Most small construction companies we talk to at Nover Marketing have one thing in common: they built their business the old-fashioned way through word of mouth and boots-on-the-ground hustle. They put up signs in their yard, knocked on doors, handed out flyers, and built trust project by project. That grassroots approach still works, especially for newer companies or side hustles trying to gain traction. But at some point, every construction company that wants to grow has to make the leap from community buzz to a marketing system that scales.
Start Where You Are: Boots on the Ground
If you are just getting started, do not overthink it. Some of the fastest wins come from free or low-cost tactics that connect you directly with your community:
- Local forums and groups. Nextdoor, neighborhood Facebook groups, and other online community boards are a goldmine. Post an introduction about who you are, your years of experience, and what you specialize in. Neighbors love working with someone local, and they will often trust you more because you are putting yourself out there.
- Signs and flyers. Put a simple sign in your yard. Print out flyers and go door-to-door. Hand them out or drop them in mailboxes. It takes sweat equity, but it works, especially when neighbors start referring you to each other.
We have spoken to countless general contractors who launched this way. One of our clients in Central Ohio started during COVID by putting a sign in his yard and knocking on doors. Within a few years, referrals from those early jobs had him running a four-person crew and ready to graduate to bigger work, including commercial remodeling jobs.
Graduate Into Digital
Once you have proven yourself locally, the next step is to put systems in place that capture demand online. The biggest mistake small construction companies make here is wasting money on the wrong type of marketing, usually because they trusted a local “generalist” agency that does not specialize in construction.
The truth is, when you first start investing in digital marketing, every dollar matters. You need to focus all your energy on bottom-of-funnel intent. In other words, go after people who are already searching for your services. Someone searching “bathroom remodel near me” is not casually browsing. They are ready to hire.
Here is how to meet them where they are:
- Google PPC Search Ads. If you only have $1,000 a month to spend, this is where it should go. At that budget, you might pay around $150 per lead. Do not expect 10 leads a day, but you can get consistent opportunities.
- Local Service Ads (Google Guaranteed). Great if you are open to a wide variety of jobs and want the Google “stamp of approval.” These work especially well for plumbing, electrical, or handyman-style services.
- Performance Max Campaigns. Best for e-commerce products. For construction, they tend to spread your dollars too thin. We have seen many small remodelers waste budget here because an agency did not know better.
- Meta Ads. These can generate volume, but leads are often less qualified. They are more top or mid-funnel, so you will need to nurture interest.
One of our New Jersey clients learned this the hard way. He was spending $1,500 a month on Performance Max campaigns with a local agency, and most of that money went to display ads. Hardly any was reaching people actively searching for remodeling services. When we rebuilt his campaigns around search intent, his cost per lead dropped dramatically and his close rates improved.
Build the Right Foundation
Here is another reality: none of this works without a solid website. Your website is the foundation of every campaign. It is where your ads point. It is what Google and AI search engines scan to determine whether you deserve to rank.
A $500 website built without strategy is not just cheap, it is a liability. We see it all the time. A company hires someone to “just throw up a site” and then wonders why their ads flop. The truth is, most of the investment in a professional website is not the design. It is the research, the keyword strategy, the analytics setup, and the way your brand is positioned for your audience. If you cut corners here, you will end up rebuilding it anyway once you are serious about growth.
At Nover, we always start with the website. Once it launches, we immediately pair it with paid ads. Ads deliver leads while SEO builds authority over time. Within a few weeks, the ads start producing. Over months, SEO and AEO (answer engine optimization) kick in and begin to reduce your cost per lead.
Avoid Common Pitfalls
Some of the biggest pitfalls we see when small construction companies first test marketing:
- Spreading budget too thin. Splitting $1,000 between PPC and display ads guarantees poor results.
- Choosing the wrong partner. Local agencies without construction experience often run campaigns incorrectly, burning cash and convincing owners that marketing does not work.
- Skipping the website. Jumping straight to ads without a strong website wastes money and produces a poor ROI.
We recently reviewed a campaign where $500 of a $1,000 budget was being spent on display ads. The account also had a housing policy violation, which throttled ad delivery. After a year of frustration, the owner came to us convinced paid ads were a scam. The truth was simple: the strategy was wrong.
Why Work With Nover
At Nover Marketing, we do not just run ads or build websites. We act as your strategic partner. Our clients commit annually, and each month we prioritize the activities that will move the needle based on your goals. It is like having a seasoned marketing director on your team, without the overhead of hiring in-house.
We bring the strategy, the execution, and the reporting. You bring your expertise in the field. Together, we make sure your marketing dollars are not wasted on tactics that do not work. Contact us now to get started with a free consultation.
