The Value of Responsiveness in Construction Marketing

Keep your marketing project moving forward through responsive communication.

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As a building professional, you know how important it is for clients and partners to respond promptly to keep a project on track. More specifically, you know the anxiety that comes when a client won’t return your phone calls or emails. You likely also know the ramifications of not getting the answers you need on time: Your subs get mad, your employees get frustrated, and everybody loses money. 

We get it. You’re more stressed about the fact that your sheetrock guys are on the way to your job site while your crew is still scrambling to finish the electrical work than you are about investing time into your rebranding initiative or new website. But if you have recently committed to partnering with a marketing agency, you must be a person who values positioning yourself as a more attractive employer and contractor. To get the best results, however, you also need to be responsive.

Why? The more responsive you are, the sooner you can complete the initiative – and the sooner you can use that campaign to grow your workforce and project pipeline. With that in mind, here are some tips for keeping the line of communication open and efficient.

1. Set and meet expectations.  

You and the marketing agency should set expectations about deadlines at the start of the project to avoid ambiguity. If you’re not on the same page about how quickly things should be progressing from the jump, delays will occur, and both sides will grow frustrated. 

Keep in mind, while a three-day turnaround for deliverables might be achievable right now, neither party should set expectations they know they won’t be able to meet during the “busy” season. If you’re expecting a full workload this year, you may want to wait to rebrand until you have the time. 

2. Respect other people’s time. 

When you miss a deadline, you might be telling the team you're working with that their work is not a priority or that your time is more valuable. You might also project the idea you’re not a team player or aren't good at managing your time. When the involved parties can check off their responsibilities on time, everyone can move on to the next step, and the project can stay on track.

3. Hold yourself accountable. 

We understand life happens and that sometimes deadlines need to be pushed. But if you know you can't meet a deadline, speak up. That way, both sides can reassess the upcoming stages of the project. In contrast, if you agree to a timeline or due date, make sure you meet that schedule. Being transparent about things up front will help you build better trust and prevent unexpected interruptions from derailing the whole project.

4. Don’t be afraid to over-communicate.

The goal should be keeping everyone on the same page as the project progresses. Check in regularly about how things are moving along, and don’t be afraid to ask questions. Remember that not every phone call or email exchange you're responding to needs to be a complete resolution. 

If you need more time to fulfill a request or craft a more thorough response, send a quick note explaining that you're working on getting an answer, but it might take me a few days. Regular check-ins can go a long way toward maintaining a positive and productive working relationship.

Why responsiveness matters

It’s likely that during the process, hiccups will occur. But these tips can help you avoid a lack of responsiveness being the item that wastes your time and money. When you’re communicating regularly with your agency, their team will be able to complete your project quicker, get your website up and running, and help set your growing business up for success. 

Ultimately, responsiveness builds trust, and trust builds lasting relationships with both your building partners and workforce. And that leads to success for everyone. Need more tips about keeping your campaign on track? Rusty George is a creative marketing agency in Tacoma, WA, and we're in the business of helping builders get louder.

Sources: Nicklaus Marketing, Momentum Management Consulting, Inc.com

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