The Right Tools for the Job

Three ways contractors can make their marketing more effective

Construction marketing has changed dramatically and repeatedly in recent years.

Understandably, that has left many company leaders wondering if they should direct resources to email blasts, LinkedIn posts, podcasts, TikTok videos, drone shoots, AI productions or other products. And too often, their efforts produce limited or unknown results.

Some marketing thought leaders offered a little advice on how to tailor marketing efforts.

Be yourself, not a bot

In the era of computer-generated, mass-produced everything, genuine human expression still carries a premium.

AI can aid in marketing efforts. It can serve as a ‘second brain’ to pull together and organize source material for marketing, suggest language, produce graphics and offer other guidance.

“But too often, what Chat GPT produces is the most basic, boilerplate, textbook 101 summaries,” said Jennifer Dodson, Chief Marketing Officer at Adashmore Creative.

That language won’t provide companies with the distinctive, personalized communications to differentiate them from competitors who may be using the same AI tools.

“Outsourced or AI-generated social media doesn’t always pass the sniff test,” said Matt Culloty, Vice President of Growth and Partnerships at Duckpin + 7ten Digital Marketing. “It can come across as lazy or inauthentic.”

Bland social media posts, whether they are AI- or human-generated, don’t attract much reaction so algorithms won’t push future posts from the same source.

Similarly, boilerplate copy in contract bids can leave companies at a disadvantage.

If a contractor asks an AI agent to help assess bidders on a subcontract, “that agent is going to pull your RFP responses and ask, how are these [companies] different?” Dodson said. “If you are not differentiating yourself or telling the story of why you matter,” you may lose in that comparison.

Companies that create social media posts, RFP responses and other materials that have a distinctive voice and provide insights into their capabilities get better responses.

Get into the weeds

“Too many companies post the same surface-level content about their teams and projects,” Culloty said. “What cuts through the noise is getting into the weeds and the nuanced aspects of your projects.”

Marketing pieces that highlight a construction challenge and describe a company’s solution can generate far more interest in that company’s specific expertise than beauty shots of a completed project. They are also more frequently accessed by AI agents.

Culotty cited a subcontractor specializing in rubberized surfaces for playgrounds and parking lots that began offering downloadable safety and product information to architects. The resources created opportunities to connect with architects about upcoming projects and bid timelines.

Embrace traditions

A successful marketing strategy spans far beyond social media sites.

“You need to know your objective and how to connect with your audience rather than always defaulting to digital,” said Cara Bonadio, Co-Founder and Chief Operating Officer of Duckpin.

While preparing to host a high-end event, one client decided to create “really nice print invitations and mail them out the old-fashioned way,” Bonadio said. “I get much less paper than email so a physical invitation stands out, sets a tone. It says these people are movers and shakers in the industry so you want to be at this event.”

Attending industry events, participating on panels and doing personalized outreach to clients is still essential in the construction industry.

Plano-Coudon recently began creating client-specific, monthly newsletters that provide individual clients with updates on work completed, milestones reached and progress photos of their projects. That effort has been welcomed by churches, schools and other clients who then share the newsletter with their members, said Cliff Milstead, Vice President of Plano-Coudon.

Click here to read how contractors are turning project experiences into marketing opportunities.

Featured companies: Adashmore Creative, Duckpin + 7ten Digital Marketing, Plano-Coudon Construction