Quick Summary
Measuring success in construction marketing takes time, but how long should you wait before seeing real results? This article breaks down the timeline and metrics you should track to determine if your marketing efforts are paying off. Learn about the stages of visibility, how early metrics like website traffic lead to inquiries, and when to expect meaningful sales growth. We’ll guide you on when to adjust your strategy or push forward for long-term success.
→ Enjoyed reading this? Join the email newsletter.
My next-door neighbour picked up the violin. He’s 16.
At first, it was all clumsy notes and awkward rhythms. He practiced over and over, but progress felt painfully slow. Well, to me at least — it’s hard to listen to through our apartment walls.
I can’t help but wonder: Is he getting better, or just making noise?
Is he progressing, or spinning his wheels? How long will he keep practicing before deciding if it’s not working?
Maybe you can relate. When starting something new, the beginning feels cringe. And when progress isn’t happening as quickly as we’d hoped, it feels like we’re wasting our time, money, and energy—maybe even making a fool of ourselves.
And that’s what we’re digging into today.
(Heads up: This post is about a nuanced topic and longer than usual).
Question of the Week
“We’ve been trying a new marketing strategy for four months, but I feel like it’s not working. I understand it takes time — but how much time is enough to see results? When should we pivot, quit, or double down?”
– Anthony, Millsaw Architectural
It sounds like Anthony is feeling antsy about the wait. He’s dealing with a lot of uncertainty, and I get it — there’s too much time and money at stake to blindly “trust the process.”
I can’t speak to his strategy specifically since I don’t have all the details. But I can share what’s normal so you can judge for yourself.
“How much time is enough to see results?”
Imagine a waterfall. It starts with tiny droplets. Not enough to drink from, but over time, those droplets grow into a steady stream. Eventually, it’s strong and consistent enough to provide water for an entire village.
Marketing works the same way. It’s not a straight line; it compounds over time. Success in month one looks different from success in month nine. The more you do it, the more you can expect.
So, when you ask, “How much time is enough to see results?” — it depends on how much time you’ve put in. Your expectations for success need to match the time, money, and effort you’ve invested.
To explain this, I like to use something called Cascading Metrics.
Take a look at the last column in the chart: Sales Metrics. That’s your end goal — sales inquiries, form submissions, appointments booked, etc.
You probably don’t care about numbers like website hits or social media comments — all the Marketing Metrics that come before. They’re nice, but they don’t pay the bills.
But here’s the thing — those early metrics are the droplets. They eventually turn into sales metrics. And how well they perform now shows you what to expect later. They give you a glimpse of what’s coming.
So, where are you in the chart? In the waterfall?
Anthony mentioned he’s been working on his strategy for four months. According to the chart, he’s in the Visibility Metrics stage. This stage is about seeing keyword rankings, impressions, or website hits increase month after month. That’s what success looks like for him right now.
Between 9 and 12 months of marketing, he can expect more — like sales inquiries.
“I feel like it’s not working.”
Marketing isn’t just an art — it’s a science. A good marketing strategy is based on data.
When Anthony said “I feel like it’s not working,” that’s usually a sign he’s not looking at the numbers. He’s guessing instead of measuring. And that tells me his strategy doesn’t have clear targets.
You need targets like sales inquiries, engagement, website visits, keyword rankings, and new content created. And you need those targets to be broken down for months 1, 3, 6, 9, and 12. They help you see if you’re on track.
If you don’t have those targets, let’s talk about what’s realistic to expect. We’ll start at the bottom of the “waterfall” and work our way up.
Realistic Sales Metrics
Your future sales goals should be based on past sales data.
Look at previous years and count how many inquiries you got, month by month, and where they came from.
Generally, it’s realistic to aim for double the inquiries and a 10–15% revenue increase after a year of consistent marketing. Not 4 months, not 9 — but 12 months.
For example, if you had 10 inquiries last year, aim for 20 this year. And if your conversion rate was 50% and each client was worth $5,000, a realistic target would be 10 paying projects and $50k more revenue this year.
Don’t have this data? That’s common. But it’s important to start tracking now. Ask every inquiry how they heard about you. Without it, you’ll keep guessing instead of measuring.
Realistic Marketing Metrics
Marketing metrics come before sales, so you need higher numbers.
To double your sales inquiries, aim for 5x more marketing growth. Again, only if you stick with it for 12 months.
For example, if you had 100 monthly website hits last year, you’ll need 500 this year to hit your sales target of 20 inquiries.Note — these numbers are harder to forecast and break down. They also depend on sooo many factors: where you started, your market’s competitiveness, how much time you’re investing, how consistent you are, whether it’s paid or organic marketing, your marketing team’s skill and experience, the price point and affordability of your services, and if you’re targeting one customer and market or many.
“When should we pivot, quit, or double down?”
Using the waterfall analogy one last time: If the water isn’t flowing consistently, the best way to figure out why is to climb up and take a closer look.
- Maybe a beaver built a dam and is blocking the flow.
- There’s a crack in the bedrock, causing leaks along the way.
- Or maybe the season is changing, and the water is freezing.
It’s the same with your marketing.
Compare where you are in your strategy with the targets you had set for this stage. The data will show you if you’re on the right track and should keep going, if you need to pivot, or if it’s time to double down.
That’s that.
If you’re looking for a second opinion on your strategy or want a professional to help you create a data-driven strategy, I can help. Just hit reply or book a call with me.
Until next Thursday,
Daniela
CEO at Findable Digital Marketing
