How the Construction Industry Works – And Why Traditional Marketing Isn't Enough

The construction industry is not a market with target groups. It’s a system with interdependencies, interfaces, and risks. If you don’t understand that, you can forget about marketing.

No Market, But a System – The Construction Industry from a Decision-Maker’s Perspective

I am a technical decision-maker.

I don’t think in target groups – I think in processes, roles, and liability.

If you want to make me an offer – whether it’s a product, software, or service –

whether from construction companies, engineering firms, or building suppliers –

you need to know when it fits into the project.

And where.

Because it’s not enough that your offer works. It must integrate.

Into existing processes. Into planning phases. Into project logic.

If it doesn’t, your offer stays out – regardless of quality, innovation, or price.

Marketing logic meets project logic – and loses

I often hear:

“We have a strong offer – we just need to market it properly.

”And then comes advertising. Target group analysis. Persona building.

But here’s the reality:

If you don’t understand the construction industry, don’t bother starting.

Because if you don’t understand the system, you don’t understand me.

Why?

Because in the construction industry, no participant decides alone.

Each role depends on others.

Every offer impacts several participants.

So, if you only address the architect but ignore the structural engineer, you fail.

If you talk to the construction manager but don’t understand the quality inspector, the system blocks you.

And that’s what I mean by:

It doesn’t forgive.

Either you consider the system – or the system throws you out.

The Construction Industry is Not a Market – It’s a System of Multiple Worlds

If you think the construction industry only consists of construction companies and architects,you haven’t seen the system yet.

This industry is more than just concrete and construction sites.

It consists of the construction trade, architecture and engineering firms,

the manufacturing industry – and increasingly, information technology.

Fig. 1 The construction industry is the key to the planning and implementation of buildings – with a combination of goods, services, and modern technology.

This is not a homogeneous target group.

It’s an interdisciplinary system.

And that’s what makes marketing so challenging here:

Each of these worlds has its own logic. Its own language. Its own constraints.

If you don’t understand that, you can’t develop a strategy – only nice campaigns.

Why?

Because strategy means creating impact in the system.

Not visibility – connectability.

Your Target Groups Are My Teammates – Not My Opponents

On your slides, you often have:

Architect. Construction manager. Structural engineer. Quality inspector.

Like targets. Like markets.

But that’s not how it works.

We work together – or not at all.

What you promise one person must hold true for the next.

And according to their technical conditions,

which may be completely different from mine.

Otherwise, I’ll be the one who approved something that gets blocked next.

And that happens only once.

If You Don’t Speak the Construction Industry's Language, You Won’t Be Heard

And no – language doesn’t just mean using jargon.

But if you use it, please use the correct terms.

For us, it’s about:

Design resistance, inhibition, partial safety coefficients, and surcharges –not disruption, scalability, or customer centricity.

I can tell right away whether you know your stuff –

or if you’re just flashing buzzwords.

Language in our world means:

Timing. Understanding. Context.

I’m in Phase 2? Then talk to me about variants and concepts.

I’m in Phase 6? Then I want details. Interfaces. Proofs.

If you present me the wrong offer at the wrong phase, you lose.

Not because it’s bad –

but because I can’t classify it.

Or worse:

Because I install it incorrectly.

And then no one’s liable – except me.

Call it Technical Marketing – But Then Make It Technical

I don’t care what you call it.

Technical marketing? Fine.

But only if it shows me how I can navigate the project with your offer safely.

How I solve technical constraints with it.

How I integrate it smoothly into the system –and my partners understand why your offer is not only useful,

but also strategically viable.

Technical marketing is only useful

if I can categorize the offer in a way that advances me in the project –

and doesn’t slow anyone down in the system.

Conclusion:

If you don’t understand the industry, you’ll never be part of it.

You want to break into the construction world?

Then don’t come with copy-paste marketing.

Come with real system understanding.

Know who decides what when.

Who is accountable to whom.

Who blocks when – and why.

You’re not selling a drill that someone buys in a hardware store and uses immediately.

You’re selling an offer that has to be planned, coordinated, tested, and accounted for in a building –

technically, legally, and according to standards.

I don’t decide alone.

I decide within the system.

And as long as you don’t understand this system,

your offer stays out –

no matter how good it is..

And Now, to You: Important Lessons – What Technical Marketing in the Construction Industry Requires

The construction industry is not a market, but a system

• Understand, don’t just sell: In construction, it’s not just about selling products. It’s about understanding a complex system of planners, engineers, and construction managers who are all part of a bigger decision-making process. If you don’t understand this, you won’t succeed.

Technical marketing must reflect the entire process

• Technical clarity is key: Traditional marketing doesn’t work here because it overlooks the technical side of construction. Your marketing must be real, concrete, and relevant to decision-makers – with numbers, practical examples, and actionable solutions.

Target groups exist, but differently in construction – it’s more about phases and actors

• Marketing must be tailored to the phases of the construction process: In construction, you don’t talk to one target group, you talk to various actors in different phases of the construction process. Your marketing must be customized for each phase and address the right actor in the right order.

The HOAI and phases logic must be part of your strategy

• Know when to approach the right actor: The HOAI (Fee Structure for Architects and Engineers) structures the construction industry and influences when decisions are made. Your marketing must be aligned with these phases and decision points to remain relevant.

The construction industry is risk-heavy – and marketing must build trust

• Trust is the decisive factor: In construction, professionals often don’t choose the “best” product, they choose the one that causes the least risk. Your marketing should not only show benefits, but also communicate reliability and risk-free solutions.

SYSTEM CHECK: Do You Really Understand the Industry?

Thinking Questions

Who’s responsible if your offer fails in the project?

What technical constraints apply to your target groups – and where do they differ?

At which project phase is your offer compatible – and for whom?

Real-Life Scenario

You have a software solution for structural engineers.

Your sales team talks to construction managers.

The quality engineer is left out – and rejects it later.

Result: Total failure. Not because of the tech –

but because the system wasn’t understood.

Bullshit-Killer 

“Our offer targets everyone involved in construction.”

Wrong.

If you don’t know who decides, when you need to come in,

and how to tackle technical hurdles,

then you’re not part of the system –

you’re just another disturbance.

If you understand the system – how do you then communicate with it?

Now you know why traditional marketing falls flat in the construction industry.

But how do you develop communication that’s not patronizing,

but truly connects?

In the next post, I’ll show you:

👉 Read more: Technical Marketing for the Construction Industry – Understanding the Individual Steps!