Marketing in a Tech Start-Up - Episode 29 | Garrett Chamberlain

Construction Disrupted

When you’ve been in marketing as long as I have there are a number of topics that crop up over and over again. Lack of resources limiting what can be done, difficulty targeting decision-makers and the most common topic - what to do on a limited budget.

Regardless of budget, you can still make your marketing work for you, as long as you are realistic with your expectations. Entering the market on a small budget and expecting to achieve the reach of a tech giant will only lead to disappointment. But this doesn’t mean you can’t achieve realistic goals to your size and scale. You just need to work that little bit harder at the start to understand your market, and the most efficient channels and of course, be creative.

One company that does this particularly well and you could say has been bootstrapping their marketing since they started is SymTerra (I’ve mentioned them before on the podcast as they are currently one of my favs when discussing tech within construction). I’m also a fan of how they go about their marketing. Everyone seems to get stuck into it.

It’s fun, engaging, doesn’t take itself too seriously, always has a CTA (call to action) and is so typically them - from Dinosaurs at events to using Chat GPT to create fictional rage on a construction site, their marketing is simple, but is it effective? The only way to find out is to look internally and who better to talk us through this than Garrett Chamberlain, Operations Manager who was behind one post that generated 8.9 million views and half a million likes on a YouTube short - but this kind of virality doesn’t equal success or does it?

Since launching in March 2021, SymTerra has built a client portfolio that includes £5bn worth of construction and infrastructure projects for Thames Water, to Transport for London and closed its $1.7million seed investment round in 2022.

Garrett’s background is unique transitioning from Traffic Marshal to entrepreneur, swapping construction sites for websites. Throughout this journey, Garrett has gained hands-on experience, honing his skills in Health, Safety, Quality, and Environmental management, but instead of taking a cushy little number he decided to make a move and joined SymTerra as a Founding Team member and Operations Manager, bringing his expertise and unique perspective to the tech industry.

Topics Covered

- How does a H&S advisor find his way into (in my opinion) one of the most exciting tech start-ups in construction?

- Convincing those above AND those on the ground (plus supply chain)

- Challenges around integration with other technologies and keeping up with the pace of change

- We chat about SymTerra's marketing output :)

- Making the practical, unglamorous tech look (sexy) appealing

- How much is it about the people behind the tech?

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Website: https://www.builddifferent.marketing/

Further Links

https://www.symterra.co.uk/

https://www.linkedin.com/company/symterra/

https://evenbound.com/blog/how-much-should-construction-company-spend-on-marketing#:~:text=B2B%20companies%20with%20a%20service,of%20their%20revenue%20on%20marketing.

https://www.zeiss.co.uk/vision-care/eye-health-and-care/health-prevention/why-good-vision-is-so-important.html#:~:text=By%20far%20the%20most%20important,by%20means%20of%20our%20sight%20.

https://www.constructionbusinessowner.com/technology/how-integration-brings-construction-digital-age

Mentioned in this episode:

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