Essential AEC Marketing Tips: How To Design & Build A Killer Marketing Strategy

As the owner of an Architecture, Engineering, or Construction (AEC) firm, you’re an expert in your field. But when it comes to marketing, you might feel lost in a sea of misinformation and overwhelm. 

If you can hang with us for a few, we’re about to put the smackdown on some (un)conventional wisdom that should help you build a system to help your ideal clients find you.

This article will give you a great overview of what marketing truly is while breaking down some essential AEC marketing tips in plain English.

By the end, you’ll better understand why marketing matters and how it can grow your business.

Now let’s call out the elephant in the room:

Why Should AEC Firms Care About Marketing In the First Place?

You might think that great work speaks for itself.

You might also think that one job will lead to the next.

And if you are used to both those ideas, you probably think long, dry stretches are normal.

Yikes.

You know who also thought that?

Our moms and dads when they were in the throes of their careers – and man, how times have changed.

Darwin said, “It’s not the strongest that survive, nor the most intelligent, but the most responsive to change.”

Raise your hand if you’re still doing business like it’s 1997… don’t worry… I can’t see you.

Being in business for [X-amount] of years doesn’t mean that you should rely on the way things have always been done – because time and customers have changed. Sure, your work will ultimately carry you when it’s the moment of truth, but sadly, in today’s competitive market, it’s not enough.

We have tools that our parents only dreamed of. You can have your website (and other assets) hunting for your customers right now.

Is it?

Here’s why digital marketing matters:

1. It helps potential clients find you

2. It showcases your expertise in a way that makes your customers feel safe

3. It keeps your firm top-of-mind for future projects (ever hear of re-targeting?)

4. It can lead to more profitable, exciting work

As we’ve said in many other venues, marketing isn’t a luxury or “something nice to have.”

It’s not something you stop and start or do sporadically.

Marketing is THE component of your business that will make the difference between struggle and success.

AEC Marketing Tips & Foundations

Let’s get serious for a second. Plugins and automation will not do marketing for you. 

Ask anyone who has ever achieved anything great. Was it the result of a “hack” or was it repetition and growth and labor over time? 

Hacks are temporary, if anything. And will be obsolete tomorrow.

So how do you create an AEC marketing system that lasts? For starters, roll up your sleeves and pour a foundation that includes real work: the thankless, data-driven engineering and decisions before anything else gets built.

And, for the win: a person who knows what they’re doing better be in charge of that.

But let’s say you were committed to a DIY crash course in digital marketing.

Here’s what you need to consider:

AEC Marketing Tip 1: Know Your Numbers

“If you can’t measure it, you can’t improve it.” – Lord Kelvin.

Imagine trying to build a structure without measurements. Sounds crazy, right? The same goes for marketing. You need to know your numbers to see if your efforts are working.

Key things to measure:

– Total Impressions (how many times you appear in a query on Google)

– Website Visitors (usually called “traffic” and a function of total impressions – in other words, you don’t get knocks on the door unless people can find the house)

– New leads (traffic that turns into potential clients contacting you, downloading your guides, etc)

– Proposal win rate

– Client satisfaction scores

Tools that can help you get started include Google Analytics, Google Search Console, and a basic prospect conversion tracking sheet if you’d rather not use a full-blown sales CRM.

AEC Marketing Tip 2: Tell Your Firm’s Story

Let’s face it. There are as many AEC firms as there are digital marketing agencies.

In both cases, the lion’s share are meh.

Some are ok.

A few are pretty good.

And fewer still are world-class.

Which one are you?

Now get this: the type of firm you are will attract the type of customer you deserve.

If you are a world-class provider attracting “meh” customers, there is a massive disconnect between who you are and how you are perceived.

There is a reason why a world-class buyer will go home in a Ferrari instead of a Toyota Tercel.

It’s awesome to be the best of the best, and it’s no big deal to charge accordingly for being the best.

But you damn well better be the best – and make that abundantly clear to your ideal client.

What if you’re not a Ferrari? Don’t sweat it. Just know where you fit in the market. Toyota (by annual revenue) is doing just fine and is perfectly happy telling Toyota stories to their legions of loyal, global Toyota fans who wouldn’t get caught driving anything else!

Tell your brand’s story. Take the time to figure it out. Focus on differentiation, performance, heritage, and value (pro tip: value doesn’t mean a low sticker price).

Sharing these stories helps potential clients get behind the wheel of your firm.

Ways to share your story:

– Case studies on your website that focus on performance

– Before-and-after project photos on social media which show differentiated service and innovation

– Short videos explaining your vision and process so that you can connect on a profound and personal level

– Your Website. Is it just an atrium? Or is it a space with fluid and intentional movement from one room to the next? (We call that “UX” or “User Experience” in marketer-speak)

Take the time to figure out who you are as a brand and what your story is.

You’ll be glad you did because if you think about it, we all buy from the brands we love because of the story behind them.

AEC Marketing Tip 3: Make Your Website Work Harder

SEOs often joke that if you’re going to bury the bodies, Page 2 of Google is the place to do it.

Your website is your business’s single most important digital marketing asset, and if it isn’t discoverable by new prospects, you are missing out on more business than you realize.

More than 80% of the US is shopping online (that’s 220M peeps for those who don’t have a calculator handy).

Warning: Thinking you appear on Page 1 of Google for your name is a mistake. That doesn’t count.

Unless you are Apple, Nike, or maybe even AutoCAD, new customers do not know who you are and typically won’t search for you by name (please reread that until it sinks in).

They might, however, go to Google and search for “best running shoes,” “advanced smartphones,” or “software for architects.”

See the difference?

Uncle Elias’ Rules For Website Success:

1. Be discoverable for relevant relational terms – not just your name
2. Make a great 1st impression – you need images and a great story
3. Make sure your potential clients can either find the information they need or just contact you directly

Need a checklist? Here’s some favorite website must-haves:

– SEO optimization

– Clear description of your services

– A feel for your differentiation and brand story

– Easy-to-find contact information

– Portfolio of your best work

– Testimonials from happy clients

“A website without visitors is like a ship lost on the horizon.” – Dr. Christopher Dayagdag.

AEC Marketing Tip 4: Use Social Media Wisely

“Architecture is a social act.” – David Adjaye.

Totally agree. But nobody likes that person in any social setting that just yammers on without any purpose.

Social media isn’t just for cat videos. Or venting your dirty laundry. Well… not if you want to be profitable, anyway.

Social media is a powerful tool for AEC firms to showcase their work and expertise while engaging with their audience professionally.

But here’s the thing: don’t take a maximalist approach to posting. Think minimalist.

Contrary to what social media “experts” might say, don’t post for the sake of posting – adding more white noise to an already washed-out landscape.

Excessive posting is spam, making potential customers deaf to your messaging.

Post. But post wisely.

Tips For Posting Helpful Non-Spammy Social Content:

– Share project progress photos

– Post about industry trends or mistakes that need to be avoided

– Highlight your team members

– Engage with other professionals in your field

– Be personal and funny

Our favorite social media channel? YouTube!

If you didn’t know, YouTube is owned by Google and is infinitely more stable than any of those other channels.

If you’re going to build, build on solid ground.

AEC Marketing Tip 5: Stay in Touch with Past Clients

I love this one from entrepreneur Shiv Singh: “The purpose of a business is to create a customer who creates customers.”

In today’s competitive landscape, you know how hard it is to find your people. Don’t kick ’em to the curb once the project is finished.

They already know you, like you (hopefully), and trust you…. Not to mention the fact that they paid you.

When the time is right, they’ll pay you again, provided they consider you part of their inner circle.

Here are some ways to stay connected:

– Birthday/Holiday Cards

– Invitations to semi-annual or annual mixers

– Project updates

– A personal, handwritten card for no reason other than to say hi

– SWAG!!! People love swag. Make it awesome. Expensive. And useful.

The key theme there? It’s thoughtful and meaningful. Remember to be human. Think beyond the transaction. Always.

Also, before I forget, referrals are a long-term goal. You’ve got way bigger fish to fry if you’re looking to get business through the door ASAP.

AEC Marketing Tip 6: Track Where Your Leads Come From

If your efforts are sporadic or without tracking and reporting, you are totally flying blind and lighting any marketing dollars you might be spending on fire.

I was a sales manager for an F500 company many moons ago, and it helped open my eyes to how many salespeople on the team were mishandling leads.

As crazy as this sounds, contact info wasn’t always collected, needs analysis questions weren’t asked, follow-ups weren’t scheduled, and proposals weren’t sent.

HOLY SMOKES!!!!

The manager I trained under, Matty C, taught me quite a lot. One of his best lessons? Fear.

There’s nothing quite like knowing you’ll get hit with a bat if you don’t focus on your daily sales activities.

If you are the founder, you are your firm’s best salesperson, and while you might not get hit with Matty C’s bat, you might not be able to make payroll if you’re not closing and tracking deals.

If you don’t have a process for handling, tracking, and managing your leads, your business will fail.

In this digital world where such a high volume of inquiries can come from the web, you’ve got to stay on your game, or guess what? Your perfect-fit customers will go to the next firm on their list.

Some Helpful Points Of Entry To Track:

– How new clients heard about you (ask)

– Which pages on your website get the most visits (Google Analytics)

– Which social media posts get the most engagement (Depending on the channel, use their native analytics dashboard)

Knowing where your leads come from will help you optimize your marketing efforts and as for lead management and sales, I’ll get into that in another article.

Putting These AEC Marketing Tips To Work

New Yorker and advertising giant David Ogilvy once said: “In the modern world of business, it is useless to be a creative, original thinker unless you can also sell what you create.”

Did you catch that?

This no B.S. New Yorker also said that advertising is sales in print.

Everything you do to promote your firm should be sales-focused. Sure, you might be thinking, “This all sounds great, but I’m not a marketer or a salesperson, and I’m too busy running my firm to worry about all this.”

You’re not alone if you feel that way. But still, marketing for architects, engineers, and contractors can’t be ignored if you want to see sustainable, confident growth, over time. You should do everything in your power to implement what you can.

Here’s a few things to look forward to once you put the sales hammer to the marketing nail:

1. Consistent Growth: Good marketing leads to a steady stream of new projects, helping your firm grow consistently.

2. Higher-Quality Projects: By showcasing your best work, you attract clients who value quality and are willing to pay for it.

3. Competitive Edge: Strong marketing helps you stand out from other AEC firms in a crowded market.

4. Building Trust: Marketing isn’t just about selling – not directly anyway. It’s about developing profound connections and trust with potential clients before they even meet you. Endearing people to your work and your process is a game changer.

The Challenge of DIY Marketing: It Never Really Happens

I’ve got to dig a bit for the source, but I’m fairly sure it was Warren Buffet who said: “Most business people use time to save money. But it’s the smart business person who use money to save time.”

The Home Depot has us all fired up to go there because that’s how doers get more done, right? And then you show up to their DIY project that they definitely should have avoided in the first place.

Many of the firms we end up working with have tried their hand at their own marketing efforts – usually with artistic control and cost-savings on their mind.

But like you’ve told your customer 2,897,426 times, it helps to have a professional take over (at some point).

Here’s where implementing these AEC marketing tips yourself usually falls apart:

1. Time: Marketing takes time – time you could spend on billable work, running your firm, or get this: taking your life partner to lunch…

2. Expertise: Marketing is a skill, just like architecture, engineering, or construction. It takes knowledge and experience to do it well and avoid all the landmines that only experience teaches you to disarm.

3. Technology: The marketing world is always changing, with new tools and platforms emerging constantly.

4. Measurement: Knowing what to measure and how to interpret the data isn’t always straightforward.

When to Consider Professional Help

“If you think it’s expensive to hire a professional to do the job, wait until you hire an amateur.” – Red Adair.

If you’re feeling overwhelmed by digital marketing, you might want to contact an agency that specializes in helping AEC firms.

Here are signs you might need professional help:

1. Your firm isn’t growing as fast as you’d like

2. You’re not attracting the types of projects you want

3. Your competitors seem to be everywhere, but your firm is invisible

4. You’re too busy with client work to focus on marketing

5. You’re not sure if your current marketing efforts are working

6. You tried marketing before. Went cheap. We’re promised the world. And the results were zero.

7. You frequently find yourself saying, “Screw this crap.”

A world-class architecture marketing agency can:

– Develop a marketing strategy tailored to your firm

– Implement and manage marketing campaigns

– Track results and adjust strategies as needed

– Keep you updated on marketing trends in the AEC industry

– Free up your time to focus on what you do best

– Help the work you love to find, find you first

Success is Something You Can Design

“The best way to predict the future is to create it.”

Abraham Lincoln said that one and I love it. To me it reinforces the idea that success is a choice.

If you’re losing sleep over what’s coming next for your firm, there’s more that’s in you’re control than you might think.

Having more work isn’t marketing voodoo.

You don’t need to bend The Force to your will.

Every founder knows (myself included) that the limits on any business are those imposed by its leadership. In other words, if you want something you’ve never had, you need to do the things you’ve never done. And choose to do something different.

It’s like my fav YouTube fitness coach (Chris Heria) says, “If you train the same, you remain the same.”

The same is true for our businesses.

Given all the possible options out there: choose success.

So what needs to happen now?

Understanding these AEC marketing tips is the first step toward growing your firm. Whether you tackle marketing yourself or seek professional help, the important thing is to start.

Your expertise built your AEC firm. The right marketing approach can take it to the next level.​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​