Writing! Blogging! Content marketing! The number one reason to implement content marketing within your strategy is to drive traffic to your website. It also increases your search engine optimization, because Google likes websites that consistently update with new, relevant information. Google has trolls (not literally, but digitally) that crawl through the internet to find fresh content. Having a higher Google ranking helps your prospects find you more quickly.
Content marketing is an effective marketing tool that’s underutilized in the design and construction industry. Our industry consists of long and complex processes which can be very confusing and technical to those who don’t encounter it on a regular basis. There are so many moving parts and pieces to architecture, engineering, and construction. Not everyone understands it — which is why it’s our industry’s responsibility to educate our clients and prospects. (And there is no such thing as a perfect project, so let’s just eliminate that all together.)
Through an effective content marketing strategy, you can provide education. This is actually a very effective way to market to your target audience. Because architecture, engineering, and construction have so many components, you could write about each process and probably have over 5,000 words for each blog post. (This length is not recommended, though.) Each blog post should ideally have 500-1,000 words including at least one picture that represents the topic. Graphs and charts can also be used.
Setting up a schedule or calendar of topics and when you’re going to post them helps keep your team accountable. At a minimum, you should be writing something once a month, which is a reasonable goal. Once you have successfully implemented this frequency, you can increase the amount you post.
Here are examples of various topics and ideas to write about on your blog:
Architecture Firms
- How to Select the Right Architect
- How to Fund Projects (For non-profits, government entities, grants)
- The Process of Master Planning
- Programming Involves Every Stakeholder in Your Project
- Interior Design Is Important to Your User Experience
- Selection of Project Delivery Method
Engineering Firms
- How to Select the Right Engineer
- Selection of Project Delivery Method
- Advantages to Full Service vs. One Discipline Engineering Firms
- How Engineers Partner with Design Firms
- Questions to Ask Your Engineer
- The involvement of an Engineer During Design and Construction
- Process or System That a Client Goes Through During Design and Construction
Construction Firms
- How to Select the Right Contractor
- Selection of Project Delivery Method
- Difference between General Contracting and Construction Management
- Setting a Realistic Project Budget
- Importance of Self-Performing (If you are a self-performing contractor)
- The Importance of Safety and Cleanliness on a Jobsite
Once you have selected topics and set dates, determine who in the organization can contribute. You will need a champion (internal or external person) to pull all of this together and keep everyone accountable. The champion should be a strong writer and proofreader. In some cases, your employees aren’t strong writers but they have the knowledge and expertise. The champion can “interview” the employee and assist with writing the blog. (aka ghostwriting)
Not only can you post these articles directly on your blog, you can also share them on your social media platforms, re-directing people back to your website. This is the entire purpose of content marketing — to drive traffic to your website. Increasing your Search Engine Optimization (SEO) is also a contributing factor to successful content marketing. It does take time, effort, and dedication to successfully blog each month, but it’s a worthwhile investment for the long run. It also must consistently be done and immediately results won’t occur. Patience and commitment are instrumental in the success of a strong content marketing campaign. Start sharing your knowledge!
