Marketing a gravel business requires finding enough customers to make the operation profitable, especially when you consider the low cost of gravel in the first place. Providing excellent customer service and timely deliveries gives you a way to build a brand and establish a reputation. Implementing a variety of marketing strategies gives you the best chance of turning a profit and becoming known as your area’s “go to” gravel company.

Determine the primary target market you want to sell to, such as construction companies that need gravel for their projects, landscapers or residential homeowners who need to repair their driveways. You might also want to approach schools, businesses and city administrators that buy gravel for their parking lots and playgrounds. Your target market depends on the type of rock you sell as well, such as pea gravel, which works well for drainage projects while crushed gravel might work better in landscaping or driveways.

Review your competitors to determine their pricing and to whom they sell gravel. Your competitors might include other gravel companies and gardening stores. Find out the quality of the gravel they sell and how they deliver it. As you review your competitors' business and marketing strategies, look for ways to stand out from the pack.

Develop a marketing message that explains what makes your gravel better than the competition’s or why your deliveries are always on time and on budget. If you own the gravel pit from which your rock is extracted, mention this as an advantage, as you never need to rely on accessing someone else’s pit to fulfill orders. If you offer various sizes of gravel, explain the benefits of the different sizes.

Build a website that explains the various types of gravel you offer, including the size. Add a calculator to your site to help homeowners figure out how much rock they need for their projects.

Run ads in local publications, gardening magazines or construction business publications. Special sections focused on home improvement and gardening might work well if you target individual homeowners.

Place signs next to a project for which you provided gravel, and ask the property owner if you can leave them up for a week or two. Include your contact information, and if space allows, specify the kinds of gravel you sell and to whom you sell it.

Things You Will Need

  • Computer

  • Internet access

  • Phone directory

Tip

Ask homeowners or gardeners to share your contact information with their friends, relatives and acquaintances who also need gravel.

Include before and after photos on your website to show how the gravel made the landscape, garden or playground look better to encourage others to buy gravel from you to achieve the same results.

Warning

Don’t place a sign next to a project for which you provided gravel unless you get permission from the owner or property manager first.