When a client needs help building a home or a commercial building, they call you. You know what you’re doing, you deliver great construction projects on time and in budget, and you’ve got the construction process down to a fine art.

While you’re probably great at building chances are you’re not a marketing superstar, and you might even find developing a construction marketing plan, building construction websites or marketing yourself online a daunting task.

You’re not alone, and the good news is that there are great choices when it comes to outsourcing this aspect of your construction business, provided you take a few tips into account. Here are our top tips for hiring online marketing help for your building or construction business:

1. Remember it takes time. If you’re just getting started in online marketing or building construction websites, it’ll be a while before you get lots of organic search engine traffic. If anyone promises overnight results, they’re probably not the right choice for your business.
2. Price is not everything. Cut-price content marketing is rarely high quality and cheap websites often look, well… cheap. While you don’t have to break the bank, remember that if it appears too good to be true, it probably is.
3. Specialists are often better than generalists. There are companies that specialize in online marketing for construction companies, and they very often have the ideal construction marketing plan blueprint already drawn up and ready to go. While you should consider all your options, specialist online marketing companies can help you to hit the ground running, and get results quicker.
4. Ask for references. Online marketing is an ever changing field, and you want to work with companies who have a good track record, and recent experience.
5. Consider geography. There are many companies based in other countries that offer online marketing services, but there is often a language barrier and almost always a time zone issue to contend with. Decide whether the benefits outweigh the risks, or vice versa.
6. Ask for a construction marketing plan for review. A good online marketing company will have a clear vision and an actionable plan for your company. If they can’t produce a plan and proposal, then they might not be able to deliver what you need.
7. Think about the long term. Websites require maintenance to ensure they run smoothly and don’t get hacked or fall out-of-date. Marketing activities can take time to produce results. But then it can pay off. The old days of building a website and walking away are gone. You must think of your website as a work in progress. And think about this: how many clients do you need to get in order to pay it off? I think the number would be relatively low.

Hiring online marketing help is the same as hiring any professional service, and it can be a little tricky, and take some time to find the right fit for your business. Consider what you need, what your marketing budget is, and what your goals are. Consider companies in your area and further afield, and remember that while you don’t have to break the bank, you get what you pay for in online marketing and construction websites–just as you do when you’re building beautiful homes!