AEC Marketing for Principals

Episode 8:Click Here for the Full TranscriptIn the engineering industry, mastering the art of communication as an individual can help move the needle for an entire organization. At Morrison Hershfield, Scott Steiding did just that. He became well versed in the language of his technical staff and leadership, which led to successive prosperity, heightened brand awareness, and strong, inter-departmental collaboration within his AEC marketing and engineering community.There are benefits to this on many levels, both internally and externally, but as a Vice President and head of sales and marketing, he found it to be a necessity just to get his ideas in motion. In the highly analytical environments of AEC firms, data-driven concepts must be at the core of any marketing pitch. Once Steiding was speaking the engineer’s language, his scope became larger, and his goals loftier.In this episode of AEC Marketing for Principals, Scott Steiding joins hosts Katie Cash and Judy Sparks to talk about marketing as a company-wide effort. He breaks down some of the key strategies which separate them from the competition, and he discusses all of the tools and moving parts behind those strategies.What You Will Learn:Empowering sales, marketing, and business-unit leaders with data tools so they are better prepared to go to marketHow to measure sales and marketing efforts against true ROILeveraging third-party perspectives to differentiate your AEC marketing strategy from your competitors’Strategies for creating a forward-facing AEC marketing planData capture, reporting, and tools to make it efficientResources:Email: ssteiding@morrisonhershfield.comLinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/scottsteidingTwitter: @ScottSteiding

Oftentimes, when we talk about digital marketing with our clients and prospects—that is, principals of AEC firms and their teams—we see an immediate glaze go over the faces of the people in the room. Why? Because there is a widely held assumption within the AEC industry that digital cannot solve real business challenges like lead gen, driving sales, or recruiting top talent.Click Here for the Full TranscriptWhile we agree that it is unlikely any of your prospective clients will send you an electronic check online as a way to engage your engineering services, we also know that digital strategies have been proven effective for reducing cost per acquisition, driving biz dev, and attracting highly qualified candidates for hard to fill senior-level positions within firms.We often hear complaints from within an organization that the leaders of the firm are slow to adopt digital marketing strategies because they don’t understand the technology.The reality is, most of the leaders in our industry are technically trained and operationally focused. They did not grow up in the digital age. Many of our clients are CEOs of architecture, engineering, and construction firms in their 50s, 60s, or older.They did not have the Internet when they were working their way up through the ranks, and they certainly didn’t have social media.But, they’re not old fashioned by any means. They simply need somebody to explain how any strategy—digital or not—is going to make a difference to the firm’s bottom line.It has been our experience that once we are able to make a tangible connection, they are not slow to adopt. It is actually quite the contrary.The very first time they see a lead come through their website as a result of a digital campaign, they are eager to do it again because it’s cheaper and it takes less time.Our goal for this episode is to share some tangible examples for how you and your team can use digital marketing strategies to advance your brand visibility, engage with an audience, influence buyers, and convert those buyers into leads that your business development or seller-doer team can connect with.We are going to share three real-world case studies where AEC firms used digital strategies to solve significant business challenges and drive ROI as a result.Our hope is that the ideas will help you and your team to start thinking about how digital marketing can play into your overarching goals and strategic initiatives.What You Will Learn:How a properly structured webinar series can accelerate lead gen while dramatically reducing cost and time of the traditional lunch and learnHow digital strategies can provide similar benefits to PRWhy organic visibility of social media content is dead and Facebook is the dominant ad platform for B2B audiencesHow radio was used to attract high-quality candidates for senior-level positions within an AEC firmWhy you cannot have a successful digital media application run by people who do not understand your businessSolving Lead Gen ChallengesChallenge 1: the time and cost of providing clients and prospects with in-person “lunch and learns”Engineering firms, architectural firms, contractors, fire protection contractors, etc. often propose an educational “lunch and learn” session. In most applications, there’s someone within the firm who is tasked with preparing the materials, getting it approved for continuing education, and sent office to office seeking out potential clients.It is a time consuming and expensive process. Katie shares a detailed example of how one AEC firm decided to forgo the traditional, door-to-door lunch 

About Judy SparksJudy is the founder, CEO, and President of Smartegies LLC. Founded in 2008, Smartegies is a specialty marketing agency that has helped more than 150 companies across North America build stronger brands, implement effective communications, and develop winning strategies and proposals. Judy has worked in B2B marketing and sales roles exclusively since 1993, specializing in the AEC industry. Judy is a true expert in AEC marketing and has a proven record of success across her 25 years in the field.About Katie CashKatie is an architecture, engineering, and construction marketer with over 15 years of experience serving the AEC industry. Katie is an expert strategist who helps her clients win big projects through creative marketing methods. Katie believes in thinking outside the box and has a gift for tackling challenges by using innovative and unconventional solutions. Today, Katie serves as the Vice President of Smartegies, working alongside Judy to help clients achieve maximum impact in their marketing efforts.In this episode of AEC Marketing for Principals, Judy and Katie discuss the marketing skill gap present in so many AEC firms, where that skill gap came from, and methods to overcome the gap and better market your firm.What You Will Learn:Judy explains why the skills gap exists, especially within architectural firms where, until fairly recently, marketing was illegal. Katie explains that clients are often surprised to learn this fact, even though it has created a pervasive stigma.Judy discusses the stigma that has persisted around marketing for architectural firms, even after the ban was lifted.Judy explains that traditional relationship-building and networking have been the primary avenues for generating new business for firms.Katie shares how clients are slowly embracing AEC marketing principles as digital media creates a highly connected environment.Judy explains the difference between marketing and sales/business development.Judy explains why the cost of client acquisition under traditional methods has gotten out of control, highlighting the heavy expenses in order to be considered for a project.Judy discusses in-house AEC marketing professionals and the challenges they face in doing their jobs. She explains why the industry at large hasn’t done much to empower in-house marketers or create robust teams and how firms can support those teams through tools, training, and outsourced help.Judy shares the advantage of asking: “should the way we have always done our marketing evolve to meet the evolving landscape?”Overcoming the Skills Gap in AEC MarketingThis episode of AEC for Marketing Principals features a conversation between Judy Sparks and Katie Cash of Smartegies LLC, a specialty marketing agency that works with clients in AEC and the built environment to build a stronger brand, develop winning strategies, communicate their story, implement effective social/digital campaigns, and produce winning proposals. For this episode, we discuss the skills gap found in AEC marketing, its causes, and the problems it creates. We also discuss ways to close the skills gap, the value of setting realistic expectations of your in-house team, supporting your team with various resources, and the changing AEC environment that is altering the effectiveness of networking and other “traditional” methods of AEC marketing.Unfortunately, there is a pervasive stigma against modern marketing practices within the industry, particularly within many architectural firms. In fact, architectural marketing is a relatively new space that didn’t exist until around 30 years ago. Prior to that time, marketing for architectural firms was, in fact, illegal. Even after the ban was lifted, most firms were hesitant to embrace marketing efforts as the

About Tracey SibleyAs Brasfield & Gorrie’s Vice President of Marketing, Tracey Sibley leads one of the nation’s largest and most respected construction industry brands. Brasfield & Gorrie provides general contracting, design-build, and construction management services for a variety of markets including healthcare, commercial, institutional, federal, municipal, industrial, infrastructure, and water treatment. With more than 25 years of experience working in marketing in the construction industry, Tracey is an expert in supporting her team in developing new, innovative, and effective marketing strategies while establishing and maintaining a strong company culture.In this episode of AEC Marketing for Principals, hosts Katie Cash and Judy Sparks talk with Tracey about the opportunities and challenges of working in marketing at a dominant industry leader like Brasfield & Gorrie, how the company has worked to create a powerful company culture that attracts and keeps top talent, and how new innovations in technology have changed marketing, communications and team-building for the better.What You Will Learn:Tracey shares her career journey as well as how hard work and networking were key to getting her foot in the door and building her career.Tracey discusses how her current role involves supporting her team and making herself available as a resource to them, strategizing with the executive team on new and future opportunities for growth, and maximizing the efficiency of her department.Tracey explains why a marketing degree is not required for new entry-level members of her team. She shares why a great culture fit is much more important than educational background.Tracey talks about the remarkable brand and culture that Brasfield & Gorrie has created and nurtured, and she shares why passion and enthusiasm are primary components of that culture.Tracey shares her thoughts on how the industry has changed with the integration of new technologies and strategies, and she shares why reading and continuing to learn are vital skills to stay current with new trends and tech.Tracey explains why Salesforce’s San Francisco-based Dreamforce conference is a valuable resource for learning new knowledge and a better understanding of data and content management systems.Tracey discusses working twelve-hour days and the need to be “always on,” and she shares her thoughts on the importance of finding a balance between hard work and self-care.Tracey talks about collaboration tool Slack and how it has been a significant game-changer for interoffice communications. She shares why Slack is Brasfield & Gorrie’s exclusive communication platform.Tracey discusses the importance of the IT department and why partnering with them has been a powerful component of the marketing team’s success, and she shares how knowledge from the IT team helps support their marketing efforts.Tracey talks about how she was initially the first female Vice President at Brasfield & Gorrie but now is one of seven, and she shares how providing value is the key to getting a seat at the table.

Click Here for the Full TranscriptSince guesting on our podcast, Donya Edler has joined Smartegies as our new Executive Vice President. She brings over 25 years of professional marketing, communications, and human resources experience in both the public and private sectors. Throughout her career, she has experienced several mergers and acquisitions with very different outcomes on employee trust and morale, company culture, and branding.During the episode, Donya talks to hosts Katie Cash and Judy Sparks about the critical period following the announcement of a merger or acquisition. She also shares powerful strategies for addressing employee concerns and building a new company culture for the resulting organization.Honesty, authenticity, and openness are the keys to smoothing the process in a merger or acquisition. Investing the time and resources necessary can help AEC firms retain talent and boost morale through the process. Rather than attempting to go it alone, firms should consider hiring experienced outside advisors to help them rebrand following a merger or acquisition. Firms can also consult with clients for feedback that helps identify and address hidden pain points that may have been created by the merger.We hope that Donya’s wisdom will be invaluable in helping you navigate the sometimes tricky internal and external challenges that are created by a merger or acquisition. You can find this episode, and many other informative conversations dedicated to helping your firm maximize the impact of your AEC marketing, by visiting us at www.aecmarketingpodcast.com. As always, we would greatly appreciate it if you gave us a rating to let us know how we’re doing. Thanks for listening!What You Will Learn:Why mergers and acquisitions are becoming increasingly common in the design and construction spaceWhat it looks like from all sides of mergers, acquisitions, and joint ventures.The crucial period immediately after announcing a merger or acquisition and why employee trust and morale tend to drop in that periodImportance of internal communication during the transitionWhy firms of all sizes can struggle with the challenge of merging cultures, and why it is important to have a trusted brand as well as employees within the company who share that trustThe importance of bringing acquired employees into the cultural conversationThe value of investing in a strategy firm specializing in AEC marketing and AEC branding to help lead a rebranding effortResources:Website: https://smartegies.comLinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/donyaedler/Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/arcodb/Twitter: @Smartegies<

About Judy SparksJudy is the founder, CEO, and President of Smartegies LLC. Founded in 2008, Smartegies is a specialty marketing agency that has helped more than 150 companies across North America build stronger brands, implement effective communications, and develop winning strategies and proposals. Judy has worked in B2B marketing and sales roles exclusively since 1993, specializing in the AEC industry. Judy is a true expert in AEC marketing and has a proven record of success across her 25 years in the field.About Katie CashKatie is an architecture, engineering, and construction marketer with over 15 years of experience serving the AEC industry. Katie is an expert strategist who helps her clients win big projects through creative marketing methods. Katie believes in thinking outside the box and has a gift for tackling challenges by using innovative and unconventional solutions. Today, Katie serves as the Vice President of Smartegies, working alongside Judy to help clients achieve maximum impact in their marketing efforts. What You Will Learn: Judy explains why many people within the industry struggle with and dislike giving presentations, since many of them were not taught this skill when they were learning their business.Judy discusses the process the Smartegies team uses to help clients produce winning presentations. She explains why the key is to tell an authentic, compelling story about the firm through presentations that inform, influence, and entertain.Judy and Katie talk about why understanding what the customer wants is the key to differentiating from competitors. Judy provides specific examples of how doing research on customers and telling stories can help win bids.Judy shares why a pitch memo (a storyboard) is a valuable tool for a presentation, outlining the steps to take during the presentation meeting. She shares why it is important to do this early in the process, well in advance of the pitch.Judy explains why presentations are becoming more expensive as competition has increased. She shares why it is important that firms be intentional in their presentations to win as often as possible and justify the costs. 

Jere Smith is the Director of Capital Improvements for Atlanta Public Schools, one of the nation's largest urban school districts. He is also the President of the Construction Owners Association of America (COAA), and serves on the Atlanta Public Schools Career and Technical Education Advisory Board and the Clemson University Industry Advisory Board and has served as the President of the Association for Learning Environments. Prior to that, he served as a project manager at architectural firms, as a building inspector for the city of Atlanta, and as an engineer.In this episode of AEC Marketing for Principals, Jere discusses best practices for firms looking to make an impact with their AEC proposals and interviews, he discusses common mistakes that firms often make that can be jarring or distracting for the selection committee, and he offers specific details for firms interested in being considered for Atlanta Public Schools’ pre-qualified pool of firm partners.What You Will Learn:Jere shares how he started working with Atlanta Public Schools more than twenty years ago and discusses working on the owner-side of business. He also talks about the size of his school district and how it generates $100 million in new projects a year.Jere discusses how the school district pre-qualifies firms to create a pool of partners to choose from, ensuring that the firms are fully prepared and capable of doing the work.Jere shares why firms should spend only a third of their proposal "checking all the boxes" and then use the other two-thirds to explain why they stand out from the competition and why they are the best option for the project.Jere talks about the common mistakes firms often make in their proposals, including boilerplate responses, using the wrong school district name, and being too wordy and not concise in their proposals.Jere outlines why the physical dimensions and mechanical qualities of a proposal matters, and he discusses why overthinking a proposal with gimmicks runs the risk of distracting the reader or coming across as fake.Jere explains why anyone on the short list can win a project, and he discusses why it is important to go to the interview fully prepared, rehearsed, and with each speaker bringing something specific and serving a purpose.Jere explains why impressive technology such as fly-throughs can be attention-grabbing and can be helpful for non-technical members of the selection committee to better understand the proposal.

About Judy SparksJudy is the founder, CEO, and President of Smartegies LLC. Founded in 2008, Smartegies is a specialty marketing agency that has helped more than 150 companies across North America build stronger brands, implement effective communications, and develop winning strategies and proposals. Judy has worked in B2B marketing and sales roles exclusively since 1993, specializing in the AEC industry. Judy is a true expert in AEC marketing and has a proven record of success across her 25 years in the field. About Katie CashKatie is an architecture, engineering, and construction marketer with over 15 years of experience serving the AEC industry. Katie is an expert strategist who helps her clients win big projects through creative marketing methods. Katie believes in thinking outside the box and has a gift for tackling challenges by using innovative and unconventional solutions. Today, Katie serves as the Vice President of Smartegies, working alongside Judy to help clients achieve maximum impact in their marketing efforts. About Stephen WoessnerStephen is the CEO of Predictive ROI, a digital marketing firm that helps clients with $1-30 million in annual revenue boost their marketing reach and break into digital marketing media with maximum impact and return on investment. Stephen is also the host of Onward Nation, a top-rated and long-running podcast dedicated to helping today’s leading business owners Think, Act & Achieve through smart strategies, accountability, and interviews with other top business professionals across countless industries and specialties. What You Will Learn: Katie and Judy discuss what you will learn over the course of the AEC Marketing for Principles podcast, including relevant, timely, and actionable tips and information you can employ in your firm.Special guest Stephen Woessner discusses how he initially got involved in podcasting, and how podcasting is a powerful, relevant marketing platform for businesses and business leaders of all kinds.Learn why podcasting is a steady growth medium and why now is a great time to get started with your own podcast to attract an audience and expand your reach. Judy explains why podcasting can be an incredible marketing tool that adds value for your clients by addressing common pain points.Stephen discusses the depth of experience his team at Predictive ROI has gained, having produced more than five thousand podcast episodes over the years. Stephen shares a case study of working with an AEC firm and discusses how podcasting has benefitted them.Judy outlines the marketing benefits a firm can gain from podcasting, social media outreach, blog articles, and other forms of client engagement. She shares the importance of commitment and building an audience over time.Stephen explains how firms can measure the KPIs and growth metrics of their podcast, including the numbers for monthly downloads, countries the podcast has spread to globally, monthly listener opt-ins, and overall revenue gains.