The Chamber of Commerce of Construction (CCOC) and the digital marketing agency Karmina They have presented the first comprehensive report on the use of social media in the construction sector in Catalonia. This study, based on data collected from companies in the sector, provides a detailed look at how social media is transforming communication and marketing in the construction industry and how the sector can address new digital, technological, and social challenges.
In an era where social media has taken on a fundamental role in the business world, it is essential to understand how sectors other than the tertiary sector coexist and use them. For this reason, the Chamber of Construction Contractors of Catalonia, together with the Karmina agency, They conducted a study of 86 construction companies representing 86% of the Catalan market. One of the most relevant findings from this analysis is that companies in the Catalan construction sector are not using TikTok, despite it being one of the most promising social media platforms. Only 4.7% of the Catalan construction companies have developed or continue to develop content on the platform, with a higher average number of followers than on other platforms like Instagram. According to the annual report on social media in Catalonia, also prepared by Karmina with the College of Marketing, TikTok is the second-largest social network by users and the most active.
This study, which aims to serve as a guide for digital strategies applied to this sector, also reveals that LinkedIn is an essential network for the industry. Nearly one in three companies is present on this platform, and it has an average of 42,925 followers, although some companies reach 500,000 followers. Some data do not reflect the true industry average, as up to 20% of the companies analyzed have corporate profiles not only nationally but also with other verticals and services. 30% of companies use social media almost nothing, and 50% use only one or two channels, and very infrequently.
The study compared the same data with other sectors such as fashion, sports, and gastronomy, with construction showing potential for growth across all metrics, including activity, channel usage, videos, and advertising.
The study conducted among the 86 CCOC companies shows that they use social media primarily to increase their visibility, promote their projects, interact with their audiences, and recruit talent. However, the content they publish focuses primarily on showing photos of projects and buildings, and a significantly lower percentage addresses training and sustainability issues.
We find ourselves in an era where video is a dominant format in social media consumption. In the construction sector, video formats are a great opportunity to demonstrate complex processes, project progress, or tutorials, in order to demonstrate transparency and thus strengthen trust in the company.
Although video is one of the formats that generates the most data, it also consumes the most resources, as it requires specialized knowledge and technical equipment, resulting in a higher cost in both time and money to meet the standards required by the audience. This may explain why the percentage of companies using TikTok is low, and why only 151% of all content published on Instagram is in Reel format. During the study, 20 business success stories were analyzed, most of them related to video. The opportunity was taken to open a TikTok profile of CCOC.
@cambracontractistes I discovered DFactory, a unique work, built by VOPI-4 together with Tecnocontrol Servicios and UTE Romero Polo / Geocisa. #construccio #catalunya #construintcatalunya #estKokat ♬ original sound – CCOC
A worrying fact is that between 20% and 30% of companies have zero or very little presence on social media, indicating a significant opportunity for improvement and growth in the digital sphere. For this reason, it is vital to design a digital strategy dominated by engaging, informative, and educational visual content tailored to each social channel. This will allow companies to not only promote but also educate their audiences, establish professional connections, and position themselves in the market.
During the second quarter of 2024, a series of consulting and training activities were carried out to support the organization and its partners in analyzing the report and implementing the improvements, challenges, and trends. The study aims to establish specific objectives so that the organization can help its partners, and therefore companies and the sector, improve their level of digitalization, training, knowledge, and use of digital channels.
During the training sessions, the associated construction companies came together to learn about the latest trends in digital communication in the construction sector, guided by marketing consultant Long Li Xue. The discussion focused on the trend in recent years of incorporating a marketing/communications team within companies, a team that was not considered necessary years ago.
The main challenge they face today is their very small team and the difficulty in managing all social media platforms or treating them equally. Therefore, emphasis has also been placed on leveraging Artificial Intelligence tools to support the generation of valuable content: from scriptwriting, source verification, automatic subtitling, and content planning.
In a day where the different companies, despite being competitors, were able to create professional synergies and focus on where communication in construction will go: the people who are part of it. It no longer matters how aesthetically or functionally the building is if there isn't someone presenting it and explaining it in an entertaining way. One of the key points raised was the need for a new profile: the content host, the person who gives voice and face to brands in videos intended for different platforms.
Construction companies are clear that today's construction is modern, although the general perception is that it remains the same old image. Therefore, the main objective of communication is to modernize the sector and dispel the false perception people have. And one of the first steps in this modernization lies in communication.
According to Luis Moreno, president of CCOC: «andThe construction sector cannot remain alien to the social and technological changes that the world is experiencing. Integrating artificial intelligence, the demand in the use of sustainability, not only in projects, but in the communication of each company, it will not only allow us to stay up to date but also lead the process of disruption, change and improvement of the relationship with the environment."
The Construction Chamber of Commerce (CCOC) is a non-profit organization that represents and supports companies in the construction sector in Spain. Its mission is to promote sustainable development, innovation, and the competitiveness of its members through initiatives, studies, and training events.
With this report, the CCOC not only shows the way toward the sector's digital future, but also reinforces its commitment to the evolution and modernization of the construction industry in Spain.
Karmina is a digital marketing agency specializing in social media, based in Barcelona, Madrid, and Buenos Aires. It has over nine years of experience, 500 projects, and other studies, such as the 2023 Annual Social Media Report in Catalonia.
To view or download the report, click here.
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