There are typically two different specialties in the construction world – commercial or residential. While both areas have their benefits, a construction company looking to grow should aim to complete an even mix of both. And, in terms of the skills required, there’s no reason why that crossover can’t happen.
However, for smaller construction companies, in particular, it can be difficult to start appealing to a commercial audience online. This is a problem given that it significantly limits the projects available, and also places a much lower pay cap on each job. But, why exactly would a construction website fail to attract commercial customers?
Issue 1: No examples to show
A lack of any commercial portfolio can be one of the most notable reasons for failing to attract work of this nature. After all, why would a commercial client, who is likely paying with investor money, take a risk on you without evidence of your skills, when plenty of other construction companies will have commercial examples to show?
It’s a tough question, and it’s even harder to answer. However, if the work that you have done is good enough, you can still give some semblance of commercial examples to overcome this issue. For instance, you could develop a commercial portfolio on your website based on things like planned blueprints, or even AI-generated commercial building walkthroughs. While you will need to be honest about the fact that these are concept pieces, their existence will still show clients the kinds of things you could achieve if they took a chance on you. And, you may well find that this forward-thinking effort secures you some commercial projects that you can then use as a basis for your real commercial portfolio.
Issue 2: Generalized content
Sticking with something like generalized content for your commercial website blog can be beneficial in that it helps you to reach a wide audience across a broad range of Google searches. However, generalization could also bring the issue of making you look like a Jack of all trades, but an expert of none. And, if a business is about to spend their investor’s money, you can bet they’ll want someone with a little more specialty knowledge.
After all, while all areas of construction are broadly linked, securing commercial clients means that you need to show your expertise in the specific commercial construction glossary. This doesn’t mean that you should scrap generalized construction content altogether, but it does mean that you should also include more specialist articles that consider everything from fire door positioning in an office block, to hospital layout planning for pros. All of which can help you look like an authority in the commercial construction world.
Issue 3: A team that’s too small
Realistically, a client who’s looking for a construction company to build their entire factory might struggle to envision success with a small team of five or fewer people. After all, they want the project completed fast but to a high standard. Too few people can’t achieve that goal.
Of course, if you’re just building your construction empire, and have yet to land any high-paying commercial projects, you can’t just go on an employment spree. Especially when you’re not yet attracting regular large projects to justify the expense. Luckily, making it clear that you’re willing to outsource is the ideal compromise here. This way, you can prove to potential commercial clients that your team is up for even large-scale tasks. All without the expense that you would face were you to take permanent team members on board before you’re ready.
Issue 4: An issue with your marketing
It’s also vital to note that it might be your marketing, rather than your website, which is causing you problems. After all, if you choose the wrong places to advertise your website, then commercial clients are unlikely to see your offerings in the first place.
To a certain extent, addressing content specialties will help here, as it will ensure that you appear in relevant key searches for all kinds of clients. But, you may also want to consider splitting your marketing budget to also advertise on things like specialty professional platforms such as LinkedIn. This way, you can directly appeal to commercial names, making it far more likely that you’ll start receiving large-scale commissions in no time.
Attracting commercial clients in construction isn’t always easy. But, considering that commercial projects pay notably more, you’ll want to put these points into action to stand out from the online crowd as a commercial competitor at last.
