Project

Client

Project Value

Reaching the unknown prospect with BIMobject Hosting

Majenta Solutions supported Automatic Systems in leveraging the BIMobject platform to achieve their objectives of increased product exposure and increased lead generation – opening new digital means of connecting their products to architectural practices. Automatic Systems recognised that BIM was maturing rapidly and adopting the technology as part of a digital strategy for product exposure was an increasing priority.

 

Business Challenges

  • Frequent requests from architects for Revit files of products
  • Key objective of increasing product exposure to architects who are yet to discover the brand
  • Needed to be confident that the BIM approach could meet objectives and deliver ROI

Automatic Systems were receiving an increasing number of requests from architectural practices for Revit files (a popular BIM file format) to represent their access control products. Since these files are often inserted directly into projects, being able to provide them makes it easier for a manufacturer’s products to be specified.

Being able to provide product information in this way – in the format which many prospects would choose to work with – was the next step towards achieving a key objective: increasing brand and product exposure to architectural practices as a key segment of their audience. It can sometimes be difficult to establish new relationships and engaging with the right people, so another key objective for Automatic Systems was to increase lead generation which would allow their representatives to find new opportunities. The key (in a world where many prospects have ‘cold-call fatigue’) would be to make products available in a format that architects were already working with – in this case, Revit files.

Automatic Systems, like many manufacturers, already had some familiarity with BIM, but needed to be certain that the new technology could bring a return on the investment of implementing it. As the market matured and enquiries increased, it was an urgent priority for Automatic Systems to upgrade their BIM capability to avoid being late to market with their Revit files.

Majenta Solutions were invited in for an initial meeting to offer their knowledge and experience of supporting manufacturers on their ‘BIM Journey’. After gaining a greater understanding of Automatic Systems’ key objectives, it was agreed that leveraging Majenta’s partnership with BIMobject could provide the required product exposure.

The Majenta Solution

  • Subscription to BIMobject, the world’s largest leading BIM content platform
  • Object creation, optimisation, and upload support
  • Upload training and SEO support

As digital technology develops, entirely new channels of communication open up to connect manufacturers to potential customers. Majenta ascertained, after assessing Automatic Systems’ needs, that the BIMobject platform was the ideal means of introducing their products to specifiers.

BIMobject is the world’s largest platform for digital building products, with an audience of 2 million construction professionals searching for and downloading products to specify into their projects. By making their products available in the right formats on a platform that is always accessible manufacturers can maximise the exposure and increase engagement with their target audience.

Majenta’s experts have proven experience supporting successful use of the platform for manufacturers, and were ready to work with Automatic Systems’ to make BIMobject hosting work for them. As well as providing a BIMobject subscription, Majenta supported with:

  • BIM Object Creation for select Automatic Systems product, helping to prepare their product range for launch on the platform.
  • Quality assurance of Revit files which Automatic Systems had already created, ensuring that these were optimised for the platform and loaded with usable information for architects.
  • Support uploading products to the BIMobject platform.
  • Upload training conducted in person on a one-to-one basis to give Automatic Systems’ staff confidence and competence uploading their own products in future.
  • Search Engine Optimisation support, working with Automatic Systems to take advantage of platform capabilities. BIMobject allows SEO of each object uploaded, meaning that professionals searching for access control equipment can discover Automatic Systems’ products even if they had no prior awareness of the brand.

Business Impact

  • More than 15,000 files downloaded worldwide
  • Two-thirds of visitors downloaded at least one product
  • Generation of high-quality leads
  • Platform analytics data enables earlier engagement with specifiers global and local analytics on product downloads inform future strategy

BIMobject hosting has made a real impact – in line with Automatic Systems’ objectives – on the manufacturer’s product exposure and lead generation.

Since the initial launch of Automatic Systems’ products on the BIMobject platform, the manufacturer has had more than 15,000 file downloads worldwide, with that number growing all the time. An impressive two-thirds of visitors to Automatic Systems pages on BIMobject have downloaded at least one product, an encouraging show of interest from platform users. This activity, crucially, has generated high-quality leads for Automatic Systems.

Since implementation, two thirds of the visitors that have been, downloaded at least one product. And for me it was really a surprise to see that conversion. So it means that people are not just surfing the website. They know what they need, and they go until the end of the process. So this is really interesting, because it is a really qualified lead and valuable lead.

Tanguy du Parc reflects.

The BIMobject platform provides in-depth analytics on products downloaded, showing which products are performing well in which regions, and also providing the name, company name, position, and location of the users downloading their content. This data allows Automatic Systems to engage with specifiers at the earliest possible point and turn downloads into tangible sales opportunities.

Another way that Automatic Systems have benefited from the platform’s in-depth analytics is a fuller understanding not only of which products perform well, but also which products are the close ‘runners-up’ in the terms of downloads. Automatic Systems have also been able to identify which products have little competition on the platform, and which countries their products perform unexpectedly well in. In this way, the platform’s data can reveal productive new sales avenues to explore.

Keys to Success

  • A friendly and productive relationship with Majenta’s experts
  • Majenta support and platform simplicity allowed for easy product upload
  • Platform versatility accommodated regional requirements for products

The process of preparing and launching their products on the BIMobject platform was – for Automatic Systems – easy and simple thanks to well-received service from Majenta, and the usability of the platform itself.

Deploying BIM technology in a new way can be a daunting prospect, and Majenta’s experts always strive to help customers get maximum value from the platform. From the initial meeting, through one-on-one training and effective communications, a positive relationship between Majenta and Automatic Systems helped to make the project a productive (and informative) success.

“Majenta provided friendly professional service.”

Jo Bainbridge, Marketing, Automatic Systems

Uploading information to the BIMobject platform is quick and easy, and with the initial Majenta-supported learning curve crested, it was a simple matter for Automatic Systems to upload their own products and also to measure their performance.

“The whole process – from the initial meeting that I had with Dan, to teaching me how to upload the information onto a system to then follow-up emails, coming back quickly and effectively – it’s just been simple.”

Jo Bainbridge adds.

As a global business, Automatic Systems benefits from the versatility of the BIMobject platform. As the manufacturer has access control products installed in buildings across the world, the precise parameters of a product can vary by country. The platform’s ability to accommodate these changing requirements ensures that Automatic Systems are digitally equipped to pursue future strategies locally and globally.

Pre-equipped for Business in a Digital Future

  • Automatic Systems prepared for the growing trend of digitally promoting building products, and the growing influence of architects on product specification.

Marketing and lead generation for manufacturers will be permanently changed after events in 2020. With much traditional marketing activity replaced by digital methods, their BIMobject subscription will be of great value for Automatic Systems going forwards.

Connecting products with target audiences – architects in this case – is more than just a trend. It is an increasingly widely adopted strategy, with more and more players entering this space. With competition for virtual footfall likely to increase in the future, Automatic Systems are well placed for a head-start in generating brand and product exposure online.

“We are globally focusing more and more. Ten years ago, the solutions were mainly a question of security. Now more and more it’s a question of style, design, architecture on-trend.”

Tanguy du Parc notes.

The influence of architects over construction projects is increasing as style and aesthetics become increasingly important in building design. For access control products, style is catching up with security as a criterion for inclusion in more design-driven buildings. Architects are therefore increasingly valuable stakeholders to connect with as their influence over product specification increases. Automatic Systems are now ideally placed – with their products gaining exposure digitally to work with these trends and generate new business.

As well as sharing Revit files, the main driver to go with BIM was also brand awareness and lead generation, touching people that don’t know Automatic Systems yet. They need a speed gate, they search for a speed gate, and they discover Automatic Systems that way.

Tanguy du Parc

Marketing Communications Director, Automatic Systems.

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