In short
Here are nine UK agencies that put building products, materials or merchants at the centre of their work: Agency53, Built for Marketing, Dragonfly PR, Insynth Marketing, Pauley Creative, Purplex Marketing, Smart Marketing Works, Time54 and Unhooked Communications. They're listed alphabetically, from what each says on its own website, checked on 7 November 2026. Choose first by your buyer (specifiers, merchants or installers), then by the work you need: full service, specification, PR or CRM.
On this page
Here are nine UK agencies that put building products, materials or merchants at the centre of their work. We’ve listed them alphabetically, not ranked, from what each says on its own website, checked on 7 November 2026.
Before the list, a word on where I sit. We Are SMC works mostly with trades businesses and contractors, the people on the installer side of your counter. We’re not a specification agency, so we haven’t listed ourselves here. If you want our view on reaching merchants and installers, read our guide to building products marketing.
How we chose them
An agency made the list if its own website shows building products, building materials, construction products or merchants as a core focus: a dedicated sector page, named clients in the sector, or a clear positioning statement. An occasional product client wasn’t enough. Every detail below comes from the agency’s own site. Client names are as each agency shows them; we haven’t checked whether every relationship is current.
The nine at a glance
| Agency | Where | Who it serves | Best fit |
|---|---|---|---|
| Agency53 | Eastbourne | Building product manufacturers and builders’ merchants | Brand, campaigns and merchant marketing |
| Built for Marketing | Yalding, Kent, plus offices in Europe | Construction, building products and architecture, UK and EU | An outsourced marketing team |
| Dragonfly PR | Sheffield | Building product manufacturers, contractors and property | Digital PR and links |
| Insynth Marketing | Shifnal, Shropshire | Manufacturers, distributors and contractors | HubSpot CRM and websites |
| Pauley Creative | Woburn, Bedfordshire | Manufacturers, specialist contractors, merchants and distributors | Specification, research and long-term planning |
| Purplex Marketing | London and Weston-super-Mare | Building products manufacturers, suppliers and distributors only | Full-service marketing at scale |
| Smart Marketing Works | Stafford | Tiling, flooring, adhesives and construction | Technical content and trade associations |
| Time54 | Alderley Park, Cheshire | Building product and service providers selling to specifiers | Specification marketing and CPDs |
| Unhooked Communications | Stockport | Building material manufacturers, suppliers, distributors and merchants | Trade PR |
The agencies
Agency53
Agency53 is based in Eastbourne and says it works exclusively in construction, builders’ merchants and building product manufacturing, with a dedicated page on builders’ merchant marketing. Its work covers brand identity, campaigns, exhibition stands, content, digital, social, email and sector research. It shows clients including Hauraton, Rexel, Marsh Industries and OBM Builders Merchant. It says its founder won the Young Supplier and Service Achiever Award at the Builders Merchants Federation’s 2025 awards.
Built for Marketing
Built for Marketing is based in Yalding, Kent, with offices in Germany and Portugal, and serves construction, building products and architecture clients in the UK and Europe. It describes itself as a business-led consultancy rather than an agency, offering strategy, research, technical content and CPDs, lead generation and an outsourced marketing team. It says that team comes for the cost of an employed marketing manager, and offers a no-obligation introduction call. Case studies include MiTek, Tuffx Glass and WMS Underfloor Heating.
Dragonfly PR
Dragonfly PR is based in Stocksbridge, Sheffield, and works with building product manufacturers, construction contractors and property companies. Its focus is digital PR, SEO and link building, content and LinkedIn outreach. Case studies include Steinzeug-Keramo, Pyroguard and Stannah, and it says it has more than 30 years in the sector.
Insynth Marketing
Insynth Marketing is based in Shifnal, Shropshire, and works with product manufacturers, distributors, consultants and contractors in construction. It’s a specialist rather than a full-service agency: a Platinum HubSpot partner covering CRM strategy, HubSpot setup and websites, with pay-as-you-go support. Logos on its site include Wavin and Membracon. It suits a manufacturer whose problem is tracking specifiers, merchants and orders, not awareness.
Pauley Creative
Pauley Creative is based in Woburn, Bedfordshire, and works with building product manufacturers, specialist building contractors, and builders’ merchants and materials distributors. Its services include market research, strategy, websites and specification tools, content, CPD writing, PR, SEO and paid media. It plans over three to five years, and its case studies include Celotex Insulation and Glazing Vision.
Purplex Marketing
Purplex Marketing lists offices in London and Weston-super-Mare and describes itself as the only UK agency built exclusively for companies that make, supply and distribute building products, working in the sector since 2004. It describes a full-service team of more than 80 specialists covering SEO, paid search, trade PR, websites, content, video and product launches, offers a free proposal, and it says a sister company holds a database of verified building products buyers and specifiers. It shows work for Crittall and Wavin.
Smart Marketing Works
Smart Marketing Works is based in Stafford and works in tiling, flooring, adhesives and construction, trading since 2009. Its services cover strategy, brand, websites, SEO, paid search, technical writing, PR and events, and it provides support to trade associations, including The Tile Association. Case studies include Bjelin and EnviroStik.
Time54
Time54 is based at Alderley Park in Cheshire and works with building product and service providers that sell to architects, specifiers, developers, contractors and installers. Its focus is specification marketing: CPD creation, SEO, content, video and websites. It says its team has worked client-side for building product manufacturers, and it offers a free first session. Case studies include Knotwood and Detail Lighting.
Unhooked Communications
Unhooked Communications is based in Stockport and specialises in PR for building material manufacturers, suppliers, distributors and merchants. Its services include media relations, product launches, thought leadership, awards entries, events and CPDs, and original research. It lists work with names including 3M, Jewson, Marshalls and City Plumbing.
How to choose: start with your buyer
Building products are bought by different people, and agencies tend to specialise in one route.
- Specified by architects and consultants. You need specification marketing: CPDs, technical literature, product data on specification libraries such as NBS Source, and content specifiers trust. Look at Pauley Creative, Time54 and Built for Marketing.
- Sold through merchants. You need merchants to stock you and their counter staff to recommend you, plus pull from the trade. Look for merchant marketing experience, such as Agency53’s and Purplex’s.
- Chosen by installers and contractors. You need the trade to know, trust and ask for your product. That’s closer to trades marketing than specification, and it’s the side we know best. Our building products marketing guide covers it.
- Reputation and coverage. If the problem is that the industry doesn’t know you, a PR specialist such as Unhooked or Dragonfly is the starting point. Our guide to construction PR agencies explains when PR makes sense, and two agencies there, Refresh PR and tprc, also work with building products manufacturers.
The market you’re marketing into
Merchant sales are under pressure on volume. The Builders Merchant Building Index (BMBI), which covers merchants accounting for 88% of builders’ merchant sales in Great Britain, showed like-for-like value sales up 0.5% in August 2026 on a year earlier, with volumes down 5.4% and prices up 6.2%. Over the 12 months to August 2026, value was down 1.4% and volume down 5.5%.
In a flat market, winning share matters more than riding growth, and that’s where good marketing earns its fee. The Construction Products Association says the products industry employs 389,100 people across 25,728 companies, with annual turnover of more than £68 billion.
Your customers’ customers are fighting to be found too
The contractors and installers who buy your products have their own visibility problem. Our UK Construction Visibility Report audited 42 UK contractors and found directories, trade bodies and platforms took 42% of the top five Google results for contractor searches. A manufacturer that helps its installers and contractors get found, with case studies, technical content they can use and listings that send buyers to approved installers, earns loyalty at the counter.
Questions to ask any agency
- Show me work that reached buyers like mine. Specifiers, merchants or installers, not just well-known brands.
- How will you report results? Accounts opened, specifications won, merchant listings and orders, not only impressions.
- Who owns the website, data and accounts? They should be in your name.
- What does each month buy? None of the nine publish fixed prices, so ask for an itemised proposal, the minimum term and the notice period.
Sources: each agency’s own website, checked 7 November 2026; BMBI, August 2026; Construction Products Association; NBS Source; Builders Merchants Federation.
Frequently asked questions
What does a building products marketing agency do?
It helps manufacturers, distributors and merchants reach the people who choose and buy their products: architects and specifiers, merchants, contractors and installers. Depending on the agency, that covers brand, websites, SEO and paid search, trade PR, technical content, CPDs for specifiers, exhibitions and CRM. The best fit depends on which of those buyers matters most to you.
How do I choose a building products marketing agency?
Start with your buyer. If products are specified by architects, look for specification experience, CPDs and technical writing. If merchants and installers decide, look for trade marketing and merchant work. Then ask for work that reached buyers like yours, how they report results in accounts and orders rather than impressions, and who owns the website and data.
How much does a building products marketing agency cost?
None of the nine agencies here publish fixed prices. Several offer a free first conversation, session or proposal, and one compares its cost to employing a marketing manager. Ask for an itemised proposal that shows what each month buys, the minimum term and how results will be reported.
Is We Are SMC a building products marketing agency?
Not in the specification sense. We work mainly with the trades and contractors who install and buy building products, so we understand that side of the counter well. If your route to market is architects and specifiers, the specialists listed here are a better fit. If it's installers and contractors, we're happy to talk.
