Technical marketing in construction: role, phase, impact

Kathrin Mertens, technical decision-maker on the construction site:

"I don't need an image campaign. I need solutions that work in my project – and marketing that understands the reality of the construction industry."

Technical marketing needs structure – not lone fighters, but connected processes

I look at your company – whether you're a contractor, supplier, or engineering office.

And what do I see?

Marketing. Somewhere in the corner. Making PDFs when sales calls.

What I don’t see:

A function that’s truly integrated.

One that organizes your technical knowledge so it reaches me – at the right time, in the right project, with the right level of detail.

What does that mean?

Simple.

Technical marketing doesn’t belong in the decoration department. It belongs in the operational line.

With interfaces to product development, application engineering, sales, and communication.

With clear roles.With defined processes.

With real accountability.

Ideally, you’ve got:

Someone who systematically gathers market intelligence.
Not because the title says so – but because they research thoroughly, read data, spot patterns.
Economically minded. Systematically thinking.
Someone who understands the needs of my role.
Someone who gets how I think, how I plan, and when I make decisions.
Whether it's an architect, site manager, or a process-savvy generalist – doesn’t matter.
As long as the empathy is real.
A role that turns this into technical content.
No fluff.
Just clear texts that explain requirements, standards, interfaces.
Ideally written by someone who thinks in tech – and can write.
And a team that distributes, evaluates, and feeds back.
With a digital mindset, project awareness, and the guts to take KPIs seriously.
From marketing, sales, or even IT – doesn’t matter.
What matters: the processes are solid. And someone owns them.

And what do I often see instead?

A patchwork of roles:

Technical experts with PowerPoint trauma.

Sales that talks features instead of benefits.

And on top, a campaign team – full of buzzwords but no plan.

The result?

Target group analysis, content, training, internal buy-in, website updates – all at once, all over the place.

No system. No ownership. No structure. No impact.

And then you wonder why your communication doesn’t reach me?

If you’re serious about technical marketing, organize it like a project.

With a budget. With responsibility. With interfaces. With success metrics.

Otherwise, it stays what it is: pure actionism.

And I spot that instantly.

Technical marketing in construction starts with clean market analysis

I get flooded with brochures.

But you know what I rarely see?

An offer that actually understands me.

Me – and the context I’m deciding in.

Why?

Because no one really looked before.

Technical marketing doesn’t start with gut feeling.

And definitely not with pretty personas.

It starts with understanding the system – and the roles within it.

Yes, there are roles:

Architect. Client. Specialist planner. Structural reviewer. Contractor. Operator.

But none of them decide alone.

And certainly not all at the same time.

So the question isn’t: Who am I targeting? It’s: Who is relevant for my solution – when – and what do they need in that moment to take me seriously?

Fig. 3 Visualisation of the definition of marketing

What does clean information gathering look like?

In the best case, you look at real projects.

Not just the ones you won – especially the ones you lost.

And then you ask uncomfortable questions:

Why wasn’t our offer used?
Who exactly rejected it – and why?
Were there technical concerns? Budget issues? Just a lack of visibility?

Then you go deeper.

You take specifications from different projects and ask:

Where does our solution show up? Where not?
Who specified it? Who replaced it?
How often are we listed as an equal alternative – and why maybe not?

If you’re smart, you don’t drop these insights into PDFs no one reads.

You build a structured internal database – filled with real project knowledge:

Specifying entity
Design office
Project type
Used products
Decision criteria
Objections
Comments from planners and reviewers

That database is gold.

Because it shows you who really decides – in what context – and based on which arguments.

And if you’re doing it right, you feed that system continuously:

With insights from your sales team
With questions from your application engineers
With feedback from product training
With comments from planning events
With objections from structural reviewers

This is not a one-shot.

It’s a living system.

One that embeds itself in your company – and finally makes your communication viable.

And how does it usually look?

Let’s be honest:

You google a bit.Hire an agency.

They build a shiny PDF with stock photos of architects.

Add personas like “Innovative Planner Ian” or “Budget-Conscious Brenda.”

And suddenly you think you know your target group.

Sorry – that doesn’t fly in construction.

These “persona profiles” are blind to the real decision web in projects.

They don’t see that phases matter more than roles,

that responsibility is situational,

and that decisions are almost never made alone.

And then you wonder

why your product – despite all that visibility – never makes it into real projects.

Technical marketing means: build the offer, communicate it, convey the value, create feedback

Once the foundation is in place, the real work begins.

Prepare technical content. Think like sales.

But stay system-focused.

And this is exactly where the line is drawn –

between real impact and empty polish.

If you want to communicate in construction,

you need to speak the language of engineers.

This is not about “benefits.”

It’s about verifiable values. Real savings. Solid evidence.

Without that, every campaign is just noise.

But it’s not only about content.

It’s about offers that emerge from the system –

not from your PowerPoint strategy.

The offer must fit the role – not the messaging.

A structural engineer needs different information than a site manager.

An architect decides differently than a certifying engineer.

And a specialist planner doesn’t want to be convinced –

they want to know if your solution solves their problem without creating a new one.

So when you build your offer, ask yourselves:

Who makes the decision – when – and why?
Where does our solution intersect with the project process? Technically? Timing-wise? Legally?
What does that role expect: facts, documentation, interfaces?
Who will need to defend this internally?

If you can’t answer that,

your offer is just wishful thinking.

Communication means: targeted, phase-specific, role-relevant.

Technical marketing has to show up when I need it.

Not when your campaign goes live.

Not when sales finally has time.

But in sync with the project timeline.

That means:

Specification texts for the specialist planner
Calculation tools for the structural engineer
Installation guides for execution
Certifications and test reports for the reviewer
A peer-level contact for the site manager

And: a feedback loop that actually works.

Because what you send out is only half the deal.

What comes back?

What gets understood?

What’s unclear?

Where does it break down?

Value means nothing without context.

It’s not enough to say: “Our system saves time.

When? For whom? In which phase? Backed by what evidence?

A product that looks good on paper,but derails the tender in phase 5 or 8,

is useless to me.

If you want to communicate real value,you have to:

Anchor it in the right role
Embed it in the real project context
Prove it technically

Only then does a product become a real offer.

And only then does an offer become a decision.

Technical marketing creates value – and project-based satisfaction on time in construction

When content, timing, offer and communication come together,

something happens that marketing likes to romanticize: satisfaction.

But careful:

I’m a technical decision-maker – not a brand fan.

I’m not loyal to you.I’m loyal to my project.

If you delivered there – technically, professionally, organizationally – then yes, I’m satisfied.

Then I know: In this project, you nailed it. You were reliable, clear, solution-oriented.

That’s worth a lot. And I’ll remember it.

But:

That doesn’t mean I’ll automatically work with you again in the next project.

Because the next one brings new requirements, new roles, new risks.

If your offer doesn’t fit anymore – you’re out.

No drama. No big explanation.

Just out.

Real scenario: Trust on demand

Last project: your façade solution.

Smooth installation. Structural checks passed. Site manager was happy.

So was I. Felt like: They know what they’re doing.

You made my list.

Next project: new geometry, more load, tighter deadlines.

I check your system – and see: nothing’s been updated.

No new calculation tables.

No planning support.The website? Dead end.

My question gets this: “It should still work.”

It doesn’t.

And you’re out.

Not out of spite. Not out of emotion.

But because it doesn’t fit the system anymore.

Third project?

I won’t even check.

Kathrin says:

“Satisfaction isn’t a bonus point. It’s temporary respect.If you waste it, no one sees it as ‘bad luck’ – they see it as a system failure. And then you’re done.”

System Check: Did you understand the steps of technical marketing?

Think!

Is your technical marketing embedded as an independent function with clear roles, processes, and interfaces – or just a line in your communication plan?
Do you know exactly which role makes the decision about your solution in which project phase – and what that role specifically needs at that time?
Do you communicate your value in a phase-specific, verifiable, and contextualized way – or are you just shooting generic benefits into the void?
Do you have a real feedback system from active projects – or does it all get stuck in someone’s inbox?
When was the last time you systematically reviewed and documented a lost tender or failed contact?

Real Scenario

A construction company used your system in the last project.

Offer worked. Installation went smoothly. Site manager was satisfied.

Next project: more complex. New requirements. Tight deadlines.

Your offer hasn’t been updated.

No new tables. No planning tool.

When asked: just a shrug.

Result? You’re out.

Third project?

They won’t even look.

Not out of emotion.

But because the system logic says: no match.

Bullshit Killer

❌ “We’re focused on long-term customer loyalty.”

✅ Loyalty comes from project success – and ends when your offer no longer fits.

Technical marketing in construction – only those who know the steps can create real impact