Building Product Marketing: May 2011

Building Product Careers

This is an encore of an article Michael Chusid wrote almost 20 years ago. The construction industry is, once again, experiencing a down phase of its economic cycle. If I wrote the article today, I would not be as sanguine about the stability of jobs with product manufacturers; many manufacturers have had to lay-off staff or switch from boots on the ground to some form of online marketing.

As opportunities for traditional architectural employment appear to he declining, many architecturally trained people are having to face involuntary career adjustments. If you are in this situation, you should be aware of opportunities for architects in the building product industry.

This industry is a large and robust sector of the construction economy and consists of manufacturers, trade associations, independent sales agencies, and distributors. Many architects find it hard to contemplate careers outside of design firms. To overcome this mind set, compare architects to engineers. It is widely recognized that engineers can succeed in industry as well as in consulting firms. In the same way, the communication, technical, aesthetic, and organizational skills acquired through architectural education and practice can qualify you for positions in building product sales, technical service, and management.

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The Best Building Material You Can't Buy - Autoclaved Aerated Concrete

This is an encore of an article Michael Chusid wrote over 20 years ago. Since then, several AAC producers have attempted business in the US, and most have failed. While it is still an outstanding building material, I suspect that newer building systems on the market make it less likely that AAC will become a major product in the US. But I would love to be proven wrong.

Autoclaved Cellular Concrete (ACC) [now known as Autoclaved Aerated Concrete (AAC)] is a precast concrete foam that can be used for building blocks and panels. ACC is not produced or readily available in the United States or Canada but is a major building material throughout most of the world. As North American architects and builders increasingly compete in a global market, the domestic construction industry must consider building materials such as ACC to meet the construction needs of this country.

Indeed, increased attention in the United States is already being focused on ACC: Planning is under way for ACC factories in Florida and New Jersey. Several other entrepreneurs and foreign companies are actively investigating U.S. manufacturing or importation of ACC. A major materials company was close to a commitment to build several ACC production facilities in the U.S. until it redirected its plans last fall. West Virginia University, which has formed an ACC Study Center to act as a clearing-house for information, attracted over 50 interested parties to a national conference on ACC last November. And several demonstration projects have recently been constructed in the U.S. Further laying the groundwork for ACC here has been the evaluation of the material by the Council of American Building Officials and HUD. Other building code approvals are pending.

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Yometa: 3-D glasses for search engine results

An oft forgotten piece of search engine marketing is that every engine uses a different algorithm, which produces significantly different results. Getting an accurate view of your standing in the search rankings means visiting all the major engines - from someone else's computer so search history does not skew the results - and seeing where you are in each. Many companies choose to focus on a single engine, as SEO is already difficult enough, but getting the full view can be useful.

Yometa is a new web application that gives a more realistic view of search engine results. It shows the top results from the three biggest search engines (Yahoo, Google, and Bing), and generates a Venn Diagram that shows if a given site is on one, two, or all three engines.

The company's blog points out that typically only 3% of search results overlap. For example, entering "concrete" generates only three pages in the center: Wikipedia, ACI, and Concrete Network's concrete calculator.

Entering "construction" finds no sites common to all three:

Even powerhouses like Wikipedia are not always in the center; entering "Microsoft" finds their customer support and download center, but not the company's homepage or Wikipedia entry. "President Obama" only found one page on all three sites, and it's not the White House.

Now the good news is that even though we're talking about the "three biggest search engines", #2 and 3 combined get about 1/10 as much traffic as Google, so single-engine optimization is not leaving too much on the table.

Use landing pages on your Facebook page

Landing pages are useful tools on websites because they take visitors to the informative, useful, targeted entry page you choose, rather some random, potentially out of date, non-applicable page. The DreamGrow blog makes an excellent case for doing the same on your Facebook page.

Number one annoyance was the fact that when you land on the wall you don’t understand immediately where you are. Is it a page created by fans, employees or some random guy who just created a placeholder. The brands with a landing page stood out. Make people understand that this is the right pace, the official page...

Even if you don’t have anything else create a landing tab for your Facebook page!
Facebook landing tab should answer two [sic] questions:

Where am I?

What can I do here?

Why should I click “like”?

The post also includes brief tips on how to set up the landing tab, which is a fairly simple process if you already understand how to set up and customize your page.

Info-opera: Presenting charts as...songs?

A recent episode of NPR's Planet Money started in a very interesting way. They were discussing home prices over the past decade, a common enough topic, but this week they chose to present the rise and fall of the market as music. So this:

became this:

As a life-long singer, this struck me as a great way to present the information. It was novel, first of all, and I was able to quickly pick up on information that would have taken much longer to read on a printed chart. Part of that is because of my training, granted, but it still reveals an important issue: many of your prospects are probably auditory learners.

Recent studies suggest 20-30% of adults learn better by listening to information than by reading it. I suspect this is one of the reasons podcasts and audiobooks have become so popular; advances in technology have made it easier for auditory learners to get large quantities of spoken-word education. In the pre-iPod era, many people had limited access to that level of resource after graduation.

Now obviously most of your technical information will not convert easily to song. Or at least not one anyone would want to listen to. But you can tell a lot of your product's story using video, which will usually include an audio track.

You may already be doing this, after a fashion. Consider, for example, a video demonstrating maintenance for concrete saws; one of the key diagnostic tools is the sound the blade makes on the concrete. Rather than try to explain the difference in sounds, this video can play the actual sound, explaining what each one means and how to address it.

As another example, imagine a video about staining concrete. Color layering could be explained by having a single tone or instrument represent each color, with the combined chord representing the final result. Variations in volume could represent color intensity, demonstrating how changing relative levels of individual components impacts the final product, or different rhythms representing various brush techniques.

You can see - hear? - how excited I am about this idea.

How NOT to label images

As connection speeds and hard drives have improved, the type of media people look for online has changed. The early 'net was all about text (hypertext), but now people can access, and want, more images. It is neither coincidence or accident that every successful social medium incorporates some form of image sharing. Images are especially important in construction, whether project photos or technical drawings. They illustrate, showcase, and explain products in ways difficult to achieve using just pages full of text and data. This means it is now as important for search engines to find your pictures as your website.

So why do I keep seeing pages that use images like this:

This came from an email newsletter; my email client only downloads images with manual approval, so when I opened the message this is what I saw. The problem is all the images had generic alt text - "Placeholder image" - instead of useful names.

Usually alt text only comes up when you hover the mouse cursor over an image, but it will also display if, for some reason, the image does not load. This means that if there is no alt text, or bad alt text, and the image is broken or missing, viewers have no way to know what was there. This email would work better if the alt text said, "Rotary hammer in action" or "Vacuum excavator close-up". That text is interesting, and makes me want to click through.

This example comes from an email, not a website, but the basic principal remains the same: Alt text is another way to get readers, and search engines, interested in your images. Adding alt text is fairly easy; most content management systems should provide a space for alt text when you upload an image. If not, it requires a small addition to the HTML that defines the image. Either way, if your webmaster doesn't know how to do this, get a new webmaster.

Signs of Change: Apps 6 times more popular than web on phones

A recent report found that for smartphone users apps are 6 times more popular than web browsers; for tablet (such as the iPad) the difference is less extreme - only a 60/40 split - but still prevalent:

The study, conducted in April 2011, found that on smartphones, apps were used 85% of the time, but the Web browser was used just 15% of the time. On tablets, apps were still popular, but were used just 61% of the time as compared with Web browsing, which was used 39% of the time.

There are two key takeaways on this:

There is a difference in the way smartphones and tablets are used. Not a surprising conclusion, but an important one to bear in mind when developing your mobile strategy.
People prefer dedicated apps for specific, common tasks. Many of the apps that are "more popular" than web surfing and email are, essentially, just narrowly-focused versions of web surfing and email. For example, people prefer using the LinkedIn app to accessing LinkedIn via the web browser, even though both offer ostensibly the same capabilities.

I can verify the second point through my own experiences. There are several online resources I use very frequently, that currently do not have an app. Accessing them via browser is becoming problematic because it interferes with other, non-reoccurring web use; it is hard to save my in-progress work, for example, because every time I open a new link I loose my place.

This is important to bear in mind when deciding whether to create an app or a mobile website. If you expect customers to use your tools on a regular basis it may be worth creating a dedicated app, even if it is just a specialized web browser.

Computer-Aided Manufacturing

This is an encore of an article Michael Chusid wrote over 20 years ago. Since then, computer-aided manufacturing has become widespread. Of course, now it is driven by BIM, not CAD.

Computer-aided manufacturing (CAM) is the use of computerized systems to help manage manufacturing operations, CAM encompasses techniques such as numerically controlled fabrication (in which geometric coordinates control automated cutting tools or other machines similar to the way a CAD plotter works), automated control systems, robotics. and programs for production scheduling. inventory control. quality assurance, accounting. and information management. Proponents claim that CAM can increase productivity and enable a manufacturer to respond more quickly to changing conditions. In an automated factory. for example. information about a firm's resources and products may be stored in a common database. When an order is entered, the CAM system would help the people operating the plant to schedule the flow of materials and resources in coordination with other orders in the shop. notify suppliers when materials or components must be delivered. and provide cutting, hatching. or assembly instructions for automated equipment. In addition, CAM could be used to help monitor operations and make necessary adjustments. This "factory-of-the-future" is already operating. to varying degrees. in manufacturing plants around the world.

CAD-CAM is the logical connection between the computer aided design (CAD) system used in the design of a product and the CAM system used in its production. CAD CAM allows design data to be used directly in the manufacturing process. For example, the same dimensions used to draw a product can be used to drive a numerically controlled machine tool. In addition, CAD-CAM can make it easier for a designer to incorporate manufacturing considerations, such as the availability of critica1 resources, into design decisions.

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The "Other" Inbox

Like AOL before it, Facebook has outgrown its walled garden. Last year they started previewing "@Facebook.com". Their blog is careful to point out this is not e-mail; rather, it is a way to communicate with all your friends, wherever they may be, on their preferred messaging system.

One of the new features introduced in the "Messages" program that's currently getting a lot of attention in digital marketing circles is the Social Inbox. From the blog:

It seems wrong that an email message from your best friend gets sandwiched between a bill and a bank statement. It's not that those other messages aren't important, but one of them is more meaningful. With new Messages, your Inbox will only contain messages from your friends and their friends. All other messages will go into an Other folder where you can look at them separately.

If someone you know isn't on Facebook, that person's email will initially go into the Other folder. You can easily move that conversation into the Inbox, and all the future conversations with that friend will show up there.

The basic idea is very cool: separate out the "important" messages so you see them sooner. It's the second paragraph that has marketers worried.

Assume that Messages will be successful; given the number of Facebook users, if only 1% use Messages it will have a huge user base. The way Facebook sees it, the "@Facebook.com" address will stay with you for life. Soon you will have people at trade shows give you Facebook email addresses for your mailing list. Because they opted-in, your newsletter will get past their Spam filter...

...and get stuck in the Other inbox. Which they will check less often, if at all.

Other services have introduced similar plans, such as Google's "Priority Inbox", leading to what some are starting to call a "Double Opt-In" obstacle: someone that wants your newsletter must voluntarily sign up AND move you to their "Friend" list. Many people will not do this, or will not know how, meaning that even prospects interested in hearing what you have to say might not see your emails.

So how do we adapt to this? Sadly, it is too soon to say for sure. We have not had time to develop best practices, other than remind subscribers to add you to the Social Inbox. For many companies this will be an added incentive to use Facebook for business, so their prospects and clients can also be their Friends.

For now, be aware this is a coming issue. Keep doing Spam-free email, and try to diversify your media channels so that Facebook users that miss your email can still find you on YouTube or Twitter.

Signs of Change: The demise of paper business cards

Business cards from famous fictional compaines

Business cards have long been one of the staples of professional life. People take them very seriously and my first boss thought that the style of a business card was at least as important as the way you dress or greet clients.

Now that is set to change, as new companies aim to send the paper business card the way of the 8-Track and Telnet email client.

Three popular apps - Bump, Hashable, and Cardcloud - are presenting alternative methods of sharing contact information quickly and easily, each with a distinct hook. Bump uses physical proximity; users open the app and bump their phones together - gently! - which triggers the data transfer. Hashable sends information via Twitter or email accounts, and uses a "check-in" system to help you track meetings with contacts. Cardcloud also uses email, and automatically generates social network friend requests, records the location where you met your new contact, and provides a virtual "back of the card" for taking notes.

What's notable is that, for now at least, these apps are presenting new, arguably more efficient, methods of performing the same tasks. They are not changing the nature of information exchange, or adding on new levels of experience that I have seen. In fact, right now they strip much of the experience out, as the vCards (Virtual business cards) look like the contact list in Outlook, and not the highly designed, customized, personal pieces of art some people carry in their pockets. Paper business cards also may be more memorable; you get the card at the show, take it out of your pocket when you get back to the office, and type the information into your database, as opposed to just tapping a couple buttons.

At the other end of the spectrum are the QR Code-enabled business cards. These may be standard cards with a link to your website, or minimalist cards with links to a more detailed profile online. However the code is used, they serve the effect of tying your paper cards back to the digital world. Given the explosion in QR code adoption this past year, I strongly encourage anyone reprinting their business cards to include a code.

I suspect people will continue carrying paper cards for many years before digital programs make them obsolete, and not just because most people have a multi-year supply in their desk that needs to be used up. The tangible benefits are just too great. I would not recommend anyone abandon paper cards yet, but I do recommend creating accounts on these digital systems and learning to use them; they will become important secondary tools.

[h/t ReadWriteWeb]

Free Webcast: Green Product Certifications

Free Webcast
Green Product Certifications:
Picking Out Green from Greenwash

Brought to you by BuildingGreen Suite

Enter the greenwash-free zone with the webcast that answers your questions on what green labels really mean and which ones to trust.

Wednesday, May 18 | 3 p.m. ET

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What the heck do all these labels mean?
"Green" labels are everywhere today, from your breakfast coffee to every other building product. While there are benefits, if you don't speak the language of labels, certifications, and standards, it's easy to choose a product that appears to be sustainable, but isn't really.

Certifications and standards explained
BuildingGreen.com invites you to a certifications extravaganza: a one-hour live webcast packed with key understandings to sort out the green from the greenwash. We'll cover:

The value of "third-party" certifications vs. first- and second-party
What is a label vs. a certification vs. a standard
When does a single vs. a multi-attribute certification matter?
Less well-known but essential certifications for paints, wallboard, carpet, resilient flooring, furniture, wallcoverings, and composite panels
And a lot more.

What should I pay attention to?
In each major product category, some attributes are really important from a health and environmental standpoint, and some are secondary. We'll look at what really matters, and which labels deliver the goods.

You may be hearing more about EPD, LCAs, and other emerging trends. We'll forecast what's ahead, but also be frank with you about what matters today. We'll also tip you off to key tools that you can trust to screen products.

Your questions answered:
Is FSC still the "gold standard" in forestry?
Which emissions certifications really protect our health
Which environmental claims are relevant, and which are subterfuge?
Can you get a green product from a dirty company?

Attendees of this free webcast will receive:
One AIA HSW/SD CEU
One LEED CE hour
A CE certificate good for other reporting
A free email subscription to the GreenSpec Insights

Register now

Great use of YouTube by a building product manufacturer

YouTube is one of the top five most frequently visited websites; considering how many of the videos on Google and Facebook are hosted on YouTube, it's probably even more popular than the numbers suggest. More importantly, it has set the standard for online video sharing. Given its popularity, posting videos to YouTube can be a great means of drawing more traffic to your company's website.

Question is, how can building product manufacturers accomplish that? Products that are visually stunning or experience-focused can use finished project videos, and technically interesting materials can draw viewers using installation videos, but many products are too small or focused in their use to make either type of video engaging enough to go viral.

Staticworx demonstrates that you can create an engaging YouTube channel even for products that few people would otherwise be interested in. Staticworx provides static control flooring solutions; static is an increasingly important issue, especially in high-tech manufacturing, but few people would spend more than a few minutes considering the issue unless their job related directly to it.

Staticworx solution? Find a bunch of fun videos that use static electricity.

As I write the post, Staticworx has five original videos uploaded. These short videos - most are only about three minutes - have good production values, and clearly explain fundamental concepts ("What is Electro Static Discharge (ESD)?" and "Making Sense of ESD Standards", for example). These videos are great sales tools; after watching just one or two I feel very well informed about ESD, and, more importantly, would probably make Staticworx my first call if I needed more information.

In addition to these videos, the channel hosts a playlist called Fun with Static Electricity, featuring Mr. Bean, Mythbusters, Bill Nye, and several cats, dogs, and pranksters playing with static electricity. This is a great idea; I went to the site originally because I wanted to see the Static Electricity Cat video they tweeted about. Once I got there, it gave me a reason to stay and play, which then encouraged me to learn more about the company.

They also did a great job designing the channel. Graphically, they kept it simple; the color scheme matches the company website, black and yellow, and the avatar is a still from a recent video. The name of the channel is fun and interesting; usually I would recommend going with "The Staticworx Channel" to help strengthen brand presence, but this was a well chosen alternative.

I don't know if this will help draw additional search traffic, or if many laypeople searching for Mr. Bean videos would turn out to be purchasing ESD flooring, but it does make the channel a lot stickier. Professionals looking for information will spend more time on Staticworx's website, YouTube channel, and Twitter stream, which greatly increases their likelihood of making a purchase.

Substitutuon Abuse

This is an encore of an article Michael Chusid wrote two decades ago. The situation has not changed much since then.

Too many architects refuse to accept responsibility for their actions or to recognize the consequences of their behavior when it comes to the enforcement of project specifications and tolerance of product substitutions. During a complex building project, it is, inevitable that some substitutions will be used in lieu of specified products. In moderation, substitutions provide a sort of value engineering, save time and money, and introduce innovative solutions. But too frequently the integrity upon which the construction industry depends is disregarded and substitution abuse occurs.

Architects usually blame substitutions on the avarice of contractors who gamble on increasing profits by cutting corners or on suppliers who arc unavailable when design assistance is needed, but who materialize at bid time. Architects, however, must accept responsibility for their own behavior rather than look for ways to justify it. We must enforce fair and practical procedures for substitutions, and refuse products that do not meet specification. For those who give in to temptation and become substitution abusers, the consequences can be severe.

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Flying Concrete

In the 90's there was an underground comic called Concrete. The character got his name because, like concrete, he was strong, tough, heavy, and unattractive. This has traditionally been the common conception of concrete, which is why it's been so amazing to see concrete change over the past decade into a decorative, fluid, lightweight medium.

Flying Concrete demonstrates how far concrete has come. The site is run by Steve Kornher, a designer/builder currently working in Mexico, who loves pushing the boundaries of what he can do with concrete.

Concrete is a plastic medium and has incredible potential for creating fluid, sculptural forms. I will admit that some of the dullest structures around are made of concrete but dullness isn't a limitation inherent in the material. As the accompanying photographs demonstrate, the builder's imagination may be the greatest limitation of its use as a sculptural medium.

His site is worth checking out, especially the Projects section. Many of the slideshows contain a good deal of process shots in addition to completed projects; watching him develop the forms and structures is fascinating.

Steve points out on his site that he is not a registered architect, and needs to work with one on all his projects. I wonder how much of his creativity stems from that lack of certification. Is it his lack of formal training that allows him to visualize novel forms, or is he just getting clients more willing to take the risks?

As of this writing, the site seems to have gone dormant; the last update was in 2010, and no new workshops have been scheduled in over a year. Hopefully that just means he's been too busy working to post new material, and we will see more soon.

See what you're Tweeting

Tweet Topic Explorer is a new web app that creates infographics based on frequency of word use in a given Twitter stream. From their homepage:

This tool retrieves recent tweets from the given ID and displays the most common words used in those tweets.
The area of the circles is proportional to word frequency. Words that are most often used together are grouped and given the same color.

Like Wordle before it, this is an interesting way to visualize your online communications to see if the message you are actually sending matches the one you intended to send. I am particularly intrigued by its ability to group words that are used in conjunction. I can see that being useful for message development, and potentially even for SEO. For example, on our graphic the largest words are "Building" and "Product"; I was pleased to see, though, that they were closely linked to "Green", "Concrete", and "CSI".

For now these apps are primarily toys for most people, but they are informative toys and I expect they will eventually develop into useful tools.

Great story about bad specs

CoatingsPro editor Jack Innis tells an insightful and entertaining story about what happens when paint specs go bad.

"...Dave looked up and saw sheets of paint hanging from the structural beams. Bedsheet-sized sections—seven stories up—were fluttering like laundry on a clothesline. Newspaper-sized pieces swirled toward the ground. The parking lot was littered with leaves of paint."

Without giving away too much of the ending, the problem came about because of a poorly advised substitution allowed by loosely written specs. Reading this story reminded me of the importance of helping your clients write strong, substitution-resistant specs, especially if there are known or suspected material interaction issues to consider with your product.

Economy: Half Full or Half Empty

Many people compare the current rate of construction to its peak in 2007. From that perspective, our industry has had quite a tumble.

But look more closely at the vertical axis of the graph. These numbers do not reflect the absolute number of starts. Instead, they are an index, where the number of starts in 2000 is equal to 100%. From this perspective, the economy is only down about 10 percent since a decade ago. Not too bad considering that we have fought two wars abroad, one at home, and had a massive screw-up in the banking system.

The rate of starts has been steady for the past three years. There are a lot of advantages to a steady economy, and companies that innovate can still grow in market share. The trouble is, that economies seldom stay steady for long.

Here is McGraw-Hill's most recent market summary:

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Zero-Landfill Manufacturer

Here's an example of a building product manufacturer going an extra step to make their products greener:

Tremco Commercial Sealants & Waterproofing’s Toronto, Ontario facility has achieved a major milestone: zero landfill. The facility reached its goal through a reduction of waste, recycling of waste and reuse as fuel feedstock. The facility is being monitored for the next 12 months to ensure there is no waste going to landfill. Initiated in 2008, this is part of a five-year project designed to eliminate Tremco’s landfill waste in its North American Sealant and Waterproofing facilities. In the program’s first year, the organization reduced its ratio of landfill waste to materials shipped by 40 percent. (March 31, 2011)

The press release goes on to describe other green initiatives the firm is undertaking.

France's QR-enabled building

Teletech International has chosen MVRDV to remodel a building in the French city of Dijon. The proposed redesign includes QR codes on the fascade.

I was able to scan the codes, both of which resolve to MVRDV's homepage. The checkerboard-esque QR design also extends to at least one interior room, which, sadly, does not seem scannable.

I like this. Aesthetically, it speaks to the adoption of QR codes into popular culture, and how significant their impact has and will be. From a marketing perspective, I love the idea of branding a building like this, forming a direct connection to the institution's website.

QR codes point to an HTML address; make this a forwarding address and it is easy to change where the code points. This means the exterior code can become a sponsored ad, featuring a different company every month. This could also be a way to embed useful information, such as building maps, a school's course catalog, a calendar of events, or even, as MVRDV has done, a link to the building's designer.

It sounds like this is going to be painted onto the building; I wonder how long before a masonry or precast manufacturer develops a more permanent solution.

The Architect Consumer

This is an encore of an article Michael Chusid wrote over twenty years ago. It has stood the test of time and is still relevant today.

When it comes to building products, many architects have only a vague awareness of the effort required to produce, market, and distribute the bricks, carpet, windows, and thousands of other products they consume. Architects shop in a supermarket of product advertisements and sales representatives, specify from a menu of manufacturer catalogs, and have a feast spread before them at their construction sites-but they seldom enter the kitchen. A better understanding of the organization, activities, and concerns of the building product industry would enable architects to design with and specify building materials more astutely and effectively, and would strengthen their ability to lead the design and construction process.

Architects frequently identify three principal members of the design and construction team-owners, architects, and contractors- but overlook the building product industry. While building product manufacturers may not be prime contractors on typical architectural projects, they still play a vital role in the building process and have a significant relationship with all three principals of the owner/architect/contractor triad.

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How NOT to create a Twitter feed

This one is difficult.

When I do these "How NOT to" posts I try very hard to obscure all identifying elements in the source material because my intent in posting is to educate and improve the level of of digital communication, not pick on or smear any particular company. This Twitter feed, however, is very strongly branded - one of the things they did right! - which makes it hard to discuss without revealing their identity. The screen shots will have more redaction than I would usually like, and I may have to be more vague than I would like in the discussion.

On with the post...

As @DesignHousePlan said in a recent webinar about blogging, "[Readers] can get a commercial anywhere; that's not what they come to your blog for." The same is true of Twitter feeds. There is enough advertising already online that if all you ever post are ads for yourself there is no incentive for people to follow you. This means walking a fine line, because if you have no branding or links to your site there is little value to you in using Twitter. The trick is finding the balance between being overly generic and blatantly self-promotional.

Case in point, this morning I was invited to follow this Twitter feed:

As I said, the original is very well designed. They have a distinctive company avatar (which I replaced), good colors, and background on both the company and the person posting, making it personable yet commercial. Their template is slightly mis-sized for the new Twitter format, but I have found it to be much more difficult to design for the new format as it depends so much on the viewer's monitor size, browser window size, etc.

Looking past the design, though, the content is problematic. Every one of their tweets on the front page was of the format, "COMPANY NAME has useful new information at our website." The overall effect, rather than appearing expert and helpful, was very commercial. As in radio commercial; loud, repetitive, and overplayed. I like that they are making use of white papers, but the links all look like they just lead to sales literature, which I had no interest in reading.

Which is really unfortunate, because when I did click through a few more links for research purposes about half actually were useful, objective research papers that I found very interesting. Unfortunately I could not tell which links led to those resources, and which led to their "Contact us for information about our services!" landing page.

If the tweet had been "Learn about the physics behind [Material] in this white paper", I absolutely would have clicked. And so would a lot of architects, engineers, and contractors who like learning about materials and processes on that level. It was the addition of the plug for the company that ruined each tweet.

Branding messages do not need to go in the body of the tweet. You only have 140 characters to work with; better to use them for content. If your profile is set up correctly, the branding will be provided by your screen name, avatar, and home page design. One of the best new Twitter features is that when someone retweets your message it is still identified with your name and logo, with a small message underneath stating who retweeted it. This frees you from the need to include branded content in the tweet, because it will be permanently associated with your name.

Bottom line is this: it is easy to get a lot of followers on Twitter; getting useful, engaged followers is harder. No one turns on the radio to listen to commercials; be sure your tweets are the songs everyone wants to listen to, and not the commercial interruptions.

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