Market Focus - Facility Managers : Building a Good Market

Anything "green" is sure to be on facility managers' radars. Eco-friendly cleaning products and green, energy-saving technologies are going to be a point of continued emphasis in the market over the next couple of years, Platt predicts. "The green movement has become a tidal wave that has washed over the facility managers," says Rowe. First, facility managers are looking for education to get a better understanding of whether or not the green movement will help them save money. Then, they want to know that products will make buildings more energy-efficient and drive down the bottom line, since in many cases green products cost more.

As for out-of-category purchases, "We're starting to see interest from the consumer product suppliers like Dodge trucks, for example, or American Express," says Rowe. "We are seeing more interest from these types of companies because they have realized that the facility manager has a significant income and has the ability and wherewithal to purchase products on a personal level." Platt says his firm is seeing list usage from credit cards; training companies; and companies and associations like Sears, Roebuck and Co.; the American Water Works Association; the American Chemical Society; and American Society of Mechanical Engineers.

Building a Connection
According to Rowe, both direct mail and e-mail work well for reaching facility managers. "Direct mail is very good for building some awareness and some visibility for the product," he says. Platt agrees that direct mail works because it gives facility managers something concrete to hold onto. "You have a guy walking around a building with a clipboard and he has a couple of postcards and a catalog, and he's going around to the different managers asking, ‘What do you need in your division? What do you need for your operations?'" he says. "Maybe the hard copy is serving this niche better."

E-mail, Rowe says, is great for getting a direct response, but a mix of tactics works well; hit all the bases to reach this audience. "I use print, such as magazines, as well as e-mail, as we market our conferences, trade shows and webcasts to the facility managers," he explains. "All of them, hand in hand, work well. This mix is probably the best way to go if you want a guarantee of reaching these people."

Mastering the Message
Facility managers are busy and have so many responsibilities that in your messaging you need to keep it simple, grab their attention and offer a good bang for their attention buck. "They are looking for almost an ROI on their time," says Rowe. "If I spend time with your e-mail or direct mail or print ad, how are you going to help me improve the operations of my facility, the efficiency of my facility, the performance of my facility?"

Due to budget cuts, facility managers are looking to drive down costs, so cost-savings offers go over well. "They are looking to improve the performance of the building as the building ages, which is a difficult proposition," says Rowe. Facility managers are asked to do this without a lot of money, which means they're trying to save in one area of the building so later they can put those saved dollars into other parts of the facility.

Targeting facility managers with a mix of marketing methods is the route to building solid-and profitable-relationships with them.

Linda Formichelli is a freelance writer based in New Hampshire. She wrote about marketing to private pilots in Target Marketing's July issue.

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