{"id":5366,"date":"2017-01-31T14:05:27","date_gmt":"2017-01-31T14:05:27","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.visualconstructionmarketing.com\/?p=5366"},"modified":"2017-01-31T15:45:42","modified_gmt":"2017-01-31T15:45:42","slug":"start-with-why-to-find-your-building-material-marketing-message","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/visualconstructionmarketing.com\/2014\/start-with-why-to-find-your-building-material-marketing-message\/","title":{"rendered":"Start with WHY to Find Your Building Material Marketing Message"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>[et_pb_section admin_label=&#8221;section&#8221; transparent_background=&#8221;off&#8221; allow_player_pause=&#8221;off&#8221; inner_shadow=&#8221;off&#8221; parallax=&#8221;off&#8221; parallax_method=&#8221;on&#8221; make_fullwidth=&#8221;off&#8221; use_custom_width=&#8221;off&#8221; width_unit=&#8221;off&#8221; custom_width_px=&#8221;1080px&#8221; custom_width_percent=&#8221;80%&#8221; make_equal=&#8221;off&#8221; use_custom_gutter=&#8221;off&#8221; fullwidth=&#8221;off&#8221; specialty=&#8221;off&#8221; disabled=&#8221;off&#8221;][et_pb_row admin_label=&#8221;row&#8221; make_fullwidth=&#8221;off&#8221; use_custom_width=&#8221;off&#8221; width_unit=&#8221;off&#8221; custom_width_px=&#8221;1080px&#8221; custom_width_percent=&#8221;80%&#8221; use_custom_gutter=&#8221;off&#8221; gutter_width=&#8221;2&#8243; custom_padding=&#8221;24px|0px|13px|0px&#8221; allow_player_pause=&#8221;off&#8221; parallax=&#8221;off&#8221; parallax_method=&#8221;on&#8221; make_equal=&#8221;off&#8221; parallax_1=&#8221;off&#8221; parallax_method_1=&#8221;on&#8221; parallax_2=&#8221;off&#8221; parallax_method_2=&#8221;on&#8221; parallax_3=&#8221;off&#8221; parallax_method_3=&#8221;on&#8221; parallax_4=&#8221;off&#8221; parallax_method_4=&#8221;on&#8221; disabled=&#8221;off&#8221;][et_pb_column type=&#8221;4_4&#8243;][et_pb_text admin_label=&#8221;Text&#8221; background_layout=&#8221;light&#8221; text_orientation=&#8221;left&#8221; use_border_color=&#8221;off&#8221; border_style=&#8221;solid&#8221; disabled=&#8221;off&#8221; border_color=&#8221;#ffffff&#8221;]<\/p>\n<h1><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Introduction<\/span><\/h1>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">It\u2019s a sunny Saturday morning and I\u2019m stuck here at my computer looking for something to help take one of the things off my \u201choney-do\u201d list. And it just happened again!<\/span><\/p>\n<p>Why does it keep happening over-and-over? Like I\u2019m trapped in some lame version of that Bill Murray movie, \u201cGroundhog Day.\u201d<\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Here I am, looking at another home repair product\u2019s website, and I have to work hard to figure out what the product actually does and why I should pick it over all the other options out there. <\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">In some cases, they\u2019ll have a beautiful, high-resolution image with a clever phrase or tagline. (Or maybe just their logo\u2026) But I can\u2019t figure out what the heck they\u2019re trying to sell me. In others, there\u2019s just a bunch of technical information pounding me over the head with facts and features about their product. But they never get around to telling me <\/span><b><i>why<\/i><\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> their product is better.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">I\u2019m like most guys, and if it takes me too long to figure out the next step, I\u2019ll just find an easier thing on my list and move on. But not this time. No sir!<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">I saw this as an opportunity to dig in and pull out a marketing lesson or two. The idea actually grew from a TedTalk my wife recently shared with me\u2026<\/span><\/p>\n<p>[\/et_pb_text][\/et_pb_column][\/et_pb_row][et_pb_row admin_label=&#8221;row&#8221; make_fullwidth=&#8221;off&#8221; use_custom_width=&#8221;off&#8221; width_unit=&#8221;off&#8221; custom_width_px=&#8221;1080px&#8221; custom_width_percent=&#8221;80%&#8221; use_custom_gutter=&#8221;off&#8221; gutter_width=&#8221;2&#8243; allow_player_pause=&#8221;off&#8221; parallax=&#8221;off&#8221; parallax_method=&#8221;on&#8221; make_equal=&#8221;off&#8221; parallax_1=&#8221;off&#8221; parallax_method_1=&#8221;on&#8221; parallax_2=&#8221;off&#8221; parallax_method_2=&#8221;on&#8221; parallax_3=&#8221;off&#8221; parallax_method_3=&#8221;on&#8221; parallax_4=&#8221;off&#8221; parallax_method_4=&#8221;on&#8221; disabled=&#8221;off&#8221;][et_pb_column type=&#8221;4_4&#8243;][et_pb_text admin_label=&#8221;Text&#8221; background_layout=&#8221;light&#8221; text_orientation=&#8221;left&#8221; use_border_color=&#8221;off&#8221; border_style=&#8221;solid&#8221; disabled=&#8221;off&#8221;]<\/p>\n<h1>Start With Why<\/h1>\n<p>In 2009, Simon Sinek gave what\u2019s become one of the most popular TedTalks of all time called, \u201c<a style=\"font-size: 15px; font-family: 'Open Sans', Arial, sans-serif;\" href=\"http:\/\/www.ted.com\/talks\/simon_sinek_how_great_leaders_inspire_action\"><span style=\"font-size: 12pt; font-family: Arial; color: #0000ff; text-decoration: underline; white-space: pre-wrap;\">How Great Leaders Inspire Action<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-size: 12pt; font-family: Arial; color: #000000; white-space: pre-wrap;\">.\u201d It had almost 30 million views, last I checked.<\/span><\/p>\n<p dir=\"ltr\" style=\"line-height: 1.2; margin-top: 6pt; margin-bottom: 0pt;\"><span style=\"font-size: 12pt; font-family: Arial; color: #000000; white-space: pre-wrap;\">In his 18-minute presentation, Sinek used the ideas and principles taken from his book, \u201cStart with Why.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n<p dir=\"ltr\" style=\"line-height: 1.2; margin-top: 6pt; margin-bottom: 0pt;\"><span style=\"font-size: 12pt; font-family: Arial; color: #000000; white-space: pre-wrap;\">The big thing that stuck with me from the talk is what Sinek called the \u201cgolden circle.\u201d He used this simple visual to explain the fundamental differences between the \u201cApple\u201d companies of the world and everyone else. <\/span><\/p>\n<p dir=\"ltr\" style=\"line-height: 1.2; margin-top: 6pt; margin-bottom: 0pt;\"><span style=\"font-size: 12pt; font-family: Arial; color: #000000; white-space: pre-wrap;\">Basically, he simplified how we think, act and communicate to three words, or layers: Why, How, and What.<\/span><\/p>\n<ul style=\"margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt;\">\n<li dir=\"ltr\" style=\"list-style-type: disc; font-size: 12pt; font-family: Arial; color: #000000;\">\n<p dir=\"ltr\" style=\"line-height: 1.2; margin-top: 6pt; margin-bottom: 0pt;\"><span style=\"font-size: 12pt; font-weight: bold; white-space: pre-wrap;\">WHY<\/span><span style=\"font-size: 12pt; white-space: pre-wrap;\"> \u2013 This is your business\u2019 core belief. <\/span><span style=\"font-size: 12pt; font-style: italic; white-space: pre-wrap;\">Why<\/span><span style=\"font-size: 12pt; white-space: pre-wrap;\"> you do what you do.<\/span><\/p>\n<\/li>\n<li dir=\"ltr\" style=\"list-style-type: disc; font-size: 12pt; font-family: Arial; color: #000000;\">\n<p dir=\"ltr\" style=\"line-height: 1.2; margin-top: 6pt; margin-bottom: 0pt;\"><span style=\"font-size: 12pt; font-weight: bold; white-space: pre-wrap;\">HOW <\/span><span style=\"font-size: 12pt; white-space: pre-wrap;\">\u2013 This is <\/span><span style=\"font-size: 12pt; font-style: italic; white-space: pre-wrap;\">how<\/span><span style=\"font-size: 12pt; white-space: pre-wrap;\"> your company fulfills that core belief.<\/span><\/p>\n<\/li>\n<li dir=\"ltr\" style=\"list-style-type: disc; font-size: 12pt; font-family: Arial; color: #000000;\">\n<p dir=\"ltr\" style=\"line-height: 1.2; margin-top: 6pt; margin-bottom: 0pt;\"><span style=\"font-size: 12pt; font-weight: bold; white-space: pre-wrap;\">WHAT <\/span><span style=\"font-size: 12pt; white-space: pre-wrap;\">\u2013 This is <\/span><span style=\"font-size: 12pt; font-style: italic; white-space: pre-wrap;\">what<\/span><span style=\"font-size: 12pt; white-space: pre-wrap;\"> you do to fulfill the core belief.<\/span><\/p>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p dir=\"ltr\" style=\"line-height: 1.2; margin-top: 6pt; margin-bottom: 0pt;\"><span style=\"font-size: 12pt; font-family: Arial; color: #000000; white-space: pre-wrap;\">We all know <\/span><span style=\"font-size: 12pt; font-family: Arial; color: #000000; font-weight: bold; font-style: italic; white-space: pre-wrap;\">what<\/span><span style=\"font-size: 12pt; font-family: Arial; color: #000000; white-space: pre-wrap;\"> we do and can talk about it all day. It\u2019s the tangible things. The basic features and benefits we can all recite from memory and list on our technical data sheets.<\/span><\/p>\n<p dir=\"ltr\" style=\"line-height: 1.2; margin-top: 6pt; margin-bottom: 0pt;\"><span style=\"font-size: 12pt; font-family: Arial; color: #000000; white-space: pre-wrap;\">Some companies know how they do what they do. They often use these to explain how they\u2019re different or better than the other guys.<\/span><\/p>\n<p dir=\"ltr\" style=\"line-height: 1.2; margin-top: 6pt; margin-bottom: 0pt;\"><span style=\"font-size: 12pt; font-family: Arial; color: #000000; white-space: pre-wrap;\">But most companies or individuals find it hard to clearly articulate why they do what they do.<\/span><\/p>\n<p dir=\"ltr\" style=\"line-height: 1.2; margin-top: 6pt; margin-bottom: 0pt;\"><span style=\"font-size: 12pt; font-family: Arial; color: #000000; white-space: pre-wrap;\">Sinek\u2019s point was that most companies start with the much easier what and how they do business. But rarely, if ever, do they think or talk about their why.<\/span><\/p>\n<p dir=\"ltr\" style=\"line-height: 1.2; margin-top: 6pt; margin-bottom: 0pt;\"><span style=\"font-size: 12pt; font-family: Arial; color: #000000; white-space: pre-wrap;\">That\u2019s what sets the \u201cApples\u201d of the world apart. They start with why and then move to the how and what they do.<\/span><\/p>\n<p dir=\"ltr\" style=\"line-height: 1.2; margin-top: 6pt; margin-bottom: 0pt;\"><span style=\"font-size: 12pt; font-family: Arial; color: #000000; white-space: pre-wrap;\">To help boost your connection with your target audience let\u2019s take a look at some of the key takeaways, and use the \u201c<\/span><span style=\"font-size: 12pt; font-family: Arial; color: #000000; font-style: italic; white-space: pre-wrap;\">Start With Why<\/span><span style=\"font-size: 12pt; font-family: Arial; color: #000000; white-space: pre-wrap;\">\u201d framework to look at a few building product websites through that lens. We\u2019ll focus on window manufacturers to compare a few similar products<\/span><\/p>\n<p>[\/et_pb_text][\/et_pb_column][\/et_pb_row][et_pb_row admin_label=&#8221;row&#8221; make_fullwidth=&#8221;off&#8221; use_custom_width=&#8221;off&#8221; width_unit=&#8221;off&#8221; custom_width_px=&#8221;1080px&#8221; custom_width_percent=&#8221;80%&#8221; use_custom_gutter=&#8221;off&#8221; gutter_width=&#8221;2&#8243; custom_padding=&#8221;23px|0px|0px|0px&#8221; allow_player_pause=&#8221;off&#8221; parallax=&#8221;off&#8221; parallax_method=&#8221;on&#8221; make_equal=&#8221;off&#8221; parallax_1=&#8221;off&#8221; parallax_method_1=&#8221;on&#8221; parallax_2=&#8221;off&#8221; parallax_method_2=&#8221;on&#8221; parallax_3=&#8221;off&#8221; parallax_method_3=&#8221;on&#8221; parallax_4=&#8221;off&#8221; parallax_method_4=&#8221;on&#8221; disabled=&#8221;off&#8221;][et_pb_column type=&#8221;4_4&#8243;][et_pb_text admin_label=&#8221;Text&#8221; background_layout=&#8221;light&#8221; text_orientation=&#8221;left&#8221; use_border_color=&#8221;off&#8221; border_style=&#8221;solid&#8221; disabled=&#8221;off&#8221;]<\/p>\n<h1>3 Key Takeaways for Building Product Marketing<\/h1>\n<p dir=\"ltr\" style=\"line-height: 1.2; margin-top: 12pt; margin-bottom: 0pt;\"><span style=\"font-size: 12pt; font-family: Arial; color: #000000; background-color: transparent; font-weight: bold; font-style: italic; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;\">1. Use \u201cWhy\u201d to put a framework around your product<\/span><\/p>\n<p dir=\"ltr\" style=\"line-height: 1.2; margin-top: 6pt; margin-bottom: 0pt;\"><span style=\"font-size: 12pt; font-family: Arial; color: #000000; background-color: transparent; font-weight: 400; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;\">As Sinek says, \u201cPeople don\u2019t buy what you do. They buy why you do it.\u201d Think back to why you got into this business in the first place &#8211; about why your company does what it does. This helps make sure your entire team is aligned with your core belief(s).<\/span><\/p>\n<p dir=\"ltr\" style=\"line-height: 1.2; margin-top: 6pt; margin-bottom: 0pt;\"><span style=\"font-size: 12pt; font-family: Arial; color: #000000; background-color: transparent; font-weight: 400; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;\">And when I say \u201cteam,\u201d in our industry that can be very broad term. It can mean the sales and production staff for you company, but can also extend to your sales reps, suppliers and even the architects or designers who might become your \u201cproduct evangelists.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n<p dir=\"ltr\" style=\"line-height: 1.2; margin-top: 6pt; margin-bottom: 0pt;\"><span style=\"font-size: 12pt; font-family: Arial; color: #000000; background-color: transparent; font-weight: 400; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;\">If your whole team understands your \u201cwhy\u201d it\u2019s a whole lot easier for them to pass on \u201chow\u201d and \u201cwhat\u201d you and your product do.<\/span><\/p>\n<p dir=\"ltr\" style=\"line-height: 1.2; margin-top: 6pt; margin-bottom: 0pt;\"><span style=\"font-size: 12pt; font-family: Arial; color: #000000; background-color: transparent; font-weight: 400; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;\">Let\u2019s take a look at our first example website to see how they do on this one\u2026<\/span><\/p>\n<p>[\/et_pb_text][\/et_pb_column][\/et_pb_row][et_pb_row admin_label=&#8221;row&#8221; make_fullwidth=&#8221;off&#8221; use_custom_width=&#8221;off&#8221; width_unit=&#8221;off&#8221; custom_width_px=&#8221;1080px&#8221; custom_width_percent=&#8221;80%&#8221; use_custom_gutter=&#8221;off&#8221; gutter_width=&#8221;2&#8243; custom_padding=&#8221;36px|10px|10px|10px&#8221; custom_padding_phone=&#8221;|20px|20px|20px&#8221; background_color=&#8221;#f2f2f2&#8243; allow_player_pause=&#8221;off&#8221; parallax=&#8221;off&#8221; parallax_method=&#8221;on&#8221; make_equal=&#8221;off&#8221; parallax_1=&#8221;off&#8221; parallax_method_1=&#8221;on&#8221; parallax_2=&#8221;off&#8221; parallax_method_2=&#8221;on&#8221; parallax_3=&#8221;off&#8221; parallax_method_3=&#8221;on&#8221; parallax_4=&#8221;off&#8221; parallax_method_4=&#8221;on&#8221; custom_padding_last_edited=&#8221;on|desktop&#8221; disabled=&#8221;off&#8221;][et_pb_column type=&#8221;4_4&#8243;][et_pb_text admin_label=&#8221;Text&#8221; background_layout=&#8221;light&#8221; text_orientation=&#8221;left&#8221; header_font=&#8221;|on|||&#8221; use_border_color=&#8221;off&#8221; border_style=&#8221;solid&#8221; disabled=&#8221;off&#8221; border_color=&#8221;#ffffff&#8221;]<\/p>\n<h1 style=\"text-align: center;\">Andersen Windows<\/h1>\n<p dir=\"ltr\" style=\"line-height: 1.2; margin-top: 6pt; margin-bottom: 0pt; text-align: center;\"><span style=\"font-size: 12pt; font-family: Arial; color: #000000; font-style: italic; white-space: pre-wrap;\">(<\/span><a href=\"http:\/\/www.andersenwindows.com\" target=\"_blank\"><span style=\"font-size: 12pt; font-family: Arial; color: #0000ff; font-style: italic; text-decoration: underline; white-space: pre-wrap;\">www.andersenwindows.com<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-size: 12pt; font-family: Arial; color: #000000; font-style: italic; white-space: pre-wrap;\">) <\/span><\/p>\n<p><span id=\"docs-internal-guid-9abd6ba9-f138-3b1b-c0ec-176c16dfea71\"><span style=\"font-size: 12pt; font-family: Arial; color: #000000; white-space: pre-wrap;\">Here\u2019s the screenshot of Andersen\u2019s Home page (desktop and mobile) on the day I wrote this:<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n<p>[\/et_pb_text][et_pb_image admin_label=&#8221;Image&#8221; src=&#8221;http:\/\/www.visualconstructionmarketing.com\/2014\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/01\/andersen.jpg&#8221; show_in_lightbox=&#8221;off&#8221; url_new_window=&#8221;off&#8221; use_overlay=&#8221;off&#8221; sticky=&#8221;off&#8221; align=&#8221;left&#8221; force_fullwidth=&#8221;off&#8221; always_center_on_mobile=&#8221;on&#8221; use_border_color=&#8221;off&#8221; border_color=&#8221;#ffffff&#8221; border_width=&#8221;1px&#8221; border_style=&#8221;solid&#8221; disabled=&#8221;off&#8221;] [\/et_pb_image][et_pb_text admin_label=&#8221;Text&#8221; background_layout=&#8221;light&#8221; text_orientation=&#8221;left&#8221; use_border_color=&#8221;off&#8221; border_style=&#8221;solid&#8221; disabled=&#8221;off&#8221;]<\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">I thought we were onto something here when I saw the simple quote, \u201cThe brand trusted by more builders than any others.\u201d Followed by a button to click saying, \u201cSEE <\/span><b>WHY<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">When you click on the button, the next page is a nicely designed listing of their features and benefits. Energy-efficiency. Experience &amp; Innovation. Beauty. Performance. Service. Sustainability. Giving Back.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">All great things, but you\u2019ll end up finding very similar lists of \u201chow\u201d and \u201cwhat\u201d on the other sites you visit. But, here on the surface, I couldn\u2019t find the \u201cwhy\u201d behind their company or their product lines.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">So, I decided to dig a little deeper\u2026<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">By going off their product site to the Andersen Corporation website, I looked a bit at their company history. There you can see they originated the \u201ctwo bundle\u201d method of construction to help streamline the window construction process on the job site.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Later, they developed the first completely assembled window unit. You can keep clicking through to see their many other innovation and a little bit of the \u201cwhy\u201d behind each of those advancements.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">To truly embrace the \u201cStart With Why\u201d principles, they could certainly look at folding more of these things back into their up-front marketing efforts. Andersen has a lot of why\u2019s out there, but it\u2019s not something we shouldn\u2019t have to dig for.<\/span><\/p>\n<p>[\/et_pb_text][\/et_pb_column][\/et_pb_row][\/et_pb_section][et_pb_section admin_label=&#8221;Section&#8221; transparent_background=&#8221;off&#8221; allow_player_pause=&#8221;off&#8221; inner_shadow=&#8221;off&#8221; parallax=&#8221;off&#8221; parallax_method=&#8221;on&#8221; make_fullwidth=&#8221;off&#8221; use_custom_width=&#8221;off&#8221; width_unit=&#8221;off&#8221; custom_width_px=&#8221;1080px&#8221; custom_width_percent=&#8221;80%&#8221; make_equal=&#8221;off&#8221; use_custom_gutter=&#8221;off&#8221; fullwidth=&#8221;off&#8221; specialty=&#8221;off&#8221; disabled=&#8221;off&#8221;][et_pb_row admin_label=&#8221;Row&#8221; make_fullwidth=&#8221;off&#8221; use_custom_width=&#8221;off&#8221; width_unit=&#8221;off&#8221; custom_width_px=&#8221;1080px&#8221; custom_width_percent=&#8221;80%&#8221; use_custom_gutter=&#8221;off&#8221; gutter_width=&#8221;2&#8243; custom_padding=&#8221;23px|0px|0px|0px&#8221; allow_player_pause=&#8221;off&#8221; parallax=&#8221;off&#8221; parallax_method=&#8221;on&#8221; make_equal=&#8221;off&#8221; parallax_1=&#8221;off&#8221; parallax_method_1=&#8221;on&#8221; parallax_2=&#8221;off&#8221; parallax_method_2=&#8221;on&#8221; parallax_3=&#8221;off&#8221; parallax_method_3=&#8221;on&#8221; parallax_4=&#8221;off&#8221; parallax_method_4=&#8221;on&#8221; disabled=&#8221;off&#8221;][et_pb_column type=&#8221;4_4&#8243;][et_pb_text admin_label=&#8221;Text&#8221; background_layout=&#8221;light&#8221; text_orientation=&#8221;left&#8221; use_border_color=&#8221;off&#8221; border_style=&#8221;solid&#8221; disabled=&#8221;off&#8221;]<\/p>\n<h1 dir=\"ltr\" style=\"line-height: 1.2; margin-top: 12pt; margin-bottom: 0pt;\">2. Pull the &#8220;Why&#8221; into your marketing<\/h1>\n<p dir=\"ltr\" style=\"line-height: 1.2; margin-top: 12pt; margin-bottom: 0pt;\"><span style=\"font-size: 12pt; font-family: Arial; color: #000000; white-space: pre-wrap;\">As we saw in the Andersen example, there are always opportunities to find the \u201cwhy.\u201d The challenge is to find ways to effectively pull that forward and incorporate that into the visuals and copy you use in your marketing.<\/span><\/p>\n<p dir=\"ltr\" style=\"line-height: 1.2; margin-top: 6pt; margin-bottom: 0pt;\"><span style=\"font-size: 12pt; font-family: Arial; color: #000000; white-space: pre-wrap;\">Our next example website is\u2026<\/span><\/p>\n<p>[\/et_pb_text][\/et_pb_column][\/et_pb_row][et_pb_row admin_label=&#8221;row&#8221; make_fullwidth=&#8221;off&#8221; use_custom_width=&#8221;off&#8221; width_unit=&#8221;off&#8221; custom_width_px=&#8221;1080px&#8221; custom_width_percent=&#8221;80%&#8221; use_custom_gutter=&#8221;off&#8221; gutter_width=&#8221;2&#8243; custom_padding=&#8221;42px|10px|10px|10px&#8221; custom_padding_phone=&#8221;|20px|20px|20px&#8221; background_color=&#8221;#f2f2f2&#8243; allow_player_pause=&#8221;off&#8221; parallax=&#8221;off&#8221; parallax_method=&#8221;on&#8221; make_equal=&#8221;off&#8221; parallax_1=&#8221;off&#8221; parallax_method_1=&#8221;on&#8221; parallax_2=&#8221;off&#8221; parallax_method_2=&#8221;on&#8221; parallax_3=&#8221;off&#8221; parallax_method_3=&#8221;on&#8221; parallax_4=&#8221;off&#8221; parallax_method_4=&#8221;on&#8221; custom_padding_last_edited=&#8221;on|desktop&#8221; disabled=&#8221;off&#8221;][et_pb_column type=&#8221;4_4&#8243;][et_pb_text admin_label=&#8221;Text&#8221; background_layout=&#8221;light&#8221; text_orientation=&#8221;left&#8221; use_border_color=&#8221;off&#8221; border_style=&#8221;solid&#8221; disabled=&#8221;off&#8221; border_color=&#8221;#ffffff&#8221;]<\/p>\n<h1 style=\"text-align: center;\">JELD-WEN Windows and Doors<\/h1>\n<h1 style=\"text-align: center;\"><span id=\"docs-internal-guid-9abd6ba9-f148-26fd-7da2-ce27ef839c05\"><span style=\"font-size: 12pt; font-family: Arial; color: #000000; font-style: italic; white-space: pre-wrap;\">(<\/span><a href=\"http:\/\/www.jeld-wen.com\/en-us\/\" target=\"_blank\"><span style=\"font-size: 12pt; font-family: Arial; color: #0000ff; font-style: italic; text-decoration: underline; white-space: pre-wrap;\">www.jeld-wen.com\/en-us\/<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-size: 12pt; font-family: Arial; color: #000000; font-style: italic; white-space: pre-wrap;\">)<\/span><\/span><\/h1>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\"><span id=\"docs-internal-guid-9abd6ba9-f147-f2e6-5920-48c7377dfdcf\"><span style=\"font-size: 12pt; font-family: Arial; color: #000000; white-space: pre-wrap;\">Screenshot of JELD-WEN\u2019s Home page on the day I wrote this:<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n<p>[\/et_pb_text][et_pb_image admin_label=&#8221;Image&#8221; src=&#8221;http:\/\/www.visualconstructionmarketing.com\/2014\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/01\/jeldwen.jpg&#8221; show_in_lightbox=&#8221;off&#8221; url_new_window=&#8221;off&#8221; use_overlay=&#8221;off&#8221; sticky=&#8221;off&#8221; align=&#8221;left&#8221; force_fullwidth=&#8221;off&#8221; always_center_on_mobile=&#8221;on&#8221; use_border_color=&#8221;off&#8221; border_color=&#8221;#ffffff&#8221; border_width=&#8221;1px&#8221; border_style=&#8221;solid&#8221; disabled=&#8221;off&#8221;] [\/et_pb_image][et_pb_text admin_label=&#8221;Text&#8221; background_layout=&#8221;light&#8221; text_orientation=&#8221;left&#8221; use_border_color=&#8221;off&#8221; border_style=&#8221;solid&#8221; disabled=&#8221;off&#8221;]<\/p>\n<p dir=\"ltr\" style=\"line-height: 1.2; margin-top: 6pt; margin-bottom: 0pt;\"><span style=\"font-size: 12pt; font-family: Arial; color: #000000; white-space: pre-wrap;\">At first blush, the JELD-WEN site is just showing me a catalog of their products with lists of features for each of the products. Nothing too compelling or exciting to connect with me or make me pick them over any other window out there.<\/span><\/p>\n<p dir=\"ltr\" style=\"line-height: 1.2; margin-top: 6pt; margin-bottom: 0pt;\"><span style=\"font-size: 12pt; font-family: Arial; color: #000000; white-space: pre-wrap;\">Again, I have to do some digging to find a hint at their \u201cwhy.\u201d <\/span><\/p>\n<p dir=\"ltr\" style=\"line-height: 1.2; margin-top: 6pt; margin-bottom: 0pt;\"><span style=\"font-size: 12pt; font-family: Arial; color: #000000; white-space: pre-wrap;\">On the \u201cAbout Us\u201d page of their site, you can find their value and mission statements, and a bit about their history. But even those aren\u2019t getting to that elusive \u201cwhy\u201d that I want to see to help me connect with them and make them my go-to resource for windows.<\/span><\/p>\n<p dir=\"ltr\" style=\"line-height: 1.2; margin-top: 6pt; margin-bottom: 0pt;\"><span style=\"font-size: 12pt; font-family: Arial; color: #000000; white-space: pre-wrap;\">Not much more I can say about JELD-WEN, other than they could do more self-exploration to help find their why and bring it up to the surface.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-size: 15px;\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p>[\/et_pb_text][\/et_pb_column][\/et_pb_row][\/et_pb_section][et_pb_section admin_label=&#8221;section&#8221; transparent_background=&#8221;off&#8221; allow_player_pause=&#8221;off&#8221; inner_shadow=&#8221;off&#8221; parallax=&#8221;off&#8221; parallax_method=&#8221;on&#8221; make_fullwidth=&#8221;off&#8221; use_custom_width=&#8221;off&#8221; width_unit=&#8221;off&#8221; custom_width_px=&#8221;1080px&#8221; custom_width_percent=&#8221;80%&#8221; make_equal=&#8221;off&#8221; use_custom_gutter=&#8221;off&#8221; fullwidth=&#8221;off&#8221; specialty=&#8221;off&#8221; disabled=&#8221;off&#8221;][et_pb_row admin_label=&#8221;row&#8221; make_fullwidth=&#8221;off&#8221; use_custom_width=&#8221;off&#8221; width_unit=&#8221;off&#8221; custom_width_px=&#8221;1080px&#8221; custom_width_percent=&#8221;80%&#8221; use_custom_gutter=&#8221;off&#8221; gutter_width=&#8221;2&#8243; allow_player_pause=&#8221;off&#8221; parallax=&#8221;off&#8221; parallax_method=&#8221;on&#8221; make_equal=&#8221;off&#8221; parallax_1=&#8221;off&#8221; parallax_method_1=&#8221;on&#8221; parallax_2=&#8221;off&#8221; parallax_method_2=&#8221;on&#8221; parallax_3=&#8221;off&#8221; parallax_method_3=&#8221;on&#8221; parallax_4=&#8221;off&#8221; parallax_method_4=&#8221;on&#8221; disabled=&#8221;off&#8221;][et_pb_column type=&#8221;4_4&#8243;][et_pb_text admin_label=&#8221;Text&#8221; background_layout=&#8221;light&#8221; text_orientation=&#8221;left&#8221; use_border_color=&#8221;off&#8221; border_style=&#8221;solid&#8221; disabled=&#8221;off&#8221;]<\/p>\n<h1><b><i>3. Redefine your target market<\/i><\/b><\/h1>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Depending on how long your company has been around, your target market can change over time. It\u2019s sometimes based on the trends in the market, or changes in your own products and services.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">By going back to the \u201cStart With Why\u201d principles, you may find you\u2019ve lost your way a bit. That\u2019s OK. We all need to re-examine things from time to time. As the quote, attributed to Socrates, says, \u201cThe unexamined life is not worth living.\u201d <\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">If you do choose to go through the process of finding and starting with your \u201cwhy,\u201d it can help you clarify WHO it is you want to serve. This can go a long way in helping you clarify your marketing messages.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">For our final example website, we\u2019ll look at:<\/span><\/p>\n<p>[\/et_pb_text][\/et_pb_column][\/et_pb_row][et_pb_row admin_label=&#8221;row&#8221; make_fullwidth=&#8221;off&#8221; use_custom_width=&#8221;off&#8221; width_unit=&#8221;off&#8221; custom_width_px=&#8221;1080px&#8221; custom_width_percent=&#8221;80%&#8221; use_custom_gutter=&#8221;off&#8221; gutter_width=&#8221;2&#8243; custom_padding=&#8221;41px|20px|20px|20px&#8221; custom_padding_phone=&#8221;|20px|20px|20px&#8221; background_color=&#8221;#f2f2f2&#8243; allow_player_pause=&#8221;off&#8221; parallax=&#8221;off&#8221; parallax_method=&#8221;on&#8221; make_equal=&#8221;off&#8221; parallax_1=&#8221;off&#8221; parallax_method_1=&#8221;on&#8221; parallax_2=&#8221;off&#8221; parallax_method_2=&#8221;on&#8221; parallax_3=&#8221;off&#8221; parallax_method_3=&#8221;on&#8221; parallax_4=&#8221;off&#8221; parallax_method_4=&#8221;on&#8221; custom_padding_last_edited=&#8221;on|desktop&#8221; disabled=&#8221;off&#8221;][et_pb_column type=&#8221;4_4&#8243;][et_pb_text admin_label=&#8221;Text&#8221; background_layout=&#8221;light&#8221; text_orientation=&#8221;left&#8221; use_border_color=&#8221;off&#8221; border_style=&#8221;solid&#8221; disabled=&#8221;off&#8221; border_color=&#8221;#ffffff&#8221;]<\/p>\n<h1 style=\"text-align: center;\">Marvin Windows<\/h1>\n<h1 style=\"text-align: center;\"><span id=\"docs-internal-guid-9abd6ba9-f148-26fd-7da2-ce27ef839c05\"><span style=\"font-size: 12pt; font-family: Arial; color: #000000; font-style: italic; white-space: pre-wrap;\">(<a href=\"http:\/\/www.marvin.com\" target=\"_blank\">www.marvin.com<\/a><\/span><span style=\"font-size: 12pt; font-family: Arial; color: #000000; font-style: italic; white-space: pre-wrap;\">)<\/span><\/span><\/h1>\n<p>[\/et_pb_text][et_pb_image admin_label=&#8221;Image&#8221; src=&#8221;http:\/\/www.visualconstructionmarketing.com\/2014\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/01\/marvin.jpg&#8221; show_in_lightbox=&#8221;off&#8221; url_new_window=&#8221;off&#8221; use_overlay=&#8221;off&#8221; sticky=&#8221;off&#8221; align=&#8221;left&#8221; force_fullwidth=&#8221;off&#8221; always_center_on_mobile=&#8221;on&#8221; use_border_color=&#8221;off&#8221; border_color=&#8221;#ffffff&#8221; border_width=&#8221;1px&#8221; border_style=&#8221;solid&#8221; disabled=&#8221;off&#8221;] [\/et_pb_image][et_pb_text admin_label=&#8221;Text&#8221; background_layout=&#8221;light&#8221; text_orientation=&#8221;left&#8221; use_border_color=&#8221;off&#8221; border_style=&#8221;solid&#8221; disabled=&#8221;off&#8221;]<\/p>\n<p dir=\"ltr\" style=\"line-height: 1.2; margin-top: 6pt; margin-bottom: 0pt;\"><span style=\"font-size: 12pt; font-family: Arial; color: #000000; background-color: transparent; font-weight: 400; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;\">On their Home page, Marvin has a great video background that loops through a variety of images. I can tell they cater to the residential market and it looks like they have products that fit with traditional and more modern designs.<\/span><\/p>\n<p dir=\"ltr\" style=\"line-height: 1.2; margin-top: 6pt; margin-bottom: 0pt;\"><span style=\"font-size: 12pt; font-family: Arial; color: #000000; background-color: transparent; font-weight: 400; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;\">On the sections below the video loop, they go into several of the standard <\/span><span style=\"font-size: 12pt; font-family: Arial; color: #000000; background-color: transparent; font-weight: 400; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;\"><br class=\"kix-line-break\" \/><\/span><span style=\"font-size: 12pt; font-family: Arial; color: #000000; background-color: transparent; font-weight: 400; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;\">\u201cwhy work with us\u201d statements we\u2019ve seen on other manufacturer sites. But they are starting to bake in more of their \u201cwhy\u201d into these statements.<\/span><\/p>\n<p dir=\"ltr\" style=\"line-height: 1.2; margin-top: 6pt; margin-bottom: 0pt;\"><span style=\"font-size: 12pt; font-family: Arial; color: #000000; background-color: transparent; font-weight: 400; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;\">For example, when they talk about their unmatched service, they say, \u201cBuilding and keeping relationships is as important to us as the unwavering quality of our product\u2026\u201d That\u2019s a pretty good why that I can identify with. Relationships are important to me, too.<\/span><\/p>\n<p dir=\"ltr\" style=\"line-height: 1.2; margin-top: 6pt; margin-bottom: 0pt;\"><span style=\"font-size: 12pt; font-family: Arial; color: #000000; background-color: transparent; font-weight: 400; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;\">For their commitment to quality, they say, \u201cWe set high standards for ourselves so we can be sure that every single product we make for you is built to last\u2026\u201d When you use the phrase \u201cso we can\u201d that\u2019s giving me your reason why.<\/span><\/p>\n<p dir=\"ltr\" style=\"line-height: 1.2; margin-top: 6pt; margin-bottom: 0pt;\"><span style=\"font-size: 12pt; font-family: Arial; color: #000000; background-color: transparent; font-weight: 400; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;\">Could their reasons be made stronger and clearer? Absolutely. There\u2019s always room for improvement. The point of examining these examples is to get you started down the road to examining your own messages and those of your competition. <\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-size: 15px;\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p>[\/et_pb_text][\/et_pb_column][\/et_pb_row][\/et_pb_section][et_pb_section admin_label=&#8221;section&#8221; transparent_background=&#8221;off&#8221; allow_player_pause=&#8221;off&#8221; inner_shadow=&#8221;off&#8221; parallax=&#8221;off&#8221; parallax_method=&#8221;on&#8221; make_fullwidth=&#8221;off&#8221; use_custom_width=&#8221;off&#8221; width_unit=&#8221;off&#8221; custom_width_px=&#8221;1080px&#8221; custom_width_percent=&#8221;80%&#8221; make_equal=&#8221;off&#8221; use_custom_gutter=&#8221;off&#8221; fullwidth=&#8221;off&#8221; specialty=&#8221;off&#8221; disabled=&#8221;off&#8221;][et_pb_row admin_label=&#8221;row&#8221; make_fullwidth=&#8221;off&#8221; use_custom_width=&#8221;off&#8221; width_unit=&#8221;off&#8221; custom_width_px=&#8221;1080px&#8221; custom_width_percent=&#8221;80%&#8221; use_custom_gutter=&#8221;off&#8221; gutter_width=&#8221;2&#8243; custom_padding=&#8221;23px|0px|0px|0px&#8221; allow_player_pause=&#8221;off&#8221; parallax=&#8221;off&#8221; parallax_method=&#8221;on&#8221; make_equal=&#8221;off&#8221; parallax_1=&#8221;off&#8221; parallax_method_1=&#8221;on&#8221; parallax_2=&#8221;off&#8221; parallax_method_2=&#8221;on&#8221; parallax_3=&#8221;off&#8221; parallax_method_3=&#8221;on&#8221; parallax_4=&#8221;off&#8221; parallax_method_4=&#8221;on&#8221; disabled=&#8221;off&#8221;][et_pb_column type=&#8221;4_4&#8243;][et_pb_text admin_label=&#8221;Text&#8221; background_layout=&#8221;light&#8221; text_orientation=&#8221;left&#8221; use_border_color=&#8221;off&#8221; border_style=&#8221;solid&#8221; disabled=&#8221;off&#8221;]<\/p>\n<h1><b>Final words\u2026<\/b><\/h1>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">If you don\u2019t define your why, nobody cares what your product is or how it works.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">They might select your products based on price, but you won\u2019t develop that loyal following we\u2019d all like to depend on for our business. If you want to quiet the competition and get your customers and teams on board with you, you need to inspire them and connect with them.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">To do that, you need to start with your why.<\/span><\/p>\n<p>[\/et_pb_text][\/et_pb_column][\/et_pb_row][\/et_pb_section][et_pb_section admin_label=&#8221;section&#8221; transparent_background=&#8221;off&#8221; allow_player_pause=&#8221;off&#8221; inner_shadow=&#8221;off&#8221; parallax=&#8221;off&#8221; parallax_method=&#8221;on&#8221; custom_padding=&#8221;0px|0px|15px|0px&#8221; make_fullwidth=&#8221;off&#8221; use_custom_width=&#8221;off&#8221; width_unit=&#8221;off&#8221; custom_width_px=&#8221;1080px&#8221; custom_width_percent=&#8221;80%&#8221; make_equal=&#8221;off&#8221; use_custom_gutter=&#8221;off&#8221; fullwidth=&#8221;off&#8221; specialty=&#8221;off&#8221; disabled=&#8221;off&#8221;][et_pb_row admin_label=&#8221;row&#8221; make_fullwidth=&#8221;off&#8221; use_custom_width=&#8221;off&#8221; width_unit=&#8221;off&#8221; custom_width_px=&#8221;1080px&#8221; custom_width_percent=&#8221;80%&#8221; use_custom_gutter=&#8221;off&#8221; gutter_width=&#8221;2&#8243; allow_player_pause=&#8221;off&#8221; parallax=&#8221;off&#8221; parallax_method=&#8221;on&#8221; make_equal=&#8221;off&#8221; parallax_1=&#8221;off&#8221; parallax_method_1=&#8221;on&#8221; parallax_2=&#8221;off&#8221; parallax_method_2=&#8221;on&#8221; parallax_3=&#8221;off&#8221; parallax_method_3=&#8221;on&#8221; parallax_4=&#8221;off&#8221; parallax_method_4=&#8221;on&#8221; disabled=&#8221;off&#8221;][et_pb_column type=&#8221;4_4&#8243;][et_pb_text admin_label=&#8221;About the author&#8221; background_layout=&#8221;light&#8221; text_orientation=&#8221;justified&#8221; use_border_color=&#8221;off&#8221; border_color=&#8221;#ffffff&#8221; border_style=&#8221;solid&#8221; disabled=&#8221;off&#8221; global_module=&#8221;3895&#8243; saved_tabs=&#8221;all&#8221;]<\/p>\n<p>About the Author :<\/p>\n<p>Jason Yana has 2 decades of experience in architectural technology, 3d graphics and construction marketing. This unique combination provides highly-effective visual representations of building products that fuel marketing and support efforts.<\/p>\n<p>His award-winning body of work informs, inspires and educates building product customers.<\/p>\n<p>[\/et_pb_text][\/et_pb_column][\/et_pb_row][\/et_pb_section]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Introduction It\u2019s a sunny Saturday morning and I\u2019m stuck here at my computer looking for something to help take one of the things off my \u201choney-do\u201d list. And it just happened again! Why does it keep happening over-and-over? Like I\u2019m trapped in some lame version of that Bill Murray movie, \u201cGroundhog Day.\u201d Here I am, [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":5379,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"nf_dc_page":"","_et_pb_use_builder":"on","_et_pb_old_content":"","_et_gb_content_width":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[12,3],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-5366","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-building-product-marketing","category-visual-marketing-blog"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/visualconstructionmarketing.com\/2014\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/5366","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/visualconstructionmarketing.com\/2014\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/visualconstructionmarketing.com\/2014\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/visualconstructionmarketing.com\/2014\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/visualconstructionmarketing.com\/2014\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=5366"}],"version-history":[{"count":14,"href":"https:\/\/visualconstructionmarketing.com\/2014\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/5366\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":5386,"href":"https:\/\/visualconstructionmarketing.com\/2014\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/5366\/revisions\/5386"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/visualconstructionmarketing.com\/2014\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/5379"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/visualconstructionmarketing.com\/2014\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=5366"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/visualconstructionmarketing.com\/2014\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=5366"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/visualconstructionmarketing.com\/2014\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=5366"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}