Building Materials Marketing: How to Engage Architects, Installers, and Customers

Online building materials — why is this challenge crucial?

Buying building materials online is becoming more common, but at the same time it raises a number of challenges. The diversity of users and their needs means that effective sales in this channel require an understanding of the entire decision-making process and the preparation of an appropriate marketing plan. Three groups play a key role: specifiers, multipliers and end customers.

Specificatori (designers, e.g. architects, engineers) — determine the technical specifications of building materials at the design stage, deciding which products will appear in the project. [Source: Designing Buildings UK]

Multiplier (installers) — assemble materials for construction and recommend them at the construction site, acting as intermediaries. Their influence is enormous:

“74% of U.S. retail customers in 2023 relied on installer recommendations when purchasing building materials.” [Source: Statista, Consumer Preferences in Construction Materials, 2023]

End customers — expect intuitive solutions that will facilitate the selection of your construction products and speed up service.

These diverse needs pose challenges for building materials manufacturers: how to deliver precise data to designers, support installers in the distribution of building materials, and engage customers at the same time? The answer to these problems is technologies such as BIM, mobile applications, 3D visualizers and digital marketing. In our article, we will discuss the problems in the marketing of building materials and show how modern strategies for construction can increase the sale of building materials to contractors.

1. Involvement of designers in the building materials industry

Designers expect easy access to building materials data, such as technical performance, compliance and sustainability information. The problem is the provision of this data in a format integrated with their tools (e.g. BIM) and the lack of control over user data when BIM objects are made available on external platforms.

According to a 2022 NBS survey, 65% of designers consider high-quality BIM data to be crucial when choosing materials, and 73% prefer to download it from your website, finding it more reliable [source: NBS National BIM Report 2022].

How to increase sales of building materials with the use of designers?

• Own BIM libraries: Making BIM objects available on the manufacturer's website increases the confidence of designers, provides control over the data and enables the analysis of specifier preferences.
• Relevance of data: It is important for the construction manufacturer to be able to quickly update BIM objects and thus build the confidence of the designers.
• Support of design decisions: CO2 emissions data or ETIM standards facilitate the selection of your construction products. We wrote more about how to provide always up-to-date data in BIM files in this article: https://www.sagiton.pl/en/blog/pim-bim-compatibility-of-information-omnichannel

Example: OBO Bettermann created BIM libraries on their website, allowing designers to access data on cable gutter systems, which has increased brand recognition in the building materials industry.

2. Distribution of building materials by installers

Installers are key intermediaries in the distribution of building materials who influence the decisions of end customers. Unfortunately, not providing the right tools reduces the loyalty of installers to your brand and makes your construction products less likely to be chosen by them.

A 2023 survey found that 82% of installers in the US are more willing to work with manufacturers offering digital tools such as mobile applications [source: Construction Business Owner, “Digital Tools in Construction”, 2023].

What tools should the manufacturer provide to support the sale of building materials by installers?

• Installation instructions: scanning the QR code on the product nameplate displays instructions and instructional videos.
• Product configurator: allows you to select the product configuration based on customer requirements.
• Generate offers: the installer adds margin, services and its branding by exporting the offer to PDF, which speeds up the sale of building materials and increases its professionalism.
• AR Visualization: the presentation of your products in augmented reality makes it easier for the customer to visualize.
• Integration with CRM: Inquiries generate leads for your business.

Example: one of our clients, in whose marketing plan there were strategies to reach installers, implemented a dedicated mobile application. It allows installers to efficiently place products in construction projects — See the case study.

3. Engaging end customers and efficient service

End customers feel overwhelmed by the complexity of building materials and need intuitive tools to facilitate their selection. Manufacturers also face a long process of handling customer inquiries and responses, which slows down the sales of building materials.

In 2023, 80% of customers said that 3D visualizations increased their confidence when purchasing building materials [source: Statista, “Consumer Trends in Construction and Home Improvement,” 2023].

75% of AECO companies plan to increase investment in AI to accelerate customer service [source: Autodesk State of Design & Make 2024].

How can you adjust your products and brand strategy to ensure that your company adapts to customer needs?

• 3D Visualizers: customers can see your products (e.g. elevator cabins, furniture, finishing materials) in realistic visualizations, such as in their home or project, which makes it easier for them to decide on the purchase of building materials.
• 3D Configurators: allow you to customize building materials online (e.g. size, color), while generating a statement of costs and specifications.
• Generative design: Design automation analyzes BIM/CAD designs received from customers, allowing the sales department to quickly select optimal products and prepare an offer. Make the needs of customers in your company always come first!
• Online availability: solutions on your website increase conversion in the sale of building materials.

Example: Aliaxis automated operation with the implementation of Akasison AutoPlanner for analysis of CAD designs for vacuum drainage systems. Such automation reduced the preparation time of the offer from 6 weeks to 3 days.

4. Data consistency in building materials marketing

Inconsistent data across channels — from BIM, to apps, to social media — contributes to a decrease in the credibility of your brand and products, and thus to a loss of trust in your target audience.

In 2023, 78% of construction manufacturers with PIM systems reported a 10% increase in sales [source: Forrester, “The State of PIM in Manufacturing,” 2023].

How to increase the effectiveness of your material marketing strategy?

• Centralization of data in PIM: Synchronization of product data across all channels eliminates errors in your marketing materials.
• Channel Adaptation: detailed data for designers in BIM libraries, simplified for installers in mobile applications, or engaging visualizations for customers on social media.
• Personalization of the campaign: analysis of data from downloads of your lead-magnets (e.g. BIM libraries) and installer queries enables personalized offers and supports digital marketing.

Example: Uponor ensured consistency of data in BIM libraries in 30 countries and 20 languages for 4000 indexes and thus increased the conversion of its materials and products.

Summary: marketing plan and strategy for construction

Manufacturers of building materials must address the needs of different groups:

• Designers: who need up-to-date BIM libraries available from a reliable source (preferably from your website).
• Installers: who require tools to support their sales and distribution of building materials that accelerate their offer generation and build their professionalism in the eyes of the client.
• End customers: who expect solutions that will quickly allow them to choose the right product for them (e.g. 3D visualizers/configurators), and in more complex cases efficient handling of their queries by your customer service department.

By taking inspiration from manufacturers like Uponor, OBO Bettermann and Aliaxis, your company can increase sales of building materials and build better relationships with your target audience.