5 Paving Contractor Marketing Ideas

As a paver, the quality of your work speaks for itself. When you create a beautiful lot or driveway, customers are likely to spread the word, leading to more referrals for your business. However, this hands-off approach to marketing can only carry you so far before sales plateau. Strategic marketing for pavers involves a combination of digital media channels, local networking, and more.

We’ve put together a list of the best marketing channels for paving contractors. Discover new paving marketing ideas to help sustainably grow your business, get more leads, and make more money.

5 Paving Contractor Marketing Ideas to Consider

We’ve ranked each idea below based on experience level and general cost. Some of our strategies are well-suited for beginners, so if you’re new to paving marketing ideas, you’ll have options. 

If this list is overwhelming, there’s no pressure to use every idea for your paving business. Pick one or a few that seem best-suited to your needs.

1. Lead Generation Services

Experience level: BeginnerGeneral cost: $+

To consistently close sales, you need a reliable source of leads. Some come organically through referrals and people finding your business online. However, you may choose to work with a lead generation service to generate a steady stream of leads.

These are agencies or tools focused on delivering leads so you can spend more time on your trade. For example, use Angi to grow your business by showcasing your paving and asphalt work. Angi connects you with local prospects interested in paving services, helping you to easily book more jobs.

As you generate leads, increase your odds of turning them into sales with a few best practices:

• Respond to every new lead within 24 hours. This gives the impression you’re prompt and responsive while preventing prospects from getting impatient and looking for paving services elsewhere. 

• Research your local competition. Routinely get quotes from your paving competitors to ensure your pricing is fair.

• Double-check your writing. When providing a written quote or email, use proofreading tools such as Grammarly to ensure proper spelling and grammar.

Pros

• Set your budget and scale as needed

• Leads are qualified and highly targeted, saving you time

• Frees you to focus on existing paving jobs and customers

Cons

• Be prepared to handle increased lead volume

• You may need to hire and train more employees

2. Online Listings and Reputation

Experience level: BeginnerGeneral cost: $

Ideally, marketing for pavers will include building your online reputation. Why? Because 90 percent of consumers start their search for local services online, and 87 percent read reviews before reaching out. 

Control and update listings wherever your potential customers spend time, such as social media platforms like Facebook. This will increase the odds that your business will show up when people search for paving in your area. You should also encourage your customers to leave reviews on these platforms.

The more positive reviews you have, the more likely people will be to click on your business listing. Monitor your listings closely and always respond to new reviews. Thanking happy customers shows others you’re engaged. Likewise, empathetic, solutions-oriented responses to negative reviews can mitigate their effect.

For example:

“Thank you for reaching out. Your experience didn’t meet our expectations. We strive for 100% satisfaction, and we want to make this right. Our team is working on getting this issue resolved for you now, and you’ll hear from us soon with next steps.”

Pros

• Keep your information accurate

• Show up in local searches

• Express your personality

Cons

• Negative reviews can heavily impact your rating

3. Professional Partnerships

Experience level: IntermediateGeneral cost: $

One advantage paving contractors have as a part of the construction industry is a wealth of potential marketing partnerships. Partner with commercial builders, home renovators, landscapers, real estate professionals, and other local service providers to generate referrals, run joint marketing campaigns, and more.

One simple relationship is a referral partnership. Each partner refers their customers to the other partner’s business.

For example, your landscaping partner may work with a customer whose parking lot is full of potholes. They may take note and direct that customer to you.

Best practices for developing a professional partnership include:

• Identify appropriate partners. High-end businesses should seek only high-end partners.

• Set up meetings with potential partners. Acknowledge that you’ve reached out because of their reputation and work quality.

• Be clear about your goals for the partnership. Whether you want to do joint marketing or simply want to refer clients back and forth, be upfront about your goals.

• Study your partner’s existing marketing. Make it easy for them to incorporate the partnership into their current plan. If they advertise heavily, suggest a joint campaign. 

• Provide as much value as you receive. Your partnership needs to be mutually beneficial to last. If you initiate the partnership, produce results before your partner reciprocates. 

Pros

• Low-cost leads

• Referred customers are more likely to trust you

Cons

• No control over the referrals you receive

• Your business may outgrow your partners

4. User-Friendly Website

Experience level: AdvancedGeneral cost: $$$

A professional website is a paving contractor’s greatest marketing tool. But if your business is like most paving companies, you don’t have customers walking into your office. Instead, your website is your storefront. It’s where potential customers get their first impression of your business. A clean, functional, user-friendly experience is critical.

Your website should include up-to-date contact information and specific information about the geographies you serve. Maintain a gallery of photos from projects you’ve completed.

Whether you do commercial or residential asphalt, seal coating, line striping, or repairs, have a page specific to each service. Each page should have content describing that service in detail, images of the service in action, and location-specific language describing the cities and communities you serve.

Pros

• People can access your business information any time, anywhere

• Serves as a foundation for digital advertising, email marketing, and lead generation

Cons

• The web design learning curve is steep. Work with a web design company to get the most out of your investment and ensure your site is free of technical issues. 

5. Pay-Per-Click Advertising

Experience level: AdvancedGeneral Cost: $$

Another must-try paving contractor marketing idea is pay-per-click (PPC) advertising (aka digital ads you can run in search engines such as Google). Tools such as Google Ads allow you to target an audience. For example, your ad could target people searching for “cement driveway pavers” and only be displayed to people in your city, county, or zip code. 

These ads look like normal Google results, and could read like this:

“The Top-Rated Driveway Pavers in Raleigh | Get a Quote Today”

Emphasize your business’s core strength, whether it’s high ratings, low prices, or fast service. Your ad should also meet the needs of the person searching. If they want cement driveway paving, offering a fast turnaround time for a quote helps them find what they were searching for. 

Your ads will appear at the top of Google search results, and you only pay a fee when someone clicks your ad. You can also track how many times prospects see or click on your ad, as well as how many people reach your site from the ad. Set up a landing page on your website and you can also track how many leads the ad generates for you.

Pros

• Know exactly what you get for every advertising dollar you spend

• Thorough customization and targeting for more control over your advertising

Cons

• Effective targeting requires keyword research and lots of trial-and-error. You may wish to work with a digital marketing company to get the most out of PPC. 

Find the Marketing Solution That Works Best for You

While these marketing strategies can work across any industry, no idea is one-size-fits-all. As you work to grow your paving business, you may discover that certain strategies work better in your market. 

No matter where you are, get a jump-start on connecting with new customers in your local area when you sign up for Angi pro.