It’s time to take the guesswork out of message creation by creating a solid unique value proposition (UVP) for your building materials brand.

Learn more about the art (and the science) of crafting a UVP that resonates with your customers and keeps your brand relevant in our latest eBook.

In this eBook you’ll learn:

• What insights to focus on when developing your UVP
• How to get to those insights
• What makes a strong UVP
• How to launch your new UVP

The post The Art (and Science) of Crafting a Unique Value Proposition appeared first on Point To Point.

Even established building materials brands — ones with a rich history and strong legacy — can be and should be recharged. External dynamics (competitors, audiences, products, services) are constantly changing. If brands don’t pivot to meet these shifts, their underpinning can be viewed as outdated and irrelevant. 

When this stagnation continues for too long, it translates into a loss of position in the market, disloyal customers and, eventually, decreased sales. Operating with a status quo mentality can be the difference between a brand that barely survives and a brand that thrives.  

But how do you know when your brand needs a boost? When is the right time to infuse fresh thinking or new approaches? 

Brand revitalization is an ongoing process. But for most building materials brands, five common triggers signify the need to begin. Several are connected, but any one on its own is enough reason to start the brand revitalization process. Let’s unpack them individually.

1. Your market share, spec rate, and/or overall sales are flat or down for more than one quarter

When key business measures aren’t moving in the right direction for an extended time, it’s no longer just a blip. It’s now a trend that you cannot ignore. 

A brand revitalization mindset pays close attention to factors like market share, spec rate and overall sales. It also lends a critical eye to competitors who are seeing increases in these areas. What have they figured out that your brand hasn’t? A new distribution relationship? An updated pricing strategy? A new product? Or maybe this trend can be attributed to a decrease in the category as a whole? Once the root cause is identified, you’ll know how to adjust your approach.

Brand revitalization in this instance might mean reevaluating how you’ve been communicating your value proposition and then positioning it differently. It might mean moving into new markets and building relationships with different audience segments. Or it might mean a new product launch that addresses dips in the category. In each case, it’s about creating a different experience for your customers — one that is exclusive to your brand and impacts the upward trajectory of your results.

2. You are launching new products or updates that require the market to think about you differently

You don’t need to recreate your core brand each time you launch a new product. In fact, in the majority of cases you shouldn’t. But with any product change you should review your messaging and make necessary adjustments. Then the market will understand the new product, how it relates to your brand, and how it’s relevant to them. 

Some examples of product introductions or updates that call for brand revitalization include:

• A new formulation for your flagship product. Enhancements to your current product line are made to restore its competitive advantage. Brand revitalization elevates this new position in your marketing approach.
• Embedding technology into a current product or developing a new technology. Whether it’s designed to increase productivity or drive efficiency, innovative technologies are transforming the building materials industry. It makes sense that any new technology your brand introduces should also include a transformative message. Customers expect a technology launch with a contemporary approach. Brand revitalization will ensure that your technology release delivers.
• An entirely new product. Most new products in the building materials industry are extensions or gap fillers. But there may come a time when you are ready to release a completely new product to the market. If it’s been a while since your last product launch, it’s time to take a critical look at your brand. Understanding what has worked — and what hasn’t — in previous marketing initiatives informs new campaigns and helps you stand out from the competition.

It’s also important to look at industry trends and determine how to position your brand for what’s coming. Even if you don’t have new products launching now, look at what you are doing (and saying) to your customers. As the industry evolves, will your current messages continue to position you as relevant? Brand revitalization will help create a bridge with solid value propositions that position your brand for both today and tomorrow.

3. Your audience focus needs to shift 

Your building materials brand might make a proactive choice to shift focus to reach a new audience. Perhaps you’ve never gone direct to your end users with your message. Instead, you’ve relied on the distribution channel to promote the value of your brand. Now, though, you want to build excitement for your product among your end users so they create the demand with the channel. 

The approach that you used to promote your product to the channel won’t work for your end user. After all, what’s important to the distribution channel is much different from what’s important to the person using your product. A brand revitalization approach transforms your messaging and the execution to reach this new audience in the best way possible.

Even if you’re not targeting a new audience, you may still need to shift the way you focus on your current audience — especially if you discover that your brand is getting murky. This can happen when more competitors enter the landscape and capture your audience’s attention. Or it can happen when your audience’s day-to-day world changes and their priorities shift (as is the case when we look at a pre- and post-pandemic environment). Brand revitalization will provide clarity by reestablishing your relationship with the audience and elevating your brand’s value. 

4. The ownership structure of your brand has changed

One of the most common ownership changes in the building materials space is a shift to private equity. Private equity firms acquire brands to drive higher valuation and growth during a three- to five-year holding period. During that time, they might merge your brand with another investment, infuse your organization with additional capital for improvements, or restructure to propel the next phase. 

The strength of your core brand is important here — the private equity firm saw its value and potential. Brand revitalization is your way to drive growth early in the ownership process. It may mean taking a closer look at your manufacturing or distribution processes. Or it may require you to update for messaging for a new audience segment. The goal is to use brand revitalization to speed up the time to execution so results come quickly.

5. No one in your organization describes your company’s products, services, and value in the same way

The previous four triggers have been primarily externally driven. However, brand revitalization is as much internal work as it is execution in the market. 

When no one inside your organization describes your products, services, and value proposition the same way, it’s problematic for your brand. This disconnect becomes particularly evident within your sales team. If your brand is reliant on field representatives to move your products into the market, then how your team talks about the brand is even more important. 

Your field reps are likely talking about your brand based on what they know to be true. That means some may be using the same scripts they learned when they onboarded years ago. The information you give to your field reps — and to anyone within your organization — should evolve just as it does with your external customers. In fact, it should be directly aligned with what you are saying in the market.

In this instance, the brand revitalization process would consider the creation (or refinement) of your unique value proposition. This single message — one that is strong, relevant and authentic — provides consistency for your brand, but still allows for nuance. This way, when field reps (or others in your organization) are presenting to different audiences (a hospital, an elementary school, a retail establishment, etc), they focus on the core tenants of your brand but can also elevate the value that will resonate most with the audience.

Brand revitalization is an ongoing effort to stay relevant

No matter the circumstance that drives your brand’s need for revitalization — your competition starts telling a better story, customers become less loyal or you’re introducing a major innovation — it starts with being relevant. 

Understanding how your audience sees your brand, being clear about your value proposition, and delivering meaningful execution (both messages and visuals) helps your building materials brand better respond to triggers. With brand revitalization, you’ll get to market faster, at a higher premium and with increased value for the organization.

The post 5 Signs Your Building Materials Brand Is Ready for Revitalization appeared first on Point To Point.

If yours is like most building materials companies, your brand is established. It carries a strong heritage and a great deal of pride that connects both internally with your company and externally with your customers.

Sometimes, however, the connection that was once established no longer translates for the market. This can leave your organization feeling like you aren’t telling the best brand story — and customers feeling that your brand isn’t for them.

There’s usually nothing fundamentally wrong with the brand itself, so a full rebrand isn’t the solution. Instead, this problem occurs when a perfectly acceptable brand drifts into meaningless territory, a marketing no-man’s-land in which the brand no longer connects emotionally with customers.

But you can get your brand back on track — driving positive customer interactions and business results — with brand revitalization. This is your opportunity to tell the world (or, at the very least, your target audience), why your building materials brand is relevant to the market.

How brand revitalization differs from a rebrand

Before we get too far ahead of ourselves, let’s talk about what brand revitalization is and how it’s different from rebranding.

Brand revitalization isn’t an effort to change the foundational elements of your brand. Instead, it lends a critical eye to the execution of your brand within each marketing effort and uncovers ways to sharpen or hone your approach.

Think about it this way: A chef pulls a knife from the block each time they cook. And they always sharpen it two or three times before preparing a meal. That’s because chefs know that a sharp edge is stronger and more effective. By taking the time to ensure it’s in the best condition, the chef can be confident the knife is always ready to do its job and achieve the desired results.

Brand revitalization urges you to think about your brand the same way. Each time you execute a marketing tactic, you should sharpen your brand so that it will do the best possible job for you.

But just as the chef doesn’t trade their trusty knife for a new one the moment it starts to get dull, brand revitalization isn’t about throwing away your existing brand or changing it into something that it is not. It’s not a logo redesign or an overhaul of your brand pillars. Those will remain. Afterall, they’re at the core of who you are — and it has taken serious work for your brand to achieve the status it has today.

Brand revitalization focuses on messaging first and visual elements second. It may result in updated messaging for your digital ads or tweaks to the visual elements of point-of-sale displays to make them more provocative. But it won’t rewrite your brand’s DNA. In short, it helps your individual marketing tactics live up to exactly what your brand is already about and should be.

True brand revitalization is more than just tactics. It’s an ongoing assessment of your brand that focuses on the best outcomes — for your business and for your customer.

Brand revitalization starts with a mindset

For it to have the most impact, brand revitalization shouldn’t be a one-and-done project. In fact, it’s as much a way of thinking as it is a way of doing.

Let’s face it: With the time and budget to execute only a few major marketing initiatives a year, you need to maximize results. A brand revitalization mindset will help you get the most return from your marketing investment as you intentionally consider the needs of your business and of your customer.

Every touchpoint with your target audience is an opportunity to revitalize your brand. But before you dig too deep into how the tactical execution looks, take some time to think about the impact your work is having (or has not had).

Continually thinking about your brand and its impact on your audience — that’s before, during and after the launch of new marketing efforts — means you can be more certain that the messages and visuals you are launching are in lockstep with business goals and with what the market is demanding.

Brand revitalization keeps your brand relevant

Context is key to a successful brand revitalization. Ultimately, the goal is to drive deeper relevance for your customers — and a deeper connection to your brand. That happens when you talk about the things people actually care about in a way that makes them care even more.

Do this by paying attention to what your audience is currently experiencing, the problems they might be facing, and how you can help solve them. Conversations with your audiences are truly effective when you talk about the things that matter most to them in the ways that matters most.

The building products industry has a long legacy. In fact, many of the materials used for building have not changed over the years. Unfortunately, neither has the way that most brands talk about them. An intentional brand revitalization mindset helps you become more aware of this reality and positions you to pivot in a way that sets your product — and your brand — apart.

Create relevancy through memorable brand experiences

Let’s look at an example of how this works.

Sealant is a widely known, widely used product for builders. When OSI — a leader in window and siding sealants and adhesives — needed to stand out from the competition, they looked for ways that they could revitalize their brand with their target audience. A competitive analysis revealed that nearly all the sealant manufacturers were sharing visuals of the material being installed around windows, in a shower, or along baseboards.

But OSI knew their audience already knew what it looks like to install sealant. Showing people who install it for a living the basics of their job is redundant and unmemorable. Images like that wouldn’t differentiate their product from the others on the market. Their message would be  irrelevant and, ultimately, fall short.

Instead, when they looked at their product through a brand revitalization lens, they were armed with insights from research and evaluation that positioned them to do something unexpected. OSI adjusted their marketing approach so that their message about sealant stood out among everything else their audience was seeing and hearing.

Like OSI, as you look at insights in relation to your brand’s attributes, you can look for opportunities to connect the two in a meaningful, relevant way. OSI decided to amplify one of their core attributes — durability. Not only is this important to the brand, it’s also top of mind (and relevant) for their audience.

Now, instead of showing the sealant being installed, OSI’s visual approach shows images of storms or other natural disasters that wreak havoc on a jobsite. This illustrates that their caulk is able to withstand it all — its durability is unmatched.

OSI didn’t change their logo. Nor did they change their brand tagline. Instead, they infused the context of their overarching brand and a relevant brand attribute into a specific marketing application in a way that helps them stand out from the competition.

Brand revitalization should always focus on results

The goal of brand revitalization should always be the evolution of your brand. It’s your invitation to step away from what you’ve always done and into marketing efforts that are leading edge.

Brand revitalization encourages you to separate yourself from the competition by speaking and responding to your customers in a way that is authentic — to create a more relevant and memorable experience for your audience.

When done well, brand revitalization infuses the context of your overarching brand into the messaging and visuals for specific audience types or segments in a way that speaks to them directly. It doesn’t take away from the core elements (the foundation) of your brand. Instead, it gives more meaning to your individual campaigns that, in turn, drives better results.

The post What Your Building Materials Organization Should Know About Brand Revitalization appeared first on Point To Point.

The post 4 Ways To Get Footing With Spec Sites appeared first on Point To Point.

In this blog, we’ll show you how to identify opportunities to improve your performance on specification sites. You’ll gain a better understanding of the specification landscape and why these sites are so important for your brand performance.

In the companion blog to this one, we covered the who, what and why of specification sites. We shared how to maximize your spec site investment and the reasons behind it. Here, we’ll share ways in which you can improve the return on investment.

Get More From Spec Sites

With a better understanding of specification in place, your plan should have actionable steps you can take to dig into, and improve your spec site programs.

Audit Your Presence Compared To Your Competitors

You’re going to have to discover the gaps in your product spec listings. Start by comparing yours and competitors’ listings. Search their profiles and products. See how they’re being promoted. Continuously monitor them to look for opportunities.
Then, ensure that all of your new products are available. Update any information and content that becomes outdated. Make a plan on how to revise and close the gaps. Determine what drives higher rankings and make sure that you’re well positioned against your competition.

Review And Audit Your Spec Site Agreements

Are you receiving everything that you agreed to from your spec sites? Are you receiving all the items that you paid for? Contact your representative and create a plan to have undelivered items fulfilled.
Be proactive. Close any gaps in your agreement, such as with promotions or content placements. Know if you have bonuses or added value opportunities. Keep up with new features being offered by your spec sites.

When you have all this knowledge, negotiate with them. We recently worked with a client to do a two-year agreement at a 10% discount. They saved thousands of dollars simply by committing to a two year agreement.

Review Performance Reports From Each Site

Review reports from the sites each month to determine where you can improve your performance. Look for areas where you’re missing opportunities with certain project types or geographies. Project types may include residential, commercial or public.
Know your spec rates. Confirm that your leading products are being spec’d. If not, understand why and what you can do to fix it. Areas to include content and keywords. Find any factors that are limiting your products’ visibility.

Of course, always pay attention to your competition. Review how they’re performing. Some spec sites allow you to see this info on the online dashboards.

Make It Easy & Work The Leads

Embrace the data. Learn what data your spec sites provide as far as leads.
Audit the quality of your leads and review them with your sales team. Determine who on the team will be responsible for working the leads. Conduct outreach to the leads and test different scripts, offers and contact types. This can be as simple as email versus phone calls.

Above all, stay consistent with your approach.

Want to talk about your marketing planning?
As the new year fast approaches, now’s the time to strategize on how you’ll implement spec sites into your planning. If you have any questions about the approach or want to discuss ideas, please reach out and set up some time to meet with our VP, Strategy, Jake Kellogg.

The post Demystifying Specification: 4 Ways To Get More From Spec Sites appeared first on Point To Point.

The post Demystifying Specification Sites: Definition To Maximization appeared first on Point To Point.

There’s an art to branding. This is especially true for B2B marketers in the building products and manufacturing segments. With the building materials buyers being a finite target base, companies need to be tuned in to what their brand means to their audiences and how they differentiate from competitors.

Additionally, competition in the building materials segment has gotten more intense through the business shift brought on by a pandemic. The specification sales process has moved from face-to-face meetings to more online communications and the need for a sharp, differentiated value proposition has become more valuable than ever.

Establishing a brand identity is paramount to developing a marketing approach that differentiates from the competitor brands. We start with understanding a client’s business model, channel strategy, target audience segment, industry headwinds, competitive set and product suite.

Our brand development process follows three core steps designed to differentiate and elevate.

Recently we had an opportunity to partner with Surface Resources to take their brand to a new level, while also being mindful of their status and budget as a small business.

Here’s how we did it:

Differentiation

We want to discover together what sets your brand apart from others, especially legacy brands that are more established in the market. We want to know what inspires you. What motivates you? Do you know how to connect with your customers/audience? Where do you want to take your brand? What do you dream about your brand becoming? How do we break through and provoke forward-thinking realities? Our goal is simplistic but it drives idea generation.

SurfaceResources – Differentiation
We worked closely with Surface Resources to learn their core audience segments and their core values.

Through our discovery process, we identified three differentiators:

• A portfolio of flooring and tile brands with clear sustainability differentiators.
• Price points for every project.
• Material availability competitors can’t offer.

This high-level work took place before a single logo was concepted or marketing piece was designed. It led to both Point To Point and Surface Resources having a clear vision for the direction of the brand and a mutual foundation on the approach.

ID Creation

We want our clients to “feel” the work, to see their brand come to life in ways that exceeds their expectations. This work isn’t done with a single PowerPoint presentation—logo creation is iterative, usually starting with more raw expressions and then evolving into more granular, detailed refinement.

Starting first with fast sketches and quick idea generation, then moving the concepts we feel strongly about into digital exploration, we’ll pour over the typesetting and only then move on to the logo itself. From there, we self-edit and evaluate which ones are truly “working” and differentiated enough to put in front of the client.

Point To Point worked with Surface Resources to create an ID identifiable to their business.

Surface Resources – ID Creation:
We knew the visual representation had to reflect the essence of the brand. For example, when designing the new Surface Resources logo we wanted to explore making the ID a visual descriptor for the brand product offering.

We landed on a logo that creates the illusion that the word “Surface” is actually emerging from a surface, by the way its baseline is breaking a plane. After a logo is selected, we’re then able to move into additional foundational creative elements.

Messaging + Visual Branding

While a new logo is certainly a very important element of a rebrand, it doesn’t tell a complete story. Just as important as the logo, are the things that surround it. It involves messaging, imagery and color and texture—all working together to reinforce and establish a brand’s visual and verbal identity.

Defining these very key components via mood boards and message maps, allows us to have a blueprint for the brand expression and the ability to move into the creation of outward-facing marketing materials with a clear idea of how it will look and sound.

Point To Point and Surface Resources were able to identify and visualize their brand, making it stand out with the target audience.

Surface Resources – Messaging + Visual Branding:
Surface Resources now conveys the high-end sophistication of the brands that they represent. And with the tools from the previous branding phases, we’re able to establish a new website, sampling experience and marketing collateral. The Surface Resource brand is ready to be launched.

With these foundational brand materials completed, there’s now a clear benchmark for the creation of future materials and a destination to drive the audience using a cohesive story that leaves a lasting impression.

We’d love to hear your thoughts on building brand identity or let us know if you want to talk further about our process.

The post 3 Fundamentals To Establishing Your Brand’s Identity appeared first on Point To Point.

Third in a series of posts looking at results and insights from our study of building products marketers

When we commissioned a one-of-a-kind study of C-Suite level building products manufacturer marketers, we looked to understand the dynamic between B2B marketing measurement strategy and if it correlated with the industry’s average cost per lead.

We’ve established how quickly the digital era is scaling for BPMs and taking what we learned from BPMs current strategies on measurement and acquisition costs is a natural progression to help our industry compete in a hot market.

Let’s take a look at our findings and offer recommendations.

BPMs favor qualitative more than quantitative

What factors does your company consider most important in determining B2B marketing channel investment?

When we asked this question, BPMs identified qualitative measurement over quantitative metrics. Brand awareness (53 percent) and reach/targeting (48 percent), both qualitative measurement, came out ahead of quantitative metrics like website traffic (46 percent) and quality of leads (45 percent).

Website traffic (46 percent), quality of leads (45 percent) and return on investment (44 percent) are not lost on BPMs, but overall, measurement is lagging in the digital evolution.

While important to know the “what,” understanding the quantitative is important to being successful and having influence within the organization to grow marketing budget along with revenue.

Let’s look at it through a company’s cost per lead

What are you spending today? The study revealed that the building materials industry is spending on average $252 per lead. When we researched the cost per lead compared to other industries, we came in well above them in a side-by-side comparison.

Know your campaign metrics ahead of time and then review and track regularly. Test and adjust. And don’t forget, reviewing your marketing strategy quarterly leads directly to being in the right digital channels and the best measurement techniques.

Our recommendation is to have a clear measurement plan. Knowing what and where to measure will give you the ability to develop or adjust plans to reduce acquisition costs.

Complete study results and resources available

Access the white paper, learn the 7 crucial steps to BPM marketing in the new economy (infographic), or listen back to our recorded webinar. Visit our “Reimagining Building Materials Marketing for a New Economy” page.

I also encourage you to contact me to discuss the study or marketing opportunities.

Until next time. Megan

The post BPM Study Quick Hit: Improper Measurement Equates To Acquisition Costs appeared first on Point To Point.

Second in a series of posts looking at results and insights from our study of building products marketers

As an agency focused exclusively on building materials and industrial manufacturing we’ve long studied marketing forecasts and trends so we’re in position to best collaborate and consult with our clients.

When we commissioned a study of C-Suite level marketers from building products manufacturers, we couldn’t wait to dig into the results. Our first blog in this series covered why BPMs are increasing budgets to increase market share.

Now, let’s take a look at another discovery.

A paradigm shift: The digital era for BPMs is here

Our survey asked executives what percentage of your company’s B2B marketing budget was directed to various analog and digital channels in 2020. An overwhelming 79 percent of respondents listed digital channels over more traditional mediums like out of home and print.

Leading the digital channel charge were BIM/specs/product data at 11% of the budget, quickly followed by email/marketing automation also at 11% and digital display at 10%. Respondents forecasted investment in these digital channels will accelerate in 2022, along with social media – paid investment.

This is exactly how we advise our clients to fund their programs.

Start at the point of conversion, your product, and work backwards up the funnel towards awareness. Leverage your first-party data, customers and known prospects, as the first channel for your message. Then use channels like display and social to engage and drive brand awareness.

(You can read more about specification marketing in our blog covering three specification trends that BPM marketers need to know. A major focus of your strategy should focus on the sustainability market, which is expected to reach $150 billion this year.)

BPMs see online channels growing in importance through 2022

62 percent say that paid social is important going forward, followed by 59 percent saying digital display.

Paid social media is a great channel for BPM’s because it accomplishes two goals – it builds brand awareness and drives leads. The audience targeting capabilities have significantly evolved so you also know your message is reaching the right audience.

Complete study results and resources available

Access the white paper, learn the 7 crucial steps to BPM marketing in the new economy (infographic), or listen back to our recorded webinar. Visit our “Reimagining Building Materials Marketing for a New Economy” page.

I also encourage you to contact me to discuss the study or marketing opportunities.

Until next time. Megan

The post BPM Study Quick Hit: How Quickly Is The Digital Era Scaling? appeared first on Point To Point.

In 2016, we first shared the importance of clients knowing in more detail how architects, specifiers, general contractors and interior designers see construction specification as essential to their work. The topic is as relevant today as it was then so let’s take a fresh look at the three most common types of construction specifications used in commercial projects.

How will we tell your brand’s story so that architects want to list your products in their required product specifications? How can we relay to general contractors that your products fit in their execution procedures?

Understanding these three specification types are the first step

Here’s the answers to the questions that can lead your brand to more relevance:

Performance Specifications

Performance specifications address the operational requirements of an installation. The focus is on the project outcome, indicating how the final project must be able to function. Here, architects provide direction to the general contractor about what is needed and the general contractor must determine the best path to achieve the desired outcome. While this approach gives the general contractor flexibility in his construction approach, it limits how much authority an architect maintains once construction is underway.

Prescriptive Specifications

Prescriptive Specifications contain detailed descriptions of what specific materials must be used as well as the installation instructions. This type of spec usually involves three key components:

1. General provisions: requirements surrounding codes and standards
2. Required products: the type of products required based on performance and structural stipulations
3. Execution procedures: how to do the install and measure its effectiveness

Prescriptive specs put a greater burden on the architect (as opposed to the general contractor) to ensure proper installation.

Proprietary Specifications

Proprietary Specifications demand that only one specific product be used for a given installation. It is commonly utilized if the portion of a project requires a certain performance that only one product can achieve. This could ultimately drive up project costs.

Along with these three types of construction specifications, specs can also be classified as “open” or “closed,” a division often determined by the project’s stage in design development.

An open specification is when an architect does not name a specific supplier or product and allows for substitutions to be made by the contractor. It does not limit competition, but rather is dictated by a set of standards that more than one manufacturer can meet, allowing for many alternatives to be submitted for approval. Performance specifications are often considered to be open.

A closed specification lists specific products, systems and manufacturers, with no alternatives or mechanisms to apply a substitution. Closed specifications are most often seen when matching a specification to an existing building, or when an exact duplication is important. By default, closed specifications are proprietary. However, they can be made “open” by not referring to a singular brand or providing requirements applicable only to a specific product. This is commonly done by adding “or equal” after the listed brand.

It is critical for building/design product manufacturers to understand the various classifications and types of specification in construction, as well as in which spec scenarios their products will most frequently be considered.

Let’s discuss how your brand story can be developed to fit into each of these specifications. Give me a shout and start the journey to becoming a specified brand

The post A Fresh Look At Three Types Of Construction Specifications appeared first on Point To Point.