From foundation to success: How to build a marketing strategy for construction

You lead a team of skilled construction contractors, ready to get dozens of projects and grow your business. But then, you face an endlessly growing market of competitors (or more exactly, estimated to grow by 70% by 2040, according to McKinsey), and risk getting lost in it quickly. Or else, if you are in the building material selling industry, you’re just one fish in the 1.41 trillion dollar ocean — how will you get your customers to choose you? 

The only way to become distinct, get noticed, get a loyal customer base, and grow your revenue is to use digital marketing for building materials and construction. The thing is, with all the nuances of the construction industry, developing the right strategy is difficult. In this guide, we will break down every aspect, from website SEO to advertising and multi-channel marketing, to equip you with everything you need to build a successful construction marketing strategy.

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Understanding the challenges of marketing a construction business

As David Duquemin points out, whose family construction business just reached its centenary, "You've got to cope with the peaks and troughs of the economy, and the effect that has on the workforce." The nature of the industry itself generates extra layers of difficulty.

• Economic drivers and geographic discontinuity.

The sensitivity of the industry makes marketing for builders seem like weather forecasting during a hurricane. It has been reported that construction companies are typically expected to spend up to 8.9% for marketing expenses of a project's contract value, and U.S. companies spend far more than their international competitors (according to Mochtar). The lessons learned from studying 95 construction firms in 2024 show that the percentage will keep growing due to the ongoing issues of inflation, availability of materials, and disruptions in the supply chain.

• Intense competition in saturated markets.

The construction market has become saturated, and now construction firms not only compete with others at the local and regional level, but also with global enterprises. The evidence supports that competition can increase client expectations, and mergers and acquisitions, unstable economic conditions have only increased competition (by Ogbu). In fact, the competition has caused what has been labelled mega consolidations, which are forcing construction companies to become smaller or more boutique or specialized (Egesa, 2011).

• Limited knowledge of marketing and resource utilization.

Most builders experience marketing confusion, which prohibits their growth opportunities. Most case studies in SMEs reveal that they don't understand construction industry marketing and that they are often tactically based and perceived only as sales promotion, according to Ganah’s research. An engineering approach often takes precedence over marketing activity and creates internal resistance to investing in marketing strategies.

• Barriers to technology adoption and digital transformation.

The construction sector has had the slowest pace of technology adoption compared to other sectors, which translates into a marketing disadvantage in today's more digital-based approach. According to the Deloitte report, construction businesses have adopted only 6.2 of the 16 technologies and 11 data environments, limiting personalization abilities. Notably, training (48%) and operational costs (45%) are cited as the leading stoppers to technology adoption.

• Building client relationships vs. a project-based approach.

Unlike industries where purchases are repeated, construction operates on a project-by-project basis. As such, relationship marketing is more important and also much harder. Researchers state that building reasonable relationships with clients already doing business with you is more important than attracting new clients, yet a lot of SME's remain focused on market sales rather than relationships. Construction businesses should consider both their short-term project wins and, at the same time, look for longer-term goals, creating a lasting partnership.

To overcome these challenges, you need to start with a robust and solid marketing plan for building material company or construction team. Let’s define and describe it in detail.

What is a construction marketing plan, and why does it matter?

A construction marketing plan is a specific roadmap outlining what building companies and suppliers should do to attract and retain customers within their market space. 

The ongoing challenges of the construction industry since 2022 were concerning, supported by HubSpot data demonstrating declines across all the key construction metrics (-3.8% inbound leads; -0.65% web conversions; -6.84% web traffic), making the marketing plan for construction business vital to cope with all the changing tides and declining market metrics. 

Marketing is also essential for construction material suppliers and building marketplaces, which tend to face cyclical patterns of demand and rapidly changing consumer preferences that can render inventory obsolete in an eye blink. For instance, Cemex Ventures defined that the latest materials trends in 2025 focus on sustainable materials like recycled steel, concrete, and wood — a great difference from the previous years. 

This importance drives you to focus on various channels and aspects to create a construction company marketing plan that actually works and adapts to all changes yet to come. 

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Building websites, SEO & analytics for construction companies

To fully embrace the concept of construction marketing services and activities, we need to break it down into specific parts that are all equally important.

Website structure and design

A construction website is both a project portfolio and the face of your business that allows prospects to research your services and request quotes. Similarly, building supplies retailers need websites for showing inventory and specifications, and selling supplies to contractors and homeowners. A good website is now critical for tapping into this expanding marketplace.

Here are the steps to start marketing for construction companies and building supplies companies with a great website:

• Define audience and purpose. First, identify if you have homeowners, commercial clients, or both as your audience. General contractors need to showcase whatever they offer, and for building supplies retailers, determine if you are selling to contractors, DIY homeowners, or both, since customer types impact your optimal website structure.
• Choose the platform. Website builders do not require any coding knowledge. For instance, Wix offers 30+ construction-specific templates with cost-quoters, and is also great for e-commerce if you are a supplier. Hostinger boasts AI tools to create websites quickly. For a marketing strategy for building materials, platforms like Shopify handle product catalogs, manage inventory for each product line, and provide more than one payment option.
• Structure according to your business type. The website architecture should mimic your business model. 
  
  • If you are a general contractor, show project gallery, service area map, quote request form, client reviews;
  • A home renovation specialist can show the before and after photo slider, blogs full of renovation tips, and downloadable budgeting checklists.
  • Commercial construction can use project case studies by industry and downloadable capability statements.
  • Building supplies retailers typically organize products into as many categories as are appropriate (lumber, plumbing, electrical, etc.), include the product specs for each item, give pricing for different levels of customers and bulk orders or bundles, and add delivery/pickup options.

Consider specific construction service-oriented website features, like social proof indicators, including licensing /certifications, and insurance badges. And follow the recent trends — for instance, Sterling Construction Company shows their benefits with a fresh, modern site, with sections dedicated to sustainability initiatives, community reports, and investor relations, together with a detailed overview of their diverse operations. Building digital marketing for building material suppliers also doesn’t go without specific website features. Ferguson offers a great example of a website for professional contractors and homeowners, helping quickly browse through their catalog and provide detailed specifications, manage their contractor accounts, find local branches, and helps each customer type navigate easily.

It’s not easy to build a website for construction industry businesses, but at COAX, we make it easier. If you need a website UX audit company that can make a full analysis of your website’s user experience, and then suggest and implement a data-based redesign to optimize load times, improve user flows, ensure personalization, and implement new features to drive revenue growth, we are the one for you to turn to.

SEO optimization for construction marketing

Search engine optimization is a must for construction industry digital marketing, as well as attracting buyers for businesses selling building materials at every stage of the customer journey.  By extending your online presence using SEO, building companies and supply retailers typically aim to improve search functionality to be more visible in the local community and nationally. If you focus on creating solid and industry-specific SEO content that aligns with your audience's expressed needs, you will grow your authority.

Here are the best marketing strategies for construction company to grow SEO visibility:

• Keyword research and optimization. Keyword research is the starting point for online success. A real-world example: if you searching in Google for affordable house extensions in Liverpool, one of the first results is Allerton Windows in Google. A quick look at their keyword strategy show they focused primarily on long-tail keywords, using phrases like "adding a second story to your house" and "extension on garage", these are the specific phrases that people will be searching for. There are more possible options:
  
  • Construction service keywords usually include primary service keywords like “construction companies in Bristol” “commercial construction services US”, or “residential building contractors near Warsaw airport”.
  • Location keywords include phrases like “construction services in Mardid city centre”,“house extension services in Northwest England”, or “Muenchen construction company who do office fitouts”.
  • Specialization and niche service keywords include specific requests like “period home restoration Bonn”, or “luxury home builders northwest Italy” that include additional details.
  • Building supplies retailer keywords are typically product focused keywords, such as “plumbing supplies Bucharest” , or more specific requests like "pressure treated lumber Vienna", "commercial grade roofing materials", or "insulation materials residential projects".

Integrating keywords isn’t the easiest task, especially for the digital marketing for building materials and construction companies. For building teams, there are some tips on implementing it:

• Organize your website by services, showcase your projects in a gallery, include your contact information, and create landing pages for all of the locations you operate in and every type of project you complete.
• For meta descriptions, create a concise text showing your offerings and including keywords, e.g., "Are you looking for reliable construction companies in Dallas? Our experienced construction team provides quality house extensions, second storey additions and garage conversions."
• Don’t forget schema markup for structured data to make it easier for users and search engines to navigate through your website. Use LocalBusiness schema for location details, service schema for the different types of construction services, review schema for client reviews, and project gallery schema for before/after pictures.
• Get backlinks from guest posting on home improvement blogs, working with local real estate agents, industry association memberships, and local chamber of commerce listings
• Improve local SEO & Google Business Profile from service area coverage maps, galleries with project photos, managing client reviews, and regular posts of completed projects
• Use tools like Google Analytics 4 for monitoring website traffic, BrightLocal for local SEO tracking, and Contractor Calls for lead tracking designed specifically for trades businesses.

How to market a construction business e-commerce website with SEO? Here are some tips: 

• Set up navigation based on product categories, brand pages, and customer types (contractor vs. homeowner). Make search easy with filters based on product specifications, availability, and prices. Also, provide maps of delivery areas and information on their local branch.
• For meta descriptions, include keywords and trust-building elements, for instance: "Premium building supplies in Oslo. We have been supplying contractors and homeowners with quality lumber, plumbing materials, electrical materials, and expert advice since 1985."
• For markup, building supplies retailers need product schema for each item with specifications, organization schema for information about the company, store location schema for multiple locations, as well as an inventory schema for availability of stock.
• Get backlinks from partnership pages with manufacturers, features in industry trade publications, contractor resource directories, and local business association memberships
• Improve local SEO & Google Business Profile from store locations and operating hours, product inventory and availability, supplier certifications and partnerships, and educational content and installation guides
• Use tools like Google Search Console for tracking search performance, Ahrefs for backlink analysis, Screaming Frog for technical SEO auditing, and LocaliQ for local marketing automation with construction industry templates.

With so many nuances, how to grow your construction business using search engine optimization? You probably need help from an experienced SEO services provider like COAX to audit your current performance and set clear pathways to improve your keyword rankings and bring you to the very top of search using proven strategies.

Analytics

If you are a custom home builder, you may be interested in the relationship you cultivate with customers over the long term; an emergency repair service will be optimizing for immediate conversions. The KPIs you select will vary depending on the stage of the sales cycle and the type of company that you're focusing on. 

For marketing construction services, here are some detailed KPI tips:

• Track top-funnel awareness KPIs from unique visitors to the website (including geographic location and visit time/length), organic website traffic from construction related keywords, local search impressions for "near me" searches, and most popular pages on the website and blog posts.
• Monitor middle-funnel consideration KPIs from blog views on educational content such as "How to Decide Between Renovation vs. Rebuild", gated content downloads such as budgeting guide or materials specifications, email opens and click-throughs from project case studies, and attendance for booking consults or webinars.
• Measure bottom-funnel decision KPIs from lead-to-close conversion rate (percentage of estimates that become signed contracts), cost per Lead (Total marketing spend divided by qualified leads generated), revenue per Customer and Average project size, and quote-to-contract timeline and abandonment points.
• Use tools like JobNimbus or BuilderTREND for full view of customer journey, CallRail to attribute phone leads to specific marketing campaigns, and heat mapping on quote request forms to optimize for a higher form completion rate.

For a successful and data-driven building products marketing, you should focus on different metrics:

• Track top-funnel awareness KPIs from unique visitors to the website (including geographic location and visit time/length), opt-ins to newsletter or project planning guides, downloadable tools/resources such as material calculators/planning checklists, and heat mapping on product photos to document which are getting the most attention
• Monitor middle-funnel consideration KPIs from average number of dwell time on product pages and downloads of the specifications sheet, price quotation requests and bulk orders, usage of comparison tools between options materials, and sample requests
• Measure bottom-funnel decision KPIs from lead-to-close conversion rate, cost per Lead (Total marketing spend divided by qualified leads generated), revenue per Customer and Average project size, and Enhanced Ecommerce tracking for complete purchase paths
• Use tools like Google Analytics 4 to build custom audiences for each customer type (contractor vs. homeowner), and HubSpot CRM software to track content that leads are engaged with before completing a quote request.

Off-the-shelf tools don’t always give you the full picture. If your KPIs are very specific, your processes are more unstructured, or your model is hybrid, you will benefit from custom predictive analytics solutions built for you from scratch, of robust API integrations connecting your solutions to analytics platforms without data loss. These are both the services COAX teams can provide for you using our building industry marketing and product development expertise.

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Multi-channel marketing

To implement efficient and revenue-driving advertising for construction services and supplies, you need a complex multi-channel strategy.

Content marketing

HubSpot's 2023 State of Marketing Report states that inbound marketing techniques lead to 54% more leads than traditional methods. This helps to consolidate why construction content marketing is so important. For construction companies and building supplies companies, the production of content that speaks to your audience helps build authority and trust while improving visibility. For construction services companies, we have some content-related advice:

• Produce content types from project case study documentation that highlights detailed expectations of a project (e.g. before/after), educational materials, e.g. "Planning your kitchen renovation: a comprehensive timeline", industry insight articles: legislation changes, industry trends, best practices, etc., and problem-solving content to tackle common construction questions.
• Create visual video marketing for contractors (88% ROI success rate) with project transformation time-lapses that show the transformation from beginning to end, "Behind the scenes" content that shows the craftsmanship and diligence of your trade, as well as client testimonial videos.
• Use interactive elements from virtual project tours using 360-degree photography, before/after comparison sliders for renovation projects, interactive floor plans and design tools, and high-resolution project galleries organized by service type with team photos humanizing your business and building trust.

To enhance content marketing for construction companies selling supplies, you can use the following guidelines for creating comprehensive materials:

• Produce content types from comparing products that help customers in the choice of materials, installation tutorials and specifications, project calculators to calculate how much material you really need, and seasonal buying guides and seasonal maintenance suggestions.
• Create visual content with video materials, such as educational tutorial videos showcasing how to do a proper install, equipment and facility showcases demonstrating capabilities, process documentation showing quality control measures, and material calculators and cost estimators.
• Repurpose high-performing content across multiple formats. For example, transform a popular blog post about "Choosing the right wood for flooring" into a video series, downloadable checklist, and social media campaign to maximize your content investment.

If you need construction company marketing ideas from real companies, JE Dunn Construction does an exceptional job of content marketing and has a detailed blog with posts about construction technology, sustainable practices, project management, etc. Their content strategy is effective because they promote their thought leadership.

To implement efficient content marketing strategies, you need the right tools. Canva Pro will help you with templates, brand kits, and design tools for professional graphics, while Adobe Creative Suite also offers some advanced photo and video editing capabilities. Additionally, Loom can be used for quick screen recordings for explanatory videos.

At COAX, we also have extensive experience improving and promoting building supplies businesses with the right content and software development. From our case of establishing marketing of the construction marketplace, SmartBat, we implemented an ability to organize articles, building manuals, and editorials on construction ideas and materials to help users make better decisions and boost user engagement.

Social media marketing  

According to a report by MyCustomer.com, 87% of construction decision-makers use social media to grasp the strengths of potential partners and suppliers. Social media offers construction companies and building supplies retailers unique opportunities to showcase work quality, prove expertise, and build relationships with potential clients.

To create a social media marketing for construction to grow your reach, customer loyalty, and revenues, follow some guidelines:

• Choose the right platform. Pick platforms based on your target audience. LinkedIn is essential for B2B relationships, Facebook is ideal for local reach and community engagement, especially effective for residential contractors. Instagram is perfect for visual storytelling and showcasing craftsmanship through high-quality project photos, while YouTube is best for longer educational content and project highlight reels.
• Build the right content strategy. High-impact content types include:
  
  • Project showcases with before-and-after transformations and progress documentation.
  • Educational content addressing common client questions and industry insights.
  • Include team spotlights to humanize your company and build trust through transparency.  
  • Create client testimonials and case studies providing social proof. 
  • Make behind-the-scenes content showing processes, safety protocols, and company culture.  

• Visual content performs exceptionally well. Time-lapse videos of construction progress, drone footage of large projects, and Instagram Reels or YouTube videos with supply usage tutorials for building materials digital marketing. You can use Unfold for Instagram story templates and layouts, and VSCO for professional photo filtering and editing.
• Track metrics aligned with business goals: lead inquiries from social channels, website traffic from social media, engagement rates on educational content, and follower growth in target demographics. You can use Sprout Social for social media management with detailed analytics, and Buffer for simplified scheduling and performance tracking.  

As a real-world example, you can turn to Turner Construction Company’s Instagram which effectively demonstrates posts featuring detailed project descriptions, showcasing their technical expertise, describing their history, and spotlighting their team members to gain trust.

If you need help with establishing the right content strategy for your social media, you can contact COAX to get help from our content marketing services that establish your digital presence throughout all the related channels.

Email marketing

Email marketing delivers strong ROI for construction businesses, with companies earning about $36 for every $1 invested. Besides, 89% of businesses prefer email as their primary method. This makes it viable for you to invest into strategic email marketing for construction companies that connect you with the right audiences and drive repeat projects or purchases.

The long sales cycles common in construction make email valuable for nurturing prospects, while for building supply retailers, email marketing improves new product campaigns, sales, and helps achieve lower cart abandonment rates. Targeted email content can increase open rates by 14.32%, helping to foster stronger relationships and promote repeat business and referrals. 

Here are some tips to achieve such impressive results:

• Establish the specific email campaign types to use to achieve specific goals on every stage of the funnel:
  
  • Welcome series, when you send automated welcome emails for prospects requesting quotes or signing up for newsletters. Include company introductions, recent project showcases, and clear next steps for engagement.  
  • Project progress updates to keep clients informed with regular updates on status, milestone achievements, timeline changes, and upcoming project phases. This transparency builds trust and eases client anxiety during lengthy projects.  
  • Educational content campaigns that help you share valuable resources such as seasonal maintenance checklists, renovation planning guides, permit process explanations, and material selection tips. 
  • Promotional campaigns to announce new services, seasonal offers, flash sales, schedule openings, or early booking discounts. Include clear calls-to-action to encourage immediate responses.  
  • Re-engagement campaigns help target past clients with updates on current projects, exclusive offers, or maintenance reminders. These campaigns often generate referrals and repeat business from previous customers.  
  • Case studies and testimonials allow you to showcase completed projects with before-and-after photos, client testimonials, and detailed problem-solving stories that demonstrate your expertise or how specific products and materials help solve problems.

• Use specific software to ensure that your construction email marketing efforts are successful. For instance, Mailchimp is great for small to medium construction businesses with user-friendly templates, automation workflows, and basic CRM integration, and ActiveCampaign is best for advanced lead nurturing with sophisticated automation, behavioral tracking, and CRM integration for complex sales cycles.  

When it comes to launching your campaigns, don’t forget about the segmentation strategies. Project-based segmentation is for separate residential homeowners, commercial property managers, and industrial facility operators; geographic segmentation is to customize content based on local building codes, seasonal considerations, weather patterns, and regional construction trends; and lifecycle stage segmentation helps develop different email tracks for prospects researching services.

Customer reviews and testimonials

A webinar with JobTread Founder and CEO Eric Fortenberry from NiceJob discussed how using customer feedback can provide real benefits. For instance, companies can see a 15-20% increase in search traffic with 10 or more reviews. Specifically for sales and marketing for builders, construction businesses with 25 or more reviews see 108% more traffic than average.  

Let’s define the most successful strategies to using customer reviews and testimonials as your marketing weapons:

• Deliver exceptional customer experience from focus on quality, reliability, and clear communication to earn positive reviews, and consistently exceeding client expectations builds a foundation for genuine testimonials.
• Encourage reviews with strategic incentives from offer discounts for future services (5-10% off the next project), provide branded merchandise or gift cards, and create referral bonuses for customers who leave reviews.
• Provide tools for easy review submission from send automated review requests via email after project completion, include QR codes on project completion documents, and embed review forms directly on your website to unite feedback with construction product marketing to show the value of your offerings.
• Handle negative reviews professionally from acknowledge concerns within 24 hours, apologize sincerely and offer specific solutions, take discussions offline when appropriate, and follow up to ensure customer satisfaction.
• Train your staff to manage feedback from conduct role-playing scenarios for different review situations, create response templates for common feedback topics, designate team members to monitor and respond to reviews, and provide regular training on customer service excellence.
• Use tools like NiceJob for all-in-one reputation marketing software with automated review generation and follow-up and affordable pricing for small businesses, or BirdEye for multi-platform review management with AI-powered sentiment analysis.

A great example of visual impact through project-based reviews is shown by Alita Constructions. Each testimonial features high-quality photos of completed work, and reviews mention specific aspects like architectural design, timeline adherence, and craftsmanship quality. 

To make authentic reviews from satisfied customers your strongest marketing tool, you should develop an intuitive and robust testimonials and feedback system on your website. Our company is focused on web development services for business owners that want to expand or optimize the functionality of their digital storeftronts, and we know well how to apply user experience and responsive design principles to make it a go-to spot for your users.

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Account-based marketing, influencers & co-marketing 

These types of marketing often include elements of multi-channel marketing and are often connected, but have some specific features, particularly concerning external partnerships and precise targeting.

Account-based marketing (ABM)

According to Gartner research, ABM provides a lift in sales performance, such as a 28% increase in overall account engagement. Besides, by integrating intent data with AI, you can analyze massive amounts of data and determine patterns to inform successful ABM campaigns for construction product marketing and sales enablement.

The construction industry's high-ticket sales, together with long sales cycles, provide the perfect setting for ABM. It helps construction teams acquire better relations with project managers, procurement officers, and property developers. For retailers of building materials, ABM focuses on commercial buyers, wholesale buyers, and contractor networks for bulk buying.

Successful execution of account-based marketing for construction and building materials requires you to follow some specific guidelines:

• Find your highest-value target accounts. For contractors, target large commercial developers, municipal governments, and repeat customers with consistent project pipelines. Building materials retailers target large contractors, commercial builders, and institutional buyers such as school districts or healthcare systems. 
• Make sure outreach is adjusted to industry needs. Construction contractors must offer customized proposals to accommodate unique project demands (regulatory compliance, scheduling, safety, etc). Building material retailers need customized product catalogs, volume pricing plans, and delivery options that align with project schedules.
• Arrange content into targeted programs. Develop industry-specific content like project case studies, compliance manuals, and technical specs. Contractors should emphasize similar project completions and safety records, while retailers should provide material guides and content that demonstrate expertise in servicing commercial accounts.
• Make multi-channelness your best tool. Use synchronized campaigns on LinkedIn for B2B relationship building, email for detailed technical communication, and custom landing pages with account-based pricing or project portfolios. Construction contractors appreciate trade show booth visibility, but retailers need to highlight digital catalogs.
• Sales and marketing for builders should be in sync. Get both groups to exchange account information, project schedules, and relationship charts. Joint planning sessions on a regular basis enable them to identify decision-makers and ideal touch points.

Visuals and case studies work beautifully for construction ABM, with project reports, time-lapse films, and before-and-afters imbuing credibility. It’s also a good idea to use HubSpot ABM for account scoring and personalization, and Salesforce Pardot for lead-nurturing automation.

A real-use case is Home Depot's Pro Xtra program, with value propositions that include product authority, frictionless experiences, and potent partnerships with professional contractors. The program offers professional contractors specialized services and discounts, attracting high-value targets with efficient personalization.

Influencer marketing

You may think of influencer marketing as only suitable for consumer brands and lifestyle industries, but it is also a massive opportunity in the form of a powerful and effective solution for advertising for construction and building supplies retail. B2B influencer marketing is simply working with experts, thought leaders, and influencers who possess great influence within their respective business niches. 

In the construction sector, contractors benefit from working with seasoned builders, project managers, and construction technology experts who can share field experience. Building material retailers should market to architects, interior designers, and DIY trainers who can demonstrate product quality and versatility to professional and consumer groups.

How to promote construction businesses with the help of influencers? Use these strategic approaches: 

• Choose influencers who possess genuine experience. For contractors, partner with contractors and specialty trade experts with solid reputations and authentic followings. Building material retailers should seek out architects, interior designers, and home improvement tutorial makers. The market has them all already: for instance, Charlie Gee, stonemason from the UK who restores cathedrals across Europe, or Rachel Metz, famous for creative home renovation projects and upcycling ideas.
• Develop evergreen content instead of a single post. Standalone posts yield moderate returns compared to ongoing partnerships that build trust with the passing of time. Construction contractors must forge multi-year relationships with trade specialists, while retailers benefit from seasonal content series and product line features.
• Make educational content your top priority. High-performing content (such as how-to tutorials, troubleshooting videos, and real-world showcases) for construction influencers, as well as before-and-after makeovers and DIY tutorials for influencer marketing strategies for building materials, naturally showcase your products and services.

For influencer discovery across platforms, use Aspire for detailed influencer discovery and campaign administration, in a mix of Upfluence for detailed audience analysis and niche industry influencer identification.

The industry has seen success stories here, as well. Ben Uyeda of HomeMade Modern currently advises building material companies as a YouTube and Instagram online influencer. His five-year partnership with Quikrete demonstrates good long-term planning — for just $20,000 per year to create ten videos, HomeMade Modern today accounts for 25% to 50% of first-choice YouTube search results for DIY concrete.

Co-marketing

Co-marketing partnerships that successfully integrate alliance coordination, inter-firm communication, and knowledge management skills perform better than conventional solo marketing initiatives, per research by Herhausen and Schoegel from the University of St. Gallen. Through partnerships, companies with co-marketing capabilities achieve superior competitive positioning, according to their study of 13 major firms.

By working with partnering companies, co-marketing enables building supply retailers and construction contractors to share audiences and resources for a wider market reach. For contractors, this entails collaborating with suppliers of materials, engineering, and building businesses. Strong cross-promotional opportunities are produced for retailers through collaborations with home improvement services, designers, or contractors.

When creating alliances for digital marketing for construction companies, consider these tips:

• Find partners who complement your offerings. Contractors ought to focus on smart home technology companies, architectural firms, and specialty subcontractors. Meanwhile, partnerships with installation services, interior designers, or general contractors are best for retailers.
• Define shared points. Assess the possibility of a partnership based on mutual trust, common target demographics, and aligned brand values. 
• Set clear processes. Establish precise agreements outlining roles, expected contributions, and success criteria. 
• Leverage specific tools. Use industry-specific platforms like BuildingConnected for construction alliances. LinkedIn Sales Navigator also uses sophisticated filtering to find possible partners.

An example of successful co-marketing in action is The Home Depot's 2021 collaboration with Walmart GoLocal. Walmart was able to acquire its first significant retail client for GoLocal services, while Home Depot was able to offer same-day delivery to 90% of the US population.

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Paid advertising

Another area to focus your marketing efforts is paid advertising for construction. Let’s break it down by the necessary features and optimizations for every channel.

Google PPC ads

Google PPC advertising is perfect for attracting high-intent clients who are actively looking for services because it gives construction companies precise targeting, geolocation capabilities, and instant results. Google receives over 40,000 searches every second, so with location-based targeting, contractors should concentrate on campaigns specific to their services. To attract high-intent searches, construction company advertising examples usually include long-tail keywords such as "custom home builders near me" or "emergency roof repair [city name]".

Retailers of building supplies profit from product-specific advertising that targets both do-it-yourselfers and contractors. Use inventory-based ad copy to target keywords such as "commercial building materials," "tile supplier near me," or "contractor discount plumbing supplies."

Here are some tips to make an efficient construction company ad:

• Clearly define your campaign goals. Choose website traffic for preliminary research, leads for requests for estimates, or sales for urgent project requirements.
• Organize campaigns using ad groups. Retailers should arrange according to product categories (plumbing, electrical, and lumber), and contractors should keep residential and commercial campaigns apart.
• Create attention-grabbing headlines of no more than 30 characters. Emphasize your unique selling propositions (such as certified installation, bulk discounts, and round-the-clock service), and use powerful calls to action (such as "Get Free Estimate Today" or "Shop Contractor Pricing").
• Create landing pages specifically tailored to messaging. Retailers should display product catalogs and pricing details, while contractors require project galleries and contact forms.

Make use of ad extensions such as location extensions for local visibility, callout extensions emphasizing certifications or guarantees, and site links to particular services or products. The key tools to do it are SpyFu for competitor ad intelligence and Google Ads Editor for bulk campaign management.

Social media advertising

95% of small-scale contractors use Facebook for social media marketing, according to research by Tembo. Also, 81% of respondents were businesses that spend less than $200 per month on social media ads, suggesting a sizable potential for construction company advertising spending.

While LinkedIn filters by job title and company size to reach decision-makers, architects, and main contractors, Facebook should be the top choice for contractors to reach small builders and do-it-yourself clients. Also, Instagram is a platform for displaying visual project changes.

Retailers of building supplies profit from LinkedIn's B2B wholesale connections, Facebook's wide targeting for contractors and do-it-yourselfers, and Pinterest's motivational home improvement content that promotes product discovery.

Let’s define some important moments to focus on when you are preparing a paid social media campaign:

• Clearly define your goals. Generating leads for estimate requests, increasing traffic to product catalogs, fostering community engagement, or raising brand awareness for new market entry.
• Segment audiences. According to research findings, target audience segmentation should distinguish between government agencies (33.3% of contractor audiences), other construction firms (47.6%), and general consumers as the majority.
• Find your format. High-performing formats for construction business advertising are photos, videos, and site progress documentation are the focus of content strategy optimization. If you are marketing a supplies marketplace, focus on video DIY content, photos of engineering firms building projects with your supplies, etc.

One marketplace that shows well how to advertise construction business is Home Depot's sponsored Instagram post. With 18,625 likes, the commercial content "Show us what you're working on" showed how branded commercial content can increase engagement through product positioning and community involvement.

As per the solutions for construction advertising, LinkedIn Campaign Manager for B2B lead generation, and Meta Business Suite for campaign creation, audience targeting, and campaign management for Facebook and Instagram.

You can also go further by developing unique apps that connect users from ad click to project inquiry with expert mobile app development by COAX. We improve advertising for construction companies and supplier marketplaces by capturing and nurturing leads from your social campaigns. Furthermore, a branded mobile app offers your construction company a competitive edge in social media content, enabling you to show respect for recent trends. Thumb-friendly navigation or storytelling, Instagram-like features? We can implement anything you need.

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Measuring success

Construction marketing services and campaigns can (and should) be tracked and monitored, using specific metrics to define their success. Let’s analyze the main ones.

KPIs and ROI of your campaigns

McKinsey research indicates that between 2020 and 2022, the construction and engineering sector received $50 billion in technology investment, which is 85% more than it did in the preceding three years. KPI tracking is crucial for construction companies to stay competitive, as evidenced by this surge in demand for data transparency and digital integration.

• Use Lead Conversion Rate (Website Leads ÷ Website Visitors × 100) to track the efficacy of lead generation. While building supply retailers should concentrate on conversions from product catalog requests and quote inquiries, construction contractors should aim for conversions from project inquiry forms.
• Use Cost Per Lead (CPL) to calculate the effectiveness of marketing campaigns (Total Marketing Spend ÷ Number of Leads Generated). 
• Use Return on Ad Spend (ROAS) (Revenue from Ads ÷ Ad Spend) to calculate the return on investment (ROI) of digital marketing.
• Use Website Traffic Growth (Current Period Traffic — Previous Period Traffic) ÷ Previous Period Traffic × 100 to monitor brand visibility. While building supply retailers should concentrate on product page visits and contractor resource section traffic, construction contractors should keep an eye on project portfolio page visits and local search traffic.
• Use the Email Marketing Open Rate (Emails Opened ÷ Emails Sent × 100) to gauge audience engagement. While digital marketing for building materials is used for contractor-focused promotions and product announcements, construction contractors should monitor open rates for client newsletters.

To prevent data overload and guarantee constant tracking accuracy, start with two to three core KPIs before growing.

According to Urban Element, marketing ROI can be calculated using the formula: (Net Profit from Marketing Campaign – Total Marketing Investment) / Total Marketing Investment × 100. For simpler tracking, use Revenue Generated / Marketing Spend = ROI Ratio, where a 5:1 ratio means $5 earned for every $1 spent on marketing.

Construction contractors might track ROI from Google Ads campaigns that generate project leads, while building suppliers could measure ROI from trade show investments or contractor loyalty programs.

Analytics

Applications for analytics offer useful information in a variety of business domains. Key applications for construction marketing strategies are as follows:

• Both business types can use market research and competitive intelligence to help them make strategic decisions by understanding consumer preferences, competitor activity, and market trends. Examples of these tools include SimilarWeb for traffic insights and SEMrush for competitor keyword analysis. 
• Performance gains are tracked by analytics and website optimization using Hotjar for heatmap analysis; building supply retailers, especially, profit from tracking product searches and e-commerce conversions. 
• The most successful social media marketing strategies are those used by contractors showcasing project portfolios and retailers showcasing products and do-it-yourself content. Sprout Social and Hootsuite Analytics track reach, engagement, and conversions.
• Retailers offering installation instructions and contractors showcasing their skills both gain from content marketing analysis that uses BuzzSumo for construction company advertising ideas.
• . For retailers promoting seasonal products and contractors cultivating client relationships, email marketing metrics measured by Mailchimp Analytics and Constant Contact provide the best subject lines, content, and calls-to-action through open rates and click-through rates.

Ready market solutions don’t always have features to cover all the metrics you need to track to make your marketing efforts successful. In this case, COAX’s custom software development for construction industry ensures you receive a tailored solution for analytics, or connect your current infrastructure with any tools and data sources that feed your analytics to ensure you grow your revenues and expand your business.

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FAQ

How to grow your construction company using marketing that takes into account your business type?

Three integrated marketing approaches should be used by construction companies, according to Mokhtariani and Sebt's research framework: 

• Transactional marketing (creating customized marketing mix strategies for competitive positioning);
• Relationship marketing (creating enduring relationships with clients, suppliers, subcontractors, and industry stakeholders);
• Project-based marketing (foreseeing projects, crafting compelling proposals, and preserving client relationships throughout project phases).

Your main task is to define the adherence your business naturally has to one of these types, and build your strategy accordingly.

How can a small business use the marketing concept to its advantage over a larger business?

Small businesses can benefit from agility and relationship-focused strategies, according to Li and Alvarenga's study on SMEs in the construction industry. According to the study, small businesses succeed by following such practices:

• Focusing on particular market segments;
• Using tailored marketing strategies;
• Cultivating strong relationships with suppliers and clients to save money.

Small businesses can concentrate resources on niche markets where larger competitors lack flexibility, pivot more quickly, and provide individualized service.

How to advertise construction business if my teams are scattered across several regions?

Use localized marketing techniques in accordance with Turner and Townsend's research on regional construction volatility. The most efficient way to do it is when you:

• Prioritize local workforce development solutions;
• Highlight area-specific expertise;
• Concentrate on regional resilience messaging.

Utilize digital platforms to maintain a consistent brand while adjusting content to the labor issues, market conditions, and expanding industries such as manufacturing or data centers.

What are the 4 Ps of marketing for construction companies?

The four Ps are as follows, per Building Radar: 

• Product (specialized services like design consulting, project management, and green building); 
• Price (flexible payment terms, milestone billing, and value-based pricing); 
• Place (strong online presence and a strategic geographic footprint); 
• Promotion (client success stories, digital marketing, industry networking, and brand storytelling).

Every P needs to match the complexity of the project and the client's expectations.

What are the best places to advertise construction business offerings?

Top advertising channels include: 

• Google Business Profile for local visibility;
• Social media platforms (LinkedIn for B2B, Facebook for residential, YouTube for tutorials, Instagram for project status updates and company culture); 
• Construction directories (Angie's List, HomeAdvisor);
• Email marketing for client retention;
• SEO-optimized websites with blogs and testimonials;
• Networking events and trade shows;
• Referral programs leveraging word-of-mouth;
• Targeted online paid ads with sophisticated demographic targeting capabilities.

The right mix of these channels defines your success, so focus on the types of promotion that align with your current goals, budget, team size, and the nuances of the services you provide.