tools of the trade: modern marketing for construction brands

NEIL M. BROWN

Construction Marketing Associationwww.ConstructionMarketingAssociation.org

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Tools of the Trade: Modern Marketing for Construction Brands

Table of Contents

PREFACE: WHAT IS CONSTRUCTION MARKETING? ...........................................................7

Book Purpose and Structure ............................................................................................................7

Why Construction Marketing is Important .....................................................................................8

UNIT I: STRATEGIC MARKETING .........................................................................................9

The Modern Marketing Mix ...........................................................................................................11

Branding: Your Most Important Marketing Decision ...................................................................15

Marketing Planning Best Practices ................................................................................................35

Market Research —Types and Practices ........................................................................................41

Strategic Marketing Tools ..............................................................................................................45

How to Measure Marketing Results: New Rules ..........................................................................49

UNIT II: TACTICAL MARKETING .........................................................................................61

Content is King! ..............................................................................................................................63

Internet Marketing—Acronym Soup: Web2.0, SEO, Mobile, Apps, PPC, QR Codes .............71

To Blog or Not to Blog? .................................................................................................................86

Social Media Best Practices ..........................................................................................................94

Advertising—The King of Traditional Marketing .......................................................................125

Publicity: PR in the Age of Social Media ....................................................................................131

Trade Show and Event Marketing Best Practices .......................................................................135

Direct Marketing: Mail, Email and more .....................................................................................139

New Product Development and Launch ....................................................................................151

Pricing for Profit ............................................................................................................................157


UNIT III: SPECIALIZED CONSTRUCTION CHANNELS AND SEGMENTS ...........................159

Marketing to Distributors and Related Channels ......................................................................161

Channel Marketing Survey ........................................................................................................................................ 162

Channel Sales Policies and Support Programs ......................................................................................................... 164

Marketing to Home Improvement Retailers ...............................................................................167

Home Improvement Snapshot and Survey ............................................................................................................... 167

Retail Merchandising and Packaging ....................................................................................................................... 170

Retail Line Reviews ...................................................................................................................................................... 175

Proprietary Retail Brands ............................................................................................................................................ 177

Marketing Architectural/Engineering/Construction (A/E/C) Services ......................................179

A/E/C Marketing Survey ............................................................................................................................................. 179

Lead Generation is Top Priority .................................................................................................................................. 181

Construction Lead Services ........................................................................................................................................ 186

Leveraging Associations for Networking .................................................................................................................. 193

UNIT IV: PRACTICAL MARKETING CONSIDERATIONS.....................................................197

Finding Modern Marketing Talent ..............................................................................................197

Selecting Marketing Partners—3 Steps to Find a Great Marketing Agency ...........................199

Marketing Automation: What It Is and Why You Need It ..........................................................201

UNIT V: CONSTRUCTION MARKETING RESOURCES ......................................................207

ABOUT THE AUTHOR ........................................................................................................213

ABOUT THE CONSTRUCTION MARKETING ASSOCIATION ..............................................213


Preface

WHAT IS CONSTRUCTION MARKETING?

In the broadest sense, construction marketing encompasses the variety of activities, programs and

projects that support revenue generation. Similar to marketing in other categories, construction

marketing is about developing and/or promoting products or services that serve customer needs.

“Marketing 101” college textbooks defined marketing via the marketing mix and the Four P’s:

Product, Promotion, Place and Price. No question, these are still important. However, marketing has

changed significantly in just the last few years. And a growing list of pundits voice that traditional

marketing is obsolete, or that marketing is being replaced by new and interactive media.

TOOLS OF THE TRADE: MODERN MARKETING FOR CONSTRUCTION BRANDS addresses new

media, traditional marketing, and the integration of both for measurable results. The objective of

TOOLS OF THE TRADE is to identify and describe all aspects of a modern marketing program, and

then to detail how each element of this new and different marketing mix can be implemented. To

reinforce this learning, TOOLS OF THE TRADE provides visual examples and numerous case studies

from our beloved construction industry (not billion dollar consumer brands that are not relevant).

To deliver on these objectives, TOOLS OF THE TRADE is organized in five units: Strategic

Marketing, Tactical Marketing, Specialized Channels and Market Segments, Practical Marketing

Considerations, and Construction Marketing Resources.

Strategic Marketing describes the foundational marketing initiatives that drive all downstream

marketing implementation like planning, research, strategic tools, branding and how to measure

marketing results. Tactical marketing describes functional activities including content, Internet,

social media, advertising, publicity, new product development and much more.

Next, TOOLS OF THE TRADE identifies Specialized Channels and Market Segments including

Distributor Channel Marketing, Retail Channel Marketing, and marketing to architectural,

engineering or construction services or A/E/C marketing. Each of these channels or segments

require vastly different marketing approaches than the others. Rather than being too general,

we identify the specific marketing requirements of each.

The Practical Marketing Considerations unit provides insight into three areas deemed important

by Construction Marketing Association members: hiring marketing talent, selecting marketing

partners, and marketing automation.


PREFACE

Please note that TOOLS OF THE TRADE is intended for experienced marketers, not beginners.

Indeed, the book serves as the advanced marketing training guide for the Construction Marketing

Association’s certification program, the Certified Construction Marketing Professional (CCMP)

designation. In fact, much of the content for the book is from ongoing training, webcasts and

whitepapers from the Construction Marketing Association.

Some content for the book is provided by contributors and subject matter experts, duly noted

in the respective chapters. Special thanks to the Construction Marketing Association Board of

Directors for their ideas, support and volunteerism. Kevin Enke of Bosch Power Tools, Deborah

Hodges, Executive Director of the Construction Writers Association, Jim Scarlata of Emerson

Electric, Paul Deffenbaugh of DeepBrook Media, Tim O’Brien of CNH Construction Equipment.

More special thanks to Lindsay Brown, my associate and manager of the CMA blog and social

media program. Together we can achieve great things!

With marketing changing so rapidly, updates will be required. To this end, your comments and

suggestions are appreciated. Contact information is listed at the end of the book. Please check

back periodically for updates.

WHY IS CONSTRUCTION MARKETING IMPORTANT?

The construction industry has been one of the hardest hit in the recent recession. All sectors of

construction—commercial, homebuilding and remodeling—have declined significantly. Some

reports as high as 40%. Unlike prior recessions, construction is not expected to recover or return

to the “exuberant” levels prior to 2007.

As a result of this economic turmoil, construction firms and the manufacturers that sell to them have

undergone restructuring, layoffs and certainly, marketing budget cuts. This raises the question –

how can you achieve marketing results with fewer resources? Less staff? A smaller budget?

The answer is more effective marketing. Doing more with less. Fortunately, some of the new

marketing tactics are more cost efficient and measurable than traditional marketing. And when

new marketing is integrated with traditional marketing, we have realized excellent results.

Measurable results. So marketing is not just a cost center in a soft economic environment, but

a growth engine. TOOLS OF THE TRADE will show you how!


ABOUT NEIL M. BROWN

Neil M. Brown is Chairman of the Construction Marketing Association, and

Chief Marketing Officer (CMO) of Construction Marketing Advisors. Prior to

these roles, Brown was CEO of numerous marketing consulting and creative

agencies for the past 15 years, managing some of the biggest brands in the

construction sector. Prior to the agency-side, Brown was a brand manager

at electrical products manufacturer IDEAL Industries, and later CMO of an

architectural metals manufacturer. Neil earned an MBA from Northern Illinois University, and

a BS-Marketing Cum Laude from Southern Illinois University. Neil is a frequent author and

contributor to Advertising Age, BtoB magazine (formerly Business Marketing), Marketing

News and other publications. He is author of two books, Tools of the Trade: Modern

Marketing for Construction Brands, and Branding Best Practices: A Guide to Effective

Business and Product Naming.

ABOUT THE CONSTRUCTION MARKETING ASSOCIATION

The Construction Marketing Association (CMA) provides professional development and certification,

marketing training, resources and information, networking and recognition. CMA sponsors the

Construction Marketing STAR™ Awards, and Construction Marketer of the Year™ Awards. And CMA

produces the Certified Construction Marketing Professional (CCMP) program. Full information is

available at ConstructionMarketingAssociation.org. The site links to the Construction Marketing

Blog with marketing news, resources and related content, and the association’s Twitter, Facebook,

YouTube and LinkedIn pages.

Questions? Contact Neil Brown at [email protected]