DraperDNA

Mark Zuckerberg announced that the social media giant is making changes to its algorithm – again – and as a result, brands, businesses, and publishers will see less organic reach.

 And in case you didn’t read The New York Times article or read Zuckerberg’s Facebook post about the changes in store for 2018, here’s a summary: “posts from businesses, brands and media” are “crowding out the personal moments that lead us to connect more with each other” so they are making “a major change” to how Facebook is built, starting with the News Feed. He promises that “you can expect to see more from your friends, family and groups” and “less public content like posts from businesses, brands, and media.” He also acknowledged the drastic consequences of their new focus – like decreased engagement measures and time spent using the platform.

 This caused a lot of marketers and business owners to panic.

 But there’s no need for that. (At least not yet.) Here’s why:

Organic Reach is Already Low for Brand Posts

Each time you share a post organically on your company’s business Page, it’s going to see pretty low reach already. On average, organic posts (these are posts with no paid support) will show up to 1-2% of your followers. Yes, you read that correctly. In 2013, there was a major, well-publicized and criticized change to the Facebook algorithm that reduced reach to near nothing.

This change is likely going to affect publishers more than brands.

Since the 2016 elections, Facebook has come under fire for its indirect involvement in the spread of “fake news” including Russian sources and content from unverified sources. In 2017, Facebook attempted a few different strategies to address the spread of unreliable news sources, but none have seem to take off as they expected. So, in order to combat the bad PR and perceptions, I think they are making these changes to change the kinds of news that is shared and how it can be shared. We can expect publishers to take the hit – at least first, anyway.

Facebook still has to make money

Facebook is publicly traded; it’s in the business of making money. Users will not pay to use the service, so those dollars have to come from advertisers. Read: businesses like yours. Facebook still has shareholders who only get paid when people spend money with Facebook. They will have to keep incentive for brands to keep using the platform whether they pay or not.

So, what does this mean for brands? I have a few predictions that I think we’ll see in 2018. Facebook will:

1.     Make tighter ad restrictions to make branded content more authentic

2.     Push more ads to Messenger

3.     Push adoption of Facebook Live

4.     More persuasive content urging company page admins to use Community and Group features

5.     Even change ad formats for a while

 So, how should you adjust adjust? Here are a few recommendations:

1.     Consider adding community features to your Page, such as Community and Groups.

2.     Allocate paid support for Facebook.

3.     More focus on influencer/third-party content. Borrowing their reach and positioning.

4.     Prioritize other channels where you still have organic reach  

At the beginning of every New Year, we receive the benefit of experts from many different fields sharing their predictions and forecasts for the year ahead. We deliver predictions for the New Year every year. We noticed that you rarely see these experts hold themselves accountable for their predictions. With this in mind, we have decided to hold ourselves accountable and review our predictions for 2017.

Prediction 1. It’s time to step up your commitment to and investment in video marketing

BOOM! Check out the numbers on video usage across media and platforms:

https://www.wordstream.com/blog/ws/2017/03/08/video-marketing-statistics

Result: We believe we can say we got this prediction correct. One for one. Prediction 2. Social media becomes more strategic “73 percent of B2B purchase decision makers are Millennials and 85 percent of Millennials use social media to research B2B products and services for their companies.” (Sacunas 2016) Change is slow in the building products industry as demonstrated by early stages of movement to a more strategic social media business effort. To the credit of the manufacturers, they are beginning to recognize the importance of social media and admit they need experienced professionals leading their investments.

Result: Yes with more room for improvement. Two for two.

Prediction 3. Influencer marketing gains traction with building products manufacturers and homebuilders

Influencer marketing is booming as a tactic to increase awareness, engagement and sales. New forecasts for 2018 are expected double digit growth for the third year in a row. Interested? Draper DNA is the proven leader in influencer marketing in the building products industry.

Result: SCORE. 3 for 3.

Prediction 4. Storytelling is your content marketing strategy

We nailed this prediction with 100% accuracy. You can open any link, site or app without being tutored on the importance of storytelling.

Result: Homerun! 4 for 4.

Prediction 5. Customer service will supersede products and price in importance with your customers

Unfortunately, the building products industry appears to be making minor advances in improving customer service. On the bright side, the combination of technology and customer savvy people can catapult our industry to the forefront of customer service in a single year.

Result: Swing and miss. Four for five.

Our stretch call

2017 is the year a few smart building products manufacturers finally see the light and embrace online sales (ecommerce)

We completed an extensive survey of building products manufacturers and their distribution channel partners and found the channel partners are making significant investments in ecommerce to meet the expectations of their trade customers and protect themselves from the manufacturers selling direct.

Result: A win for the customers (and maybe the manufacturers). 5 for 6.

By most standards, our predictions for 2017 were in tune with and embraced by the market place. Being connected with the trades, builders, remodelers, architects, designers and manufacturers and delivering services that make a different to our clients are our expertise.

Interested in seeing our predictions for 2018? Click here.

“Get out of your office marketers and into the field to see and experience what your sales people and our customers do everyday.”

 My dad was a salesman. He sold municipal equipment like street sweepers and road line strippers. He was successful at it from my recollection. As a young man my dad spec built homes with my grandfather, an owner of several lumberyards – Draper Supply. When I began working in the marketing department at Andersen Windows I was reminded of the advice my dad gave when I graduated from college, “Get out in the field to work with your customers and learn first hand from their experiences.” This advice has never failed me.

 At least twice a month, I visit construction jobsites, residential and commercial, new construction and remodeling, to learn. I see the incredible process of ideas in a drawing that is laid out from the footings. I witness how critical the framing is to the fit and finish of the home. I share the experience of products being delivered to the job site (or not), how the packaging holds up in the dirt and rain, and how they are actually installed.

  During my time on the jobsite, I get to talk with the leads for the general contractor and the subs. They tell me what works and what does not. The builders share with me why they chose certain products and suppliers. Mostly, I just stay out of the way to watch and learn.

  This combination of field experience and marketing is something I like to call “Smarketing.” The 2.0 is in reference to an early post about the changing relationship of marketing and sales in the buyer’s journey. Having a sense for how your marketing efforts are received and applied by your customers will make you a better marketer. Context is critical to success.

 Too often I meet with the marketing team of building products manufacturers that rarely if ever spend time on a jobsite. All of the marketers I met with this year at the International Builders Show and Kitchen and Bath Industry Show shared when asked, that they have not been on a jobsite in the past year or longer. Several social media and digital marketing folks stated they have never been on a jobsite.

 Every two weeks we post photos and descriptions from our latest jobsite visit to the Draper DNA Facebook page under the title of Project DNA. We showcase all types of projects at various stages of construction featuring hundreds of different products. Project DNA has captured a wide range of projects from the construction of a new cathedral to waterfront homes. We identify new trends in building practices and design. Most importantly, we bring each jobsite learning experience to our clients as we work together with them to create simple, effective marketing programs and campaigns that connect with their customers.

 Our advice to you is to get out of the office and into the field. You will gain insight, respect, and a sincere appreciation for the work being done there.

Marketing and communications are hard.

 Consider the fact businesses consider a 5% open rate on emails or a 1% engagement rate for social media success.

 Another way to look at this is 95% of your customers and prospects do not take two minutes to open an email and read 150 words.

 As you begin planning for 2018, we recommend you consider these ten ideas to make your marketing more effective:

 #10 – Your website is the first place your customers and prospects visit for information and validation. Make certain it is current, responsive to mobile use and is built to generate leads.

 #9 – Leverage influencer marketing to build your customer base and sales. Don’t know how? Ask us.

 #8 – Think and act like a direct marketer where your customer and prospects lists are your keys to success.

 #7 – Write down your strategies for marketing, sales, content, social media, promotions, pricing, brand, et al. If they are not written down, they do not exist.

 #6 – Require your media partners support your social media efforts across all of their print, digital and social media platforms.

 #5 – Participate in the Personalization Renaissance. Make a telephone call. Better yet, answer a telephone call. Send a hand written note. Automated marketing has its’ place and so does the personal touch.

 #4 – Try geo-targeted advertising. The idea to connecting with your customers and prospects when and where they are making their buying decision seems perfect.

 #3 – Time to enlist professionals for your corporate publishing. There is a reason people earn journalism degrees and businesses need to engage them for their blogs, eBooks, white papers and social media content.

 #2 – You cannot deny video is THE marketing medium for your company. Even more so, learn how to use video as an integrated marketing tool.  To do so is to ignore your marketing an communications goals for the new year. Be careful, video marketing is a powerful tool that is best managed by trained professionals (see examples to the contrary on YouTube).

 #1 – Focus your marketing efforts on lead generation. If your investments of time and money are not driving leads to sales, it best be creating brand equity or it is a bust.

Planning season for 2018 is upon most building products companies so it seems appropriate to share our early marketing forecast for 2018 just in case you read this post.

 We firmly believe marketing has two purposes. The first is to identify, articulate and manage the brand (aka reputation) of your business to assure the value of the business is optimized for shareholders and, second, to generate leads to sales.

LEAD GENERATION

In 2018, we believe lead generation will be the Holy Grail of marketing. What we mean by this is simply lead generation will be the focus of all marketing efforts across all platforms. When asking you the question “What does this mean to the business?” the answer must be it generates leads to sales. Websites, social media, advertising, content marketing and so on must all be built and operated as lead generation tools. The reason we describe this as the Holy Grail is because making this commitment and executing it well is hard and requires a special skill set.

A word of caution regarding lead generation is automated marketing software can not and will not make lead generation easier unless you know how to leverage it against the very unique buying journey of each of your customers. This too takes tremendous skill and experience. We believe there is a very real need for services to support this type of software not provided by typical agencies.

VIDEO MARKETING

In the year to come, building products manufacturers will fully embrace video and learn how to properly use it to generate leads to sales. Companies are beginning to shoot videos today; however, they are typically product knowledge or installation videos or maybe Facebook Live or some other social media video. Sometimes the quality and content is good and many times it is not good at all. Once the video is shot, what happens next? Video marketing answers the question of how to best use your video investments to generate leads to sales and gain a meaningful ROI.

PROFESSIONAL PUBLISHING

It is time for building products manufacturers to enlist the help of professional writers for their blogs, eBooks, white papers, articles and social media posts. Your customers and prospects are savvy researchers and read your published content along their path to making decisions about specifying or buying your products. Your writing and content matters. Unfortunately, we are seeing a terrific amount of poor writing coming from building products companies. Poor structure, buried leads, rambling and so many other errors that your high school English would run out of red ink in her marking pen.

It is not just the poor writing but the lack of a considered, written content strategy is another reason for the engagement of professional writers. Do you have a content strategy for your business? Does it include the four content pillars? Maybe you should enlist a professional writer for your publishing in 2018.

GEO-TARGETED ADVERTISING

We have written about this incredible asset and our successes with our clients. In 2018, targeting your customers cellphones, laptops and tablets with specific messages at dedicated times of the day at the locations of your choice will be the media of choice. We have targeted contractors within a mile and a half of their dealers as they prepare to make their buying decision. Imagine being able to talk with your customers just before they place their order. Geo-targeted advertising does just that. We are using the same tool for trade shows and events for the cost of the average show sponsorship.

PERSONALIZATION RENAISSANCE

There has been a lot of chatter about personalization through your automated marketing software in the past two years. As we shared in the lead generation section, most owners of these types of software lack context when using them. We are talking the return of the personal, hand-written note, the in person meeting and, fingers crossed, the answered telephone call. Taking this a step or two further, we believe in 2018 people will begin to take pride in their personal relationships and nurture them through their sales and marketing experiences. We still believe people buy from other people and not an impersonal email or text.

As you begin planning for 2018, we encourage you to investigate each of these five trends as opportunities for you and your company to stand up and stand out.  Let us know if you would like help with these trends or other challenges you are anticipating for the new year.

Copycat failures and other marketing blunders

Around 2011 Wal-Mart introduced a truly innovative marketing idea they dubbed “The Eleven Moms” and later, “Wal-Mart Moms.” The brand invited eleven mothers who were each building a significant following on their social media platforms to share personal experiences with Wal-Mart, its products and services. This was the advent of social media based influencer marketing and it took the industry by storm. Wal-Mart found, embraced and promoted the most current rating, rankings and endorsements on their behalf. It was brilliant in that they witnessed something customers were engaging with and made it a part of their marketing mix.

So what was the industries response to Wal-Mart’s marketing innovation; specifically, its leading competitor Target? The introduction of the bigger, better version of The Eleven Moms called the Target Inner Circle. Twenty-two blogger influencers were invited to represent Target as ambassadors of the brand. They were given products to sample, invited to events to experience and showcased within Target’s incredible marketing machine. The influencers produced and shared great content. Target syndicated the content and generated significant growth in followers and engagement with meaningful conversion to sales. Yet, after one year, Target pulled the plug because the Inner Circle was nothing more than a copycat tactic.

 Today influencer marketing is a powerful and meaningful marketing tool that belongs in most businesses marketing mix. Being a copycat marketer is lazy, uninspired, expensive and unfortunately, far too commonplace -- Particularly in our home and building industry.

 The Habitat Gambit

 Habitat for Humanity is a wonderful idea executed everyday through the inspiration and support of thousands of generous people and businesses, including numerous building products manufacturers. In the early 90’s Andersen Windows was one of the first building products manufacturers to become a national (and possibly international) corporate sponsor of Habitat. Tens of thousands of hours were volunteered; hundreds of thousands of dollars of products were donated; and millions of dollars of financial donations were provided by Andersen as a reflection of the companies culture of community and stewardship. Andersen Windows once again demonstrated its leadership in being the first in the industry. The first to build an assembled window; first to enlist consumer marketing to sell is products; and first to support Habitat for Humanity as a national corporate sponsor.

 Fast-forward to 2014 and the introduction of Ply Gem’s new CMO, reportedly brought on board to escort the company into national consumer marketing. While others in the window industry have been tasked with this same thing in the past, they have leveraged national lifestyle magazines, national broadcast advertising, cable product placements, sponsorships and traditional public relations tactics. Ply Gem, on the other hand, chose “The Habitat Gambit” with a military homeowner and country music celebrity twist.

 Draper DNA has a long line of military service in our company and we love country music. However, using “The Habitat Gambit” to enter consumer marketing is not original or clever thinking. It has the appearance of an opportunity lost – or as DNA’ers call it a “Marketing Blunder.”

 Marketing Blunders

 The introduction of social media has created new platforms for copycat failures. One building products manufacturer after another is posting beauty shots from the latest product catalogs and brochures. “Here is picture our new toilet or seven new colors of front doors or outdoor furniture overlooking Malibu” for example. Yes, all of these look great, but can you tell me why this matters to me?

 These marketing blunders are not just happening in social media. Trade advertising often fails to answer, “What does this mean to me?” Sure, an ad featuring ten years of your brand winning an award makes your employees feel good but does it matter to your customers or theirs?

 The idea here is not to simply call out these marketing blunders but to share with you a better or different approach to meeting your objectives. For example, consumers are completing more than 70% of their buying journey through social media, blogs and website research before they engage with the product or a sales person. If your company wants to engage the consumer, investing where they are making decisions appears to be a great decision, particularly when so many are failing to use the medium to its fullest. Imagine a campaign that leads with Instagram influencers to introduce and tease a new product launch followed by a call to action Twitter blitz and email campaign driving your customers to a Facebook page introducing the products AND a promotion in partnership with Houzz. This is the type of thinking that will have your business stand above the rest of the copycats and forego another marketing blunder.

Draper DNA Launches Full-service Video Production and Marketing Team

Every year for the past five years, we have been hearing about the power of video to engage and inform customers. It appears to be truer today than ever before. This is why we are launching a full-service video production and marketing team.

During the past year, we researched the power and importance of video in the home and building markets. What we learned is best summarized in this article from CMO.com.

Why You Need Video In Your B2B Marketing Mix

Think video is just for consumer marketing? Think again. The next generation of business decision-makers is not only consuming vendor video, they’re sharing it among stakeholders. Even more notably, these shares are not necessarily coming from the C-suite that B2B marketers typically target; they’re coming predominantly from the middle of the management team and often from more junior stakeholders as well.

Marketers are beginning to recognize the shift to video and are getting on board, according to a recent survey by Regalix. The numbers alone may be compelling enough for some marketing teams to allocate funds:

· 91% of respondents report videos increase their brand awareness.

· 83% of respondents agree videos are effective in meeting their content marketing goals.

· 77% of respondents say their customers prefer video content to text.

Why Now? The ‘year of video’ has been every year for the past five years, and B2B marketers are a little late to the party. But video is more compelling now than it ever was for a few good reasons. For starters, social media platforms like Facebook now play video in-stream, providing a more seamless user experience. If video on Facebook sounds more like a B2C tactic, think again: The Drum recently reported that ’90% of B2B companies using social media relied on Facebook for lead generation, while 53% use Twitter, followed by 47% using LinkedIn, and 33% looking to blogs as a great resource for leads.’

You read that correctly: More B2B marketers are using Facebook for lead generation than LinkedIn, for the simple reason that their audiences are there.

Another reason is that mobile video is more accessible than ever. About 44% of all online video advertisements were viewed on mobile devices in the second quarter of 2015, and that number will only grow as connection speeds increase and video quality improves (more than 50% in 2017).

Finally, consider that your target is getting younger. As more digital natives enter and advance in the workforce, marketers need to stay one step ahead in terms of technology to keep them engaged. These users are likely to be mobile-first and power users of social media and chat platforms that support video. They’re also likely to be stakeholders or decision-makers that marketers need to reach.

Budget Is Not A Barrier Many smaller B2B enterprises shy away from video because it just seems too costly. And it’s true that a great video set may cost $10,000 or more, but it doesn’t have to. Ask us about creating a ‘sizzle reel’ of your still images, stock background music and your custom copy for a fraction of the cost.

In terms of media costs, those don’t have to break the bank either. LinkedIn, Facebook, and YouTube offer affordable, easy-to-use self-service tools with excellent targeting capabilities. A lot can be accomplished within a capped budget, particularly if you’re using data to target and include a strong call to action within your video creative.

For a few thousand dollars, your organization can effectively test video and almost certainly prove that it’s worth for continued investment.

Consider The Metrics The most important metrics to consider as you consider video advertising are as follows:

‘How long was the prospect engaged with the video?’ Completions are the best KPI, but certainly take note of when users are jumping off. It may be an indication that your video is too long.

‘Who is watching?’ Review the demographics of your audience and ensure you’re reaching your target user. If you’re not, you’ll need to review both your targeting and your content to ensure you’re making the most of your investment.

‘What action are users taking after they engage?’ Are viewers doing what you want them to do after watching your video, whether that’s consuming more content, completing a form, or sharing’ Define your calls to action in advance and measure their effectiveness.

In an era where everyone is busy and the battle for attention is greater than ever before, the time for video is now. Few decision makers have time to read every white paper or sit through a webinar, but many will take 60 to 120 seconds to watch an informative, entertaining video. It’s a channel B2B marketers have avoided for too long. Video is no longer a risk; it’s an imperative. Take the lead. Add video to your marketing plans today, and start engaging viewers with this accessible, powerful medium.

 Interested? See more examples of our work at DraperDNA.com.

We recently scanned each social media platform of the top building products manufacturers in the 70 categories in the Hanley Wood Builder Brand Use Survey and discovered these thirteen common social media mistakes.

We have just returned from the 2017 trade show season kick-off at The International Builders Show and KBIS in sunny Orlando and are eager to share that the show was well-attended and forthcoming in where we are at as an industry. As in all industries, we are regaining a lot of momentum but also have a few areas that still could use some improvement. 

Three of the things we noticed prominently at this years’ show tell a story and we think the story is, “The Future is Bright but Needs to Re-Connect”. 

First, we mean “The Future is Bright” in the most literal of cases. Brands like Masonite, ThermaTru, Grohe and Viking Range showcased a range of gorgeous, bright colored products that can be used from the front door and throughout the home. Here are a few of our favorites.

By, “The Future is Bright” we also mean that a lot of smart innovations continue to make their way into building products. We were especially impressed by DuPont’s new Tyvek Protec roofing underlayments. During a 45-minute demonstration, we watched as they laid the non-slip surface material that protects the roofer with an effort to reduce falls, while walking back-and-forth across the “roof.” That was impressive in itself, but then they poured sawdust, dirt, water and loose products onto the “roof” and the builder walked all over it -- even jumping up and down -- proving that this product can withstand more than any of its competition. Amazing. 

In continuing with the trend of smart innovations and moving forward to the second part of our narrative, we spent a lot of time in the Nest home at Show Village and can absolutely say that Nest is a game-changer in the home and building products world. In just this show home, Nest was connected to cameras, televisions, showers, water heaters, garage doors and more. By having this available, Nest is making it easier for builders and remodelers to create the ultimate in automated living. That being said, the trend in “re-connecting” starts there. By making it easy to connect homes and buildings. 

Finally, it became abundantly clear that many home and building brands are still falling behind in social media -- the perfect place, in our opinion -- to re-connect. In a place that united prospects, clients, colleagues, media and consumers there were several missed opportunities. Rather than creating and deploying a story about the show, it was a lot of product pushing or “come see us” posts by brands and no engagement from brand to consumer, media to brand or show-runner to audience. 

That’s where we come in. For an example of how we recommend telling a story during a show or event with such great potential, check out Draper DNA on Instagram, Twitter, Facebook and LinkedIn. See the use of tagging brands, leveraging hashtags, inserting ourselves and promoting the show happenings, connecting to brands and products we believe in and more. 

We believe knowledge is power, so we track and gather insights on marketing’s best practices, innovations and emerging trends on a daily basis. Based on these insights, we predict the following for 2017: 1. It’s time to step up your commitment to and investment in video marketing According to research published in 2016 by Cisco, video will equal 69% of web content on 2017. Are you ready?

 Here are examples of our work with Cree (pw: cree) and Perkins + Will (pw: chris). 2. Social media becomes more strategic "73 percent of B2B purchase decision makers are Millennials and 85 percent of Millennials use social media to research B2B products and services for their companies." (Sacunas 2016) Time to move past the intern or junior PR associate leading your social media efforts and integrate social media into your product launches, lead generation programs, sales and customer service efforts. This is too important to your business to fail.

 3. Influencer marketing gains traction with building products manufacturers and homebuilders

 Forrester Research reported 49% of buyers rely on recommendations from influencers when making a purchase, second only to friends at 56%. They also understand the ROI of the marketer doubles with the use of influencer marketing.

 As the leader in influencer marketing in the home building industry, we can demonstrate the power of influencers on your sales, SEO, social media performance, content creation and customer development. Can you afford to avoid this fact?

 4. Storytelling is your content marketing strategy

 Buyers today want to experience what it is like to use your products and services through the eyes and words of people like them. They want to see videos and images that make them feel a connection with you. When you engage your customers this way your businesses perceived value increases and becomes more memorable. Want to make a memory?

 5. Customer service will supersede products and price in importance with your customers

 Customer service and experience are the hottest topics of discussion and consideration in marketing today simply because of the impact of the experience across mediums. A great experience shared is sales gold. A poor experience shared can scar your business for life. In a report from Sirius Decisions, 2016, 80% of buyers stated the most significant factor in their provider decision was the customer experience. Can you leverage your customer experience to increase sales?

 Our stretch call

 2017 is the year a few smart building products manufacturers finally see the light and embrace online sales (ecommerce) as an advantage and differentiator and here is the reason why we think so – Click to view VIDEO

As someone who qualifies as a “millennial” I am so tired of hearing that word. It has become an excuse to many and is so frequently misused that the qualities of what defines a millennial have become unclear. Some people call millennials entitled and lazy. Others deem them brilliant and innovative. With these muddy waters, it has been interesting to watch the evolution of marketing strategies and campaigns. Especially as “millennials” themselves are becoming decision makers in the industry. Millennials meaning anyone between the ages of 18-34 which is the actual definition of a millennial. 

Regardless of whether you are in favor of the term or not, there are a few things research has proven about this age group specific to getting them to pay attention to what you’re selling. 

First and foremost, millennials love to hear themselves talk. This is why we all blog, post photos of our every move to Instagram and tweet about how we’re feeling. We want the attention. Which is why user generated content is becoming a must-do for brands. One of the easiest ways to leverage this is by re-posting your customers’ photos on Instagram. This is mutually beneficial as brand loyalists will enjoy the thrill of seeing their photo on your feed and you are guaranteed fresh content and ongoing loyalty. Remember, we like ourselves and take pride in what we’re saying. To have you pay attention to that is huge. 

Not only do we like to hear ourselves talk, we trust our other “millennial” friends and what they have to say. With that, influencer marketing is gold. If I get online to check my favorite blogs and see a post about a brand I’m not familiar with or have been curious about, I will read and more likely than not, trust what the blogger has said. In fact, after reading a blog about the new Dyson SuperSonic hair dryer, I knew I needed to own it. I have very little interest in hair products or fashion, so it is not something I likely would have wanted had I not read said blog. After doing a bit more research I learned that it was out of my price range, so instead of trying to find ways to save for the product, I negotiated with some brands I do influencer work for and was successful in trading work for the dryer. Proof of the power of influencer marketing. 

One of the things that millennials have become notorious for is the desire to make a change in the world. Social good is at the top of the young marketers’ tongue during every planning meeting. This is a good thing for brands as showcasing social responsibility is not only a chance for brands to make the world a better place but also something that is easy to get onboard with. TOMS is the go-to brand here with case study after case study proving its positive reputation and popularity. It’s so important and such a simple addition to any marketing strategy. Has your brand written a CSR plan? If not, what is the reason? 

Instead of throwing the term “millennial” around loosely because you’ve heard it so many times from others, I encourage you to learn how to speak directly to this age group individually and get to "know” us. I assure you, it’s a good thing for all parties involved.

We coach and mentor several different companies on establishing and improving their social media efforts. We enjoy the conversations, the preparations and learning we do to stay current, and the results we can produce together. It is fulfilling.

 We are strong proponents of starting with your goals and strategies defined. We believe “If you don’t know where you are going, any road will get you there.” AKA, have a plan.

 Recently, we overheard a client talk about the small number of followers we have across my social channels and that his wife has more followers than we do. Our answer to this challenge is simply the number of followers reflects our goals and strategies for our social media platforms. Let us explain.

 The single goal of the Draper DNA social media platforms are to target and engage the businesses and decision makers we are pursuing as clients. We have a list of 100+ businesses and 200+ decision makers are working to establish and build a relationship with through our marketing efforts. As a result, it is not likely we will have more followers than his wife. We will have followers that are meaningful to our business.

 In addition to clients and prospective clients, we are working to identify key influencers to our clients and prospective clients. As these influencers are identified, we will engage them to be a part of our social media community.

 We do have a secondary purpose for our social media efforts. We use each platform, current and new, to test concepts, content, and capabilities to create best practices and programs for our clients. This allows us to go to market with confidence in the programs and services that have been refined in market.  

 The moral of this story is a classic one. Things are not always as they appear. In this case, less is more, intentionally.

Just like 2016, “Trade Show Season” is coming to an end and DNA polished our trade show shoes and took to the floor at Greenbuild in Los Angeles. After spending the day onsite at the Convention Center, it was made clear that the underlying theme for sustainable building products this year is ‘preparing for the future through thoughtful, long term planning and ongoing education’.

Brands like Shaw Contract were presenting ‘gen2030 goals’ in their booth and will leverage #greengoals2030 through ongoing commitment campaigns moving forward that encourage achieving said goals. 

Andersen Windows brought artist Tom Murphy into their booth to present his collection of photos from Yellowstone National Park, where Andersen has joined in the YES! Initiative to help “preserve the view from outside [our] windows” long term. 

Utopian Villas brought one of its (very, very cool) tiny homes to the floor and encouraged a ‘simpler lifestyle’ through downsizing everything at home to support in sustainable efforts. They also donated the home to a sustainable community of tiny houses for homeless people after the show.

Speaking of donating homes, SGC Horizon hosted the “Green Zone” with sponsors like LG, Valspar and Delta and the building is now in Compton, Calif. serving as an education center to under privileged students.

While it was enlightening to learn about the future of ‘green’ in building products and we are thrilled to see what’s in store, we’d be remiss not to share everyone’s favorite water cooler conversation after a trade show -- the coolest things we saw.

In no particular order, our top three favorite things:

The tiny houses from Utopian Villas. They are able to fit more than what meets the eye into these homes and they are gorgeous. Perfect for living on the countryside or at the beach.

Kohler never disappoints when it comes to these shows and this year, they introduced a digital shower that allows you to choose exactly what temperature you’d like the water to be, its pressure and how long it lasts. Their hope with this is that users will set the timer at 6 minutes to save water and have executed a #CommitToSix campaign where they’ll donate $1 to water preservation for everyone who makes the pledge.

View Dynamic Glass set up a virtual reality game in its booth and attendees could play to see what it looks and feels like to control your windows from your phone. You could feel the heat or the cool as you changed the temperature through the game. It was a lot of fun. 

These days you don’t have to leave your house for anything. Even to remodel the house you haven’t left. It can all be done online or through an app. Whether you are looking to upgrade your curb appeal, prepare your deck for a new season, find the right paint color or use a virtual room designer to update every room in your house, you can do it from the comfort of your couch. You know, the one you’re considering replacing. 

Starting at the front door, with Baldwin Hardware’s Lock Designer, you can design a one-of-a-kind door knob, lever or rose online. When you’re there, you can “try on” any finish to any door style including a bamboo door. The lock designer allows for you to describe your personality to help guide in the correct selection. Are you contemporary, traditional, rustic or couture? 

Replacing windows is a big investment and can quickly become overwhelming if you let it. Andersen Window’s has created Renewal by Andersen to assuage some of those feelings by offering an app that allows users to see how new windows would look in any home. After simply uploading a photo of your home, the app creates a 3D model and offers previews, personal customizations and more before the homeowner makes a final decision. 

Benjamin Moore believes that inspiration can be found anywhere and has created an app that gives consumers the opportunity to match a color that inspires them to one that they offer. If that color is so inspiring, the app also offers a preview to what it would look like on your house or in any room you choose. 

Looking to replace your furniture? Ikea offers an augmented reality app that gives you the opportunity to see any of their products in your home. You can simply scan a photo of the piece you’re interested in directly from the physical catalogue and then place the catalogue in the space in your home where you envision the new item. This will give you a virtual peak into what it would look like when it arrives. 

Finally, appliances can be especially tough because of the different measurements. Lowe’s has offered a solution to this with its Tango app. This app gives customers the opportunity to take measurements through augmented reality and view each new appliance in the desired location before making a decision. Lowe’s will show the appliances that will fit in the space rather than several that may not upon purchase and installation. 

And those are just a few of DNA’s favorites. What do you think? Are consumers comfortable enough yet to “buy before they try” when it comes to home and building products? What are the benefits and where lie the concerns? We would love to hear what you think. At Greenbuild or the Remodeler’s Show? Let us know we would love to meet with you. 

I enjoy technology. It is fun and frustrating and rewarding to learn something new. It is amazing what technology can do for us as marketers and professional communicators.

 I love certain “old school” tools used in communications. I like to pen a personal note to clients, prospects, and friends to say “Thank you.” I am regularly told during a phone call (more old school) from friends how much they cherish these notes.

 I just had a new “old school” experience and it was incredible. I have been thinking of having the Draper DNA icon reproduced as a piece of art behind by desk. The idea was to create a background for the increasing number of video calls I am having. I looked at several options that were all cost prohibitive mostly because of the need to frame them (think a large 3’x3’ print). In an effort to save the idea, and some money, I purchased a canvas, paints, and brushes at Michaels so I could take this adventure on myself. Fast forward three months with a blank canvas hanging on the wall and I decided to stop fooling myself and look for a local artist to do the work.

 Where does one find such a person? Google, of course. Since my painting was more a sign than a portrait, I searched for a “sign painter.” What I learned was hand-painting signs was quickly becoming a lost art. Apparently, it is easier to run your digital file through a color printer than have an artist paint your sign. Luckily, Google found Suzanne Bircher, a retired sign painter, in a small town south of Raleigh.  I called her, explained what I was trying to achieve, she accepted, and jumped in my car with canvas in hand to meet her.

 Suzanne is a modest person with a huge talent. Her studio is in the tack room of her horse barn. She explained there is little demand for her hand painted signs. Once a full-time job, Suzanne is retired and is occasionally asked to paint a sign from “someone in the city.”

 Here is the sign Suzanne painted of the Draper DNA icon. I think this hand painted piece of art is beautiful. Like the hand written note, this painting is special and now cherished. Thank you, Suzanne.

 I believe this lost art may have a place in our future, a future that includes the appreciation of the personal touch.

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