How to run a digital BIM marketing campaign for construction manufacturers?

How BIM campaigns differ from traditional marketing of construction products

Traditional marketing campaigns in the construction industry often are based only on the delivery of information about the product. So how is BIM marketing different and how does it work?

Marketing activities using BIM files give designers real tools which they can work with. You publish your BIM files, the designer downloads them and then places them in their project. In this way, your product goes directly to the technical documentation of the investment, and you gain not only new customers but also data about what are architects needs and how they use your solutions.

Thanks to this, BIM marketing is characterized by a higher quality of leads. Engineers downloading libraries have specific design needs. Interacting with a 3D model takes much longer than browsing a traditional catalog, which gives you more time to get to know the product, which is why digitizing your brand's products is so important. In addition, this type of digitization of the marketing of construction manufacturers makes you receive valuable behavioral data - you see which products are tested in real projects, which allows you to better understand the needs of the market.

By helping designers with their day-to-day work, you build long-term relationships that translate into brand loyalty. In an industry where not all manufacturers offer high-quality BIM libraries, this gives you a significant competitive advantage in generating leads with BIM.

What to choose, your own BIM platform or an external portal?

The first and most important decision when promoting products through BIM is the choice between your own platform and external portals for sharing libraries. This decision fundamentally affects marketing opportunities and control over the sales process and is the first step towards the proper digitization of the marketing of construction manufacturers.

Its own platform gives you complete control over the process. Any engineer who wants to download your libraries must register, which allows you to build a database of contacts. This also allows you to see which products are popular, how often they are downloaded and by whom. You can personalize the user experience and build long-term relationships.

By using external portals, you lose control of user information. After the designer downloads the library, contact with him is cut off. You do not know who downloaded your products and then the question arises how they use them or is interested in further cooperation. In addition, you compete for attention with other manufacturers on the same platform. In this case, the advertising of construction products in BIM is less effective.

A dedicated platform created just for your company is an investment in the future - it allows you to build an ecosystem around products and create a competitive advantage, and thus increase sales through BIM. You can read more about how to increase sales through BIM with a good marketing campaign in the following paragraphs.

BIM campaign and the sale of construction products — learn how to reach designers

If you are wondering how to get leads in the construction industry, a BIM campaign can be one of the most effective tools. The availability of BIM libraries is not only a technical issue, but also an element of a broader marketing strategy. It is worth paying attention to several key aspects — the quality and completeness of the models, their availability on popular platforms and the effective promotion and analysis of download data. Read the paragraphs below and learn how to make BIM campaigns translate into more orders for construction manufacturers.

Using statistics to target your campaign to potential customers

By having a BIM platform with your libraries, you gain access to unique statistics that allow you to precisely target marketing activities, as we mentioned in the previous paragraph. Such information is a real gold mine for marketing and product management departments.

Statistics show which products are most frequently downloaded in particular markets. If you see that windows in the German standard are popular in Poland, you can focus your campaign on this product line. When a particular series gains popularity in the media for several weeks in a row, this is a signal to increase the advertising budget for this segment. This valuable information can serve as inspiration to build marketing tactics for construction products.

Analysis of the relevant reasons for the popularity of your brand and products

When one of the families is taken more often, it is worth analyzing why. This can be a signal to add similar products to the “related products” section to increase additional sales (so-called cross-sell). If architects often download BIM files of windows along with blinds, automatically suggesting these products can increase the value of the cart.

Based on statistics, you can also plan seasonal activities, optimize your advertising budget by directing more funds to popular categories, expand your offer by adding product variants that are often sought after, and segment markets by offering different products for different regions.

Revit versions and their compatibility

Data on Revit versions used by architects allows you to optimize libraries for the most popular versions. If 70% of your downloads come from Revit 2023, and you only offer libraries for newer versions, you're missing out on a significant portion of your leads. So statistics help prioritize the development of libraries.

Data Ownership - Your Data, Your Capabilities

One of the biggest advantages of your own BIM platform is full control over user data. Unlike external portals, where you lose contact with architects after downloading files, which makes you constantly wonder how to increase the visibility of construction products. Your web platform gives you all the information about users, thanks to which you know perfectly how to reach architects through BIM.

Full user profile and sales funnel construction

Each BIM library download gives you detailed information about who the designer is, what company he works for and what position. You find out what interests him based on the products downloaded and the frequency of activity. You can also infer what projects he works on based on product configurations and analyze how he uses your products with usage statistics in the plugin.

With this data, you can build a comprehensive digital sales funnel. At the awareness stage, the engineer gets to know your products through BIM libraries. In the interest phase, he downloads libraries and tests them in projects. When considering, he receives personalized marketing materials. At the time of the purchase intention, it contacts the sales department or downloads detailed specifications. Finally, he places an order or incorporates products into the project specifications — and you get a new lead with your BIM libraries!

Additional Benefits of Data Ownership

Data ownership also means that you can segment users based on their behavior and preferences, personalize communication by sending different content to different target groups, test different approaches by A/B testing email campaigns, reactivate inactive users with dedicated actions, and cross-sell products based on download history.

Data from the BIM platform can be combined with existing customer databases, creating a complete picture of the relationship with designers. If an engineer downloads libraries and at the same time your company already has commercial contact with him, you can combine this information for a better customer experience.

SEO and optimization of product descriptions

BIM libraries are not just downloads - they are also marketing content that can attract organic traffic from search engines. The use of BIM in marketing is not everything — it is also important to have the right tactics consisting in proper SEO optimization of product subpages, which can significantly increase the visibility of your products.

Nowadays, many companies choose to embed widgets of external platforms on their website using so-called iframes. At first glance, this is a convenient solution, but it has a number of disadvantages. Iframes are read by the search engine as external content that is not indexed and thus does not contribute to a better position of your domain in searches or to more orders. You want to reach a user who entered your website from organic or paid traffic, but he registers on an external portal, so you lose all information about his further actions.

Optimization of product pages

Each BIM library should have a dedicated page with a complete technical description containing parameters, dimensions and materials. An installation guide showing how to use a product in a project increases the value of the subpage for designers. Building product marketing can include case studies with real-world application examples that build trust and inspire you to use the product.

Technical documentation including certificates, approvals and product sheets is essential for designers making specification decisions. A photo gallery with product visualizations in different contexts helps to better understand the applicability.

Keywords

AEC professionals search BIM files using specific vocabulary. Phrases such as “Revit family aluminum windows”, “BIM library ventilation system”, “parametric gypsum boards” or “thermal insulation BIM library” can bring high-quality organic traffic from people actively seeking design solutions. Sometimes small changes can go a long way towards effective marketing for manufacturers.

In addition, the implementation of structured data allows search engines to better understand the content of product pages.

Online configurators as an essential conversion tool for building designers

Online configurators are a powerful tool that helps architects make design decisions while increasing the likelihood of choosing your products.

How do configurators help architects? Imagine an engineer designing the facade of an office building. Instead of searching through directories and guessing whether a particular window system will fit his vision, he can use an online configurator. In a few minutes, he tests different variants, sees how they look in the context of the building and receives a technical specification.

Configurators reduce design uncertainty through real-time visualization, where the architect sees the effect of their choices. The system automatically verifies possible combinations, checking the compatibility of elements. Calculation of approximate costs helps in budgeting the project, and the ability to export specifications gives you a ready-made list of products to order.

Lead generation by configurators — each use of the configurator is a potential lead. The registration needed to save the configuration is a natural moment to obtain contact information. Sending specifications by e-mail creates an opportunity for further communication. Behavior tracking shows which configurations are the most popular, and retargeting allows campaigns for users who haven't completed the setup. Learn more about configurators in our blog article dedicated to them!

Geographical personalization of products

Global manufacturers often have different offerings in different countries due to local regulations, requirements or standards. The BIM platform allows for intelligent content management per market.

Content per market is not only products, but also the language of descriptions with automatic translations or local versions. Information about local regulations, standards and certifications is crucial for designers. Regional case studies showing projects from a given country build more trust than examples from distant markets.

For example - a designer from Germany sees only products available on the German market. He doesn't waste time browsing systems he can't buy, and you avoid customer frustration and unnecessary inquiries about unavailable products.

Contacts with local distributors and sales representatives facilitate further steps in the purchasing process. Prices in local currency, even indicative, help to quickly assess the budget of the project.

The ability to generate different files for different markets is due to the fact that geometry and data are stored separately. The same geometry of the window can have different parameters - dimensions, colors, certificates - depending on the target market.

Automatic mailing and nurturing of leads

Each BIM library download is a signal of interest that can be used to build a relationship with the designer. Automated mailing allows for systematic nurturing of leads without involving the sales team. When a designer downloads a specific product, they can automatically receive an email with a case study of the project using that product, an installation guide and best practices, information about complementary products, and an invitation to a webinar or training.

You can also launch a reactivation campaign with information about new products in the category, in case the user has not been active for 30 days. Frequent downloads from a specific category can result in an expert email with advanced tutorials, an invitation to a group of experts and direct contact with the product manager.

Automated mailing can be integrated with broader business automations. You can read more about the possibilities of BIM automation in our article “Automate BIM with n8n”: https://www.bimstreamer.com/en/blog/bim-automation-and-ai-in-sales

Personalization based on behavior

The more data on the behavior of the designer, the more personalized the communication can be. Preferred product categories allow you to focus on related content. The frequency of downloads helps to adjust the frequency of mailing. The version of Revit used by the designer determines the materials that are compatible with his software. Localization affects content in the local language and legal context.

How to start a BIM campaign

An online BIM campaign is a comprehensive project that requires proper preparation and phased implementation. The key to success is to start with a solid foundation and gradually expand functionality.

Audit of existing BIM libraries

The first step is to audit the current BIM libraries for technical quality - whether the files work correctly in different versions of Revit, whether they contain all the necessary information for designers, whether the libraries reflect the current product offering.

Choosing a platform and tools for your brand

The BIM platform decision should consider the choice between your own platform and external portals, comparing data control with the speed of implementation. Integrations with existing CRM, ERP and marketing automation systems are key to efficiency. It is worth paying attention to the possibility of expanding with new functionalities in the future and whether the technical support provided ensures adequate availability in case of emergency.

Media plan strategy — marketing and content

Content planning should include customer journey mapping, determining what content is needed at what stage. The publication calendar ensures that new libraries are added regularly. SEO strategy optimizes content for key industry phrases. Localization adapts content to different geographic markets.

Measurement of relevant information and optimization

An effective BIM campaign requires constant monitoring of key campaign metrics such as downloads, registrations, and conversions. Behavior analysis shows which products are the most popular. A/B testing allows you to optimize product pages and emails. The ROI analysis of a campaign compares costs with the leads generated.

Generate leads with BIM with BIMStreamer!

BIMStreamer is a platform that combines all the elements of an effective BIM campaign - from library management, to analytics, to marketing automation. We have experience in supporting BIM campaigns of manufacturers from different sectors of the construction industry.

We offer comprehensive support in auditing and optimizing existing BIM libraries, implementing a platform with full control over data, and connecting BIM with PIM, CRM and ERP systems. In addition, integrations are possible with marketing automation, nurturing and lead generation tools and used to analyze and report the effectiveness of campaigns. Contact us, arrange a free demo of BIMstreamer and gain an edge over the competition!