Your marketing team just created a TikTok video that got 100,000 impressions.
Leadership thinks it was a waste of time because it was just a silly dance.
This disconnect happens in construction companies every day. Marketing focuses on impressions and engagement, while leadership focuses on revenue. Both sides are talking past each other.
The problem runs deeper than communication. It reveals a fundamental misalignment in how organizations think about marketing measurement and brand value.
The Measurement Problem
Marketing teams often chase metrics that don’t connect to business outcomes. They celebrate viral content, follower counts, and engagement rates.
Meanwhile, only 52% of marketing leaders can prove the value of their marketing investments to executives.
That TikTok video with 100,000 impressions? The marketing team should have explained the why behind it. Was it for recruiting? Brand exposure? Client education?
The intent matters more than the impressions.
When I work with construction companies, I see marketing teams with valid business reasons for their activities. They fail to communicate them in terms that leadership understands.
You have to explain the purpose, ROI, and costs upfront. Marketing is a mix of science and art. We’re communicating value propositions and services to engage humans.
In construction, we typically don’t have time or budget for focus groups. We run small experiments and A/B tests on messaging, channels, and value statements to see what resonates.
Frame it as business experimentation, not creative exploration.
Brand as Business Asset
The flip side of this disconnect is equally problematic. Leadership often views brand as fluffy marketing stuff instead of a business asset.
If a prospective client has never heard of your brand, it’s challenging to gain buy-in because they lack trust in it. A brand is that “X factor” that most people can’t describe. It’s the culture, personality, and essence of the company.
A solid brand functions as a magnet that draws in ideal clients and talent.
I reframed an exterior construction company with “Worry-free Exteriors” messaging. Prospects immediately responded: “That’s exactly what I want!”
The transformation from tactical messaging to emotional positioning changed how they attracted business.
To help leadership understand this, I remind them of how they make purchasing decisions. What brands do they engage with? Brands should be authentic, not generic.
Most construction executives initially gravitate toward Creator or Hero brand archetypes because they’re builders. After talking with them, usually neither fits.
Many contractors are actually Caregivers. Engineers tend to be Sages. A few brands are Rebels or Explorers.
The Caregiver approach feels unusual because people often associate it with maternal qualities. However, a company that takes care of things, such as a true turnkey service, is powerful.
This becomes their operational philosophy, not just marketing messaging.
Customer Experience Integration
When construction companies embrace the Caregiver approach, they must enhance their customer experience from start to finish.
This requires both marketing and leadership to align on the same vision.
The most effective way I’ve seen companies achieve this alignment is by documenting the customer journey. Even better: secret shopping your own company.
Leadership needs to ask: “Would I buy from us?”
When construction executives go through this exercise and realize they wouldn’t buy from themselves, they see the kinks in their armor. They want to make improvements.
This creates natural alignment between marketing metrics and operational excellence.
The Financial Impact
Construction executives consistently underestimate the impact of brand development on revenue growth.
Most construction company brands are generic. But some really stand out. Ask why those brands stand out, whether they function as magnets, and what’s the financial impact of that strong brand.
A strong brand organically attracts prospective clients and talent. It increases pipeline velocity and customer lifetime value because of the relationship with the brand.
Strong brands also have more leverage and value during M&A transactions.
Making the Connection
The solution requires both sides to expand their focus areas.
Marketing teams must connect their activities to revenue metrics. Show how the TikTok video contributes to achieving recruiting goals. Demonstrate how brand messaging impacts pipeline velocity.
Leadership must view brand as a strategic asset that affects customer acquisition, talent retention, and company valuation.
When both sides speak the same language of business outcomes, the disconnect disappears.
The most successful construction companies I work with have marketing teams that think like business operators and leadership teams that understand brand as a competitive advantage.
Secret shop your own company. Document the customer journey. Ask the hard question: “Would I buy from us?”
The answer will align your marketing metrics with your business outcomes.