Marketing to Contractors & House Builders

Our information includes corporate email addresses with approximately 78% being name-specific to the named contact. In addition, we have included LinkedIn and Facebook information for the majority of entries. Furthermore, we have also identified those entries that appear in the Construction Index Top 100 and the Barbour-ABI Top Construction Companies. Non-subscribers may purchase the information as a database for £80 + VAT from our shop.

(Specialist Contractors - we have also compiled a supplementary database containing details for over 430 contractors with specialist disciplines, such as facilities management, building maintenance, fit-out and refurbishment, commercial interior design, building services, etc (notated on the Excel file). This database includes named contacts and email addresses, together with a note of those appearing in the Construction Index Top 100, and is available for subscribers only. It may be downloaded here).

Profile and outlook for the sector

The latest ONS Construction Statistics Report (published November 2023) estimates that firms “classified to construction” employ some 2.2 million workers, of which around 1.4 million workers were classed as employed (the balance representing self-employed workers). Typically, the construction contracting sector would be defined as those businesses involved in:

• Construction of buildings, e.g. commercial, residential
• Civil engineering, e.g. roads, tunnels, bridges, utilities
• Specialised construction activities, e.g. electrical and plumbing installation, demolition and site preparation, plastering, painting, roofing, etc.

The ONS statistics also stated that, in 2022, there were 374,332 registered construction firms operating in Great Britain (Northern Ireland data is not included). The number of registered firms grew 5.9% in Quarter 3 2022 compared with Quarter 3 2021. This was the strongest growth since 2017 (6.2%).

The South East and London were the most common areas for construction firms to be registered in 2022, with some 3 in 10 construction firms, and employees, registered there. The tables provide a full breakdown according to sizes of firms and also specific contracting speciality.

In the run-up to 2024, construction product manufacturers had experienced a period of declining sales, but early signs of recovery have been witnessed in 2024. The Construction Products Association’s Summer 2024 State of Trade Survey found that both heavy-side and light-side firms reported a quarterly increase in product sales volumes, although concerns remain over the near-term strength of demand and labour availability.

Rebecca Larkin, CPA Head of Construction Research, said, “After an extended period of declining sales, particularly on the heavy side, encouragingly we are now seeing the green shoots of recovery. For the heavy side this was the first quarterly growth recorded in two years and given this context, it is perhaps not surprising that sales volumes were still reported lower when comparing to a year earlier given the longer-running weakness experienced by product manufacturers feeding into a slower residential construction sector.

“Whilst cuts in interest rates are expected to be the catalyst for a recovery in the two largest sectors of construction, private housing and private housing rm&i, manufacturers continue to highlight both demand-side and supply-side challenges. In common with construction, one of the industry’s biggest longer-term issues will be attracting and retaining workers.”

For up-to-date data on the housebuilding sector alone, the Home Builders Federation publish a quarterly Housing Pipeline Report which provides an overview of the number of planning permissions granted for housing according to type (social or private), region and project / development size. The data is compiled in partnership with Glenigan and the report can be downloaded free of charge.

Trade bodies and associations

Finally, relevant UK trade bodies can also prove to be sources of useful information and there are many established to represent specific, individual disciplines within the broad contracting sector. For example, Build UK brings together businesses from across the construction industry, including the largest contractors and trade associations representing a wide range of specialist contractors. Our indices of UK construction industry trade organisations include a database of 185 bodies which specifically represent those contractors and professionals operating in particular fields, such as brickwork, roofing, plastering, plumbing, heating & ventilating, drywalling, facilities management, insulation, drainage, etc. You can view the list here.

Marketing

Product selection
Whilst product selection is frequently influenced by the Architect and Engineer, the contractor can also have a major influence – much will depend on the type of project. Generally speaking, in a design-led project, the architect makes the selection whereas, in a design & build project, the selection will, typically, be made by the main contractor. In this blog post about decision making in the specification process, Time54 explain that “…the main contractor often acts as a decision maker regarding product selection, whether they are a supply chain manager or a site manager.”

This decision-making authority means it is vital that, for a successful specification strategy, the role of the contractor is considered, especially because, depending on the project, they may be able to change the selected product identified in the specification. Very frequently, a specification will include a generic product description or a named product with the term “Equal or Approved” or “Equal or Equivalent” – all of which can leave the final decision to the contractor.

This ‘product switch-out’ is a common occurrence and any specification strategy should be designed to defend against it. Time54 have published a helpful guide entitled “How to ensure and maintain a specification and avoid the dreaded product switch-out”.

Reasons for a product switch may not always be based on cost. For their guide entitled Understanding the Main Contractor, Competitive Advantage posits that “It is a common misconception that the contractor is looking for the cheapest product, but often a more holistic approach is applied when looking for best value. The contractor is seeking the most effective solution for the project, they are looking for quality, price, availability and then technical support.” 

Social media

It will surprise absolutely nobody that construction professionals widely use social media in both their personal and professional lives, but, in order to see which channels are popular with contractors, there is research available. For its 2024 Construction Marketing Trends Report, construction communication specialists, Ridgemont PR, looked at data from the most recent Construction Marketing Index, which surveyed main contractors (and architects). The report suggests that “…of all the social media platforms, LinkedIn is the one that is set to rise above the rest for marketing in the construction industry in 2024” and goes on to say that “….a third of respondents turn to LinkedIn to stay informed on industry news, trends, and to follow the movers and shakers in construction. This is where you need your content to be if you want to get the most eyes on it.” The data provided shows respondents to the CMI survey said that 33% use LinkedIn regularly, 53% use it occasionally and the balance said that they did not use it at all. The Ridgemount report also includes Facebook as a channel to consider and comments, “This may come as a surprise to some, but Facebook is still seeing a year-on-year increase in usage among Main Contractors ….” 

So what about X (Twitter)? Construction marketing specialists, Fabrick, published a comprehensive blog post called Is Twitter (now X!) a viable construction marketing tool? and offers much food for thought for construction marketers

Fabrick have also produced a free downloadable e-book for construction marketers, entitled Top tips for improving your company pages on LinkedIn and Morton Waters’ blog post calledThe bare minimum for LinkedIn success summarises six things you should be doing.

Unsurprisingly, all of the major social media channels should form part of any marketing strategy and getting the content right will be key. In its feature Why Social Media Marketing Matters, agency Construction Marketing Experts explain that “….creating successful social media marketing for construction companies requires more than just setting up a few profiles and posting random updates”. The article explores the importance of using images, graphics, video, timelapse and, of course, compelling copy. The Ridgemount report endorses the point about the importance of video saying “The Construction Media Index research shows us that YouTube has seen the greatest rise in use when it comes to contractors searching online for technical information…..”

Trade journals

Similarly, many of the industry's journals reach contractors either in specific sub-sectors with publications such as Housebuilder or broadly via titles such as Construction News and Building. Our index of 330+ UK construction industry journals provides circulation and advertising data and also a short profile of the target audience for each title. It can be downloaded here. 

The 2022 edition of the Construction Media Index surveyed the level of readership of industry publications according to different professional groups and found that readership amongst main contractor respondents was 59%. A continuing shift to digital was also found, with 60% of main contractor respondents reading digital publications. In contrast, 43% of housebuilder respondents said they only read printed publications.

In 2022 CIB produced a blog post which looked at the key media trends and insights from the 2022 Construction Marketing Index and this covers the media behaviours of the various main professional groups. For main contractors it reported that Construction News was the most popular printed and online publication. For housebuilders, Professional Housebuilder & Property Developer was the most popular printed publication, whereas Housebuilder was reported to be the most popular online publication.

Events

Exhibitions

With such a wide and varied range of trades and disciplines, there are, needless to say, numerous and varied media opportunities for manufacturers and service providers to target the sector. In terms of trade shows, we have identified over 180 UK construction exhibitions scheduled for 2025, most of which will target specific sub-sectors of the industry and thereby attract contractors active in their respective field(s). For example, the annual CIH Housing exhibitions target the social housing sector, whilst in broader terms, the organisers of UK Construction Week Birmingham* say (in 2024) that some 42% of the show’s 24,000+ visitors were Contractors, Consultants & Developers. The figures for UK Construction Week London were 38% and 18,000+ respectively.

A number of major regional events also take place, enabling manufacturers and suppliers to focus on specific areas identified as having high levels of activity or benefiting from plans for major regeneration and/or infrastructure development. As mentioned, the latest ONS data reveals that approximately 3 in 10 construction firms and employees were concentrated around London and the South East of England, so regional trade events can offer suppliers a targeted channel into that sector of the market. Our section sponsors, South East Construction Expo, organise a major regional exhibition every year, providing exhibitors and visitors with presentations and market intelligence on the major forthcoming construction opportunities. These events also provide product manufacturers and suppliers with the additional benefit of free, one-to-one, meet the buyer opportunities – see below.

In addition to those mentioned above, there are many other national and regional exhibitions across the UK which include contractors and housebuilders in their visitor profiles, such as Futurebuild*, London Build*, Low Carbon Homes*, and Regen*.

(* Construct UK is a media partner to these exhibitions.)

Meet the buyer events

The industry plays host to many Meet the Buyer events across the country every year and these can be particularly useful to product manufacturers/suppliers since, generally, they provide forums for short, pre-arranged, one-to-one meetings with senior buyers from many of the UK's major contracting and housebuilding firms.

South East Construction Expo is one of the industry’s longest established, free to attend, Meet-the-Buyer event organisers. Forming an integral part of their annual construction exhibitions, these events attract senior buyers from many of the UK’s national and regional contractors, housebuilders, developers and architects. With over 6,000 appointments available, these two events offer construction product suppliers and service providers the opportunity to meet senior buyers and specification decision makers on a one-to-one basis at meetings pre-arranged by South East Construction Expo. Not only is attendance free for construction product manufacturers and suppliers, but participation is welcomed by both exhibitors and non-exhibitors. In order to make the most of the opportunities presented, the organisers offer a few easy tips to follow:

• Before the meeting: set out your objectives for the meeting, research the company, their purchasing frameworks, ensure you know who you are meeting and their responsibility in the purchasing process.
• At the meeting: listen - these meetings are more about starting to build a relationship than an opportunity to pitch. Find out where the synergies between you are, what is the purchasing process, how can your business add value.
• After the meeting: make sure to take every opportunity at the event to perhaps bump into the buyer again, so head off to any lunch meetings or the dinner. Also schedule a follow up after the day and be sure to connect with them on social media.

A number of other trade exhibitions also plays host to meet the buyer–type events. There are also numerous, non-exhibition connected ones across the country, organised by companies such as Platform Events and Forum Events, who offer highly targeted meetings with decision makers in specific sub-sectors, such as architecture and design, facilities management, construction and building. We have included a separate section for these and many other Meet the Buyer events in our Construction Events Calendar.

Construction awards

The UK Construction Industry has awards for almost every sector and professional discipline. This provides building product suppliers and service providers with highly targeted promotional opportunities through sponsorship and associated marketing. In general terms, award sponsorship can provide companies with direct and tangible promotion in the form of:

• branding on the event's website and social media platforms
• logo featured on all e-newsletters, notices and bulletins
• branding on ceremony tickets
• prominent display of logos at the ceremony
• credits on press releases

We have compiled a database detailing over 165 major award events offering sponsorship opportunities in the UK construction industry which can be viewed here (log-in required). Many of these events are focused on contractors and housebuilders, such as the Housebuilder Awards and Building's Award series which includes Contractor of the Year (up to £300m), Major Contractor of the Year (over £300m), Housebuilder of the Year, and Specialist Contractor of the Year.

Sponsorship and promotional opportunities are also available regionally via award ceremonies such as the South East Construction Awards.

Further Reading

Understanding the Residential Construction Sector (Guest Article)

Competitive Advantage takes a look at the residential construction sector and how it is evolving.

Specialist Contractors (article)

In addition to the above, for this section we have compiled a supplementary database (last updated in Spring 2024), containing details for around 430 contractors with specialist disciplines, such as facilities management, building maintenance, fit-out/commercial interior design and refurbishment, building services, etc. The article also details some of the specialist publications and events that target these sub-sectors.