Strong marketing can be the difference between signing a contract and watching from the sidelines. It’s so important that on average, construction businesses spend 13% of their budgets on marketing, according to The CMO Survey. But are you making the most of your marketing money? If your plan is focused on traditional strategies and not online, the answer is: probably not. Here we break down the ways digital marketing can put you ahead of the competition and help you win more clients.

1. Directly reach your target audience.

With potentially thousands of ads bombarding us every day – from our morning paper, to the evening news, to social media at all hours – many of us have become pretty good at tuning out irrelevant messaging. So while traditional marketing such as TV adverts and billboards may show up to greet the masses, only a small percentage of the masses are likely opening the door. The rest go about their business, and a significant amount of marketing money goes down the drain. 

Thanks to algorithms and online browsing habits, digital marketing does away with the waste, reaching only those people who might actually want or need your services. You can target an audience by location, demographic, budget and more, leading to more qualified opportunities and less sorting through the weeds.

2. Minimise the guesswork.

Even if you pour huge amounts of cash into traditional marketing, you likely won’t get detailed data, or any data at all, on who responds positively to it. And without demographic metrics, you might as well hang your marketing ideas on a dartboard and hurl darts at it to choose. With digital marketing, on the other hand, you can track by several factors, including campaign type: website visitors, social media clicks, email open rates and so on. That way you can see which campaigns are working best, and focus your efforts there. 

Even if you’re not a numbers person, or you start to snooze at the mere mention of metrics, Houzz Pro’s insight and analytics are easy to access and understand. “The analytics on Houzz Pro show me that the more high-quality pictures I post, the more the phone rings,” says Alex Citkowicz of RISE Builders. “It’s almost become a game where I can get the number of impressions I have to increase every day.”

3. Reach more potential clients without doing more work. 

Between 70% and 80% of people research a small business online before visiting or making a purchase there, according to Blue Corona data. Making your business easily findable is therefore essential. You’ll want to make sure your business website is optimised for SEO – many hosting platforms include free assessment tools and tips for this. And you’ll want to make sure your professional Houzz profile is updated regularly and includes high-quality photos, reviews and any awards.

To reach an even wider base of potential clients, your business has to stand out from the competition, and a Houzz Pro premium profile can help it do just that with features such as a highlight video, a spotlight review and business standouts. 

“Houzz is the only source of marketing we participate in", Zach Meschi of Meschi Construction says. “The opportunities we receive are in our target area, and it has provided a verified source of customer reviews and displayed work in a professional format.” 

4. Get a great reputation.

Building trust is key for construction pros, leading not just to repeat clients but to all-important referrals. And word of mouth often comes in the form of online reviews these days. The more positive feedback your company gets online, the more trustworthy it appears. In fact, even a negative review can work in your favour if you handle it right. The important thing is to build a great reputation overall.

“With Houzz Pro, we feel like we are achieving our goals to build our brand and increase our name recognition in our community,” James Huckeby of Blue Horse Building & Design says. “Our Client Success Manager helps us maximise the experience of visitors and keeps us updated on ways that we can improve our profile and other improvements at Houzz.”

If you’re just starting to dip a toe into digital marketing, you might feel overwhelmed by all the possibilities. But with great possibilities can come great rewards – in this case, more clients, higher revenues and a sterling reputation for your construction business.