Branding Tips for Building Contractors

Our goal at Rusty George is to work with business owners to create a marketing strategy that promotes your unique position in the building industry, boosts project opportunities, and encourages quality workers to join your team. For us, a major component of building that strategy is branding.

While strong branding is generally associated with visual elements like logos and websites, imagery can only get you so far. We know that for building contractors to truly stand out from their competition, they have to develop a strong brand reputation. With help from Billd, we’ve compiled this list of simple practices you can adopt to ensure your brand leaves a lasting impression and sets you up to achieve your big picture goals. 

1. Submit accurate and fair bids

One of the easiest ways to jumpstart your reputation as a reliable business partner is to submit accurate and fair bids. In the building industry, if you submit a bid that’s too low, you risk undercutting your competition and looking like the cheap option. If you submit a bid that’s too aggressive, it could be interpreted as unfair to your fellow contractors. And if you do either of those things regularly, the general contractor you’re attempting to woo will assume they can’t trust you and won’t consider your bids for future projects.

2. Foster your working relationships 

Developing positive relationships with general contractors will lead to more opportunities to grow your business, which will ultimately strengthen your brand. If you submit a bid and aren’t awarded the job, following up with the GC could go a long way in helping you secure future projects. If you’re awarded the project, it’s important to take into account the GC’s time, money, and long-term goals. What can you do to stay on schedule? Can you do anything to keep costs down? The little details will earn you a reputation as someone people want to work with again.

3. Let your work speak for itself 

Beyond the strength of a bid, there are a handful of other factors GCs will take into account when deciding who to award a project to. These factors will include your performance on previous jobs, your ability to get work done within the given timeline, and your presence in the community. If you have a habit of not arriving on time, not getting supplies to a job site when they're needed, not following safety standards, and busting budgets, it’s going to damage your brand.

4. Keep it professional 

The way you present yourself in meetings with building partners and potential hires can greatly affect the way they perceive your brand. Dress sharp, know your stuff and make sure your crew does the same. If your entire team appears put together, it will promote the idea that everyone associated with your company is organized and reliable. That will win you both jobs and better employees in the long run. 

Building a brand of success

In his best-selling brand strategy book Zag, Marty Neumeier explains that a brand is the customer’s understanding of your company, not what you understand it to be. That means, upon hearing your business name, a potential building partner or job applicant should know exactly what they can expect from you. But to earn that brand recognition, you can’t just say you’re doing things differently than your competitors. You have to walk the walk. It’s time to start doing that right now. 

Source: Billd, Zag

Photo credit: Pexels