Three Things We Know About Marketing for the Construction Industry
At WHYFOR, we’ve been guiding clients through strategic, insight-driven marketing plans for more than a decade. Over that time, we’ve worked across a number of different industries, from real estate to wellness to tech to advocacy and construction. And within each one, we’ve learned a few truths along the way — because while every business faces the same six challenges, those challenges can include critically important nuances based on the industry.
Right now, experts have noted that the construction industry is facing challenges related to:
- Project delays
- A shortage of skilled workers
- Access to supplies and materials
When it comes to the construction industry and the clients we’ve worked with, we’ve seen recurring marketing themes that need to be consistently addressed. They’re that important.
- Relationships need nurturing. It’s important for those in the construction industry, which spans a large spectrum of services, to consistently nurture their relationships — internally and externally. We’re talking about clients, vendors, subs and employees. It’s those relationships that could potentially impact revenue, as leads come in and bids are requested for projects. Personal recommendations, for example, improve conversion rates by 5.5 times. And if those relationships lead to new opportunities, it’s easy to see the connection between relationships and revenue. By understanding and appreciating the relationships within the industry ecosystem, construction companies can maintain a solid standing among competitors who pay less attention to those details.
- Reputation matters. A construction company’s reputation could be its lifeline in a close-knit industry. Word travels fast, and negative ones travel the fastest, creating the potential for a company’s reputation to impact its relationships, which would ultimately trickle down to impacting revenue. It’s why the work that a construction company does, establishing its reputation in the industry, is so important to its success. Reputation can be managed effectively in a number of ways, from PR to digital community management, but it starts with the actual work — which means reputation needs to be managed first from within, among employees, before it ever becomes an issue externally.
- Recruitment is vital to sustainability. Without the right people, a construction company can’t do the work it needs to do, especially in an industry that is experiencing rapid growth and consistent labor shortages — according to data from the Bureau of Labor Statistics. And, without the right people, construction companies can’t do the work the way they need to do it to maintain its reputation and its relationships. It’s why recruitment is quite possibly the most important ingredient for sustainability, especially in an industry with 830,000 players, according to statistics. By having a clear understanding of internal needs, streamlining internal processes and targeting the right people with employment opportunities, construction companies have a much better chance at onboarding the type of people who match their culture, share their same vision and understand their importance to the overall success of the business. And when it’s done right, recruitment has the potential to positively impact relationships and reputation — the other two critical keys to success for construction companies.
There is no secret formula to marketing for construction companies, but there is nothing lost in putting focused energy into any of these three areas. Interested in learning more? Request a case study on one of our construction clients. We’d be happy to share with you what we did for them and how those results elevated their level of success.