How to grow your construction business effectively
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Posted: Tue 20th Jun 2023
Running a successful construction business requires more than just technical expertise and quality craftsmanship. To truly thrive in today's competitive landscape, it's crucial to establish a strong online presence and build brand awareness.
These qualities are instrumental in how you, as a start-up or small construction business entrepreneur, branch out to new markets, or even if you’re well-versed in scaling up your operations. By following these steps, you can propel your construction firm to staggering new heights (no pun intended).
Review your workforce
As your construction company grows and its capacity for large-scale projects increases, it will need to make sure it can fulfil these jobs with a sufficient workforce.
Understandably, you may prefer to subcontract certain duties elsewhere. But if you're capable of employing diligent, hard-working individuals, you can retain a greater level of control and leadership over their progression.
In the short term, this will allow you to delegate jobs to others while you can focus on your business strategy. In the long run, this will help you to foster a positive, progressive culture, which can be tempting for future employees. All in all, a recipe for success.
Develop a comprehensive online marketing strategy
In the digital age, having a solid online marketing strategy is paramount to growing your construction business.
1. Website
Start by creating a professional, user-friendly website that showcases your services, previous projects, and testimonials from satisfied clients.
Make sure your website is optimised for the potential customers who can find your business online by threading relevant, high-volume keywords and metadata into your site.
2. Online directories and review platforms
If your primary focus is to build a local or regional following and positive reputation, be sure to list your construction business on reputable online directories and review platforms specific to your location. Optimise your website and content with location-based keywords to target potential clients in your area.
3. SEO
Consider investing in a professional SEO agency to make sure your site is technically optimised and best placed to drive organic traffic, ultimately creating a steady stream of leads and prospects for your company.
Leverage the power of content marketing
Content marketing is an effective tool for establishing credibility, building trust, and increasing brand awareness.
Whether it's informative and engaging blog posts or articles on your website, professional videos (which have the highest ROI in 2023, according to HubSpot) or printed brochures that offer valuable insights into the industry and your projects, this serves a valuable purpose to your customers.
By consistently delivering high-quality content and leveraging local SEO, you’re positioning your construction firm as an authoritative, reputable resource that can improve your reputation and online visibility.
This will also be significantly enhanced if you harness the power of online reviews and testimonials from your satisfied clients.
Network and collaborate
Building strong and mutually-beneficial relationships with a wide range of contacts in the construction sector can contribute to your business growth.
Whether it's by attending industry events, actively taking part in construction-based forums and community projects, or joining local business referral or networking organisations, word of mouth is tremendously effective.
Over time, a strategic approach to networking can strengthen your opportunities to collaborate with other businesses, from architects and principal designers to construction health and safety advisers.
Collaboration and partnerships can improve the quality of your referrals, joint business ventures and expansion of your client base or service areas. Put simply, you're supercharging your business growth with the help of like-minded companies.
Harness technology to improve operations
Technology and tools are there to make our lives inherently easier, so rather than fear them, leverage them. Look at ways in which you can entrust your company operations to a capable software programme or application.
If you can automate and leave repetitive, mundane tasks to computers, it gives the hardworking people in your company more freedom and flexibility.
As far as construction operations go, technology knows very little bounds. You can consider intuitive CRM tools to help capture and nurture your leads, easy-to-use project management software to keep track of all ongoing jobs, or even transportation optimisation solutions.
If you can maintain control over your software and applications at any time, from any location, the peace of mind will be incredibly relieving. Of course, don't forget to make sure your business-critical data is secure and patched.
Provide exceptional customer service
Customer satisfaction should always be a top priority when it comes to establishing and growing a successful construction business.
If you can build a strong reputation as a friendly and approachable business, you stand a higher chance of attracting more customers, as satisfied ones will wax lyrical about how wonderful your company and staff were.
This doesn't mean you have to bend over backwards, lower your price points, or cave into unreasonable demands. Transparency, fast service, professionalism, compassion and effective communication are, however, excellent traits to exhibit.
Watch this webinar to learn more about understanding your customer, the benefits of customer focus, and how to be customer-oriented:
Be proactive and adaptable
Expecting work and enquiries to seemingly appear out of thin air is highly inadvisable. Over time, you'll have to adapt to new market changes – whether economic or sector-driven – and change how you go about acquiring new business or marketing your firm.
Underneath this, however, you need to be methodical and proactive, seeking opportunities to collaborate with new companies or tender for new jobs.
Make smart, strategic decisions
Earning more business and scaling your company means making some difficult decisions throughout the process. Some may be more inconsequential than others. In other words, you'll have to make some decisions that could influence your future success and profitability.
It's wise to prepare yourself for the inevitable task of having to decide which route to take, whether it's regarding your price points, profit margins, choice of suppliers, job opportunities, or anything similar. It's crucial that you don’t feel backed into a corner where you feel forced to make impulsive or hasty decisions.
Growing your construction business requires a multifaceted approach that combines effective use of technology and digital platforms as well as maintaining the same high standards you set from the outset.
By implementing these strategies, any construction firm owner – however experienced – can establish themselves as a reputable, trustworthy and professional business worth any paying customer's time and consideration.
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