Smarter Building Materials Marketing

Data helps us connect the dots between the different parts of an organization, whether that's product development, marketing, sales or customer service. Data plays a bigger role in a lot of the decisions that today’s manufacturers make — are you using it to your advantage? Bob Sanders, Director of Sales at Shouldice Designer Stone, works for a manufacturer that spends a considerable amount of...

One of the most overlooked parts of the sales process for manufacturers is the visual component to the purchasing decision. If you’re planning out your marketing content for next year, it’s time to prioritize — and imagery is a great place to start when it comes to boosting your sales.  Greg Weyman is the founder and managing partner for Market Thrive, and he has a ton of insights (and great stati...

Want a pipeline that fills itself? This week, we talked with an expert in business development on how manufacturers create a pipeline that's constantly full with commercial architects, without actually having to generate a lot of outbound activity.  Caitlin Mulligan is the Director of Business Development at SCI Lighting Solutions and works with high-end architects and designers in the commer...

The question we get asked most often is about social media and its ROI. So this week’s episode is all about the strategies and tactics we use to help building materials manufacturers succeed in the digital world. If you’re trying to level up your social media presence, stay tuned.  Zach and Beth talk with Venveo’s own social media expert Ashley Stevenson to get into the nitty-gritty of the ROI of...

What’s getting builders to switch the products they typically build with? While builders and other construction professionals aren’t known to adopt new products or materials readily, we’re finding that behavior has started to shift. This week’s episode explores why. Zach and Beth talk with Jimmy Cotty, Executive Director of the Georgia Ready Mixed Concrete Association, about how manufacturers can...

Growing a building materials brand is about the story you’re telling. The better the story, the greater the sale. But what if you’ve got a few different audiences? What should your brand’s story sound like then? Let’s find out from a company that began their story from the ground up. Greg Rohl is principal of The Rohl Model and the family-founded Rohl Faucets brand. The company has an established...

This episode is an exploration of the professional installer and trade industry and what they want from building materials manufacturers. Plus, what does the future of the trades look like? And how can manufacturers ensure that their future is a little brighter? Chad Lingafelt is the managing partner of Loc-Doc Security, a door and security firm in North Carolina. Chad is also the host of a great...

What issues are ahead in land development and how will that affect the future of the construction industry? This week’s episode features an in-depth interview with a land developer who helps us understand the market from the inside out. We talk with Eric Tune, a general-contractor-turned-developer, who is now Vice President of Land Development at Brookfield in Phoenix, about how construction and b...

Is housing overvalued today? On this episode, we bring in an expert on investing, who gives us some much-needed perspective on housing today and how manufacturers and building materials companies can expect it to impact their business. Wondering when the bubble will burst? Let’s explore that question a little more. We talked with Jason Hartman, Founder and CEO of The Hartman Media Company, to bett...

If you’re a building materials manufacturer with a website, then pay attention to this week’s episode. Google is rolling out an algorithm update that's going to impact everybody's digital presence, and we dive into how you can improve your SEO and Google rankings, and stay ahead of these major changes.

A lot of manufacturers target their buyer audience in marketing, and cater their message just to them, whether that’s homeowners, suppliers or contractors. But that strategy can fall short, and there’s a potential to miss out on sales. Zach and Beth talk with Angela Ballisty, the Global Director of Marketing for Lonza Wood Protection, about how manufacturers can effectively engage with wider audie...

Before the rest of 2021 escapes us, we wanted to bring our audience some perspective on what our industry can look forward to in the months ahead. This episode features some important insights on the construction market this year and what we’ve all been through. Listen until the end, because you’ll hear some great suggestions around how manufacturers can navigate upcoming shifts in the pro and hom...

Architects have to wear a lot of hats when it comes to running just one single project. This week, we talked to an architect who helped us better understand what manufacturers can do to get in front of these professionals to get specified on their projects. Zach and Beth talk with Eric Zuziak, President of JZMK Partners, about how manufacturers can be more effective in their marketing and sales st...

Have you been trying out selling strategies on custom home builders with less success than you’d like? If you want to better understand this niche audience, this week’s show is for you: It’s full of tactics and ideas for manufacturers who need their marketing plans to go further. Zach and Beth talk with Steve Yates, president of Buildxact, a software that’s used by small residential and commercial...

The rise of eCommerce has found its way into the construction industry, leaving manufacturers with questions about how digital selling might disrupt their business. Learn how one building materials dealer has embraced eCommerce as a part of their daily business — it even resulted in a million-dollar day for their product sales. Zach and Beth talked with one of the nation's largest building ma...

The future of architecture and construction feels a little unpredictable right now, so this week we talked with someone on the inside of the industry. John Crosby is with the AIA, and he joined us to discuss building better partnerships with architects and how manufacturers can stay ahead of more industry shifts.

It’s no secret that demand is high in the building materials industry today, so why are so many manufacturers losing sales? We talked with one of the construction industry’s biggest names, Matt Risinger, about how manufacturers can stay successful in such a fast-paced environment. You’ll want to check this one out. Our celebrity guest this week shares his insights on how today’s manufacturers can...

We’re going deep into the way your audience — architects, designers, builders, contractors and DIYers — researches, finds and buys building products. This week, Zach and Beth talk with Grant Farnsworth, president of The Farnsworth Group, about some of the key takeaways and surprises from the recent pair of 2021 Building Products Customer Guide: Audience Breakdown webinars. Plus, the trio discusses...

Lumber prices have been skyrocketing over the last year, and this week we’re talking to someone who has a unique perspective on how the construction industry got here. For an inside look at what's happening to lumber prices and how it's impacting all of us in the industry, this episode is worth it. Let’s nerd out about lumber, shall we? We’re thrilled to have had Stinson Dean on the show...

You might have a marketing plan in place for your building materials brand, but are your products capable of exciting your audience? We talk with a designer, who also works for a manufacturer, about an effective yet overlooked strategy that can keep your audience truly engaged and excited about your products. In this episode, Zach and Beth talked with Richard Anuszkiewicz, Lead Designer at Design...

One developer has improved their customer experience and increased sales after implementing digital tools to virtually sell new homes during the pandemic. Now that restrictions are being lifted, we discuss if virtual selling will last and why it should. This week, Zach talks with Kris Maher, an architect who is also Vice President of Design at Rancho Mission Viejo, about how transitioning to selli...

For building product manufacturers, being innovative in your business is the only way to stay relevant and ahead of your competition. But “innovative” can be a little vague, right? We were excited to break that down on the podcast, so manufacturers can approach innovation in the construction industry with confidence. In this episode, Zach and Beth talk with Peter Jacobson, a Business Designer at P...

One question we hear from manufacturers all the time is, "Should I be on Houzz?” If you’re wondering about having a presence on the incredibly popular global platform (and if you’ll see results), this episode is for you. This week, Zach and Beth chat with Liza Hausman, Vice President of Industry Marketing at Houzz, at length about how manufacturers can make the most out of being on Houzz. Whe...

Manufacturers today have a lot of competition. They have to market themselves strategically so that architects and designers will specify them on a project. But with the right tactics, you can stand out from other building materials brands and keep your products in the spec. In this episode, Zach and Beth talk with Brooke Collins, the Regional Manager for the Florida division of Builders Design, a...

The construction labor shortage is one of the biggest problems we’re facing in the building materials industry today. But there’s one manufacturer who has tackled that issue head-on, and their sales have grown exponentially because of the solutions they’ve come up with. This week, Zach and Beth talk with Jay Small, President of Precision Building Systems (PBS), a manufacturer/installer hybrid with...