What to Look for in a Social Media Marketing Company (Especially for Custom Builders)
Social Media Marketing
4 minutes
Aug 4, 2025
The Problem with Most Marketing Agencies
If you’re a custom builder, you’ve probably been pitched by a dozen marketing companies.
Most of them sound the same. Most of them are the same.
And almost none of them understand the nuances of high-end construction.
You don’t need recycled Canva templates or generic posts about “5 kitchen trends.” You need a marketing partner who understands craftsmanship, visual storytelling, and how affluent clients choose their builder.
Here’s 5 steps to vet a social media marketing company—so you don’t waste time or money with the wrong one.
If every marketing pitch you’ve heard sounds the same—and none seem to grasp the nuance of custom home building—you're not alone. Here are five no-nonsense criteria to vet a social media firm that truly understands craftsmanship, visual storytelling, and the emotional journey of luxury clients—so you don’t waste time (or money) with the wrong partner.
1. Industry Experience Matters—A Lot
Marketing construction is not the same as marketing a coffee shop or ecommerce brand. Builders have longer sales cycles, bigger price tags, and more emotional trust involved.
Ask:
Have they worked with custom builders or high-end trades before?
Can they show you content that looks like your kind of work?
Do they understand the design/build process (demo, framing, install, finish)?
A good marketing partner should feel like a team member—not just a vendor.
2. Look at Their Content—Would You Post It?
The fastest way to evaluate a marketing company is to look at their client work.
Scroll through their Instagram case studies or portfolio.
Red flags to watch for:
Overly templated designs or Canva-style graphics
Stock photography instead of real project content
Cringe captions or cliches (“Dream home loading…”)
No clear sense of tone, voice, or visual consistency
If you wouldn’t want your work represented that way, move on.
3. They Should Understand Visual Branding
In luxury construction, visual cohesion matters. The look, feel, and flow of your feed says more than your captions ever will.
A strong marketing agency will:
Use professional-grade photography, editing, and layout
Align your digital presence with your in-person brand
Know how to create branded story templates, carousels, and reels that feel elevated
Understand how architecture and lighting should be captured
If they don’t obsess over details, they don’t get luxury branding.
4. Strategy Comes First—Not Just “More Posts”
More posts ≠ better marketing.
You don’t need someone just to keep your feed active—you need someone who creates content that’s aligned with your business goals.
Ask:
Do they create content calendars with a strategy behind them?
Are they focused on engagement, growth, and conversion?
Will they guide what type of content gets filmed, written, and promoted?
Can they track what’s working and adjust accordingly?
Without strategy, you’re just making noise.
5. Do They Offer Full Production, or Just Scheduling?
One of the biggest gaps in most marketing companies is execution.
They may plan the content—but they expect you to capture and deliver it.
The best social media partners will:
Come to your jobsites for photo and video shoots
Capture in-progress and finished content
Handle all editing, captions, scheduling, and reporting
Adjust based on performance, not assumptions
Builders don’t need more to do. You need someone who takes it off your plate.
You Deserve a Partner Who Understands the Work You Do
There are plenty of agencies who can post for you.
But very few understand the level of excellence your brand needs to reflect.
At Peterson Creative, we specialize in working with high-end builders and architects. We don’t just post content—we create brands that attract trust and grow consistently.
