Starting up any business presents challenges. If you have a new construction business, you may be asking yourself, Where do I find clients? How do I get them to choose my company? What can I do to get more incoming work? Marketing is no easy realm to delve into, but we are here to help. Here are our top 5 tips and tricks for unestablished construction businesses to market themselves.

Find your niche

Just as you can’t market a broad product or concept, you can’t market a business with a broad idea of what it will do. Successful construction companies find a niche that they can be experts in; that way, they become known for certain work, and can talk to leads and customers about their USP. A niche is a great way to set your company apart from all the others fighting for your audience’s attention.

Manage Your Social Media

Don’t overlook the power of social media for your industry. Not only can your business’s feed influence someone to do business with you, but the biggest social media platforms have processes in place for you to run ads for your target audience. Using Facebook or Instagram’s ad feature can help you reach different demographics and potential clients that traditional marketing campaigns just can’t compete with. Even just weekly posts on Twitter or Facebook can be great to leverage to tell your audience about new deals, new jobs, or important facets of your company. Plus, a good Instagram feed can be an easily accessible public portfolio of your work!

Streamline Client Relationships

Much of the construction industry is built on relationships. Developing good relations with clients will help your reputation spread by word-of-mouth, and will give past clients a first choice if more construction needs arise. Consider using a customer relationship management (CRM) service to store, organize, and properly utilize client information.

Focus on an Audience in Need

Is there a specific group out there that tends to make up your clientele, or could potentially be a huge source of business? Your marketing should focus on them. For example, older adults that are aging in place often need home modifications and can be a huge population of community members that need your service. You can direct AIP-oriented ads through mediums that older adults can relate to for a broader reach—Facebook, snail mail, local advertisements, and the like.

Use the “Four P’s”

Breaking down your marketing into the four P’s can help build a framework for your business and get your marketing campaign off on the right foot. Before you start, consider your:

  • Product. As always, start with your specialty (or niche), but constantly adapt and shape your product or service to suit your customers’ needs. A successful business will evolve with its client base to provide what the local community is looking for.
  •  Price. This isn’t just hourly or per-square-foot costs, but “price” encompasses everything financial: discounts, credit terms, allowances, and all those other finicky details that influence a client’s decision to work with you. To determine your pricing policy, first determine your objective, and then estimate costs, demand, and competitor offers before choosing a final pricing method and dollar amount.
  • Place. In what physical places will you be distributing your product and making your service available to customers? For example, if you are starting a concrete business, it is probably optimal to deliver services on a direct basis. Some firms may find it beneficial to make alliances with distribution partners or become “preferred subcontractors”. Having a plan of action on both how and where your service will take place is crucial to actually being able to offer your service.
  • Promotion. there are plenty of sales promotions you can advertise to help direct business your way, so it’s important to decide both what is most profitable for you to offer and what is the best way to get that word out. Consider whether your business will benefit most from print ads saying hire us before this date to get our summer discount! or a display sign that advertises the first 100 square feet are free! It may be helpful to take note of your competitors’ strategies to determine what is effective in your community. Above all, personal selling is always a great option; face-to-face interactions are compelling for customers to connect a brand with the person carrying out the work.

Marketing a new construction business is complex and overwhelming. Luckily, the tools available to you through social media, specialized services, and years of tried and true methods make it easier to guarantee your advertisements hit the mark every time.