The Construction Marketer’s Secret Weapon

Digital Marketing Takes Hold in Construction

Marketing as a practice in the construction industry tends to be a bit “old-school.” Many firms rely heavily on referrals and word of mouth — which, for large, established firms can be sufficient. But for smaller or newer firms looking to raise brand awareness and attract and convert new accounts, a more modern approach is essential. This is also true for established firms, as their customers and prospects increasingly turn to digital channels and content for information and recommendations.

To drive new business, firms must present clients with engaging, relevant content that really sells their capabilities. Traditional marketing tactics such as text-based emails sent to current clients and simple websites with a few static photos are no longer enough to differentiate a construction firm from competitors. Marketers in construction must embrace new digital strategies to meet their target audience where they are — on Google, Facebook, LinkedIn, Instagram and other online platforms.

Make Digital Marketing a Visual Experience

Digital marketing strategies such as video marketing and paid social advertising are some of the most effective ways to attract and convert new business. Visuals have been shown to increase people’s desire to read content by 80%, and articles that feature an image every 100 words get 2X the shares of other articles. Not only do digital ads, blogs and websites with rich visual content increase engagement, high-quality images enable marketers to leverage such digital channels as YouTube, Instagram, Snapchat and TikTok. These platforms are rapidly rising in popularity and revolutionizing how people consume content and learn about businesses.

Digital content that features rich visuals can help to boost your rankings on search engines, as well, and that’s important, because 71% of commercial buyers begin their research on Google. If you rank higher, more people will view your content and potentially choose you for their next project.

Many construction firms don’t realize that they already have access to tons of sharable still photos and video footage. Where do these digital assets come from? Construction cameras installed on the jobsite. Photos and video taken by construction cameras are high-quality and can be used to enhance a broad array of digital marketing assets, such as emails, blog posts, social media posts, websites and more.

What’s in this Ebook?

• How still photos and video footage from construction cameras can be powerful marketing tools
• Different ways to use jobsite footage and photos for marketing
• Various types of video available from construction cameras — and how to best use them to promote your firm

Using Photos from Jobsite Cameras in Marketing

Sharing high-quality photos of your projects via social media and blog posts can help drive website traffic and encourage people to take action. But hiring a photographer to capture photos of work being performed can be extremely expensive. A more cost-effective option is to leverage the construction cameras you already have installed at the jobsite to generate high-quality imagery that you can reuse for marketing purposes.

Construction firms that use jobsite cameras have a wealth of visual content readily available at no extra cost. These cameras can capture high-quality still photos throughout every phase of your project, automatically storing them in the cloud for easy access later. (Tip: Look for a vendor that offers free, unlimited media storage!) Some vendors even provide editing and markup features, making it simple to use these photos for marketing. Beyond adding them to your website, here are some creative ways to leverage still photos from your construction cameras:

Tell a story

Feature before-and-after photos of large or complex projects in your marketing emails, social media posts, ads, or printed materials like brochures. Showcasing the transformation of a building is a powerful way to highlight your firm’s skills and capabilities.

Make social content engaging and authentic

According to Buzzsumo, Facebook posts with images see 230% more engagement than those without images, and tweets with images receive 150% more retweets than all-text tweets. But the images have to be relevant and authentic. Many marketers rely on stock photos because they’re cheap and easy to obtain, however, viewers can tell the difference. It’s much more compelling to use real jobsite photos — not only does it build trust by making your firm more human and real to viewers, it’s an opportunity to showcase your work.

Enrich your GMB listing

Today, 96% of consumers go online to research and find products and services, and more than 50% of those searches are zero-click. That means many people never make it to your website but make their decision based on the information they find in your Google Knowledge Panel — that box on the right that shows up when people search for your business. Rich, complete Google My Business (GMB) listings help sell your firm on Google and convince people to choose you over competitors. In fact, GMB listings with more than 100 images receive 960% more views and 520% more calls than those with fewer photos.

Enhance blog posts and contributed articles

Blog posts are boring and text heavy without images to break them up and help tell the story. In an analysis of over 1 million articles, Buzzsumo found that articles with an image once every 75-100 words received double the social media shares as articles with fewer images.

Ready, Set, Action! Using Jobsite Video to Make an Impact

Video content continues to dominate the internet, with its popularity among consumers showing no signs of slowing down. Online videos now make up a significant portion of all consumer internet traffic, a trend that has steadily grown over the years. Smart marketers recognize the power of video and are increasingly using it as a key tool to drive business growth: 81% of businesses use video as a marketing tool.

Not only is video extremely engaging, it brings a human touch to your marketing materials and allows you to build and tell a more complete story than a static photo. A recent study found that marketers who take advantage of video grow revenue 49% faster than those who don’t, and using video on a landing page on your website can increase conversions by 80% or more.

About 87% of marketing professionals use video as a marketing tool and video clips are perhaps the most common type of video they use. Video enhances any digital marketing asset, from websites to emails to social media posts and more.

You Don’t Need a Video Crew

As construction firms incorporate more digital elements into their marketing strategies, access to high-quality video — and a lot of it — will be key. But creating usable video can get expensive. Hiring a video crew to shoot and produce a single short video can cost thousands of dollars.

Fortunately, if you have construction cameras installed on your jobsites, you don’t need to hire expensive crews and wait weeks as they edit and produce a staged video that may or may not resonate with your target audience.

Using video footage from your construction cameras eliminates the cost and production time of hiring a video crew to shoot a staged performance, and it’s much more authentic. And as noted earlier, authenticity is increasingly critical to gaining customer trust. As consumer interest and demand for authentic content increases, video from jobsite cameras may be more effective for engaging audiences.

Types of Construction Camera Videos

Marketers are coming up with innovative ways to use videos every day, as new technologies enable advanced formats and capabilities. For example, today’s construction cameras provide remote live-viewing and time-lapse capabilities, along with high-definition image quality and editing features that make creating videos for marketing outreach simple and cost-effective. Let’s examine both of these types of video formats and how you can leverage them in your construction marketing outreach.

Remote Live Viewing Puts Viewers in the Middle of the Action

People crave instant access to information, making live streaming increasingly popular. Live streaming delivers video in real-time, without the need for recording or storage beforehand. Incorporating live video streams into your firm’s website adds a dynamic element, allowing viewers to feel like they’re part of the action.

This real-time view of your ongoing work builds excitement and anticipation for the final result. Best of all, if you’re already using construction cameras, live streaming comes at no additional cost. Once embedded on your website, you can further engage customers and local communities by sharing these live streams across platforms like Facebook, Instagram, and YouTube, maximizing your ROI and driving more traffic to your site.

Time-lapse Videos Captivate Viewers from Start to Finish

Nothing is more powerful for showcasing your firm’s capabilities than watching a construction project as it unfolds. Time-lapse videos capture a project’s progress over time and condenses the action into a fast-paced, engaging video. Every 10 seconds of a time-lapse video spans hundreds of individual images — and they’re fun to watch.

Time-lapse footage can be integrated with marketing outreach to help tell a compelling story about your firm and the quality and scope of your work. For example, a time-lapse video can span the entire project — from breaking ground, to building the superstructure, interior construction activities and all the way to landscaping. This time-lapse video of the San Diego Convention Center sails roof replacement and this new pickleball court by PickleRage provide two excellent examples of stories told with time-lapse content.

Here are some additional construction marketing uses for time-lapses from cameras:

• They can be embedded on your website, bringing a page to life and increasing the time viewers spend on the page.
• They can be used to build anticipation for a coming event, or to promote the upcoming project completion date for a large commercial project.
• They can improve customer testimonials or case studies you create to market your firm.

TrueLook provides unlimited time-lapse videos of every construction project, free of charge. Here area few examples.

Beyond Marketing: Using Jobsite Video and Stills for Community Relations

Keeping communities informed about local construction projects can generate excitement, showcase your successes, and help your firm build trust and connections with the community. Sharing photos and videos from your jobsite is an effective way to strengthen community relations, raise brand awareness, and highlight how your work benefits the area.

Time-lapse videos are particularly valuable for this, as they condense weeks, months, or even years of progress into just a few minutes, providing an impressive and comprehensive view of the project without taking up too much of the viewer’s time.

Increase Transparency with Live Updates

Construction projects often take a long time to complete and can be disruptive to the surrounding neighborhoods, and people may be anxious to know when your project will be complete. Embedding a live stream video from the jobsite on your website keeps people informed with minimal effort — you can inform the public of the live stream in social posts and other public forums, driving them to your site to check the status of your project. This level of transparency builds trust and good will with the public, helping to improve your image and reputation.

Deepen the Public’s Understanding

Large construction projects can disrupt communities, sometimes leading to frustration or anger. Time-lapse videos can help your firm communicate what’s happening on the jobsite and explain why complex projects take time to complete. By providing a visual overview, you can help the community better understand the construction process and appreciate the effort involved. Seeing the work in action can even foster patience, especially for projects that impact traffic or create noise near residential areas.

Conclusion

Visuals are powerful marketing tools, and they can be used to nurture leads and help convert prospects to customers. Construction firms that use photos and video are more likely to rank higher and be found in search, successfully capture the attention of prospective customers, and compel them to click through to learn more.

Whether you’re using static photos, video clips, time-lapse videos, or live streaming to enhance your digital marketing efforts, construction cameras offer a cost-effective and efficient alternative to hiring photographers and video crews. They also give you more control over how, when, and where you use your imagery. Additionally, the genuine, on-the-ground visuals from your jobsite can help you connect meaningfully with your audience, building trust and encouraging engagement.

However, not all construction cameras or vendors are the same. It’s important to understand your options before selecting a camera solution for your project. Key features to look for include HD-quality images, automatic uploads, and cloud-based storage. Use this checklist to guide your search.