The building materials industry is unlike all others. The approaches you must use to market and sell product differs from nearly all other industries. This year, you can expect the following trends to lead the way in terms of building materials sales and marketing:
- Go Digital
If your building materials business doesn’t have a website – or if the one you have is outdated – you’ll likely miss out on some business. Whether it’s an architectural firm searching for materials for a client or builders and contractors doing the same, most of them start by looking online at websites. If yours isn’t easy to navigate and full of the sort of information your audience is looking for, they’ll go elsewhere to find it.
- Use Videos
It’s likely that your target audience is much like you: busy, focused, and goal-oriented. You need to make sure the message you’re trying to convey fits into their lifestyle. Using videos to explain the features of a particular building material in action is a quick and easy method of drawing in the viewer. Video entertains as it explains and can lead to further inquiries or solidify the thought that a particular material is the right one for the job.
- Become a Thought Leader
Simply making your building products available isn’t going to be enough to get your audience’s attention these days. Instead, you’ll need to become a “thought leader” by producing online content like articles, blog posts, and videos that offer your audience solutions to their problems.
- Understand How to Use Social Media
Barring a few examples – Home Depot and Lowe’s come to mind – most businesses in the building materials industry aren’t sure how to use social media to their advantage. 2017 is the year that your business needs to tap into the possibilities that come with connecting with the 65% of adults who use social media. The key is to discover what matters to your audience, then become a thought leader by posting the results of that research on your profiles.
- Mobile is a Priority
If you’re like most people these days, you treat your phone almost like a miniature computer that you can conveniently access while you’re on the go. It’s a safe bet that most of your audience relies on their smart phones in much the same way. This is a key reason why your website must be optimized for the mobile user.
Tap into the growth that is expected in 2017 by ensuring that your business is positioned so it can take advantage of the above trends. ER Marketing is effective at helping brands meet their marketing and sales goals. Contact us today and find out how we implement our cores values and building products expertise to deliver real solutions to clients.
