Construction email marketing: How to get started

When was the last time you opened an email from a company you like? Just seeing the name of the brand can be enough for you to check out what they have to offer. Your construction company emails can do the same thing.

With an ROI of about 28.5%, and 19% of people checking out an email as soon as they get it, email marketing is highly profitable. If you’re only sending emails to give updates about jobs, you’re missing out on a huge opportunity.

Here’s how to create an email marketing strategy and tips to take full advantage of an email marketing campaign.

Let’s dig in!

Key Steps to Start Construction Email Marketing

• Build an opt-in email list with clear value propositions
• Segment contacts by past purchases, location, and engagement
• Send automated welcome emails to new subscribers
• Deliver regular valuable content on a consistent schedule
• Track metrics to measure and improve performance

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How to Use Email Marketing for Contractors

Let Customers Opt In and Out of Your Marketing Emails

Forcing people into your email marketing list does not lead to good impressions. Give customers a chance to choose to get your emails.

Make an invitation for them to sign up for your newsletter. But make it focus on what the emails will offer and how that will help them. No one wants more emails unless they know the emails have something for them.

You also don’t want to make customers stay in your email campaign if they don’t want to be there.

Giving email recipients a chance to unsubscribe isn’t just respectful; it’s the law. You’re legally required to give recipients the option to opt out of receiving future emails. If you don’t give that option, you can annoy some customers and be charged for failing to comply with the law.

How should contractors segment their email list?

The message you send in your email should be relevant to the people getting it, which means different people need to hear different things. That’s where list segmentation comes in.

Break down your construction industry email list based on factors like:

• Past purchasing decisions (tiled roofs, metal roofs, etc.)
• When they last worked with you
• Geographical location
• If they’ve referred you

With that target audience in mind, you’ll be able to write much more compelling emails.

Why should contractors send welcome emails?

Help your customers feel included with a nice welcome email when they join your email list. The welcome email doesn’t need to be anything fancy. But it should set clear expectations like when you’ll send out emails and the type of information the emails will have.

Sending a welcome email to every person who signs up for your emails will take a lot of time—time better spent elsewhere. Automations can help solve this problem. Set up an automation for your welcome email to automatically send at the right time without you needing to do more work.

What content should contractors send in marketing emails?

You’ve probably subscribed to an email list and then been bombarded with emails multiple times a day. It’s frustrating, and there’s just no need for that.

Instead, you should send emails out frequently enough that you stay top of mind without bothering recipients.

The best way to do this is to send emails at a set schedule. Once a month is pretty common for email marketing.

But just sending out emails once a month to fill a quota isn’t going to help your company. Your emails have to have something of value. Let customers know about your upcoming sales, new products, the referral program you’re launching, community involvement, or even educational content (like the major signs that it’s time to replace their siding).

Construction-specific email content ideas include:

• Project progress updates with photos for current clients
• Seasonal maintenance reminders (e.g., roof inspections before winter, gutter cleaning in fall)
• Before-and-after project showcases highlighting recent work
• Weather-related alerts and storm damage preparation tips
• New service announcements or equipment upgrade

When the content proves its worth, customers will be excited to open your next email.

Bonus Tips for Getting the Most from Your Email Marketing

Write Email Subject Lines That Work

Your email’s subject line is like the cover of a book. If someone likes the look of it, they’ll open it up to see what’s inside.

How do you make subject lines that pique interest? Our research shows that the best way to start a subject line is with an emoji and the recipient’s name. The emoji will help your email stand out in their inbox, and everyone loves to hear (or see) their name.

Incorporate Your Brand into Your Emails

If another company could’ve sent the same email, you’re not branding your emails enough. Include your business’s logo, colors, and fonts to create a cohesive brand image.

Your brand voice also matters. The way you talk to your email recipients should match how you talk to customers in person, over the phone, or in ads.

You should also use a company email address as the sender so customers know it’s coming from your business.

Steer Clear of Spammy Words & Phrases

Did you know that using certain words will automatically flag an email as spam? If your email is marked as spam, customers probably won’t even see it.

It’s good to be aware of the words and phrases that trigger the email spam filter to help you avoid that scenario. HubSpot made a list of 394 email spam trigger words to help your emails have the greatest chance of success.

Keep in mind that these spam-trigger words are riskiest in your subject line.

What metrics should contractors track for email campaigns?

Take the guessing out of which emails are performing well. Keep track of key metrics like bounces, unsubscribes, open rate, and click-through rate.

Key Email Marketing Metrics Defined

• Bounces: Emails that were sent but not received (if someone's inbox is full or their email address is invalid)
• Unsubscribes: When people opt out of your email list
• Open rate: The percentage of people who received your email and opened it
• Click-through rate: The percentage of recipients who click on a link or call-to-action button in your email

Include Preview Text for Your Marketing Emails

Along with the subject line, customers can see preview text before they actually open your email. Because this gives them their first taste of what the email holds, you want your preview text to be short, to the point, and interesting.

Not all email platforms will show the preview text, so don’t include something vital that they could miss out on. Instead, we recommend diving into more detail about the subject line, answering a question, or highlighting a few points the email covers.

Personalize the Construction Email to Your Customer

Oberlo found that emails with personalized subject lines get 50% higher open rates. Why? Because everyone wants to feel like you’re talking specifically to them.

Include the customer’s name in the subject line and the first line of the email content. You can easily do this at a higher level with personalization tokens that automatically fill in that information for you.

Don’t mention their name too much, though, since that looks spammy.

Make Construction Email Marketing Work for Your Company

Email isn’t going anywhere, and contractors in the construction industry should take advantage of it with a simple email marketing campaign. With these tips, you’ll be able to get an email marketing motion off the ground and running.

Key Takeaways

• Construction email marketing delivers strong ROI—build an opt-in list and respect unsubscribe requests to maintain trust and legal compliance
• Segment your email list by past purchases, location, and engagement to send more relevant, compelling messages
• Send valuable content on a consistent schedule (monthly is common) including project updates, seasonal reminders, and before-and-after showcases
• Track bounces, unsubscribes, open rates, and click-through rates to continuously improve your campaigns
• Personalize subject lines and content with recipient names to boost open rates by up to 50%

Do you have an email marketing strategy? If not, let's chat about a marketing solution to get you started!

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Frequently Asked Questions

How often should contractors send marketing emails? Most contractors find success sending emails once a month. This frequency keeps your company top of mind without overwhelming recipients. Adjust based on your audience's engagement and the value you can consistently provide.

What is a good open rate for construction emails? The construction and architecture industry typically sees open rates between 20-25%. If your open rate falls below this range, focus on improving subject lines and ensuring your content delivers value to recipients.

What email platform features do contractors need? Look for platforms offering automation (for welcome emails and follow-ups), list segmentation capabilities, personalization tokens, and analytics tracking for opens, clicks, and bounces. Integration with your CRM or job management software is also valuable.

What types of emails work best for construction companies? The most effective construction emails include project progress updates, seasonal maintenance reminders, before-and-after project showcases, referral program announcements, and educational content about when customers need your services.

How do I avoid my construction emails going to spam? Avoid spam trigger words (especially in subject lines), use a verified company email address, include an easy unsubscribe option, and focus on providing genuine value rather than aggressive sales language.

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