Written by LetsBuild
Last updated October 19, 2023
Construction is an industry that provides ample opportunities for advertising your business. But you have to do it smart. A thing that you always want to take into consideration is keeping a balance between the online and offline promotion of your company. In that way, you will be able to expand your audience and reach out to as many new potential customers as possible.
Coming up with a bunch of different ideas on how to proceed, it can be tricky but there’s no need to worry. We have gathered below twenty unique construction marketing ideas in order to help you step up your marketing effort:
1. Donate extra materials left over after a project
Sometimes it can be hard to figure out what to do with your left over materials that may have over ordered and it can cost more to remove them than it is to just donate them. Work with an organization like eco building bargains and try to get some PR and press from this type of donation.
2. Team up with the company you’re working with on social media:
If you’ve partnered with a large corporation then make sure you give them regular social media updates on how big parts of their project are coming along. It’s a nice way for both companies to share followers and likes for posts.
3. Be relevant online
If you haven’t updated your website in 15 years, then you’re not doing yourself any favors. You have to not only regularly post your content, but also amplify it. You need to exude the image of a company that is modern and able to keep up with modern times. Make sure you’re listed on review sites, rating websites (yelp), and directory listing sites (yellow pages).
List your business on google webmaster tools and bing webmaster tools. A lot of search engine results are all about local traffic these days.
4. Free bike seat covers in urban areas
In Copenhagen and Amsterdam, advertisers will often put bike seat covers on all the bikes around a site with their logo and contact information. It’s a unique way of advertising to people passing by and it’s oddly eye catching.
5. Free wifi
Offer something in exchange for your presence. It can be a nuisance having load noise and trucks coming and going at all times. Sometimes it’s nice to offer something for free in its place. Offer free wifi using a handful of outdoor Wifi stations “Sorry for the noise! Enjoy our free Wifi: NAME OF WIFI.
You want to include a sign that mentions the login and password as well as put the wifi antennas out of reach of the general public. There are a lot of different products and configurations, pick the one that works best for you.
6. Every surface is an advertisement
Around Copenhagen you also have a lot of converted shipping containers that tend to be eye-catching. These are all really unique and stand out but they are also covered in brand logos and features. Furthermore, every flat surface is good for a screen printed logo or some type of sign showing off the company.
7. Camera linked to projector with augmented reality approach
If you’re doing some work on ground level it’s always entertaining to see water projected on ground to the ground with a camera linked up to make it interactive. Something to the effect of, “if we weren’t doing this construction right now, you’d be under water.”
There are a ton of augmented reality advertising projects that are really neat.
8. Dressing up a crane
You can definitely get some free advertising by dressing your crane up for a holiday or a season. Think green and red for Christmas or red, white, and blue for the 4th of July. This type of thing is often covered by local news if done correctly.
9. Reverse graffiti
If you’re a construction company then you probably have access to a power washer. Get a stencil made up in-house or with a stencil maker and power wash around your logo.
You can find online tons of great examples of reverse graffiti as well as how-to guides.
10. Team up with a charity
Many charities are looking for a partner up with a construction company that can help build/fix houses, nursing homes, shelters, or disaster relief projects. A little work goes a long way and the press tends to be a very nice trade off. Ask your staff if they know of any local charities otherwise, you can use charity search engines or google to find what you’re looking for.
11. Partner with local schools
Show the youth of today how projects go from start to finish and inspire young minds to join your industry. Contact your local school system and ask them if they’re willing to partner with your firm in order to demonstrate how the industry works. You don’t have to offer it to every student. More than likely you can find vocational classes in any local high school, college/university, or community college that would show some interest. It’s good press and it’s a great way to source local talent, early on.
See examples of student field trips to construction sites.
12. Advertising exchange with an agency
Urban Environment? Partner with the most creative Advertising firm in your city:
Search for advertising firms in your city. Email or call all of them and explain that you’ve got a chain-link fence or a wall with lots of foot traffic that they’re free to do something with if they’re willing to make you a sign of equal size as well. A lot of these creative agencies don’t get a chance to do as much outdoor advertising as they would like and they’re often looking for new opportunities. It’s a win-win.
Read also: Improve brand experience with a professional looking website
13. Recycled materials / repurposing project
Contact local artists and offer them a chance to pick through your used or scrapped materials to make art. Most cities have an art center or at the very least college students that are looking for a project. Just ask that your company is mentioned in whatever is made in a sign of good faith and PR. Always get a release form signed in case of accidental injury and consult your lawyers to make sure you’re alright with dumping things off onto students before doing so. Surprisingly enough it may take a few phone calls but there’s never a shortage of creative types, it’s just harder to locate them than you think.
14. Building infographic outdoor screen display
People love infographics and want to get a summary of the project as it’s being built. If your project management software like LetsBuild, you can visualize the tasks as they’re being completed and through a project overview show how far along the project is to passers-by. Think of it like an outdoor scoreboard for people to see what you’ve brought to the area. This can also help with you’re trying to demonstrate the interesting but not particularly helpful information.
Examples of what type of data to display:
Jobs created:
engineers used, architects, contractors, etc
Time:
Work hours (total), years of planning, etc
Materials:
Boards used, nails, piping, feet of fiber optics, miles of cable, weight of concrete, etc. If you’re using the right building software and contractors, you should have access to all that information.
Find a nice displays online that you can add to your site relatively cheap, shop around!
Capture info in good project management tool and make it easier for people to see how things are coming along. Also- this is a great way to mention that you’re doing good things for the environment by ditching paper!
15. Free bottled water and ear plugs
On a hot day offer free water set up on a few sturdy tables for passers by. This can be a sign of being a good neighbor but also a neat way to get on the local news. You can even do donuts and coffee if you think it will pay off. Make sure to announce it on social or at the very least put up signs. This works well when you’re in a busy part of down town.
16. Dumpster pool?
In the hottest days of the summer in some cities, you’ll find a dumpster or two that has been converted into pool. This obviously needs to be done sanitarily but the results tend to make the local news pretty quickly and get people in the community excited.
Even Philadelphia residents can’t make it look classy… sort of:
HGTV covers dumpster pools.
17. Drone advertising
If you’re using drones to survey your construction site or you just want to have some cool shots of how things are coming along. You may want to hire a drone photography company or use one that also advertises with signs hanging from drones:
18. Time lapse
A lot of building construction time lapse videos seem to go viral online. Consider using a time lapse camera with a good view of your site to record your entire next project. These videos tend to be shared on social media and tend to give the impression of efficiency because every is sped up:
19. Cut a tree down? – Plant a new one!
These days the feel-good marketing campaigns tend to reach the most people. If you clear an entire forest to put up a new commercial property, then perhaps consider giving a little back. There are companies you can hire to plant trees for you, put a sign that stands outside your work site. “For every tree we cut down, we planted a new one.” This gives people a bit warmer of a feeling about your construction.
There’s considerably less effort than you might think to get trees planted on private land or find a contractor or student to go out for a weekend with 1000 seeds and spend some time planting new trees. You could also team up with charity organization to do this type of work as well. If you’ve got a little extra in the budget try to get a videographer to help you capture the story and turn it into social media gold.
When you create this type of social media content, it gives you and your company greater visibility people remember you for the things you did right. There are tons of getting started guides online for more information on this type of thing.
As a side note, another website liked this idea so much they included it in their write up on advertising in construction.
20. Human touch
Sometimes the best tricks are the oldest. Try dropping off gift baskets to local businesses that surround your construction site. Include a few pairs of ear plugs and a few extra business cards. If an executive is able to personally deliver the baskets, it not only shows that your company has class but it makes people remember you.
Include a short memo in the basket “Thank you and I apologize for the noise and disturbance we might cause you with our work. Please accept this token of appreciation for your understanding and let us know if there’s anything we can do to help.
Make sure to snap a few photos of the hand-offs taking place for social media. It shows class and some humor while at the same time allowing your business to get some good PR and make some connections in the community for potential future business.
Conclusion
Implementing a strong marketing plan for your construction company isn’t always a matter of having the highest budget. It’s also about being creative and open to put in action some unusual and original ideas. Now, it’s time to get out there and start making a difference for your business!
