How to Promote Your Construction Business in Overseas Markets

In the early phase of any business, the focus is on laying a mark on the local front. However, for construction businesses, it is only a matter of time before it becomes clear that there will be need to explore overseas markets to drive growth.  This piece takes a look at ways to promote your construction business in overseas markets.

Create a list of possible destinations

This is the first step towards overseas expansion. Analyse possible destinations with all vital variables aptly considered. Such variables include cost of construction, profitability, political stability, work force availability etc. These variables will help you see destinations that offer the most rewarding prospects.

Set up new offices in these destinations

Since there is no project being worked on, the offices should be administrative in nature. The staff should be locals that understand the construction terrain or anyone with ample experience of construction in the specific location. This will also allow your company to become more familiar with the local culture and ensure proper location-sensitive marketing. Here is a look at how culture can influence your marketing. The office will equally be vital to the success of your application for new contracts.

Show off construction portfolio

“When targeting an overseas market, it is important to show as much diversity as possible in your construction to increases chances of landing a project” says John Smith at Lagan Construction Group. “You don’t want your business to only be associated with transportation sector construction when you’ve had successful projects in education and housing so ensure your marketing messages emphasise on the diversity”.

Tweak your online presence to have an international focus

Most UK companies without an international focus have websites that highlight this fact. From telephone numbers not including international dialling codes to website content solely tailored for the British audience, the content on the website tells any visitor that the company is only focused on the UK market.  If you are promoting your business to an overseas market, your website should feature international content such as projects completed outside the UK, include numbers or contact e-mail for international clients and even occasionally reference events in your target overseas market on your social media feeds. A simple Independence Day message could be enough.

As soon as your business lands its first major role in the new market, consider setting up a top level domain in the new market. The website should feature local content, addresses, etc. to not just attract locals but also inform the search engines about your presence in the new market.

Expanding into a new market is difficult for any business. For construction, gradual steps should be taken towards achieving expansion success.