A strategic marketing plan is important for your firm whether you want to grow or remain competitive in your marketplace. Architects, engineers, and contractors who invest in marketing can be more selective with clients and prospects receiving a higher fee on projects. A strategic marketing plan allows your firm to be targeted in its approach and utilize its finances to maximize the return on your investment.
Strategic marketing requires an open mind and time commitment. There is no quick fix for marketing and business development strategies. It takes months and sometimes years to implement your marketing plan, because there are many pieces to the puzzle. Each piece must be placed properly in order for the entire masterpiece to come together. Then you must maintain, evaluate, and adjust the marketing plan, which is also not a small feat. Consistency is the secret sauce to marketing. A firm should NEVER stop investing in marketing regardless of workload or the market. Your dollar amount might change depending on these situations, but it should never be abandoned.
A marketing strategy aligns your firm with its purpose and mission and how you conduct business. Taking time to identify market opportunities and what your firm can do to capture the biggest piece of your market are components of your marketing strategy. Identify those industries that have growth in your geographic area and target them in your marketing efforts. Strategic marketing should be included as part of the discussion in business decisions about the firm. Marketing professionals bring a different viewpoint to your architecture, engineering, or construction business. They see things differently and will help your firm grow. Marketing ties all the departments together and contributes to the success of your firm.
Recently I met with a new client. He shared he didn’t necessarily want to grow but still knew he needed to invest in marketing. And he was right. Just because you don’t want to grow as a firm doesn’t mean you shouldn’t invest in marketing! This particular client wanted to be the go-to contractor in their marketplace and remain as the builder of choice. A strategic marketing plan will help him achieve this. I evaluated what they are currently doing from a marketing perspective and developed a plan outlining what they need to implement to consistently market their firm.
There are many different marketing tactics that should be executed. It must be consistent and steady in all aspects. A firm can’t market today and expect to see results next week or even next year. It takes time to market your firm. Marketing is being top of mind with your clients and prospects. If you aren’t top of mind, that means your marketing isn’t effective. A few marketing tactics include proposals, interviews, website, trade shows, social media, and sponsorships, just to name a few. Marketing is evolving with all the available digital tactics that can (and should) be used in your marketing plan. These digital tactics include content creation, search engine optimization, Google, ChatGPT, and social media. All these tactics should have a consistent look and message. Clients and prospects need to understand what services and value you bring to the project and how you can help them grow their business. When your message is crystal clear, it’s much easier for a client or prospect to select you for a project because they understand what value you’ll bring to the project.
Marketing strategy isn’t easy. It takes time and often involves diving into other areas like operations, accounting, and human resources. For instance, there may be operational issues that marketing can help facilitate. Recently, I had a conversation with a construction client who employs a very young project management staff. They realize they need to invest in project management training. While not directly related to marketing, it will eventually affect marketing because the performance of their work will become obvious to the client that these project managers need to be trained. When the contractor invests in project management training, they are more efficient and productive at their job and will deliver a BETTER client experience to those clients — thus providing more value to the client. This results in a stronger brand of being the go-to contractor in their geographic market.
Marketing touches every aspect of the business and should be included in the strategy of the firm. Investing in marketing today allows success for your business tomorrow and beyond. Every interaction a client has with your employees is a “tick” toward or against your brand — from answering the phone to billing to dealing with challenges on a project in the field. Make sure your employees are trained to be a positive tick for your brand and not a negative one. Investing in your company culture and communicating that message clearly to everyone on the team is imperative to building your brand reputation.
Marketing strategy will help your business continue to be successful. It makes you focus on what you are in business to do and keeps you focused on the direction of the firm. With a strong commitment to marketing, I guarantee you will see results of your efforts.
nu marketing works with architecture, engineering, and construction firms to develop their strategic marketing plans. Interested in working with our team? Reach out to Lindsay Young, Chief Difference Maker, at [email protected].
