How to choose a construction marketing agency.

Check whether they know the job site.

A construction marketing agency should be able to talk about schedules, safety plans, pours, and what gets buried before anyone sees it. Ask how they plan a shoot around production. If the answer sounds like a retail photo day, they will be in your way, and the footage will show it.

Ask to see work from sites like yours. A beautiful restaurant reel does not tell you whether they can capture an excavation or a foundation in a way a buyer understands.

Ask who owns the plan.

Most contractors end up managing a photographer, a web company, someone running social, and an ads person who have never met. Nobody owns the result, so the owner does. Before you sign, ask who your one point of contact is, who sets the plan, and what happens when two pieces of the work do not line up.

This is why we built Kiln like a job site. One relationship runs the plan, and specialists handle each trade. Whether you hire us or not, insist on that kind of ownership.

Separate real work from big promises.

Be careful with anyone who guarantees rankings or a set number of leads. Nobody controls Google, and lead volume depends on your market, your offer, and how fast you answer the phone. A good agency will tell you what it controls, what it does not, and how you will both know if it is working.

Ask to see real examples with the numbers attached, and ask what those numbers mean. Views are useful. Booked jobs are the point.

Look at who does the work.

Some agencies sell on the phone and hand the work to whoever is free. Ask who will actually be on your site, who edits the film, who builds the website, and who watches the ad budget. You should be able to meet them.

Also ask what you keep. Your footage, your website, and your ad accounts should stay usable if the relationship ends.

Match the scope to what you actually need.

You may not need everything at once. A company with no proof library should start by documenting real jobs. A company with a strong site and plenty of footage might start with hyperlocal ad videos to book more projects in the towns it serves. A good agency should be willing to say so, even when the smaller scope means less money for them.

If you want to compare what each piece involves, see our construction marketing services.

Questions to ask on the first call.

• What construction companies have you worked with, and can I see the work?
• Who is my one point of contact?
• Who will be on my job site, and how do you work around safety and schedule?
• What will you measure, and how will I see it?
• What do I own if we stop working together?
• What do you need from me each month?
• What would you tell me not to spend money on?

Pay attention to the last answer. An agency that can tell you what to skip is thinking about your business, not just its invoice.