Generate Leads

Great content can help generate leads. The most significant content to generate leads for building product manufacturers is AIA continuing education. According to SEO guru Neil Patel, online courses are a proven way to generate more targeted leads. Online education can teach people on their laptops, desktops, smart phones, and tablets.

Architects need a reason to take an online course and there is no better reason than to learn about your product and earn their mandatory CE hour at the same time. AIA continuing education is the most popular method to reach architects, specifiers, interior designers, engineers, and contractors. Manufacturers only need to create a great online course to generate leads. Let’s review some basic facts.

AIA Continuing Education is required for 90,000 AIA members to maintain their professional membership. AIA members are mandated to complete eighteen (18) Learning Units (LU) hours of continuing education annually. Of those 18 hours, a minimum of twelve (12) hours must be on Health, Safety and Welfare (HSW) topics, the remaining six (6) credits may be on topics related to general topics such as architecture, construction and engineering.

Not every building product manufacturer is going to have a Learning Management System (LMS) on their website, as they can be expensive and technically challenging to set up. There are several AIA Education Providers and USGBC Education Partners who can provide this service. Product manufacturers want to get specified. Manufacturers must have the necessary tools and resources to succeed. AIA continuing education offers the most cost effective solution to reach design professionals and get specified.

Creating Content

Now that we have discussed the four ways content marketing can benefit product manufacturers, let’s review how to create great content. How do you generate leads from a specific group like architects, specifiers, contractors, and engineers? Here are a few suggestions.

• Identify content that architects want. What do architects and specifiers want to know about your products? What are your products benefits? How is your product different than the competition? Create great content that can generate page views, less bounce rates, and increases feedback from your customers.
• Research your industry. Study successful content headlines for your industry and discover popular trends to write about.
• Write in-depth content. If you manufacture doors, carpet, paint, insulation, etc., write a detailed white paper about it. Case studies with tons of useful data, testing, charts, can generate traffic.

Examples of Content Marketing

A content marketing strategy for manufacturers can include various types of media. Manufacturers should research their customer’s personas and map out a strategy to reach that niche. Content marketing media can include:

• Videos
• Blog posts
• White papers, case studies, and reports
• Infographics
• E-books

What Not to Do

Follow through is crucial. Building product manufacturers need to plan ahead and follow the steps above. There are several mistakes that manufacturers should also avoid. These tips will hopefully prevent manufacturer headaches!

• Do your homework! Research your audience, goals, and who will lead the content marketing campaign. Don’t ignore building a solid foundation for content marketing.
• Pay attention to your audience. If your targeted audience is architects, appeal directly to them. If your audience is contractors, appeal directly to them. Typically, you won’t write the same content for an architect, contractor, interior designer, engineer, or maintenance director. Don’t disregard your audience.
• Promote your content. You can’t generate leads, build brand awareness, or educate potential customers unless your awesome content gets into the marketplace. Don’t ignore promoting your content.

Overall, content marketing can help a manufacturer become successful. It’s never too late to start a content marketing campaign. What strategies does your company use for content marketing?