Here’s a secret that most construction technology companies haven’t figured out yet: while they’re all fighting over the same traditional marketing channels, there’s a massive blue ocean of opportunity sitting right under their noses. Digital marketing in construction tech is still largely untapped territory, and the companies that get this right are going to dominate.

According to David Horesh, a marketing consultant who helped take 4M Analytics from startup to significant scale, the construction industry’s approach to digital marketing is fundamentally broken. And that creates an incredible opportunity for companies willing to do things differently.


TL;DR: The Untapped Digital Marketing Goldmine in Construction Tech

While everyone does traditional marketing, digital remains a blue ocean with massive opportunity

  • Construction professionals are active on LinkedIn and Reddit, but companies aren’t reaching them effectively
  • Corporate content doesn’t resonate—memes and authentic pain point content does
  • Building trust comes before selling; show you understand their challenges first
  • Digital marketing allows relationship-building at scale unlike traditional methods
  • Success comes from being your audience’s “favorite,” not just the best product

 

In this episode,  David Horesh shares why construction marketing is still a blue ocean, how to avoid the handshake trap, and why memes might be your secret weapon.

 

The Great Digital Marketing Misconception

“Something that I’ve heard from a lot of CEOs, a lot of founders in the construction tech industry is ‘this is a traditional industry, so we need to do traditional marketing,'” Horesh explains. “That’s print, billboards, conferences.” While these channels have their place, this thinking completely misses the massive digital opportunity.

The misconception stems from a fundamental misunderstanding of how construction professionals actually behave. Yes, they work on job sites. Yes, they value handshakes and relationships. But they also carry smartphones, scroll LinkedIn during their morning coffee, and engage with content that resonates with their daily challenges.

Horesh discovered this firsthand when exploring construction communities on Reddit. “I see threads on Reddit and I was really surprised because Reddit felt to me like a conspiracy theory platform,” he admits. “But I found forums with project managers and project engineers where people are active, posting their problems, and getting answers.”

The data backs this up. When you look at LinkedIn’s published numbers for construction professionals across North America, there’s a clear alignment between the number of civil engineers and construction workers in the real world and those actively using the platform.


The Content Problem: Corporate Noise vs. Authentic Connection

So if construction professionals are online, why isn’t digital marketing working for most companies? The answer lies in the content they’re creating.

“Even those who do use LinkedIn, Twitter, and these platforms—their content is just not good,” Horesh observes. “They’re sort of dark green, dark blue, grayish corporate materials. They put up these case studies, these one-pagers, and nobody’s reading that. Nobody’s downloading that.”

This corporate approach completely misses the mark because it fails to understand a fundamental truth about the construction industry: these are no-BS people who can spot authentic communication from a mile away.

“The greatest thing about the construction industry is that the people in the industry are no-BS type of people,” Horesh explains. “And the craziest thing is that industry marketers think they need to create BS content to market to no-BS people.”


The Meme Revolution: Why Humor Works in Hard Hats

This insight led Horesh to one of his most controversial but effective recommendations: using memes in construction tech marketing. And before you roll your eyes, consider this—some of the most successful construction tech marketers are already doing this.

“You see the stuff that Matt is doing and Joey is doing, and these guys are killing it,” Horesh notes. “They’re standing out because they’re creating content that nobody else is creating. They’re making fun of pain points.”

The genius of memes in construction marketing isn’t just that they’re different—it’s that they demonstrate understanding. When you create a meme about change orders, delayed permits, or the frustration of managing subcontractors, you’re showing your audience that you get their world. You understand their daily struggles.

“When you see content from a company producing content that shows your ICP that you understand them, that you understand their challenges, they will believe in what you’re doing,” Horesh explains. “You need to first create content that shows you understand the pain points of your ICP. After that, they’ll engage with that content, and eventually they’ll ask themselves, ‘What’s this company that’s sharing this content? What do they do?'”

 


The Psychology of Digital Trust Building

This approach works because it mirrors how people actually consume content and make purchasing decisions in 2025. Think about the last time you bought a pair of shoes—did you go to a store and ask a salesperson to explain the features, or did you research online first?

“People want to buy with as little friction as possible,” Horesh argues. “This is buying behavior in 2025. We need to cater to it.”

The construction industry hasn’t caught up to this reality yet. Most companies still believe they need face-to-face meetings for everything, missing the opportunity to build relationships at scale through digital channels.

The key is understanding that digital marketing isn’t about replacing personal relationships—it’s about building them more efficiently. When someone has been consuming your content for months, seeing your memes, reading your insights about industry challenges, and nodding along with your understanding of their pain points, they’re already primed for a relationship when you do connect.

The Strategic Framework: From Awareness to Advocacy

Horesh breaks down the digital marketing journey into clear stages:

  • Awareness: Getting in front of your target audience where they actually spend time—LinkedIn, Reddit, industry forums—not just where you think they should be.
  • Trust: Creating content that demonstrates deep understanding of their challenges. This isn’t about your product; it’s about their problems.
  • Demand: Converting that trust into actual interest. When people believe you understand their world, they’ll reach out to learn more.
  • Relationship: Moving from digital connection to business conversation, armed with the trust you’ve already built.

The beauty of this approach is that it’s scalable. “When you’re looking at how to get in front of the masses—if there are 100,000 professionals across the US, you’re not going to reach out to 100,000 people,” Horesh notes. “The question is, how do you build a relationship with all of them at scale? That’s what marketing does.”


The Opportunity Ahead

The construction tech companies that recognize this opportunity have a massive advantage. While their competitors are fighting over expensive booth space at trade shows and competing for the same print advertising spots, smart companies can build dominant digital presences in relatively uncontested space.

“Digital and social media in construction is still in its early days,” Horesh observes. “It really is still a blue ocean.”

The key is authenticity. Don’t try to be something you’re not, but don’t be afraid to show personality either. Construction professionals appreciate humor, directness, and genuine understanding of their challenges. They’re tired of corporate speak and ROI calculators that promise the world but deliver generic solutions.

Making the Shift

For construction tech companies ready to embrace digital marketing, the path forward is clear:

Start by truly understanding your audience—not just their job titles, but their daily frustrations, their industry language, and their real challenges. Then create content that demonstrates that understanding. Mix educational content with humor, insights with entertainment, and always focus on their problems before your solutions.

Remember, as Horesh puts it: “You want to make sure that you’re the ICP’s favorite. Not their best, not the best product—of course you need to have that. But you want to make sure that they love you as a company.”

In an industry built on relationships, digital marketing isn’t about replacing the handshake—it’s about making sure that when you do shake hands, you’re already trusted, understood, and valued. That’s the blue ocean opportunity waiting for construction tech companies brave enough to dive in.