Beyond the build: The power of case studies and PR in construction marketing
Case studies and PR in construction can deliver significant value to prospects and help you to build credibility over time, not to mention building a bank of content which adds to your digital footprint. Read on for our top tips for maximising you project visibility.
Sound familiar?
You've just finished a cracking project. The client's happy and your team's done something genuinely impressive. So what happens next? You move on to the next job, and that brilliant work disappears into the void.
Here's the thing, your completed projects are your most powerful marketing asset. Not your logo. Not your van livery. Not even your website (though that matters too). It's the actual proof that you can do what you say you can do.
And yet, most construction firms treat their finished work like yesterday's newspaper. Done. Binned. Forgotten.
Let's fix that.
Why case studies are your secret weapon
Here's what most construction businesses get wrong, they think case studies are just glorified photo albums.
They're not.
A proper case study is a sales tool. It's proof. It's the difference between saying ‘we're great at complex refurbishments’ and actually showing a procurement manager exactly how you handled a £2m heritage building restoration while the client stayed operational.
The numbers back this up. One design-build firm restructured their website to strategically placed case study content and saw a 650% increase in monthly enquiries over two years. Those aren't fluffy marketing metrics. That's real money from real contracts.
The anatomy of a case study that actually wins work
1. The problem, not just the project.
We know that sometimes new developments are just because new houses or buildings are needed but if there is something unique about the project, then start with the challenge. What was keeping your client awake at night?
Were they losing money every day while their old facility was operational?
Did they have an impossible deadline that three other contractors had already walked away from?
Was there a technical nightmare that required genuine expertise to solve?
This is where you hook your reader. Because guess what? Your next ideal client probably has a similar problem.
2. Your approach- the how we think bit.
This is where you show your working. Not just what you did, but why you made those decisions.
Did you suggest value engineering that saved the client £200k? Did you bring in a specialist subcontractor you've worked with for years? Did you identify a risk early that could have derailed the whole project?
This section proves you're not just builders, you're strategic partners who think ahead.
3. The results (numbers please)!
‘The client was delighted’ is not a result. It's a greeting card.
Give us:
Completion time vs. original schedule
Budget performance
Specific outcomes (tenants secured, operational savings, awards won)
Any quantifiable impact on the client's business
If you can say ‘completed 3 weeks early, 4% under budget, enabling the client to secure their anchor tenant 6 weeks ahead of schedule’, that's a story that sells.
4. The testimonial- let someone else brag
You saying you're brilliant is expected. Your client saying it? That's gold.
Get a quote. Make it specific. ‘They were great to work with’ is weak. ‘Their early identification of the groundworks issue saved us from a 12-week delay’ is powerful.
PR: Taking your proof public
Case studies on your website are great. But they're passive, people have to find you first.
PR flips the script. It puts your proof in front of people who weren't even looking for you yet.
Where construction PR actually works
Forget dreaming about The Times. Focus on:
Trade publications
Regional business press
Sector-specific publications
LinkedIn (yes, really, it's where your clients and competitors are paying attention)
What makes a story worth covering?
Journalists don't care that you finished a project. They care about:
Innovation: Did you do something differently? Use a new technique? Solve an unusual problem?
Scale: Is it the biggest/first/only one of its kind in your region?
Impact: Does it affect the local community, create jobs, or contribute to something bigger?
Timing: Does it connect to something in the news right now (housing crisis, sustainability, skills shortage)?
How to actually use this stuff
Having case studies and press coverage is pointless if they're buried on page 47 of your website. Here's how to make them work:
In tender responses
Include relevant case studies that mirror the project you're bidding for. If you're going for a school refurbishment, don't lead with your warehouse experience.
On your website
Your case studies shouldn't be hidden under six menu clicks. Feature them prominently. Link to them from your service pages.
If you haven't already, check out our construction marketing approach, we're big believers in making your proof impossible to miss.
In sales conversations
‘Here's exactly how we handled a comparable project for [Client X], I'll send you the case study’ is concrete. It moves conversations forward.
On social media
That press coverage you landed? Share it. That case study you wrote? Pull out the key stats and post them. Construction decision-makers are on LinkedIn, and they're paying attention to firms that look like they know what they're doing.
‘We don’t have time’
Yeah, we've heard it. You're busy running jobs, not writing essays.
Here's the reality: you don't need to write a dissertation for every project. Start with your best three. The ones you're genuinely proud of. The ones that showcase what you want to be known for.Spend an hour with each project manager. Get the story. Take the photos (or dig them out of someone's phone). Write it up or get someone else to do it.
Three solid case studies, strategically used, will outperform fifty mediocre ones that nobody reads.
The bottom line
Your finished projects are proof that you can deliver. Case studies package that proof in a way that sells. PR amplifies it to people who don't know you yet.
Together, they build the kind of reputation that gets you invited to tender for bigger, better contracts: instead of scrapping for every job against fifteen other firms who all look the same on paper.
You've already done the hard work. The builds are complete. The clients are happy.
Now stop letting that proof gather dust and start using it to win the work you actually want.
Need help turning your project wins into marketing that actually works? Get in touch: we're a no-nonsense team who specialise in construction marketing and PR.
