Construction Company Marketing Plan: A 12-Month Template
The short answer
A construction marketing plan is one page: the 2–3 project types you want more of, the proof that makes clients pick you, three or more tracked sources of work, a budget worked back from the profit per job, and one or two actions a month. Fix your sales process first, then add channels.
- Focus first. Pick the 2–3 project types and clients that made you the most money last year.
- Proof beats promises. Case studies, videos, reviews and numbers, not "high-quality work".
- Budget per job, not per month. Work it back from the profit on the jobs you want, across 3+ tracked sources of work.
- Most marketing problems are sales problems. Fix the stage that leaks before you spend more.
Most builders don't have a marketing plan. They have word of mouth, a Facebook page and a website someone built five years ago. That works until the work dries up, and then it's too late to start.
A construction company marketing plan doesn't need to be a 40-page document. It's one page for the office wall. It says what you want more of, why clients pick you, where work comes from, the spend and the monthly actions.
Below is the plan Sviat uses in his own company, Craftex, and teaches the owners he mentors. It's laid out as a 12-month template you can copy. Want it built around your own numbers? Book a free strategy call.
What a construction marketing plan is (and isn't)
Marketing isn't a logo and a Facebook page. For a construction company it's a system with five parts:
- Focus. The 2–3 project types, clients and areas that make you the most money.
- Proof. Case studies, videos, reviews and numbers that show you've done it before.
- Image. Website, Google profile, vans, site boards and documents that all say the same thing.
- Channels. Three or more sources of work, each one tracked.
- Conversion. One CRM, same-day replies, quotes presented live and weekly follow-up.
| Word-of-mouth company | Company with a marketing plan | |
|---|---|---|
| Focus | "We do everything" | 2–3 project types they're known for |
| Proof | "High-quality work" | Case studies, videos, reviews |
| Channels | Referrals only | Several channels, tracked |
| Conversion | Emailed quotes | Live presentations and weekly follow-up |
| Pipeline | Feast and famine | Steady, planned |
Step 1: write your focus on one page
"We do everything" sounds safe but sells badly. A clear focus makes your marketing sharper, your quotes faster and your margins better, because you get known for something. Answer these six questions honestly:
| Question | Your answer |
|---|---|
| What 2–3 types of project do we do best? | |
| Which projects made us the most money last year? | |
| Who are our best clients: homeowners, developers, architects, main contractors? | |
| Where do we work, and where don't we? | |
| What size of job suits us (min–max)? | |
| What work do we turn down? |
This is the top line of your plan. Every channel, ad and conversation after this aims at those project types and those clients.
Step 2: turn your strengths into proof
If a client can't see a difference between you and the next builder, they'll compare you on price. Ask your last five happy clients one question: "Why did you choose us?" Use their words, not yours. Then pick 2–3 differences you can prove and turn each one into a case study, a video, a review or a number.
| Claim | Weak version | Proven version |
|---|---|---|
| Quality | "High-quality work" | Case study with photos, spec and a client video |
| Reliability | "We're reliable" | "Finished on programme on our last 10 projects" (only if true) |
| Experience | "Years of experience" | Named similar projects and a reference you can call |
| Service | "Great communication" | Weekly updates, one project manager, Google reviews that say so |
Your company image has to back it up. That means a website with recent projects and reviews, branded vans and site boards, one template for quotes and tenders, and the phone answered properly. Clients judge you before they meet you. Here's what a construction website needs to win work.
Not sure what makes you different from the builder down the road?
Book a free call and we'll find your proof with you.
Step 3: pick your sources of work
Every project you'll ever win comes from one of five places. Most builders only use the first one. Your plan adds one new source at a time and measures it.
| Source | Who | How to start |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Your network | Past clients, ex-colleagues, suppliers, subcontractors | Call them all, don't text. Tell them what you build now |
| 2. Referrers | Architects, interior designers, QSs, project managers | Small studios of 3–15 people. Offer help with costs |
| 3. Bigger contractors and developers | Main contractors, specialist contractors, small developers | Ask for the estimator or QS. Start with a small package |
| 4. Planning and tenders | Approved applications, lead services, public portals | See our Construction Project Leads guide |
| 5. Inbound | Website, Google Business Profile, reviews, social, paid ads | Website and reviews first, then ads to a landing page |
£528K project from an architect he already knew
After we fixed his pricing and sales, Adam & Ali signed a one-year £528K project with an estimated £175–180K profit. Individual results, not typical or guaranteed.
The first two sources cost time, not money, and bring the warmest leads. Sources 3 and 4 need persistence. Source 5 scales fastest but costs the most and only works when your sales process does. Here's more on getting work from architects and winning subcontract work from main contractors.
Step 4: set the budget from the profit per job
Forget "spend X% of turnover". Work the budget back from the profit on the jobs you want to win. Sviat's rule from his own campaigns:
What leads really cost, as examples from Sviat's own campaigns and clients (yours will differ):
| Channel | Typical numbers | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Google Ads | Office fit-out: ~£15 a click, £150–300 a lead | About 1 in 5 leads qualified; expect £3–5K of spend to sign one project |
| Facebook & Instagram | £7–15 a lead, £60–150 a qualified lead | Budget £2K+ a month; deals usually £5K–£150K |
| Bark | Pay per lead | Price around 10 jobs to win 1 |
| LinkedIn outreach | 1–3% response rate | Volume and the right message matter |
| Website & SEO | £5K set-up, ~£2K a month | Long game, but can bring the biggest enquiries |
Invest at least £5K to set a website up properly, then around £2K a month for SEO. Learn the basics yourself so no agency can hide behind PDF reports. I get £1M+ enquiries through my website.
The full method is in how much a builder should spend on marketing.
Construction Company Marketing Guide
Marketing score, positioning worksheet, five sources of work with real costs, a 90-day plan and a channel tracker. 18 pages, free.
Get the free guideStep 5: the 12-month marketing plan template
Pick one or two actions a month and do them properly. The first three months are the 90-day plan from our free marketing guide. Months 4–12 build on it.
| Months | Focus | Actions |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Foundations | Write your focus, pick 3 proven differences, update website projects and reviews, one template for quotes and tenders |
| 2 | Channels | Call your whole network and past clients, contact 20 architects or designers, set up your referral program, ask every client for a Google review |
| 3 | Scale and skills | Test one paid channel to a landing page, track cost per lead and per job, train the team on phone and site standards, present every quote live |
| 4–6 | Referrers and proof | Call key architects, designers and QSs every quarter, send them finished project photos, turn your best 3 jobs into case studies and videos |
| 7–9 | Bigger work | Add contractors and developers or planning leads, go to property and architecture events, keep the paid channel that pays and stop the one that doesn't |
| 10–12 | Review and next year | Compare cost per job by channel, double the best one, write next year's focus, ask every client from the year for a review and referral |
Want the plan built around your trade, area and numbers?
Book a free strategy call and leave with your next 90 days.
Step 6: track it every month
If a lead isn't in the CRM, it doesn't exist. Log the source of every enquiry and fill this in on the first Monday of each month:
| Channel | Leads | Qualified | Quotes | Won | Cost | Cost per job |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Network & past clients | ||||||
| Architects & designers | ||||||
| Contractors & developers | ||||||
| Planning & tenders | ||||||
| Website & Google | ||||||
| Paid ads | ||||||
| Referrals |
Behind the numbers sits the sales routine:
- Call new enquiries the same day, ideally within the hour.
- After every call, write notes, the next step and a call-back date.
- Present every quote live.
- Follow up quotes by phone every week until it's a yes or a clear no.
Here's how to follow up a quote.
Want to see which part of your business leaks most? Take the free 4-minute Construction Business Scorecard: 18 questions on your pipeline, sales, pricing, cash flow and systems, with your weakest area shown first.
When the plan isn't working
Most marketing problems are really sales problems. Find the stage that's leaking and fix that first. Diary already empty? Start with what to do when work goes quiet.
| Problem | Likely cause | Fix |
|---|---|---|
| Lots of leads, few jobs | Weak qualifying or emailed quotes | Qualify by phone, present every quote live |
| Always losing on price | No visible difference | Fix your focus and proof (steps 1–2) |
| Nobody calls back | Vague message, no follow-up | Clear voicemail, email the same day, call at the agreed time |
| Feast and famine | One channel, no system | Add a second channel and a weekly sales routine |
| Paying for leads that never sign | Wrong channel or slow reply | See paying for leads that never convert |
Dmitriy, plumber: his first £50K commercial project
He changed how he handled pricing, client communication and weekly follow-up on every quote. Individual results, not typical or guaranteed.
A plan on paper changes nothing. It changes when someone checks it with you every week.
That's what one-to-one mentoring with Sviat is. The owner of a working construction company, Craftex, goes through your channels, quotes and numbers with you. It's built around your strengths, not a standard program for hundreds of businesses.
Programs are built for results in about 4 months, not 1–3 years. Individual results, not typical or guaranteed. To start, book a free strategy call.
Prefer the marketing done for you? See our construction marketing and lead generation service. Comparing business consulting for construction companies? Read what a mentor does differently.
Your marketing plan checklist
- Focus written: 2–3 project types, clients, areas
- 3 proven differences, each with a case study, review or number
- 3+ sources of work, each tracked in one CRM
- Budget worked back from the profit per job
- One or two actions a month, reviewed every month
