Manufacturer Marketing 101: How to Speak a Specifier’s Language

Connecting with architects is key to a manufacturer's success, but many businesses target them too late. In fact, the specification process offers manufacturers opportunities to collaborate with architects and position their products as the go-to choice early in the design process. 

We know that when your products are specified, they are much more likely to be used in the final project. So, how can we make sure that you are in front of specifiers saying the right things at the right time? 

In this article, we’ll explore how to speak a specifier’s language, including understanding their pain points and identifying opportunities for collaboration. You’ll come away with a new perspective and a list of ideas for reaching specifiers at every stage of the process. 

Ready to switch up your marketing? Keep reading.

The three stages of specifier engagement

While you should always be building relationships with specifiers and architects, we’re going to focus on three key areas. Our goal here is to identify opportunities to foster strong, long-term relationships between manufacturers and specifiers that will help you achieve your goal of getting your products specified.

Here are the three stages we’re going to focus on in this article:

Early engagement: CPD materials, trade shows, and case studies.

Product listings: Allow specifiers to find, select and specify your products on NBS Source.

Collaboration: Work together with specifiers directly within NBS Chorus.

1. Early engagement: CPD and relationship building

Creating and sharing CPD materials helps engage architects long before they write a specification. This is not just great for raising brand awareness but also helps to position you as an authoritative voice in your industry.

You can demonstrate your broader knowledge of what matters to them, such as compliance, sustainability, and building regulations.

Continuing Professional Development (CPD):

Under the RIBA framework, architects must complete at least 35 hours of professional development each year. Manufacturers can engage specifiers and architects by producing high-quality, engaging CPD materials tailored to your niche.

By providing technical knowledge, you’re not just supporting architects to meet their CPD quota, but you’re also encouraging them to see you as a resource, not a seller.

Manufacturers can support specifiers through CPD delivered in several complementary formats. Live seminars and webinars are effective for exploring regulatory change, technical challenges, and real project examples in a structured learning environment. In-office sessions offer a more informal opportunity for discussion, allowing specifiers to test ideas and ask detailed questions of technical experts. Written resources, such as guidance notes and reports, provide reference material that can be returned to during specification, while on-demand online CPD modules give specifiers the flexibility to learn around live projects and revisit content when it is most relevant. 

Tips for creating CPD for specifiers:

Gain RIBA accreditation: Having your CPD RIBA-approved adds credibility and supports specifiers to count your materials towards their annual requirements. It also shows that your content meets industry standards and provides real educational value.

Align with specifiers' pain points: From navigating sustainability requirements and building regulations to ensuring compliance with ISO standards, addressing these practical issues head-on will provide real value to specifiers.

Stick to what you’re good at: Ensure CPD materials are relevant to your brand and its values, as well as its products. This is a great opportunity to showcase what you know, so don’t stray too far from your expertise.

Make it educational: While this is an opportunity to raise your brand profile amongst architects, it’s not about promoting your products. Keep your CPD factual and evidence-based; when your knowledge earns trust, specifications will follow naturally.

Keep it engaging and practical. Bring together theory with real-world applications, such as case studies, project examples, or lessons learned from the field. Use visuals, interactivity, and Q&A opportunities to hold attention and encourage discussion.

Update regularly: CPD materials should be updated alongside evolving regulations and technology to ensure accuracy and alignment with the latest best practices.

2. Product listings: Support specifiers to find your products

With over 30,000 products listed on NBS Source, specifiers now have a single trusted platform to research, compare, and specify building products – making it the best place to showcase your products during the decision-making process.

Your presence on NBS Source, along with the quality of your listing, will make a real difference in whether your products are chosen.

Visibility alone isn’t enough; the most successful listings deliver clarity, consistency, and confidence. Let’s quickly look at how to make sure your listings tick specifiers’ boxes:

What specifiers expect from product listings

Specifiers rely on NBS Source for detailed, accurate information that supports confident decision-making. They make product choices based on these requirements, so ensuring your listing includes the following is essential:

Comprehensive technical data: Clear, detailed product specifications, including dimensions, materials, and any other important information that a specifier will need to know.

Performance data and test reports: In your NBS Source product listings, you can include evidence to back up claims, including documentation, reports, case studies and videos.

Certifications and standards compliance: This is vital information for specifiers. If they know your product meets certain standards (e.g. CE, BBA, ISO, sustainability credentials) then they are much more likely to specify it and include it in final developments, as it already fits the brief.

BIM and CAD files: For seamless integration into digital design workflows. Learn more about creating BIM objects in our dedicated guide.

Installation guidance and maintenance details: It’s not just specifiers who benefit from complete product listings in NBS Source - contractors and developers can access information here to support practical application

3. Collaboration

We’ve already explored the power of visibility during the specification process and how it can influence specifier decisions and help form long-term relationships between manufacturers and architectural practices.

NBS Chorus supports manufacturers in participating and adding value during spec development through collaboration. On the platform, specifiers invite external organisations to review spec drafts, leave comments, or clarify product options and constraints, making collaboration easier than ever.

Getting the most out of the spec-writing process

To make it straightforward for specifiers to use your product info:

Provide pre-written specification clauses in NBS Chorus so the specifier can insert them with minimal editing.

Offer parametric options (e.g., different sizes, finishes, performance levels) so the specifier can easily adjust variables rather than redrafting text.

Include metadata such as Uniclass/CAWS codes, BIM links, and manufacturer-certified performance data so the specifier has everything in one package and doesn’t have to hunt for it.

Speak their language, earn their trust.

Speaking a specifier’s language is not about saying more, it is about being precise, relevant and dependable. It means meeting specifiers where decisions are made, understanding the pressures they work under, and supporting them with information that helps them meet regulatory, performance and safety requirements with confidence.

The Siderise case study demonstrates what this looks like in practice. By focusing on specification excellence rather than promotion, Siderise invested in high-quality technical content, structured CPD, and robust product data aligned to specifier workflows. This approach helped position their technical team as a trusted source of expertise, supporting earlier engagement in projects and more consistent inclusion in specifications.

This shift from selling to partnering benefits manufacturers directly. When specifiers trust the quality, clarity and accessibility of your information, your products are more likely to be specified, not just on individual projects, but repeatedly over time.

By investing in the right tools and touchpoints, from CPD education to maintaining accurate, detailed product data on NBS Source and collaborating with project teams through NBS Chorus, manufacturers can embed themselves into the design and specification process in a meaningful way.

Next steps to consider:

Audit your presence: Ensure your products on NBS Source are complete, accurate, and aligned with how specifiers search for, assess, and compare information.

Engage early: Use CPD, whether live or on-demand, to support specifiers before key decisions are made.

Collaborate effectively: Explore how structured collaboration through NBS Chorus can improve communication and deliver better outcomes on live projects.

When manufacturers and specifiers work together, it’s mutually beneficial. Trust is built through consistency, technical credibility and collaboration, and that is where long-term specification success is won.