What to Consider When Developing Technical Literature for Construction Products?
When preparing your marketing strategy for construction products, technical literature is often included. In construction markets, the phrase technical literature encompasses a range of documents: building product brochures or catalogues, price lists, specification documents, installation guides for example. And although each can have a slightly different purpose the need for them to be comprehensive and more importantly accurate are constant themes.
Preparing your construction product price list
Often seen as the most basic example, a price list still needs to be looked at through the eyes of the person using it. For example, it may be someone in the specification process such as a quantity surveyor collating list prices as preparation for a tender or a contractor preparing a quote for a customer. Having sufficient information, which allows top level selection of a product e.g. dimensions, pack quantities, MMQs etc. plus the key benefits and standards it meets makes the document user-friendly, meaningful and more likely to be picked up again for future projects.
Collaborating on a construction product datasheet
Middle level documentation such as a datasheet is regarded as a must have by the marketing team but can often be dismissed as something that the technical department is responsible for. In truth it should be a combined effort. Key aspects that are typically supplied by the technical team include; CAD drawings with relevant dimensions; the standards the products are designed and tested to and selector charts/data tables.
Where marketing delivers the extra benefit is taking this information and delivering it in a common format and layout with the addition of meaningful introductory text as well as features and benefits. Positioning the products against each other, in-line with their applications, so supporting your businesses’ strategic sales plan.
High resolution imagery and diagrams are a must, as are consistent easy to read selector charts/data tables. Datasheets need to be clear, functional documents that have a uniform style that meet the company’s brand guidelines. The temptation to improve their aesthetics through the use of too many colours and incorporating too much information on the page can over complicate and detract from their usability.
What to include in your building product catalogue
Technical catalogues aimed at architects and specifiers are quite rightly seen as key by the marketing team and need to outline everything your company and its products have to offer these important users. A company which wants to be seen as a Trusted Advisor to the architect/specifier can use this marketing tool to set the scene.
Your company introduction
Your company introduction should be comprehensive outlining any ethos and brand values. Be sure to mention any relevant quality, H&S and environmental standards that your company meets.
Sustainability is a focus of architects and specifiers, as their clients increasingly want to work with construction product manufacturers who can demonstrate their commitments in this area. If your company follows any sustainability focussed initiatives or schemes either through its manufacture, distribution or its employees be sure to mention them. Product standards and regulations and industry wide initiatives are subject matters that should be addressed in this type of literature, be sure to outline all the relevant ones.
A guide to product selection
Moving on to products, the principles of selecting a product should be outlined so that the architect/specifier can be led through the process and be confident they have selected the correct product for the job. Tools to support this include high resolutions photos, detailed diagrams, illustrations, selector charts, data tables, customer testimonials and lifetime value justifications. Applications of the products need to be explained and which characteristics are the most important for each application, if there are differences.
Although the performance of a construction product is paramount the aesthetics of it can also be important depending on its use. Be sure to incorporate clear features, benefits and images of products in situ across the application range.
Support and additional tools
The technical catalogue targeted at architects/specifiers requires a lot of thought and planning. It should also outline any support and addition tools that the company offers e.g. any design services, product customisation offerings, product samples, BIM data, CPDs etc.
Incorporating technical product literature into your marketing mix
Your technical product documentation needs to be available in whichever format is best for your target market and the end user – taking into consideration the split between printed and/or electronic. When looking at the budgets it is worth evaluating your literatures’ importance against other aspects of the marketing mix. e.g. it might be better to pay the money for the design and print of 8 extra pages in this targeted document than the equivalent value spent on other activities.
Many manufacturers, even if going through distribution channels, have to create the pull through the channel as well as the push, this is often through end user catalogues and brochures. Again, these need to be created in line with what are seen as the important aspects to this audience. Depending on the type of construction product involved they may rely more on the aesthetic qualities and applications of the construction product than the other documents, so may require more high quality application imagery, print finishing etc.
In summary – first impressions count
Whichever piece of technical literature is being prepared for a construction product what is fundamental is its accuracy in terms of technical information. Having a focus on spelling and grammar also reinforces the professional image of the company. It really is the old adage “first impressions count”.
If a potential customer sees literature littered with inaccuracies and spelling mistakes, they may well ask can that company be trusted technically? This applies to all construction product manufacturers regardless of size.
Multi-national companies often face the additional problem of trying to roll out literature produced by a central marketing department. This can produce text that although correct in direct translation, does not have the correct terminology actually used in the market – especially where technical phrases/jargon come in to it. These documents need to be reviewed and amended accordingly.
As illustrated technical literature types can potentially be very different even though they can incorporate the same products. Understanding the important aspects required by each of your users helps you create the best documents for your customers needs. Creating personas for each of your target literature users can be helpful as part of this process. And with the time and costs involved in the production of technical literature it may be worth considering undertaking a wider review of your sales and marketing tools to ensure they are delivering the messages and returns you are expecting.
