Growing a residential construction company is not easy.
Acquiring customers for your residential construction company will require you to market your company effectively to be in front of customers, then you will be required to sell your expertise to win a contract. Thereafter you will have to deliver the construction project with excellence in order to get the word of mouth flywheel going. We will cover each of these steps in this article.
Market effectively your construction business
Effective marketing strategies can make all the difference in finding and securing construction projects. Customers do not give much benefit of the doubt when it comes to selecting a general contractor so you need to stand out from the crowd.
Whether you're just starting out or aiming to grow your construction company, these proven techniques will help you attract new clients and expand your business presence.
1. Define Your Target Audience
Identifying your ideal clients is the foundation of successful marketing. Consider factors such as project size, budget, location, and type of construction. By understanding your target audience, you can tailor your marketing efforts to resonate with their needs and preferences.
For example: do you want to focus on bathrooms, kitchens, basement renovation, home extensions? Of course you can do a combination of these but you better be known to be excellent at a few rather than average at everything.
Also do you want your focus to be in a specific neighborhood or region? In order to make that decision, search online for the population in your area as well as the level of income.
As you develop more expertise with specific types of home renovation projects, you will be able to showcase to customers that you’re the right choice for them. Focusing on a few subset of project types will help you market yourself better.
2. Build a website
In today's digital age, having a robust online presence is essential. Create a professional website that showcases your previous projects, client testimonials, and services offered. Optimize your website for search engines using relevant keywords like "find general contractor" “bathroom renovation”, “basement renovation” to improve your visibility.
Nowadays, building a website does not have to be daunting; there are no-coding tools like Webflow, Squarespace or Wix.
In order to build a website you have to:
- Buy a domain name (for example on GoDaddy)
- Write in a word document compelling pages describing your business such as:
- About us page: you will describe who you are and share your story & vision building your construction business
- Services page: you will explain the services you provide
- Book a call: a simple page where customers can book a call with you
- Past projects page: a page where you can showcase your portfolio of projects with nice pictures (hint: it should also help with SEO in your area)
- Use no-coding platform to build your website like Webflow, Squarespace or Wix
- Create a home page with a visually appealing large image few amount of text, something that provides confidence you’re professional
- Build a gallery page to showcase your work and show the quality of your finishes
- Then create all the other pages highlighting your services and how to contact you
3. Create a Google My Business page
Homeowners will use google to search for construction businesses. Create a Google My Business page so they can find you easier. It’s the same tactic restaurants use and you should too. Add images of your work for faster results and as you delight more and more customers you can ask them to leave a positive review for your business.
4. Leverage Social Media
Social media platforms are excellent tools for engaging with potential clients. Share high-quality photos and videos of your completed projects on platforms like Facebook, Instagram and Pinterest. Use LinkedIn to connect with other professionals in the construction industry and share informative articles or updates about your company.
5. Local Networking
Participate in local construction and business networking events to expand your reach within the community. Building relationships with other professionals can lead to referrals and collaborations on future projects.
6. Lead-gen platforms
There are many lead-generation platforms available for general contractors in Canada and the USA. However, they have very different degrees of lead quality. If you’re based in Canada you can use Billdr, Reno-Assistance or Bidmii. If you’re in the USA you can use Billdr, Angi, Buildzoom, or Blockrenovation for example.
But if you prefer large home renovation projects, Billdr’s marketplace should be your preferred option because it has the largest average project size of all the home renovation marketplaces with an average project size over $100k. Billdr Pro offers a streamlined platform for residential general contractors to find and secure construction projects. Moreover Billdr Pro offers a construction management software that simplifies project organization, communication, and scheduling.
Sell your expertise well when submitting your quotes
Once you’ve marketed your general contracting business effectively, you will start having a lot of leads coming your way. Now it’s time to be able to convert those leads into customers.
Depending on where the lead comes from you will have more or less a close connection with your lead. In all cases, you want to demonstrate professionalism from the moment you meet them for the first time to the moment you sign a construction contract.
During the first visit, we advise you to come prepared with a portfolio of similar projects you completed because it will build a lot of trust from the get go. You will score a lot of points by showing you care. During that first visit, the meeting with homeowners is all about first impressions so be on time, relax, ask questions that show that you care about their needs, provide some explanation a bit on how you work and what to expect if the clients decide to work with you.
After the first visit, it’s time to work on the quote. Make sure you have final plans so you don’t have to work multiple times on a quote. For you to be able to close consistently over 30% of the quotes you send, it's paramount that your quote stands out. How can your quotes stand out? Use a construction estimating software! We cannot emphasize this enough, the world is going digital and customers now expect a higher standard especially if you target large projects like basement renovation, home addition, or full home remodel. There are a few construction software for residential general contractors that we can recommend: Billdr Pro, Buildbook or Buildern are your new modern construction management software for residential and commercial general contractors. In a few clicks you can create professional and detailed quotes that will impress your clients. Billdr Pro offers you multiple templates that you can use to build quotes in minutes instead of hours.
We suggest you include in your quote: detailed scope of work per trade, your payment terms, construction schedule, as well as general terms and conditions that act like a code of conduct during the construction phase. Construction management softwares like Billdr Pro provide you with these steps and pre-filled information so you can save a lot of time building professional quotes.
Deliver your construction project with excellence
Word of mouth is a powerful marketing tool. Providing excellent customer service and delivering projects on time and within budget can lead to positive reviews and referrals from satisfied clients.
At the end of each project you want to request your satisfied customers to leave a review on your Google My Business account.
Feel free to send us feedback if you’d like us to write more content on the topic of how to deliver projects with excellence.
