15 Small Business Tips for AEC Firms In Sarasota
Around 50% of all businesses fail within the first five years of being open. If you want to start growing a small business and don’t want it to fail, you’ll have to identify your key objectives and go all in. Sure, I’m a marketing guy. But I’m also a sales guy. And aside from the topics I’ll share here, you’ve got to do everything you can to make sure your market knows you’re here.
Marketing = sales opportunity. It’s that simple.
You’ll also need to try different marketing methods and see which ones work best for your business because the reality is, what works for one business might not work well for you. But that’s what the Lighthouse Digital team is here for. We’ve got the insights and experience to hone in on your needs and share the best path forward.
So let’s dive in. Here are some of the best small business tips for AEC firms in Sarasota, Florida.
1. Organize and Plan Ahead
Call me Captain Obvious, but you won’t get anywhere with your business if you don’t plan. Every business needs to have a plan and be organized. Consider what you want to accomplish with your business. Prioritize and execute in order of importance.
Think about revenue. Think about legacy. Think about your local market and competition. How much do you want your business to grow? Do you want to grow it into a huge market leader? Or would you rather make small improvements that make you and your team happy?
It is important to ask yourself these questions so you have a better idea of what tactics to implement. Remember those core emotional reasons why you wanted to start your business in the first place? Have a clear picture of what you want in your mind, and make it real.
Remember, nothing exists until we make it exists. And as the owner/operator, that is your key objective at the beginning. Don’t get overwhelmed. Think small steps. It will then be easier to work toward that goal and accomplish what you want. In no time at all, accomplishing little goals along the way leads you to your big goal.
2. Find Your Niche in Sarasota
Every AEC business needs a niche. If your business is too general or vague, it will be hard to establish a target audience. Without a target audience, you won’t have anyone to buy your products or services.
For instance, Google “Digital Marketing Agency in Sarasota” and tell me how many you find.
Now, Google “Architecture [or AEC] Marketing Agency in Sarasota.”
How many are there?
You want to be really specific when thinking about who you want to serve and why. Having a specialty service means you can do more of the work you love – and be appreciated for it rather than racing to the bottom to book a job on price.
PRO TIP: Take the time to develop your firm’s story. Are you from a blue-collar family? Are you an award-winning designer? Do you help developers come in on time and under budget? All these little boring details that are unimportant to you are usually really important to your perfect-fit customer.
3. Make It Easy for Customers to Buy Your Products
I can’t stress this enough. No one wants to struggle to buy something. This is why you need to make it as easy as possible to buy things from your business. If you have a physical store, all a person needs to do is walk in and buy something they like.
Got windows? Got Furniture? Got all the FF&E goodies that residential and commercial structures need? Make it easy for your buyers to purchase.
Take the leap and jump into the 21st century. Have easy payment tools like financing (iff applicable), Venmo, Cash App, Quickbooks invoicing, and more. The payoff (yeah, pun intended), will be worth it.
4. Start Using Social Media
Millions of people use social media every day. The go-to platforms include Facebook, Instagram, and Pinterest.
But that said, YouTube (since it’s purchase by Google) is becoming one of the best hybrid platforms out there. There’s no better way to showcase your work than with motion pictures – discoverable on YouTube in the same way you should be discoverable on Google. If you’re not there, you’re missing out.
Contact us and ask about our complimentary YouTube SEO strategy call. Right now, it’s one of the most cost effective and results-focused campaigns you can implement.
5. Try Local SEO Services
If nothing else, this is one of the most essential small business tips out there for AEC firms (and any business for that matter). Growing a small business can be overwhelming, especially if you plan on having a larger digital presence. Regardless, your business in Sarasota, FL, is still a local business and there are benefits to making sure your customers within 25 miles know about you.
So how do you do that? Lighthouse Digital specializes in local SEO packages that have gotten our clients to appear on page 1 of Google, right in the coveted top three map spots in as little as 36 hours.
Don’t waste your money on local print mailer coupons. We all know where those end up. Spend your money on something more cost-effective that will get your business front and center to customers on all their devices – including their car’s infotainment centers.
6. Cater to Your Target Audience
It is important to understand your target audience. A target audience is essentially a demographic interested (or needing) certain products or services. For example, your target audience might consist of older adults who are interested in gardening (hey, it’s a Florida thing!
If your business provides gardening supplies, try to speak your customer’s language. While they might be looking for a particular item, think about the outcome and lean into that: time spent outside, time spent with friends, a beautiful home, exercise, and more. Sometimes your products and services are worth more than their obvious value.
7. Work With Our AEC Marketing Agency in Sarasota, FL
If you’re too overwhelmed to deal with all this by yourself, you can always trust us as your preferred local AEC marketing agency. Our digital marketing agency can handle everything from advertising to SEO and more. We’ve spent years in the trenches, decades in fact, learning what works and having heaps of case studies to prove it.
With over 8Bn people looking for information on Google every single day (and 80% of those queries being transactional in nature) you need to have an online presence. Mom and dad are cool. But if you’re running your business the same way they were and relying only on referrals, you’re going to be one of those businesses that close in five years or less.
Moral of the story: There are thousands of customers looking for your products and services online. If they cannot find you, you are losing tremendous market share.
8. Optimize Your ROI
Having a business can be expensive. Before you know it, you can be in tens of thousands of dollars up to a few million, depending on start-up costs. Whatever you allocate precious capital on needs to be an asset. These assets need to create efficiencies and profitability.
For instance, your website is (and should be) an asset. More times than not, people think that simply having a website is enough. It isn’t.
Did you know that you can have a website actively hunting for your customers? Ask yourself if your website is making you money. If you don’t know, you’re not alone. Most business owners don’t.
As an advanced Google Analytics Certified Agency, Lighthouse Digital can implement the strategies and show you the data on how much your growing MoM & YoY.
9. Use SEO
Search Engine Optimization (SEO) is vital for improving your business website and in the spirit of the last section, is one of the more cost-effective ways to generate a sustainable, business-building asset.
Many of our clients are a bit old school. They started businesses long before the internet was a thing. And they have a hard time understanding the value of SEO. Here are my two cents:
SEO allows search engines (mainly Google) to discover your business and present it to shoppers whenever they’re looking for your products & services.
This statement is always followed by, “Yeah, but I never needed SEO before. So why now? Our business is steady and referral-based and doing ok.”
And therein lies the key. SEO makes the difference between your business just “doing ok” and absolutely crushing it.
If you are looking to grow, secure your market share, and take out the competition, SEO is a must. Because here’s what’s happening: Sarasota is growing. New businesses will be leveraging digital strategies to make their mark. And you will lose as a result.
The time to set up your perimeter is now!
10. Create Great Content
The content you write for your website should always be high-quality. If it is full of typos or long and hard-to-read paragraphs, your website won’t get very far. You should also avoid uninformative or “fluffy” content.
Google can detect when content is uninformative, and it will rank it lower where it is harder for people to find. But if you create great content, you won’t have this problem.
Our team of master copywriters are specialists within their respective industries, and they have been writing with your end-users (customers) in mind for decades.
Benefit from our ability to speak to your customers. You’ll be glad you did.
11. Provide Fantastic Customer Service
If you want your business to succeed, you should make sure your customers love your brand. You can do this by providing great customer service. Above all, make sure that your customers feel valued.
Remember, no question is a silly one. I see businesses suffer from insulting their customers all the time. You do what you do all day, every day. Of course, things make sense to you. Keep in mind that your customers live in their world, not yours. Help them cross the bridge.
If you don’t, unhappy customers may give you bad reviews, which will hurt your bottom line. As an SEO specialist, I can tell you that positive (and negative) reviews are huge ranking signals to google. Make sure you get as many positive reviews as you can.
12. Check Out Your Competitors
Competitive analysis is part of all our digital marketing packages. You’ve got to know what your competitors are up to so you can beat them at every turn. It’s a jungle out there. Let’s make sure you’re the king of it.
Your competitors will try to steal your customers from you every chance they get. We’ll figure out what they’re doing so that you can do it better.
Also, we’ll make sure you’re more visible than they are. If you rank higher on Google, they’ll likely call you first.
13. Automate Basic Tasks
If your business requires you to perform repetitive tasks, find a way to automate them. This will save you time that you can use for more important matters.
Time is money, and that is especially true when trying to grow a business.
I once heard someone say that a foolish businessperson spends time to save money, whereas a wise businessperson spends money to save time.
When it comes to digital marketing, let us be the done-for-you solution vs. the do-it-yourself solution. You’ve got bigger fish to fry.
14. Limit Distractions
You’ll never get any work done if you’re constantly distracted. In today’s hustle culture, so much can get lost with the millions of things competing for our attention from hour to hour.
Our CEO & Founder was recently featured in a series called “From Frenzy to Focus.” It’s a must-read for anyone looking to streamline their operations, especially at the start.
15. Don’t Have a Backup Plan
Say WHAT???
If you can do something else or would rather do something else or don’t have to run a business and implement these small business tips then guess what?
You will never succeed.
If you want to take the island, burn the boats.
No retreat. No surrender. Capture that flag.
You’ve got to hit launching your small business with everything you’ve got because today’s market is just way too competitive to be ok with “seeing what happens.”
All About Growing a Small AEC Business in Sarasota, FL
Another favorite lesson of mine from a mentor long gone: if you want to go fast, go it alone. If you want to go far, go with those you know.
Running a business takes a team to ensure longevity. We can help you make that happen.
Growing a small business in Sarasota, FL, should be a joy. We live in paradise. Most people are here because they are looking for an elevated quality of life.
It costs you nothing to speak with a professional digital marketer. If you want to succeed, you owe it to yourself to hear what exceptional sounds like.
Right?