Construction is a competitive industry—with revenue reaching $1.7 trillion and over 700,000 construction companies, the United States is home to the second-largest construction market worldwide.
Running a construction business isn’t easy, and business owners must continually adjust their strategy to gain an edge over the competition. Whether you’re looking for your first job or you’ve been in the business for years, here are five ways to promote the success and growth of your business.
Identify your area of expertise
There are several types of businesses within the construction industry—if there’s something you specialize in, make it known to your customers. While you might not be the only local construction business in your specific niche, you can be the only business that does it the way you do.
Promoting your company as superior in a specific niche, whether that niche is roof repair or floor tiling, can help ensure you’re the one a client calls when they need your services. If you’re a general contractor, it’s still possible to offer a broad range of services while marketing your construction business as “the best” in roof repair, window tiling, and shingle installation.
Use digital marketing to your advantage
Speaking of branding, consistently marketing your company can help you find new opportunities and connect with potential customers. While many construction businesses acquire new leads through word of mouth, it’s important to adopt a strategic marketing approach to further grow your business. Using digital marketing to your advantage can help you raise brand awareness and drive organic traffic to your website at little to no cost.
If you’re not sure how to get started, create social media accounts for your construction business. Facebook and Instagram can be especially valuable marketing tools in the construction industry, as you’ll be able to share relevant information about construction, as well as post pictures of your work.
Invest in a professional website
Whether you’re a contractor or running a construction business, you need a website. Websites make it easy for potential customers to learn more about your business, see what kind of work you do, and decide whether they want to work with you. It’s important to build a professional-looking website—if your online presence is outdated or sloppy, you’ll look less credible, and potential customers will be less likely to choose your business.
The most successful construction websites take the time to choose aesthetics that convey their professionalism. Someone visiting Nutter Custom Construction is instantly shown a slideshow of high-quality, professional photographs, while websites like Arlington Builders have a strong call-to-action and an easy-to-find phone number for customer inquiries.
If you’re working with a limited budget, free website creation tools like Wix and Squarespace can help you create a professional-looking website. If you’re willing to spend money, consider consulting a professional web designer.
Set measurable business goals
Your website and social media accounts should be components of a greater marketing and business plan. For example, if you’re interested in increasing sales, determine how much and by when. Setting a goal to increase sales by 10% by the end of the quarter can help you set your business and team members up for success.
Regardless of your business goals, OKR software can encourage and motivate your team members to focus efforts on goal setting, articulate and align business goals, and learn with data over time. Instead of measuring performance at the individual level, objectives and key results (OKRs) help team members and business owners define and achieve the best possible outcomes and provide a platform to help teams stay on track.
Prioritize quality
If you’re just starting out, it can be tempting to choose less expensive materials and equipment to boost your overall profit. However, it’s important to keep in mind that saving now often requires spending late, and using poor quality materials and equipment to complete the job might lead to negative customer reviews.
Customers might not be knowledgable enough in construction to know the difference between cheap and high-quality equipment, but they’ll notice if your work starts to wear down over time. For contractors in New Jersey, searching for high-quality, reliable material handling equipment in New Jersey can ensure that your equipment will withstand tough weather conditions.
From pinpointing your niche to encouraging your team, staying up-to-date with the latest growth strategies can help your construction business boost sales and reach new leads.
