Mastering Construction Branding: Win Bids & Attract Talent

A construction company’s reputation and branding go hand in hand to help win bids, attract and retain talent in a tight labor market, and project a positive image to the community, other industry players, and owners. 

While a company’s reputation rests primarily on previous work and relationships, companies consciously shape branding to support their efforts and solidify their reputation with recognizable marketing assets. 

Branding for construction encompasses several ways companies present their image to the public, including marketing strategies, events presence, logos, website design and more. In this article, we’ll explore the role branding plays in winning bids, recruiting, strategy and helping contractors stand out amongst competitors. 

What Is Construction Branding?

In the construction industry, branding relies heavily on word-of-mouth and the successful completion of projects. Once a company has completed successful projects, marketing elements like logos and color schemes can help establish and strengthen the brand. While the typical approach of new companies focuses on their visual identity from the start, the core of construction branding is built upon delivering high-quality results and leveraging achievements with consistent branding and marketing efforts.

The Role of Branding in Winning Bids

Having a known brand puts companies ahead in the bidding process in two primary ways. For some projects, owners will solicit bids from specific GCs they have worked with or heard about from other people in the industry. 

Similarly, GCs will solicit bids from subcontractors with a good reputation or those they have previously worked with. The name and brand recognition get a company in the door to submit a proposal for these projects.

For projects with a fixed budget, an owner may hold an open event to give information on the project, and companies with known brands are most likely to make it to the final proposal rounds.

Attracting Top Talent Through Branding

Good project managers and superintendents want to work for successful general contractors with a solid reputation. PMs are often incentivized to complete projects on time and under budget, with compensation beyond base salary for performance. 

Companies with many projects in the pipeline and a reputation for timely completion are likelier to help individual employees earn more and burnish their personal brands with noteworthy projects. In a tight labor market, good workers will stay at a company that provides them opportunities to shine with high-profile projects.

A company with a reputation for a good working environment is also a draw for top talent. A brand known for a good safety record, collaborative teamwork and transparency can provide a productive and respectful working environment for the project team.

Employee-owned companies can provide a sense of camaraderie that is meaningful to potential employees. A company with a vision of supporting the local community and giving back can give workers a sense of purpose and meaning. Some companies do a few projects at cost for the benefit of the community.

Communicating the company ethos and spirit, especially on social media, can appeal to potential workers. Companies that publicly value their employees and demonstrate their excellence with awards and impressive projects can stand out as places people want to work.

4 Key Elements of a Strong Construction Brand

Branding evolves over time and should flow from the company's core values, project types, and characteristics. The elements that go into building a construction brand are:

1. Logo and Brand Colors

The logo and brand colors represent the company throughout printed and digital resources, but perhaps even more importantly in the field. Fence wraps with company colors and logos should be on every worksite, truck and crane. Logos should also be visible on the road and throughout the site. Trailers, hardhats, safety vests, and other wearables should have the logo prominently displayed.

Companies can refresh their branding periodically, but keeping changes to the visual branding subtle continues the effectiveness and recognizability of the brand. The colors and logo evoke emotional responses and should help to tell the story of the company and resonate with the values and culture of the company.

2. Slogan

Company slogans build upon the feeling of the company and encapsulate the business in a short phrase. For instance, Ryan Companies uses “We Build Stories” as a tagline woven into everything from fence wraps to proposals. Other examples of construction company slogans include: “Precision in every project,” “Solid foundations for a bright future,” and “Engineered for Excellence.” The slogan should reflect company values, promises to owners and give a narrative foundation for other marketing assets and proposal texts.

3. Digital Assets

A construction company’s presence on the web elaborates on the brand and keeps the company’s successes in front of potential partners and clients. Company websites should contain stories of project successes with strong visuals and descriptions, information about the company’s history, key leaders and employees, and guiding principles. 

High-quality images and social media posts allow companies to keep stakeholders and industry players updated on current projects, awards and events. LinkedIn is one of the most important platforms for marketing teams to make announcements, show progress on projects, demonstrate the organization’s style and reinforce the brand. 

4. Events, Gifts & Giveaways

Well-known companies have signature events that others in the industry look forward to yearly. These can be holiday parties—not just around Christmas—but it could be a St. Patrick’s Day, 4^th of July, or even Valentine’s Day event. Events can include holding parties or dinners at trade shows, reserving a box at a football game, ski trips, or golf tournaments. Establishing diverse events that bring together owners, brokers, trade partners, other GCs, or community members helps solidify a brand identity and the traditions help embed the branding within the industry and local area.

Some companies send cards and gifts for winter holidays, and because it is such a crowded time, finding unique gifts for important stakeholders can help reinforce business relationships. Traditionally, subs send gifts to GCs, GCs send gifts to owners and owners send gifts to brokers — but construction companies can solidify any business relationship with acknowledgment around the holidays.

Branded apparel or products that companies give away at trade shows, events and whenever possible in day-to-day business is another way to keep the company brand in the spotlight. The logo doesn’t always need to be prominent, as a useful gift with an understated logo can generate warm feelings for recipients while reminding them of the company.

Trends in Construction Branding

Companies refresh their branding to keep logos appearing “modern,” hone in on messaging that resonates with the times, and add energy to their marketing. Since branding and reputation are intertwined, keeping the company’s latest projects in the media and on the web is an integral part of staying current with the trends in construction. Here are some other trends in branding:

Social Media That Appeals to Talent

Many key personnel keep an eye on LinkedIn, but choosing channels popular with specialized roles in construction keeps the company’s brand in front of potential future employees. Increasingly, brands highlight humor and the story of their cultures on social platforms that reach specialized audiences. 

Logos Without Taglines

Although slogans can help unify a branding campaign, companies are dropping the tagline from their logo imprints to make a more straightforward statement. Often, taglines are omitted from the logo lockup—the typical combination of company name, picture, and sometimes the slogan. 

The small type is difficult to read in many formats, and the trend is toward a crisp logo image. Company logos are often seen from a distance on fence wraps and large equipment, so having a cleaner logo makes it easier for people to see.

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Quick Tips for Branding

Regularly polishing branding can keep a unified public image for a construction company. Here are some ideas to keep in mind:

Make the logo resonate.

Logos need to encapsulate the values and culture of the company using bright, bold colors that will stand out on safety vests and still look good on a full-color proposal. When people see the logo, it should give them a certain feeling consistent with the brand. Don’t overcomplicate the logo. Keep it clean and easy to see from afar.

Tailor each proposal.

Brands in other industries may have one unique selling proposition (USP): how the brand is superior to competitors. For construction, the USP is specific to each proposal, with the proposal describing how the GC is expressly qualified for the project. For instance, on a hospital renovation, detailing how your company will mitigate noise and avoid disturbing patients can anticipate needs that may not be outlined in the RFP.

Regularly refresh messaging and branding.

A full brand refresh fine-tuning the logo and colors could happen every three to five years or so, but other elements need more frequent updates. Projects and testimonials should be added to the website monthly or at least every six months. Consider regular website audits to check your messaging and confirm all project photos are up to date. Social media posts can be weekly or more frequent, and press releases on projects and awards should go out as appropriate.

Continuous and unified branding solidifies a company’s reputation, supporting successful project bidding and increasing the ability to attract and retain top construction talent. Brand strategy in construction gives a consistent and confident public face for a GC or specialty contractor to maintain brand awareness and recognition for stakeholders in the industry and local community.

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