this, your margins will increase and you can start to enjoy the lifestyle you deserve as the owner of a building company.

So don’t worry about those old school builders that tell you how great their business is because they don’t need to advertise; instead, focus on growing your margins by increasing demand for your services.

Very soon you’ll be dominating your local market and your competition will be too far behind to do anything about it. 

Here are some construction marketing tips to help you:

Construction Marketing Tips For Builders

The first thing you must do is identify your avatar. If you don’t do this first, you’ll simply be wasting your advertising budget.

When you know who your ideal client is (your avatar) you can get more granular with your advertising. You can create powerful construction marketing messages that speak directly to the people you want to work with.

To create that perfect message, you need to craft the perfect offer that provides your ideal client with a solution to their problems. We call these lead magnets and there are many options for builders. Downloadable guides, templates, price lists, floor plans, calculators...you get the picture. Consumers in research mode love hearing tips from experts, and as a licensed professional builder you certainly qualify as an expert! As long as your offer provides value to your ideal client, then you will start generating high quality leads that are more likely to progress through your sales process. 

When those new leads start rolling in, you need to expect the 100:1 ratio. Meaning, as long as your sales and marketing processes are up to scratch, 100 new leads should give you one highly profitable building contract. Those numbers might sound crazy, especially if you’re used to relying on referrals, but when leads only cost around $50 each, the investment is worthwhile.

Don’t mistake the other 99 leads as dead, however. When they click on your ad and sign up for your offer, they’re handing you their email address so it’s your job to nurture them with useful information about building a home until they are ready to speak with a builder. So you need to be sure you have automated email sequences in place too. 

Marketing a building company can create a constant flow of opportunities when it’s implemented correctly.

What Are The Best Ways To Generate Leads?

Social Media Marketing

Successful marketing for construction businesses involves a multi-pronged approach. A frequently under-utilised asset is social media advertising and marketing. This provides building companies with an additional means of reaching new customers that may not otherwise find their construction business. 

However, too many construction companies ignore social media completely. 

Social media advertising can help a business be more personable and appealing to potential clients. Posting ‘behind-the-scenes’ videos showing the faces and personalities behind a brand can greatly help a potential client's willingness to reach out or opt in to future communications. Responding to comments and questions directly on social media and being seen to do this greatly helps customer trust and satisfaction in a business.  

Some other social media posting tips include:

• Company and staff awards and accomplishments.
• How-to guides.
• Industry news.
• Infographics.
• Live video.
• Podcasts.
• Upcoming events.

Search Engine Optimisation

If you want to understand the importance of search engine optimisation (SEO), consider these two facts. First, 94% of people use Google to search online. Secondly, 90% of people click on the first page of results. 

So if you want your audience to find you online, you need to be prominent on Google. Good quality SEO increases organic traffic to a website through organic search engine results.  

SEO has two main components: on-page SEO (technical SEO) and off-page SEO. 

On-page optimisation comprises all the items on your website including copy, blogs, and images. SEO specialists improve individual pages through keyword optimisation and content creation to make the site appear higher on search engines for key search terms or keywords.  It also aims to improve the user experience which can increase engagement and reduce bounce rate (the % of visitors who leave your website after only viewing one page). 

Off-page SEO is everything that happens away from your website. The most important part is backlinks which involves other sites creating hyperlinks that direct people to your content. Search engines like Google and Bing consider websites with high-quality backlinks as reputable and reliable and thus increase their search engine rankings. 

Google Ads

Google Ads allows construction companies the ability to advertise online to prospective clients across Google’s search networks. You pay each time someone clicks on your ad. The key to Google Ads is to ensure you get a good return on your ad click spend. 

It’s essential to have a Google Ads qualified specialist assisting you with these ads so you’re not unnecessarily spending money on wasted clicks. 

Google Ads lets you focus on a particular segment of your audience and what keywords they type into Google. This targeting allows you to determine the location, age, gender and interests of the user and thus show an ad specific to them. This strategic approach gives you the best chance of converting users into loyal customers. 

The service includes a wide range of metrics for up-to-the-second feedback. You can see precisely how many people clicked an ad and how many of these individuals took an action on your website such as placing a phone call or filling out an online form. These analytics lets you determine which ads work and which ones need improvement.  

Have Great Content On Your Website

Search engines favour companies that regularly produce high quality content. The easiest way to communicate great content is through a blog section on your website. This serves as a natural extension for construction marketing, where companies can flex their industry expertise and offer insightful tips. 

Keyword optimisation makes up a significant portion of blogging. The process strategically incorporates selecting keywords and phrases that people use to find your business online. That way when people enter these terms, your website is more likely to appear on the first page of Google. 

A great website doesn't start and end with a blog. It should also have fast load speeds, a user-friendly design and be clearly viewed on a mobile device. These characteristics make it easier for visitors to find what they need, when they need it.

And never let website visitors slip through your fingers. Prompting visitors to sign up to future communications from you is essential. Having the right CTAs (calls to action) on your website - like an ebook download or a free 30 minute consultation - is the best way to get more leads. 

Never Forget Customer Service

Your audience can choose from many construction companies in your area. Emphasising excellent customer service can set you apart from your competitors. It demonstrates that you put their needs and preferences first.

Some ways to guarantee that actions speak louder than words include:

• Be positive.
• Don't dismiss customer complaints.
• Help customers help themselves.
• Personalise your service.
• Keep your promises.

You should recognise a customer's needs before they can articulate them. The timely and thoughtful service ensures that people get the assistance they need and have a positive experience. While speed is essential, it should never come at the cost of customer service.

If you need some help getting started, download the Construction Marketing Blueprint for Builders. It’s the ultimate guide to advertising a building company.

Click on the link below to download it for free now.