Whether they work directly on-site or from an executive office, construction professionals share one common trait: they’re practical thinkers. To market effectively to people in the construction industry, B2B companies must drop many of their conventional marketing strategies and go with a more streamlined, straightforward approach.
Features over Benefits
In many fields, marketers focus on benefits, the value a service or product has to potential customers, over features. For construction professionals, emphasizing features over benefits works well with their concrete, practical outlook. While you don’t want to eliminate all focus on how your offer will benefit the reader, benefits should take a back seat to highlighting features. Construction professionals trust a feature-oriented approach over a benefit-laden sales message.
“Concrete” is a useful word to remember when reaching out to construction professionals. It describes what many construction personnel work with on a daily basis and how they see the world. They prefer tangible, reproducible results and solid facts over abstract concepts. Give them spec sheets, white papers, industry interviews and case studies to earn their interest. Video can be a powerful tool too, but use it judiciously; a video demonstration of your product in action is far more persuasive than a video that makes heavy use of graphics and text. Remember, concrete is an adjective as well as a noun, and concrete demonstrations are more meaningful than abstract imagery.
Detail-Oriented Marketing
People who work in construction must be detail-oriented, and they carry that tendency over to the marketing approaches that resonate with them. Content that differentiates your product or service meaningfully from competitors by focusing on key details will earn the attention of your chosen audience of construction pros. Accurate, detailed information is powerfully persuasive to professionals in the construction industry, but to keep your copy from being overwhelmed with data, use bullet lists and tables for easy scanning.
To supply the necessary details your customers hope to find in your marketing copy, you may need to parcel your audience into smaller segments. Construction is a tremendously broad field, and the specific information that moves a commercial landscape design supervisor could be quite different from the data that motivates an independent residential remodeler. Consider using A/B testing and investment in segmented mailing lists to get a better handle on your intended audience.
Speak the Right Language
Like many STEM industries, the construction industry has its own vocabulary. If your content doesn’t fluently use the same jargon as your email recipients, you run the risk of losing your audience’s trust. The argot of business often includes of-the-minute expressions and trendy terms, but communications with construction professionals are not the place for them. Leave legalese, business buzzwords and other fluff out of your correspondence with construction personnel.
One of the great divides in construction work is that between government contractors and private-industry companies, and with that separation comes a new vocabulary for contractors. Government construction contracts account for billions of dollars annually, but companies that land these jobs must be familiar with the government procurement system. Their suppliers must also meet stringent requirements, and companies that specialize in working with government contractors should make their experience a selling point. If you offer construction products that meet MIL-STD requirements, let your audience know.
Sources to Reach Construction Industry Decision-Makers
Connect with construction professionals via targeted lists such as Professional Builder, Professional Remodeler, ReachBase Construction Professionals, Roads & Bridges, and the Scranton Gillette Contracting & Construction Masterfile.
Reach out specifically to busy construction professionals by aligning your direct mail, email copy and site content with the qualities they prioritize. Straightforward, honest, useful content that gets the details right is powerfully persuasive for marketing to construction professionals.
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