Published - 26th March 2026
In our latest blog, our joint managing director Neil Craven explains why e-marketing can help you deliver key messages to your key customers.
The construction industry has always relied on positive relationships and for years, work has come from trusted partners, familiar faces and the steady hum of word-of-mouth recommendations from supply chain partners and customers. But the way people consume information has shifted and decision-makers who once spent hours in meetings or on site are now harder to reach in person and far more active online. That change has created a visibility challenge for businesses who still depend on traditional touchpoints to stay front of mind.
E-marketing offers a practical solution. It gives construction companies a direct route into the inboxes of the people they want to reach, without relying on earned press coverage or social media visibility. And in a sector where projects move slowly and opportunities can emerge long after the first conversation, that consistent presence becomes a strategic advantage.
Email remains one of the most effective ways to communicate with large, relevant audiences. Clients, contractors, collaborators and suppliers are already in your database, and they are far more likely to engage with content that arrives directly and timely during the working day.
We’ve put this theory into practice for our client Collard who is a leader in recycling and waste management and uses email to keep its customer bases engaged and informed. Collard’s regular monthly e-shots reach around 20,000 contacts, with roughly 7,000 people opening and reading each one. That level of engagement shows that audiences are not only receiving the content but actively choosing to spend time with it. In a world where attention spans are increasingly shortening, that is no small achievement.
Every e-shot should have a purpose, whether this is directing readers to a seasonal service, highlighting a new offering or product launch or simply reminding them of what you do best. Choosing a clear call to action is essential and usually recipients are encouraged to click through to the website. Although they may make an inquiry straight away, and this is a major win, it’s important to also understand that the value from e-marketing can also be felt over the longer term too. A well-timed email keeps your business present in someone’s mind, ready for when the next project, tender or challenge arises.
This is particularly important in construction, where project timelines are long and buying cycles are slow. E-marketing can help maintain momentum during the quiet periods, ensuring your business doesn’t fade into the background.
E-marketing isn’t only about services and sales. It’s also a space to share the stories that define who you are as a business. Community initiatives, charity work, team achievements and behind-the-scenes updates often resonate strongly with readers. These stories help humanise your brand and build trust which is something clients increasingly look for when choosing partners.
The communication channel you choose can really shape how your message is received and email gives you the space to tell these stories in a way that feels personal and intentional, without competing for attention in a crowded social media feed.
One of the biggest advantages of e-marketing is how measurable it is as it gives you clear insight into what your audience engages with. Open rates, link clicks and reading patterns reveal which topics resonate and which need refining.
Over time, this data becomes a powerful tool. It helps shape your content strategy, informs your messaging and ensures you’re investing time in the stories and services your audience genuinely care about.
Of course, the benefits of e-marketing aren’t limited to external audiences. Internal newsletters can also play a vital role in keeping colleagues connected across project sites, different offices and across remote teams working from home.
A well-crafted internal update can lift morale, strengthen a company’s culture and most importantly, ensure everyone feels included and updated.
E-marketing also supports and amplifies your wider marketing activity. It can drive traffic to blogs and other forms of web-based content, reinforce messages shared across social and traditional media, highlight job vacancies or team updates, and bring attention to new case studies or project wins. When used consistently, it can become an important thread that ties your communications together.
Here at Harris we always tell our clients choosing the right channel is just as important as crafting the right message. Email gives you control, consistency and clarity — three things that are increasingly difficult to achieve.
For construction businesses looking to stay visible in a digital-first world, e-marketing should no longer be seen as an optional extra. It is a practical, cost-effective and highly targeted way to maintain relationships, nurture future opportunities and keep your business front of mind on a regular basis. And in the construction and built environment sectors where trust, familiarity and reputation still matter just as much today as they always have, that steady presence via email can give companies a valuable advantage.
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