Part One: 5 Building Products Marketing Lessons from IBS 2016
This year, several members of the ER Marketing team and I attended the annual International Builders’ Show (IBS) and KBIS in Las Vegas, NV. As anyone who has ever attended can attest to, this is a big event that can be overwhelming. We’re not talking your average trade show. It’s one of the biggest—if not the single biggest—event of the year in the building products industry. While there, you see all the cutting edge technology that will be setting trends for the coming years….not to mention educational sessions, model home tours, and more. And hey—as a bonus, it’s in Vegas. Who can complain?
Importance of Networking at IBS
Networking is a big part of the International Builders’ Show. It offers a chance to connect with experts, peers, and potential partners. These interactions can lead to new collaborations and fresh insights into industry opportunities. Meeting people face-to-face also helps build trust and expand your professional circle.
While there, the ER Marketing team was using #IBSDoubleTake to share all the things that made us do a double take at the event—the things that really caught our attention. Here is a quick list of the top 5 marketing lessons those in the building products industry need to know.
Trendspotting at IBS
Being at IBS lets you catch the latest trends first-hand. Seeing cutting-edge products and technologies gives marketers a sense of what’s coming next. Accurate trendspotting is key for planning strategies that keep companies competitive and innovative.
Top 5 Marketing Lessons from IBS 2016:
- When it’s not easy to explain your products or services in a booth, sometimes it’s a good strategy to go all in on your brand. ARCAT did that well with their booth.
- When you can manage it, taking your booth from product showplace to play place can work well. CertainTeed’s wall climbing demo and celebrity guest, Mike Holmes, proved it; they had high traffic and buzz throughout the event.
- If your product is easy to install, don’t just say it—show it. Plastpro doors drew a crowd with some fundamentals of door installation. It just goes to show that good lessons are always interesting to those in building.
- Speed is now a matter of trustworthiness. Whether in marketing or customer service (and some would argue those lines are getting blurry), responding quickly is proven to increase trust with your audience. Engaging on social media in real time also boosts trust with your audience. Using quick responses and consistent updates can improve your brand’s visibility. Just like with #IBSDoubleTake, interacting during events keeps your audience involved and excited.
- Booth tech makes a difference, especially when prospects can engage with it. Johnsmanville had a spray foam simulator at the event that felt a little like a game. We competed, using the actual install gun, virtually pointed at a screen so users could spray the fill area with a virtual, 3-inch expanding insulation. What a smart way to showcase this product!
If you want a taste of what it’s like to experience the IBS show in person, we also put together a short walkthrough video. You can view that video here. (Dramamine recommended—we cover a lot of ground.)
Look out for part two of this blog series—coming this week. We’ll be discussing the Top 5 Design Trends from this year’s IBS that building products marketers need to be aware of in 2016 and beyond.
