PREVIEW - Building industry in-depth focus: The changing role of the trade press

During the last few years there has been a distinct shift in how manufacturers, distributors, and merchants of building products promote and communicate with their customers and specifiers. 

Part of the reason is due to the Internet and electronic media offering different communication options, and part is due to the economic recession forcing companies to look more carefully at how they spend their marketing budgets.

As a result, trade magazines in the building and construction industry have suffered from reduced advertising revenue and some, like What’s New in Building, have sadly been lost.  

However, the trade press remains one of the best ways to communicate and educate your audience. Using effective public relations, in-depth features, and display advertising, the trade press is a vital sales and marketing tool. It is crucial that the industry continues to support the trade press and ensure its successful relevance or the entire industry will suffer.

In order to remain relevant and in-tune with the industry, trade magazines need to adapt and innovate to offer greater value. They also need to become more targeted in how they benefit both their advertisers and readers. 

As with all products and services, companies need to understand what their customers want and if a magazine becomes indispensable to its readers, then the advertisers and contributors will want to continue to be involved in its production. 

Later this month we will see the publication of the latest of our in-depth features with people from within the building industry. This feature will look at the changing role of the trade press and why it is still a vital communication platform for the whole industry. 

PinBoard will discuss these issues with one of the leading and most respected publications in the industry, Professional Builder – keep checking in, so you don’t miss out on this informative read.

If you are looking to recruit for sales and marketing professionals in the building and construction products industry, find out more on our industry specific recruitment services here.