Do construction businesses need to embrace digital marketing?

By Tall Zebra Designs Ltd

09 Mar 2022

do-construction-businesses-need-to-embrace-digital-marketing-1-1.jpeg

“If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it” – There’s a divide in the industry, many traditional construction business owners and tradespeople are still thriving from word of mouth and old school methods of advertising. Understandably, they don’t see any need to embrace new strategies and can we really argue? Let’s lay out the facts and compare traditional methods with newer digital marketing techniques…

Leaflets and flyers Vs social media 

There is still something to be said about a physical copy of advertising material, whether it be a business card or a handout. The problem is, they are only effective if they are being given to the right audience, otherwise, it is just a waste. Mass printing of flyers is not only unsustainable and uneconomical, but it is also costly.

The beauty of social media is…it’s free! Yes, you can purchase paid ads but if you post regularly and engage your following with quality content you won’t need to, your pages will speak for themselves and grow organically…especially on Linkedin. Digital marketing and social media pages require commitment but once you succeed the results are incomparable.

Billboards Vs A website

There are many pros to billboards, if you know your demographic then you can specifically advertise in relevant areas to target them. You can also invest in new state of the art digital billboards for a more impressive ad campaign. On the flip side, they’re only temporary. You pay a fee for an advert which is not permanent. You also have to rely on people being proactive enough to physically make a note of your website or contact details. They are also super expensive.

When you pay to have a website built, yes it can be costly, but you essentially have it forever. On websites, you can add call to action buttons so site visitors can easily reach you should they require your services. You can use digital marketing CRM systems to see where your website traffic generates from and track leads to see if they convert. With billboard advertising, it is exceedingly difficult to see how many client wins you have gained.

Paper mail vs online email marketing

So you’ve always sent out your monthly and annual newsletters via the post? Yes, you may have an older clientele but there are more people going online than ever, especially after the global pandemic. In the UK 99% of adults aged 16-44 years were recent internet users and 54% of adults aged 75 years and over were too.

Not only is email marketing much more environmentally friendly but it can be free. Even if you have a huge client base, on platforms like HubSpot you are entitled to 2,000 free emails per month, if you wanted more, you could sign up to a paid package which is likely to still cost less than print-based newsletters.

Printed ads in The Phone Book vs Google Ads

The Yellow Pages stopped circulating circa 2019 so it is not too long before The Phone Book closes its pages too. If your customer demographic is 75+ then maybe the phone book is still a place for you to advertise but if it is not, then it’s time to move forwards into digital marketing…

Google Ads run via a pay per click system. Your Ad could appear at the top of the search engine in your specific field i.e. Crane Hire Lancashire. Everytime someone clicks your ad, the search engine charges you a price. The average cost in the UK is £1.95 per click. However, like with any digital marketing technique, it just takes one good lead to convert and the income gained from this could essentially pay for your ads for the rest of the month, quarter or even year!

Word of mouth Vs Trustpilot 

Word of mouth is immensely powerful; some businesses survive solely for many years from it. However, with the influence of websites like trustatrader.com and review resources like Trustpilot, people are taking to the web much more often than calling upon friends or acquaintances for advice.

An online review can reach thousands of people much faster than a verbal recommendation can, you can also tag or display the review on your social channels or website to draw in even more clients. This is where digital marketing can really take your business to a whole new level.

Radio and TV ads Vs SEO

When it comes to search engines, people are looking for you. With TV and radio ads you are approaching them. Yes, TV and Radio stations create phenomenal exposure, and you may get an influx of enquiries but are these going to be your ideal clients? Probably not.

The beauty of search engines is you can specifically target your perfect clients. Landing pages that contain your ideal location(s) means you will get work or clients from the correct area. You can also ensure all the written content on your website is packed full of keywords and phrases, which reflect what people requiring your services will be typing into Google.

If you are not ready to immerse yourself fully into digital marketing just yet, then just switch up one or two of your old methods, ease yourself in. You can speak to us for advice on all digital marketing covered in this post and we can show you proven results for each.

Latest news

1

Accrington-made Vita Advanced Mattress wins prestigious 'Best of the Best' Award at Interzum 2025 Dr. Emily Schweissinger - Evonik, Dr. Roland Hubel - Evonik, Dr Mike Murray - The Vita Group, Natalie Watson - The Vita Group, Chris Hupfeld - Coverstro, Dr. Annegret Terheiden - Evonik and Dennis Wagner - Covestro

Accrington-made Vita Advanced Mattress wins prestigious 'Best of the Best' Award at Interzum 2025

21 May 2025

2

Napthens advises Calico Homes on land acquisition for £23m Dovestone Gardens extra care facility in Burnley Paul Hardy

Napthens advises Calico Homes on land acquisition for £23m Dovestone Gardens extra care facility in Burnley

21 May 2025

3

Construction begins on new Civil Service office building in Talbot Gateway Alan McBride Muse Will Town Defence Infrastructure Organisation Jennifer Chard Defence Business Services Cllr Lynn Williams Blackpool Council Garry Bowker Vinci

Construction begins on new Civil Service office building in Talbot Gateway

20 May 2025

4

Skiddle raises over £750,000 for charities Skiddle cheque presentation to Alder Hey Hospital

Skiddle raises over £750,000 for charities

20 May 2025

5

Former Victorian Hotel approved for residential conversion The site

Former Victorian Hotel approved for residential conversion

19 May 2025

Background image for hub sign up block

LBV Hub

Leverage Lancashire Business View platforms

Post your news
Post your events
Post your offers
Build your network
Improve your SEO
Gain coverage in the magazine
Sign-up
Events
LBV122 May/June Launch Event
121 Lancashire Business View Magazine Launch
Networking
21 May 2025

LBV122 May/June Launch Event

Lancaster and Morecambe College, Lancaster, LA1 2TY

08:30 - 10:30

Sub36 Networking
Networking
11 Jun 2025

Sub36 Networking

British Jewellery School, Scorton, PR3 1BA

15:00 - 17:00

Lancashire Net Zero Carbon Conference
Net Zero Carbon Social 1200pxtrident 2
Networking
18 Jun 2025

Lancashire Net Zero Carbon Conference

Crow Wood Hotel & Spa Resort, Burnley, BB12 0RT

08:30 - 13:00

Lancashire Built Environment Conference 2025
BEC 315 X 315 Px
Networking
25 Sep 2025

Lancashire Built Environment Conference 2025

Blackpool Football Club, Blackpool, FY1 6HX

08:30 - 13:00

CMI Level 5 Management and Leadership Course
UCLanAerialCampus.jpg.jpg
LBV Hub Seminars
21 Feb 2025 - 21 Feb 2026

CMI Level 5 Management and Leadership Course

Preston Campus, Preston , PR1 2HE

09:00 - 17:00

CMI Level 5 Project Management Course
UCLanAerialCampus.jpg.jpg
LBV Hub Seminars
21 Feb 2025 - 21 Feb 2026

CMI Level 5 Project Management Course

Preston Campus, Preston, PR1 2HE

08:00 - 17:00

RISE - The Academy for Female Leaders and Managers
WENDY BOWERS RISE Illustrstion copy.jpg.jpg
LBV Hub Seminars
02 Apr 2025 - 08 Oct 2025

RISE - The Academy for Female Leaders and Managers

East Lancashire Chamber of Commerce, Clayton le Moors, BB5 5JR

09:00 - 15:30

The Business Network Central & East Lancashire
LBV Hub Networking
22 May 2025 - 22 May 2025

The Business Network Central & East Lancashire

Mytton Fold, Langho, BB6 8AB

11:30 - 14:15

Preston Freelancer Meet-Up: May
Freelancer Meet-Up May.png.png
LBV Hub Networking
22 May 2025 - 22 May 2025

Preston Freelancer Meet-Up: May

society1, Coworking Space, Preston, PR1 3LT

10:00 - 11:30

Amber River True Bearing quarterly investment seminar
LBV Hub Seminars
22 May 2025 - 22 May 2025

Amber River True Bearing quarterly investment seminar

Cottons Hotel & Spa , Knutsford, WA16 0SU

16:00 - 18:00

Liverpool Business Expo 2025
https---cdn.evbuc.com-images-881365363-4862066883-1-original.20241023-085714.jpeg.jpg
LBV Hub Awards
23 May 2025 - 23 May 2025

Liverpool Business Expo 2025

Aintree Racecourse , Liverpool , L9 5AS

09:00 - 15:00

Advantage: AI – A Workshop for Business Leaders – May 29
Artboard 15.png.png
LBV Hub Seminars
29 May 2025 - 29 May 2025

Advantage: AI – A Workshop for Business Leaders – May 29

Door4 Office, Burnley Wharf, Manchester Road, Burnley, BB11 1JG

09:00 - 11:00

Advertise with us

Reaching 50,000 members, our print, digital and event platforms offer a fantastic way to raise your business profile and help you grow.

Find out more LBV122 Online Graphic
Subscribe now

Weekly news bulletin