The problem with built environment marketing is that are too many products and not enough differentiation.
The marketplace is now overcrowded with products and services, stacked close and piled high, claiming the same features and even the same benefits. Choice is good, in principle. But parity of choice is frustrating for users, and costly for businesses seeking preference for their brand amid so many.
And then there’s the looming impact of Brexit. From bricks to fire boards, heat pumps to roofing systems, the built environment marketplace will only become more competitive. There are over 250 trade associations in the sector, all shouting for a share of the government’s ear as we negotiate with the EU. The question is not who will win, but how they will win.
The answer? Companies which provide the preferable customer experience. This goes beyond the façade of simply creating compelling claims and good looking content. It’s about ensuring the actual experience of that brand builds trust, loyalty, and word-of-mouth advocacy. Because the word of a user is worth almost all the words of a brand.
So what is the blueprint of a great brand experience?
In a word: incisiveness. Intelligently analytical, clear-thinking delivered in a concise and compelling way.
In a world crowded with experiences, incisiveness matters now more than ever. It provides the ultimate value, especially in the margin-driven world of the building and construction sector: time saved.
Because digital technology has increased the speed and volume of information at an exponential pace while people have less time and increased decision-making responsibility. The channels and touchpoints through which a brand is experienced may change, but the power of being incisive will help organisations be bold and cut through.
Brands that deliver focus and time saving experiences will not only win brand purchase but also achieve the ultimate margin delivering goal: brand insistence. This means ensuring a better customer experience and ultimately creating preference for your product or service – and, more importantly, loyalty.
Three ways to apply incisiveness to strengthen your brand insistence:
1. Be dramatically easier to buy than your rivals
Remove any friction in the buying process, plan detailed journeys and focus them on P2P principles – spend the time to nail that Persona. Because convenience is not just king in consumer markets anymore; it’s the way business brands now rule too.
2. Take the time to understand your audience better
You need to know how much information your audience needs to purchase/specify, and then deliver it in a way that is truly frictionless. Combining these two elements allows your brand to appeal both logically and emotionally.
3. Focus is more important for content than abundance
Zero-in on what your customers want, rather than what you’re selling. This accentuates authenticity and increases your competitive difference. Focus requires deep understanding of your audience, sharpening every message and reducing content rather than proliferating it to ensure your communications are direct and to the point.
Find out more about CMDi can help you build a sharper, more customer-focused brand. Contact me, Dianne Lucas, on 01483 546 900 or by emailing DLucas@cmdi.co.uk
Dianne Lucas
Managing Director