Why Every Contractor Needs Before, During & After Photos For Their Construction Marketing.
It’s something that often gets overlooked in your Trade and Construction business.
Forgetting to take photos of a finished job.
And not even thinking to take any of the site before you and your team get your hands on it.
Why on earth do I need photos of a site that I’ve not worked on?
More on that to follow.
But what if remembering and consciously deciding to take quality photos before, during and after you’ve finished a project could help you
🏆 Win more jobs.
💰 Earn you more money.
😱 Actually prevent disputes on site with customers?
To name but a few.
Would it be worth doing then?
When you take photos of your sites - you have these forever.
To keep locked away on your phone for your own reference.
Or to do various clever things with (ideas to follow).
But the point being, you have them at your disposal.
If by ‘trying to save time’ or ‘not thinking you need photo documentation of jobs as you get enough work from word of mouth’ (hear that one a lot) means that you document nothing, when things go quiet, you have nothing to promote yourself with.
Times like Global Pandemics and recessions for example.
Capturing photos before, during and after your construction projects is not only going to help you grow your business but help manage and change the way your days work day-today.
Here's a list of reasons why every Contractor needs before, during and after photos for their construction marketing…
1. Construction photographs provide insurance and safe guard your business.
We’ll start with this one – though it isn’t necessarily a marketing related one.
Though can MASSIVELY help steer your reputation in the right way.
Have you ever been in a situation on site where your client has questioned you?
For example.
‘There wasn’t a crack there before you started works.’
Or
‘Those paint drips have only just appeared, they weren’t there from the last time we had it painted.’
It can be a difficult, stressful, situation.
When it’s one person’s word against another.
Especially is you have weeks or months to go working with this customer on site.
You want relationships to stay amicable, positive and co-operative.
Though one ‘accusation’ from either party can turn all that on it’s head.
With the worry that a disgruntled customer is going to leave a very poor review or no longer recommend you – when in fact you’re sure you did nothing wrong.
This is the where the beauty of documenting your site with photos (and videos!) can save the day.
Yes it takes up a few minutes of the day.
But what if that saves your reputation?
And the stress on site with a customer.
For both you AND your workforce.
Because you documented the site BEFORE setting up shop.
So that when that client questions that ‘crack’ that has just appeared, you can revert to your photographs logged with the date and time they were taken (before you even unpacked your tools!) to politely correct them.
Or those paint drips that suddenly they have noticed.
That in fact, you can prove were there from the previous decorator (some years ago) prior to you starting your works.
It's not always the case that clients are ‘out to get you.’
Often it’s the fact that the area you’re going to be working on, they’ve never actually paid all that much attention to.
And now, suddenly it’s the focus for them and they start noticing things that have in fact been there for years.
Those few minutes at the start of the job – that cost you nothing by using your phone – can save you a whole lot of bother down the line and safe-guard your construction business.
Don’t just do it at the start.
Take some photos of during the works (if sizeable) and after.
The after shots in particular will help safe-guard your construction business.
Where a client may say you left a wall looking a certain way weeks later, when in-fact you have documented exactly how you left the site and that the damage in question has been caused since you left.
Photos (and videos) are not necessarily always going to solve any questioning of your works.
But it can go a way to helping nip much of it in the bud and anything that does appear more serious and need further investigation into – i.e. end up in court – you at least have all the evidence you need to argue your case.
It shows due diligence, organisation, professionalism and pride of works.
Make a habit of doing that now to help prevent future stressful situations. 👌🏽
2. Before and after construction photographs show us the transformation you create for customers.
It may seem ‘so last year.’
But before and after shots of how you transformed a site for your customer as part of your construction marketing never gets old for us ‘non-trades’.
Why?
Because we don’t’ live on site with you and don’t get to see this every day.
Also.
Because it helps us imagine the transformation you can make to our home or business.
How you’ve created more space for a client.
How you’ve made somewhere cold and empty feel homely and warm.
How more new customers visit our premises now everything has been modernised.
It's one thing explaining to people how you transform a space.
But it’s an entirely different one you actually showing us.
And without having taken photos BEFORE as well as AFTER, then you don’t have that opportunity to allow us to imagine it.
As the saying goes – images speak 1000 words.
3. Photos become years’ worth of social media posts for your construction marketing.
Ok, so you’ve started documenting your jobs.
Before, during and after.
Do you know what you have just created?
YEARS worth of social media posts at your fingertips.
‘Years?’ I hear you cry.
Years.
Let me explain.
✅ Every job you photograph you take lots of different shots from different angles. All these ‘quality’ shots are different posts waiting to happen.
✅ You’ve taken a cracking BEFORE and an AFTER shot from the same angle? Those are 2 photos that can be teamed together for a BEFORE and AFTER post.
✅ Photos of a job mid-way through = perhaps when some piping has been exposed or some timbers been erected? These are great shots to explain the process of a job on social media – without the shot needing to be ‘magazine’ worthy. It’s more about education.
✅ You’ve used a few photos on your social media recently of a job you’re on right now. There’s nothing stopping you resharing some of those in a year’s time as a ‘throwback Thursday’ or ‘Flashback Friday’ to help promote the job you’re proud of to your new followers.
✅ Perhaps you’re going back to working in an area where you did a huge job some years back. Rally through those photos and show us some of the shots that didn’t see the light of day at the time and remind us of the job now you’re back working in that area.
✅ Want to show off your attention to detail? Maybe in that pool of your photos you’ve taken you have some close-up shots of your work that will really promote the quality of your workmanship.
✅ Decided you want to start focusing on commercial works? Look back through the photos of the work you did previously in restaurants or gyms or dentist surgeries and re-promote to re-focus your followers minds on the work you are now starting to specialising in.
Honestly.
The list goes on.
If you have all these photos in the bank, it’s so much easier to dive in and create engaging, educational posts.
When you’ve created time to do some marketing, you have the content there ready, it’s just about getting it in the right place rather than starting with nothing.
4. Images become content, blogs, and gallery photos for your construction website.
Small caveat with this one.
Your website is your shop front and you should be very careful with the quality of images you use here.
Unlike social media which can be a bit more rough and ready, especially if you’re going after a high end client, your images here should be top notch.
That’s not to say they can’t be from a phone – we’ve seen some incredible shots our Trades have taken using their own devices – but they have been really considered photos.
However.
As a starting point, photos you capture on your device will likely be the start of your images on your construction website.
We all love to have a quick look at a website GLALERY to get a feel for the kinds of work you do.
Though the images around your construction website as a whole will play a big part.
Blogs are a GREAT way to utilise your photos before, during and after.
Your blog is the equivalent of your website’s social media page.
Here, teamed with lots of words to explain a process, service or specific project, we LOVE to see photos that are more raw and transformative.
It makes your job feel more real to us.
Where possible, any ideal client work you have, think about commissioning a professional photographer to capture the works before, during and after as you can then use these around your main website (as well as the blog).
But most definitely, any images you capture yourself can make for great articles where you go into more depth on the subject and use lots more images to explain your point.
5. Construction photos help us understand the calibre of clients and properties you work on.
What you may or may not realise is that the photography you use in your construction marketing will tell us a LOT about your business.
✅ The kind of properties you work in.
✅ The client type you cater for.
✅ An idea around the size of your construction business.
✅ What kind of work you specialise in.
✅ What kind of work you want more of.
As an audience, we make judgements really fast based on images.
Many subconsciously.
So though we advise for that for your insurance purposes (blog point 1) you document sites before during and after for every job you take on, you may want to think carefully about the photos you actually choose tom publicise in your construction marketing,
Why?
because you may have decided to take on some small jobs for a favour to a good client.
Or to help someone you know.
But in fact, they are not the kind of projects you want more of.
Just because you’ve done a sterling job for them and need to do some marketing, I wouldn’t advise promoting them.
unless of course you want more of that job type.
Because what you show us as your audience is what we believe it is you do and want more work of.
So you’re very likely to start getting it.
Choose only to promote photography of the ideal client work you want more of.
6. Sharing construction photos from site helps turn more enquiries into customers.
Here’s where you can start to use all these great photos on your construction marketing but it’s a little more behind the scenes.
How many times have you had an enquiry in your inbox or your DM for a job type that you’ve done before?
I have a 4 bedroom house in Finchley that needs the external painting looking at?
Or
We have a giant Oak tree at the end of our garden that we don’t want to cut down but can’t see how we can treat so that more light enters the garden.
Where you have an enquiry for a property type or job type that you have done very similar for before, USE your pool of photos in your response when assisting with a quote.
Firstly, this goes beyond what many other Trade and Construction businesses will do.
Many just focus on getting the figure over rather than taking the time to share their experience or knowledge – let alone take a few minutes to find an image of a similar job they helped a client with.
Already putting you a step ahead.
But this visual aid helps give the customer enquiring extra help in imaging their finished outcome… with you.
It may even give them other ideas they haven’t thought about but see in the image that helps upsell your services too!
7. Construction photos allow you to educate clients and build better relationships.
It’s really easy to get into the mindset that because we understand something, everyone else will too.
That’s not the case.
how many times have you stood on a clients premises and tried to explain how something will work to them?
Electrics, the bathroom suite, where the structural changes will be.
We all learn differently.
And we all have knowledge in different things.
For many of you, the person you are talking to is NOT in the construction industry.
Especially if you’re working in the domestic market.
So you have to really give us some help when explaining what needs to be done.
Visual aids are PERFECT for this.
if you can dive into your pool of photos that you’ve taken (and organised) on your phone or device, and show us examples of how or why something does or doesn’t work, it allows us to meet you at a place of understanding.
This then helps us build a better relationship as you’ve gone to the extra effort to make sure we fully understand something.
As well as also meaning less miscommunication and crossed words which can lead to conflict later down the line.
CONCLUSION – Taking before during and after photos of your construction works will only HELP both market you, increase enquiries, convert customers, build relationships, and go a way towards a better experience on site for you and your customers.
⬇️ Why Every Contractor Needs Before, During & After Photos For Their Construction Marketing Rundown:
1. Insurance and proof of site before, during and after.
2. Shows transformation you create for construction customers.
3. Photos become years’ worth of social media posts.
4. Images create content and gallery for your construction website.
5. Helps us understand the calibre of clients/properties you work on.
6. Sharing these construction photographs aid conversion.
7. Photos educate clients on your process and build better relationships.
🛠 Need a little more help nailing your Trades and Construction Marketing?
Course you do.
First. Let’s work out where you are with all things Marketing.
Got 3 minutes?
Take our Trades Quiz to discover how you score with all things ‘Off The Tools’.
We have heaps of tips, tricks, and hacks for your Trade and Construction business in our cheat sheets, videos and ideas waiting for you on the other side… i.e., your results page.
So, you can improve your score. And NAIL your Trade and Construction business.
Nice.