We helped PKB Civils make the shift from founder led growth
£275k+ in campaign-attributed revenue. £500k+ in pipeline = less reliance on the founders, freeing them up to work on the business.
£275k
Booked revenue in first 12 months
£500k
Pipeline from marketing leads
50%
Increase in organic traffic in 12 months
30 videos
Filmed and edited to grow their brand
PKB Civils are a tier-two civils contractor delivering enabling works, groundworks, concreting and drainage across ports, recycling, industrial and logistics.
They had a strong reputation and founder network, but wanted marketing to do more than make the business look active. They wanted it to contribute to pipeline.
We helped PKB turn strategy, marketing, media and AI into a joined-up growth system that supports business development and gives their internal marketing team clearer direction.
The problem
PKB had the capability, reputation and track record.
But like many civils businesses, growth relied heavily on referrals, existing relationships and the directors’ personal networks.
That works for a while. But it creates a ceiling.
If every new opportunity has to come through the founders, marketing is not carrying enough of the load.
PKB wanted to build new channels that could generate qualified leads, support sales conversations and create a more scalable route to growth.
The shift
From marketing activity to marketing-led pipeline
- Commercial objectives
- Ideal client audience
- Value proposition
- Differentiated value
- Priority sectors
- Key messaging
- 90 day sprint plan
“We Are SMC conducted a Marketing Strategy Workshop with us in October 2024, which has helped bring clarity to the marketing of our business in 2025.
Their approach really helped us get more strategic with our marketing, and shortly after the workshop, we received a marketing strategy and plan that has given us direction for 2025.”
Ben Duffy, Director, PKB Civils
What we built in partnership with PKB Civils
1. A clearer growth strategy
We helped PKB clarify who they wanted to reach, what they wanted to be known for and how to communicate their value more effectively.
The aim was simple: make their marketing support the commercial direction of the business.
2. A stronger website and search presence
We supported website improvements to help PKB attract more relevant organic traffic from Google.
The site now does a better job of presenting their services, sectors and expertise to potential buyers.
We have also started considering how PKB appears through AI search and discovery tools such as ChatGPT and Claude.
3. Media that supports the customer journey
At the beginning of 2026, we ran a media day with the PKB team.
That produced 30 videos covering different points in the customer journey.
The purpose was not vanity content. It was to help buyers understand PKB’s capability, people and process before a sales conversation starts.
4. AI-powered lead intelligence
In June, we developed a Lead Intelligence Engine for PKB.
It looks for market signals from ideal customers, enriches those signals with business data, and enables the team to push relevant leads into HubSpot.
This gives PKB a more proactive way to spot opportunities instead of waiting for every lead to come through referrals or inbound enquiries.
5. Support for the internal marketing team
We worked closely with PKB’s marketing manager to help execute the strategy and build capability inside the organisation.
That matters.
The best marketing partnerships do not create dependency. They make the internal team sharper, more confident and more commercially useful.
The outcome
Marketing is now contributing to growth
In the first 18 months, PKB’s marketing campaigns generated more than £275,000 in attributed revenue, with more than £500,000 in pipeline.
But the bigger shift is strategic.
PKB are building a growth system that does not rely solely on founder relationships, referrals and repeat work.
Their marketing is now better connected to visibility, lead generation, sales conversations, CRM activity and future pipeline.
That is what good marketing should do for a civils business.
The model
The marketing-led pipeline model
- Clarify the commercial strategy
- Define the right audience and value proposition
- Build a practical sprint plan
- Improve website visibility and search performance
- Create media assets that support buyer trust
- Use AI and data to identify buying signals
- Support the internal team so the system keeps improving
This is not about random content.
It is about building the assets, systems and internal capability that help marketing contribute to revenue.
What civils founders can take from this case study
1. Referrals are valuable, but they should not be the whole growth plan
A strong network is a strength. But it is not a scalable marketing system.
2. Your marketing manager needs strategy, not just tasks
Without commercial direction, marketing becomes reactive and disconnected.
3. Your website should help win trust
It should make your capability, sectors, proof and value clear to the right buyers.
4. Media should answer buyer questions
The best video content supports trust, clarity and sales conversations.
5. AI needs to be connected to a real sales process
AI is most useful when it helps your team spot, qualify and act on better opportunities.
Want marketing to contribute more to your lead pipeline?
If your civils or construction business still depends heavily on referrals, repeat work and founder relationships, there is a smarter way to build demand.
We Are SMC helps construction and trades businesses turn strategy, marketing, media and AI into practical growth systems.