7 Marketing Resources for Small Construction Companies

There’s no reason why a construction company can’t develop some type of marketing strategy. There are enough easy-to-use resources and tools online that even small companies with small marketing budgets should be able to put one together. With the right mindset and training, these free and low-cost resources can help a company attract more clients and boost its customer satisfaction.

Here are seven of the best marketing resources small construction companies can utilize.

Google My Business

Google My Business (GMB) is a free business listing that appears in your local Google search map area when a potential customer searches for your business or your specific business services. Setting it up is easy. All you need is an address to verify your business listing.

Certain strategies can increase your ranking in the listings. You can incentivize old clients to leave Google reviews; maintain consistent information about your company across the web; add photos; and write an accurate description of your services.

According to Google, 60 percent of smartphone owners used the GMB call function to contact a company directly. GMB especially helps construction companies with a top-three ranking, because only those appear under the map until you click View All.

HARO

Help a Reporter Out (HARO) sends emails three times a day with requests from journalists seeking experts to provide feedback and quotes for their stories. By responding to these requests, construction companies may get media coverage in prominent publications and web sites that would not otherwise know the company existed.

Ultimately, backlinks to a company’s website can increase its authority in Google’s algorithm, leading to more local traffic. That’s one way to beat out local competitors in search rankings.

A basic monthly subscription to HARO is free. Three paid levels range from $19 to $149 per month.

Canva

Canva is an online design platform that lets you create marketing materials like social media images, flyers, invitations, presentations, videos and more. You can use Canva effectively for free, while the yearly membership for Pro features runs $120 per year. If you don’t have a professional graphic designer, Canva is an excellent alternative because it’s user-friendly with simple navigation and hundreds of templates.

Alexa Upper, director of marketing for JayMarc Homes, says if your company lacks imagery and video, Canva has thousands of stock photos and videos to incorporate into your marketing efforts. Her company used Canva to create their logo, social media campaigns, webinar thumbnails, banners and presentations.

Podium Webchat

Webchat is a great way to instantly collect information about potential customers and connect with them from your website. Podium webchat allows visitors to get text answers to common questions, schedule appointments and talk to a bot. You can set up an autoresponder bot for times when an employee isn’t available.

“We’ve had the chat function on the website for a few months — and already had a good 10 percent jump in leads because of the ability to text with clients from it,” says Josh Swisher, president of Northface Construction. “Podium provides us a seamless way to communicate with our clients in a way they’re already comfortable with — text.”

Podium offers customized pricing. Contact them for a quote.

Active Campaign

Active Campaign is an email marketing tool that helps companies customize their services. You can create a different email funnel (an automated chain of emails sent to your leads) for each individual service you offer. This is an automated way to contact any customers who enter their email information through your website.

Katie Kochelek, owner of Ten Key Home & Kitchen Remodels, explains how her company uses Active Campaign. If someone opens their remodeling newsletter but doesn’t click or show any engagement, a different funnel tries to re-engage that customer with a different offer. Standard email campaigns can’t offer that level of customization. Subscriptions to Active Campaign start at $9 per month.

Twilio

Twilio is a communication tool that helps companies connect with customers via automated phone calls and texts. It forwards construction leads from the website directly to its sales reps. Twilio helps keep things organized, so it’s less likely you’ll miss out on an opportunity to convert a lead. Pricing is use-based and highly customizable.

Kochelek says as soon as a website visitor fills out their contact form, Twilio calls a sales rep. If that person can’t take the call, it’s rerouted to another sales rep. She said they increased sales 24 percent just by instantly engaging with every potential customer.

Facebook Messenger

Facebook Messenger makes it simple for potential customers to reach out to you from your Facebook page. Your company can also set up an autoresponder for inquiries and to answer common questions. Instead of your potential customer waiting for you to respond and possibly going somewhere else, the autoresponder gathers their data and keeps them with you until you respond. And you can use Messenger for free.

Swisher says, “We’re using Facebook as a way to promote our brand more as a direct-to-lead platform. But when we do have customers reaching out, the autoresponder helps keep them feeling taken care of until we can get to them.”