How can you keep hitting the mark with your construction marketing messages?

By Neil Craven, joint managing director

The quote reads: over time, your business grows and changes, so you shouldn't be afraid to revisit your brand messaging.

Recently one of our newly acquired construction-sector clients approached us with a significant task: to streamline its roster of taglines and slogans – both customer facing and within internal comms – that the business had built up over the course of several years. Some of these had served their purpose and could be quietly retired, but that still left a long list to sift through!

In working through these slogans on their behalf and examining how and where they had been deployed over the years, one thing quickly became very clear: this was about more than just taglines. This was about drilling into the company’s brand identity and determining what was and what was not meaningful to the business, its customers, and its other stakeholders.

The construction sector has faced several challenges recently, from cost increases to budget cuts, or even just the long spell of wet weather, all of which means that your marketing – particularly your visual marketing – must be hitting the mark every time. A scattergun approach won’t work in a world where honing in on a specific customer group is essential to increasing sales, and with so many channels at your customers’ fingertips, inconsistency can even serve to undermine people’s trust in your brand.

As an external marketing agency that is fully immersed in the construction sector, we have the industry knowledge of what works for our clients’ target audiences, not least because quite often, our clients serve as each other’s ideal customers.

But we also benefit from being ‘outsiders’, meaning we are able to take a step back and see the broader landscape in which our clients operate to bring a fresh perspective. This objectivity allowed us to identify a series of questions that help clients get to the heart of whether or not their marketing collateral is working for their customers and stakeholders.

Here’s what you should ask yourself:

Is this authentic to your and your company’s values?

Your branding and messages should resonate with your audience but also be true and authentic to your business. If questioned or queried, can everyone within the business understand the key message and clearly stand behind it? Does it sum up your business and its values, or is it just words on a page?

Sometimes, we can start out with a tagline or logo or even colour scheme that exactly matches your company’s ethos. But over time, your business grows and changes, adds services and responds to market demands – so you shouldn’t be afraid to revisit your brand messaging to ensure that it matches who you are and how you need to present your business to your customers today.

 

Is it relevant to your customers?

Are you clear about what makes you different from your competitors and relevant to your audience? If you are offering something truly different from your competitors, which offers a distinct advantage for your customers, it’s time to be brave and shout about why you stand out in the crowd.

Drill down to what is meaningful to your customers, whether that is speed of service, a unique product offering, or a technical service that others can’t match and build your brand identity around that point of difference and how it offers a solution for sectors you are seeking to support. The stance you take should influence all aspects of your brand and messaging; from colour palette through to workwear and everything in between.

 

Are you keeping it focused?

Part L, CCPI, low-carbon, ESG… the construction industry is a fast-moving sector. It’s important to keep up to date and to address industry and customer needs, but make sure you resist the temptation to jump on any bandwagons with your messages and taglines – keep them authentic and in line with your business values.

If you have something to add to the conversation, or can offer a different perspective, then go for it, but don’t try to hijack the news cycle if there’s no real crossover with your business. Your customers will likely see through any slender connections or unsubstantiated claims, and this could do more harm than good.

 

Are you being consistent?

When you’ve clarified your brand and message it’s crucial to keep it consistent. On average it takes eight touch points to make a sale, with some analysis suggesting that is can be many more than this.

Think about your marketing activity and collateral as a breadcrumb trail in which each element needs to lead onto the next, and so each one needs to sing from the same hymn sheet and add to the last. No mixed messages or conflicting taglines, consistent look and feel, and above all speak to your audience on their level whilst keeping it authentic and true to your business.

 

Is your messaging clear and easy to understand?

Don’t be a jack of all trades, and a master of none. Establish where your business performs best and makes a difference to your customers. Keep your messaging targeted on how you can solve your customers’ pain points. Don’t scattergun your messages, keep it on target and to the point.

Could your brand identity benefit from a fresh pair of eyes? If you would like our construction marketing specialists to take a look and give honest and constructive feedback on how your business is presenting itself, why not get in touch with us today?

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