August 8, 2012

Brand expert: Many AEC firms' marketing approach outdated

Miles

Josh Miles is founder of Miles Design, an Indianapolis-based firm that does brand strategy, corporate identity and website design for professional services firms. He also has worked as an advertising art director and did in-house marketing for an athletic retailer.

He has a new book “Bold Brand: The new rules for differentiating, branding, and marketing your professional services firm” released by Content Marketing Institute.

In an interview with the DJC, Miles said many architecture, engineering and construction firms aren't marketing themselves well, and a number fear social media. Instead, they rely on outdated approaches: newsletters, golf outings and websites that are little more than online brochures.

But Miles said they can learn some things from the way retailers brand their products.

Relationships aren't enough, he said. Firms need to have a consistent look and message in everything they do — online and off. “It really creates a more powerful reputation in the marketplace,” he said.

Firms must do things that distinguish them from others in the industry, he said, like sending out a three-dimensional mailer that's a puzzle rather than a conventional newsletter.

“It could be something that your clients start to expect: ‘When's that next thing going to come from those guys?”' he said.

Miles said some firms don't use social media for fear people will say something negative about their company. That's unrealistic, he said. “If you think nobody's going to talk about you in social media as long as you stay away from it, you're sadly mistaken.”

Using social media allows you to be part of the conversation that's already happening about your firm, he said.

Some companies join in social media, but timidly. They think: I'll just try not to ruffle feathers by not saying anything unique, he said. That's also a bad strategy.

“You've got to come out and say something important, and use it to market your firm, and be interesting,” Miles said.

Even if you assume all of your clients don't use social media — which isn't realistic — it's still worthwhile to share good news stories about your firm on your website, he said. That makes it more likely your website turns up in Google searches.

Miles' website is at www.milesdesign.com. Information about Bold Brand is at www.boldbrand.com.

The DJC asked Miles for some tips for architecture, engineering and construction firms. Here's what he had to say:

Q: How should AEC firms evaluate their websites?

A: 1. Does your website help your firm stand out? Cover up the logos on your homepage and a competitor's website. Can you quickly discern who is who? If you can't tell them apart, how will prospects?

2. Can you easily update your website without contacting IT? Today businesses need to quickly and easily update their own website content — blogs, projects, news stories and more. A content management system is an easy way to manage updates without calling IT.

3. Who is visiting your website, and what do you want them to do? Your website attracts a variety of visitors — clients, prospects, potential employees, competitors, partners, and more. Each visitor wants something different. But what do you want them to do when they get there?

4. Are you reviewing the analytics on your website? What are the most popular pages or blog posts? Where does most of your traffic come from? How can you replicate the things you're doing well online if you aren't regularly looking at your statistics?

5. Is your website generating and qualifying leads? Most AEC firms report their website's number one job is to serve as a validation tool. However, few websites are doing a good job of tracking or qualifying visitors. How is your website doing?

Q: AEC firms face stiff competition these days. How can they set themselves apart?

A: If you want the market to see you as just another player competing at the same level, then emulate what everyone else says. But if you want to stand out, it's like my professor once told our public relations class: “Y'all know why Drew Brees is a Heisman candidate? Because Purdue University said he was.”

Figure out what makes your firm unique, and start communicating that difference to everyone. Make sure your entire team — partners, business development and staff — are all on the same page. Even the way you answer the phone impacts how your firm is perceived.

Q: Many firms cut back on marketing in the recession. Should they bring it back now that things are picking up a bit?

A: The silver lining to the recession was it forced firms to look at which tactics were truly adding value. Cutting out marketing altogether is probably not the smartest long-term decision, but cutting back on tactics that aren't providing a return on investment is always wise.

As things pick up, invest in marketing that differentiates your firm and delivers on your goals, such as: growing top-line revenue, generating more leads, winning more RFPs or attracting top talent.

Q: What are some quick fixes for AEC firms' marketing?

A: Today firms have so many effective options to market their firms. I've seen three-dimensional mailers do very well. One of our clients, RJE Knoll, is a furniture dealer. RJE sends out some really fun pieces. The last few mailers have been a “build your own office” paper doll concept, a pop-up cube and a 3-D puzzle.

I've also seen good use of educational marketing, which could include activities such as lunch and learns, recording podcasts, publishing e-books or white papers, and speaking at conferences. Miles Design gets more leads from speaking opportunities than anything else we do, but that requires having a clear way to engage with the speaker after the fact.

And of course there are a ton of great Internet marketing approaches that we advocate. Infographics are a very popular way to tell the story of a project, process or study that attract far more views that typical blog posts.

And last but not least, simply having a regular presence on LinkedIn is a great way to stay on top of what's happening in your industry, and involve yourself in conversations that are happening in the AEC market.