Companies in the building materials channel want confidence that what they are investing in strategic marketing will actually work and deliver the business results they are committing to their senior leadership and shareholders.
That’s where the impact of channel expertise comes in. Whether its expertise inside the organization or outside, there is no replacement for its impact on business results. In a recent Interrupt Insight newsletter, I discussed the role of consultative selling from the manufacturer to their customers. Providing business value through expertise (not just a good relationship) is the new expectation of the industry. When you provide the knowledge that leads to incremental business value, that’s the start to creating a sustainable relationship with your customers, making price less of the decision process.
This same concept of expertise is just as true with whom you partner with and how you execute your marketing initiatives. Most advertising agencies understand/work in only one “P” of the 4 Ps of Marketing-Promotion. However, holistic marketing is understanding all 4 Ps (Product, Price, Placement and Promotion), and how they work together to deliver business results. These same agencies also play in several industries, with no deep expertise in any industry. Just because you work on a building material trade ad, doesn’t mean you know the channels and audiences in a comprehensive fashion.
At Interrupt, every day, 24/7 we live deeply in the building products and home improvement channels. The best way to talk about our expertise is to share a comment made by one of our Fortune 500 clients in a strategic planning session
Fortune 500 clientIt’s extremely refreshing to work with an agency with the breadth of knowledge you and your team bring to the table. It provides us the confidence that our branding is on target and that we are investing in the core initiatives that will allow us to hit our business goals.
And that’s how Interrupt measures our success, not by creative awards (which we have won numerous), but more so by the business results we help our clients achieve. Whether it’s helping a client grow sales by 37% and winning NAHB’s best marketing program, or activating 300 plus dealers to a client’s product, or helping a client drive double-digit spec share increase – expertise in the building materials channel is what ensures you get results. Are you getting the expertise you need to drive your business results? If not, let's talk to better understand how our expertise helps deliver strategic creative results for our client partners.
To better understand how we work together, we tapped the MBTI personality test to see how our natural tendencies mesh (or clash!) in our daily interactions. Get our take on this team-building exercise and how INFJs and ENTJs can bring out the best in each other.
One key way to win strategic planning this year: start with what you can control. By first focusing on the elements you know and understand well, you not only avoid “analysis paralysis,” you create openings in your understanding so you can better tackle surprises when the time comes. Learn from Interrupt CEO and veteran strategic planner Bill Rossiter on the best way to approach this annual company exercise.
Pop stars have a saying: you’re only as relevant as your latest hit. But the old adage is useful for describing brands, too, as they seek to stay true to themselves while adjusting to ever-evolving consumer preferences. Learn how to keep your brand on top with insights from Executive Creative Director and Brand Strategist Anita Holman.