Five fundamentals of marketing communications

CIMCIG’s Rick Osman believes that marketing is essentially a simple exercise and that five fundamentals apply regardless of whether you’re using PowerPoint, Twitter, exhibitions or CPD.

Attract, inform and convince

All parts of your communications mix should create a good first impression; give it impact and make it memorable. Provide as much relevant and complete detail as space and time allows, to enable your reader to do their job efficiently and safely. Never forget that by providing evidence of your technical expertise you are building credibility and confidence in your products and services. Achieving all that within, for example, Twitter’s 140 word limit may seem a challenge, but good copywriting and the right link will do it.

Keep it relevant

Smart copy will trigger conversation, and marketing is about conversation and recommendation. Word of mouth reputation was how marketing started; social networking is just its latest incarnation. Your copy should therefore inform and use language well, and appropriately. If drawings and illustrations are used they should be of a professional standard, well labeled and show detail; while photographs should be high quality and demonstrate how your products have been used successfully in real projects.

Follow the expected formalities

Different media use different conventions. Website pages should show the date of their most recent revision. Printed datasheets should feature an issue date and correct construction filing references (CI/SfB and Uniclass). Exhibition stands should be approachable. Blogs should acknowledge information sources. Email newsletters must have an unsubscribe option. ReTweets should include the originator… and publications should fit on shelves!

Design is not about ‘empty’ styling

Being deliberately obscure is a marketing no-no. Design is how information achieves its purpose. That applies regardless of whether its function is to inform, inspire, or motivate to specify or buy. Construction professionals are design literate. They recognise good design when they see it and they recognise – and reject – poor design when they see that too. Poor information design is equated with poor products.

Design quality is born out of an understanding of all its constituent parts: colour, copy, typography, paper, illustrations, photography, browser compatibility, spelling, information hierarchy, structure, navigation and more. And these ingredients need to be expertly combined to create a clear ‘glance – scan – read’ structure that will attract, inform and convince your audience to choose your products.

Get the balance right

Good design balances impact with clarity. Good copywriting balances sales and marketing messages with genuinely useful information.

 

Editor’s note

Get your well-crafted marketing communications seen by all the right people: RIBAMail provides a complete data rental and mailing fulfilment service. Lists include architects, architectural practices and CPD contact details. Data selections can be broken down by geographical location. Clients can also chose from among private and public sector practices, quantity and building surveyors, construction companies, interior designers, engineering consultancies and housing association architectural departments. Find out more.

 

Rick Osman is a CIMCIG committee member and director of Highwire, a construction marketing and design agency that was one of the team that created hotel-standards.com. Follow his weekly construction marketing tips on Twitter @highwire_design.com.

 

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