Architect

A website is a company’s most important marketing tool, so building it right should be a high priority for every business. Which pages to include varies slightly from industry to industry, with consumer products relying more on product pages and service industries needing more content about the company’s professionals, services, and business approach.

Businesses should include everything a potential client needs to know about a company to make an informed decision about taking the next step. Websites should also have all the elements vital to search engine optimization, from keywords to high-quality images and written content. The more information a website contains about a company, the higher the qualified visitor rates will be.

Website Pages to Include:

About Us- Tell the potential client who you are. Tell them the company’s story, including its vision, history, values, and achievements. Companies often also tell customers about the individual company leaders and team members. This page should help visitors understand and connect with a company, especially a new or smaller company without a national reputation. The “About Us” page should entice visitors and persuade them to delve deeper and learn more.

Approach- While you won’t necessarily find approach pages in all industries, in construction, engineering, architecture, and similar professional services industries, an approach page explains how a company sees its strengths and mission. It shows how an organization differs from others and lists its fortes, priorities, and attitudes. It talks about how you work.

Whether a company has extensive experience, unique or comprehensive services, or cutting-edge industry training, telling prospective clients about it can be done on an approach page. A company may stress a collaborative approach or free and frequent communication with its clients. A company might talk about how well they listen, how transparent information connected will be, or how flexible the timing of services can be. Another website approach page may explain a company’s interdisciplinary team plan for projects.

Services- Never assume customers know what services you provide. Describe everything you offer in detail. If you have packaged services, list and describe them. This complete information is important to Search Engine Optimization, because bots seek to connect searchers with their exact needs. The services page is often a great place to include important keywords. Specific services keywords can help bring more traffic to the site. Encourage visitors to ask about services not listed, and offer free estimates or proposals to get people engaged.

Markets Served- Even if you are open to any business, narrowing to some specific markets can help differentiate you from the competition. Look like experts in the markets you want most to serve and speak directly to your potential clients’ individual needs. For example, a builder specializing in home additions should provide details about this service. An architect with extensive experience designing restaurants needs to write about that.

A Markets Served page is another element important for SEO because the more detailed information your website contains, the better search spiders like it. This is another ideal page for employing pivotal keywords and phrases.

News Page- Adding content often and regularly is important for search engine optimization because search bots will scan new material to evaluate it, which makes the website more likely to appear high on a search results list. A news page is a perfect avenue for adding content regularly.

Consider it an open-ended, free space where you can share news, brag about accomplishments, educate, and entertain. It brings people to your site more often and helps build a long-term relationship with visitors. A news or blog page can bring new visitors through organic searches about a news item’s subject matter.

Although the benefits are substantial, it does take some work to continue adding to it regularly, and building a following takes time. Establishing a publishing calendar and content feed helps. Content should be a healthy balance of promotion, education, and general interest subjects. Many company executives rely partially or completely on outside web-building experts and writers for the function so they can spend their time running the business.

Completed Projects- Telling potential clients you have experience building homes, designing stores, or refitting electrical systems starts to establish a website visitor’s trust, but it’s often not enough. Prior projects, with descriptions and pictures or videos, builds credibility. Showing what you have done proves your experience and allows potential clients or customers to imagine your company doing similar work for them. Depending on the industry type (architects, for example), this also might be called a Portfolio Page.

As explained under the News Page section, adding new high-quality content helps boost SEO, so posting videos, pictures, and written content about a recently finished project should be routine. If you can get permission from a previous client to use their name, especially in commercial projects, it implies an endorsement by that company. The more recognized the client’s name is, the better the implied endorsement.

Contact- Make sure it’s easy to contact you, even after hours. You can provide a form to request a quote or more information. Some companies, especially larger ones, use a centralized communication system where all emails and phone calls reach the same person, who then passes the information on to the appropriate departments. Smaller firms may list emails and phone numbers for individual professionals. Companies should have internal links from every other page to the contact page so that at any point in someone’s visit, they can jump to the actions stage.

 

There may be other website pages depending on the industry, but these seven, About Us, Approach, Services, Markets Served, News, Projects Completed, and Contacts, are the basics, especially in professional services industries. Websites with these pages can provide all the information a visitor needs and the elements important to search engines.

Anyone in business knows getting new clients costs more and takes more time than maintaining current ones. Happy, current clients also represent a tremendous opportunity for referrals and testimonials. Reducing costs by keeping clients longer and gaining new business through their referrals bolsters company growth. Since client retention is so vital, what efforts is your company making to keep the valuable clients you have?

Clients Avoid Confrontation   

Unsatisfied customers or clients often move to a competitor without communicating to their current vendor or service provider about their dissatisfaction. It’s human nature to avoid confrontation, so someone may keep quiet about any problems they are experiencing with a company. A client may allow a company to complete a planned project, even if they are not completely satisfied with the communication, fees, delays, work quality, or anything else. They may never tell a company they feel unhappy but do look elsewhere for the next project.

Your company can lose more than future projects from the unsatisfied client. Although they won’t tell you they weren’t completely happy, they will probably tell colleagues, neighbors, family members, and friends about the problems. You won’t get referrals, and your company’s reputation and brand will have taken a damaging hit, and you may never know why.

Communication and Relationship Building

The antidote to this unfortunate but too common scenario is regular, planned communication combined with relationship and loyalty building. Every company needs a client retention plan. It should include a schedule for everyday communication and demonstrations of appreciation before, during, and after a project.

Checking in regularly to get feedback at every stage of a client’s journey can ensure a successfully completed project and boost your brand. Use a combination of personal messages and automated reach-outs. Be friendly and engaging, and make sure all team members do the same. Strive to build a human connection and keep the client involved in the decision-making and process. Building a relationship can encourage a second and third project and often provide referral clients.

Clear Expectations

Customer retention starts with the initial presentation. Use case studies and clear communication to establish realistic expectations. Ask questions and listen to the client’s goals. If you misunderstand what a client wants, you will frustrate everyone. If a client misunderstands what you will deliver from the beginning, dissatisfaction is inevitable. Conversely, over-delivering on expectations establishes loyalty, so set and evaluate expectations often.

Lay out a road map for communication throughout the planning and implementation process. Plan meetings or phone calls at different stages to check in, update everyone on progress, and ask some leading questions. While a client may avoid confrontation, a team member who asks for feedback gives someone permission to complain.

When the complaint is expressed, it can be solved. Whether the complaint is about the dirt tracked into the house or the wrong color being painted on a wall, knowing sooner can save the situation. An answered or resolved concern builds a stronger bond between the company and the client. Think of a problem as an opportunity to strengthen bonds. Include every team member in the communication plan because a client needs a positive relationship with the entire team.

After Project Completion

The client’s journey with your company should continue after the project is completed. Whether they have future projects for you or not, you want them to become advocates for your organization. Continuing to touch base with them and letting them know how much you value them as clients can be extremely valuable and easy if you have a set plan.

Continuing your relationship with a client after a project is done can include keeping them on an email list, especially if emails include educational bits and information about community events the company sponsors. You might send calendars or holiday cards to all previous clients. You may ask to feature their completed project in your newsletter or on the website. Even if they decline, you have had an additional touch, and they may feel flattered.

Loyalty Programs 

A good system for keeping in touch with clients and learning more about them is a loyalty program. You might call it VIP Club or something else, but make sure the people you have done work for know your company considers them special. Loyalty programs give companies a great opportunity to build brand recognition, and through various data collection techniques like program registration forms, companies gather inciteful marketing statistics.

To reinforce a relationship with a client, use the loyalty club to give them preferential treatment with discounts and perks. Depending on your industry, it might be free annual inspections or upgrades, discounted service prices, free design consultations, advanced notice of special offers, or invitations to special events like design shows, open houses, or company-sponsored charity events.

Diversify and Expand Services

Companies sometimes add or expand their services to continue getting business from previous clients. By listening to clients and paying attention to what services are difficult to find in your market, you might find ways to expand profitably. Being flexible about the work offered can provide opportunities for additional business and diversification. For example, a construction company might decide to add deck building or hardscaping to their services if customers consistently ask about them. An architecture firm might add an interior design department or add a landscape designer to their staff. Partnering with other reliable service companies is another way to diversify.

Overcoming Media Overload

Building and maintaining client loyalty is more difficult today because of the dramatic increase in information launched at each of us every day. The sheer volume of marketing messages, valid and invalid news, and opinions an individual experiences every waking hour, makes gaining company loyalty more challenging. A Forbes article states, “ Stimulated by sensationalism, social media trends and a generational force that is changing how brands earn loyalty and trust, consumers have become more critical and cynical.”

Establishing loyalty to your company can help clients ignore your competitors. When they feel valued by your organization, they are less likely to be enticed into trying another firm, so an effective client or customer retention program should be a priority. With a smart plan and frequent evaluations, companies can continue to get repeat and referral business.

Finding great employees takes work, but so does keeping them. Once you have gone through the arduous and costly process of finding an employee who is perfect for your company, have a plan in place to keep them. Your retention plan should start with competitive compensation and benefits, but keeping top people takes more. Organizations need a pleasant, positive work environment with open communication channels, employee appreciation and recognition plans, and opportunities for professional development.

Each time a company must replace someone, it incurs further costs for advertising, interviewing, selecting a candidate, and then onboarding and training them. Turnover also lowers morale, interrupts business efficiency, and interferes with customer or client experiences. Being understaffed can make everyone’s job more difficult and mean customers wait longer for service.

Compensation and Benefits  

Obviously, paying a competitive wage matters but company-paid benefits often matter more to team members. Health insurance, paid leave, and retirement funds all support retention, but there has been an increase in a desire for other well-being-connected benefits. Investing in employee well-being as part of a positive company culture is well worth any extra cost. Physically and mentally healthy team members can bring their best selves to work and feel good about working towards personal and company goals.

There are several ways employers can support their employees’ health and fitness. For example, companies that have in-house workout facilities, provide or pay part of gym memberships, or encourage walking breaks for office staff demonstrate their interest in keeping employees fit. Organizations that offer good health insurance plans and have policies to encourage regular medical checkups, screenings, and vaccinations have healthier team members who are more likely to stay on.

In addition, companies can support mental and emotional health through better work-life balance, mental health awareness campaigns, and support for anyone struggling with addiction, stressful situations at home, or mental health challenges. As part of emotional health support, some companies even help team members develop better personal financial management skills. Money troubles can contribute to anxiety and depression, so giving people tools to manage finances helps prevent these.

Everyday Employee Appreciation

Everyone needs to feel appreciated and companies have different approaches to showing team members they value them. Most start with a positive work atmosphere and open communication lines. Employees who feel comfortable voicing concerns or ideas leave less readily. When everyone’s ideas and suggestions are encouraged, work is more collaborative and less competitive. Companies that create and maintain a cooperative atmosphere with everyone working together towards common goals keep staff longer.

Companies can also sponsor activities that reinforce the company’s positive feelings toward their team members. Whether it’s pizza delivered for lunch every Friday or an annual bowling tournament or softball game between management and employees, a little fun goes a long way toward building team morale. Holiday and family events are great, too. Picnics, photo contests, employee art exhibits, and talent shows are all good possibilities. Which activities to choose will depend on your team member’s interests.

Create a Meaningful Appreciation Program

Beyond the everyday expressions of appreciation, companies should have planned, formal employee recognition programs. Understanding the psychology behind recognition can be the key to building a successful program.
In 1943, Abraham Maslow published Maslow’s hierarchy of needs. It showed that after basic requirements, food, water, shelter, and safety, people’s needs turn to social requirements for inclusion, belonging, esteem, and self-actualization. In other words, people need to feel they are being their best selves, belong to a group, and are appreciated.

Recognition programs have historically been based primarily on years of service benchmarks. Celebrating work anniversaries is great, but smart companies also recognize their people for individual accomplishments and personal milestones. Employees want to be seen and appreciated as individuals. That means companies should recognize someone for completing a leadership course, receiving a promotion, participating in community outreach, or winning a local bicycle race.

However, people also want to feel like they belong, so recognizing a team for finishing a project ahead of schedule or winning the company fundraising competition fills that need. Celebrating company accomplishments counts, too. When companies have banner years, complete projects successfully, ahead of schedule, or on budget, everyone involved should be celebrated. Everyone has contributed to the company’s success, so all team members should be recognized and commended.

Continued Education and Professional Development

Organizations that encourage their people to continue learning show they value education and understand the self-actualization need. Companies that provide the means to continuing education and professional development attract top candidates and keep them longer. An article in Entrepreneur says that 87% of millennials think of continued professional development as essential. It also explains that 76% of those surveyed find a company offering training more appealing.

Candidates looking for opportunities to grow and improve are the ones companies want to hire. Applicants looking for opportunities to continue professional development are the ones who wish to do their best work. Technology constantly changes today, and trained people can take advantage of the advancements and be more innovative and productive. Providing learning opportunities also provides a company with a reliable pool of future team leaders and managers.

Companies don’t need to limit learning opportunities to work skills and professional development. Team members who value life-long learning and develop healthy outside passions and pastimes are mentally healthier and happier. Learning to knit, box, or do yoga doesn’t provide job skills but promotes a better work-life balance, which helps everyone work more efficiently.

Keeping the Great People You Have

After spending time and resources finding and hiring a great candidate, a company should have a plan in place to keep them onboard for as long as possible. Today, people want good salaries but look for more than income when they accept a position. They want the usual benefits like health insurance and a retirement plan, but other perks like educational opportunities and better work-life balance matter, too. Companies sometimes overlook an important need for people to feel appreciated and valued. A hard-working, dedicated employee burns out fast if their efforts aren’t recognized. Keeping human needs for inclusion, belonging, esteem, and self-actualization will help design an effective employee retention initiative.

A company must have a professionally designed logo to start building a brand and establishing client loyalty. Logos should follow basic design principles like balance and contrast and still be dynamic, unique, and easily recognizable. Logos can be abstract or concrete and should reflect the company’s business personality or image. For example, a conservative business organization needs a more sedate design whereas a more creative and cutting-edge organization can be more daring with their logo and colors.

When approving your new logo keep a few reproduction considerations in mind. You need a complete logo package to keep branding consistent. For example, logos that reproduce well digitally or photographically don’t always work in other reproduction methods like silk screening or embroidery. Colors are an important aspect of marketing psychology but logos with several unique colors often cost more to produce in certain media. Shape also matters, because a horizontal design fits best in horizontal spaces and vertical ones in tall spaces.

Therefore, when designing or approving a new logo, think about how it will be used, and consider having various approved versions for different techniques and spaces. Brantley routinely provides a complete marketing package with a range of logo versions and color options to fit all scenarios. For example, the logos come in full color, inverse color, all white and all black. Many logos also come in horizontal and more vertical shapes with the elements stacked rather than side by side.

 

Multiple Colors and PMS Matches 

Colors send marketing messages and using multiple colors often grabs an audience’s attention more effectively than single colors. Color formulas as part of the Pantone Matching System (PMS) help a company get uniform results, whether printing business cards or a digital newsletter. Colors are specified through a three- or four-digit number. For example, your logo may use PMS 185 red and PMS 300 blue. The chosen colors should reflect the company’s image and resonate with clients and customers. Marketing gurus have studied how colors influence consumers and artists and designers keep color psychology in mind when creating a new logo.

Fortunately, today’s electronic media, and digital printing allow full and multicolor logos to be reproduced easily. Reproducing colors digitally for a video screen or digital paper printing is easy because the image is produced photographically. You can use as many specific PMS colors as you like. Other printing and surface decorating methods are not as flexible, however, and full color or multiple specific PMS colors can sometimes pose problems or cost more to reproduce in non-digital formats. Therefore, it’s a good idea to have some simpler logo versions to use where they’re needed.

Silk Screening

For example, if you order silkscreened T-shirts for the company picnic, the number of colors and their formulas make a difference. Most silk screeners stock a number of standard ink colors but must custom mix or special-order unusual hues. For example, they may have five different reds, two royal blues, and a navy, but not PMS 185 red or PMS 300 blue. Also, since one color is printed at a time, each additional color costs more. Each will require a screen and application and drying time. While shirts can be digitally printed rather than silkscreened, that often costs more and doesn’t look the same.

Embroidery and Hot Stamping

Embroidery or hot stamping present similar challenges for multiple or unusual colors. Most embroidery machines apply several colors at once, so color quantity is less of an issue, but threads don’t always match PMS colors well, and each shop only stocks so many colors.

Hot stamping, which might be done on a pencil or key tag, is often only available in one or two colors, and hot stamping foil colors are also limited. Because of the challenge of color matching, creating single color, all black, or all white logo versions can be helpful.

Flexibility in Logo Shapes

A much wider than tall (horizontal) logo might be great printed on a pen, but it will not work as well on a vertical surface like a drinking glass. When a space (whether an ad space or for printing on merchandise) is vertical and the logo horizontal, the logo may be too small to make the impact you want. Although vertical logos are rare, they have similar problems with a horizontal space. Don’t try to print it on swag, like pens unless you turn it on its side. Square logos can be more versatile, but as an alternative, some companies choose to have two logo versions. Version one might have a company name, like ABCD Engineering, all in one line whereas version two puts ABCD on line one and Engineering underneath.

Registration – Use Bolder Lines and Spaces

Registration is a term describing either printing fine lines very close together or printing multiple colors accurately so they line up properly in a design. With digital printing, close registration doesn’t matter. If, on the other hand, you plan to have the logo silkscreened, embroidered, hot stamped, or using more traditional printing methods, you need a logo version without registration challenges.

Fine Lines

If fine lines print close to each other, they can bleed together with some printing methods. For example, a logo with three fine lines close together around the company name will be challenging when printed on porous newsprint paper because the ink bleeds together. If a fancy filigree within a letter is too intricate, the same problem can occur with newsprint or hot stamping. It may also be difficult to produce an embroidered logo with these features.

Multiple Colors

Multiple color registration is trickier with some printing types. The closer the registration is, meaning the closer the two colors are in a design, the more difficult lining everything up can be. For example, offset and silk-screening print one color at a time. After the first color is laid down, the next color must be placed accurately so that the different colors in a logo line up properly. A slight shift in one direction or another could mean the second color overlaps the first or prints too far away. With overprinting, you can have an extra color when the two logo colors combine. Staying true to your color scheme matters in branding, so if your red and blue combine to add a purple, that’s not helpful.

 

Foil stamping can sometimes be done in multiple colors, but not with close registration, so collaterals like logoed plastic cups for the company picnic work better with more open registration or single-color logos.

For these types of logo reproduction, a design with a slight space between colors is more practical than a logo with multiple colors that touch. If your logo does have close multicolor registration, you might also want a single-color version to avoid problems with certain types of printing. If the logo has very fine lines, you might also have the artist create a simpler, bolder version to use in these circumstances.

Your logo, colors, and typestyles will define your company in the marketplace. Therefore, they should reflect the company’s culture and business philosophies. The logo needs to be something that resonates with the company and that the company feels embodies them.

However, whether you hire a designer or create a logo yourself, be practical. Keep your marketing budget and goal of branding consistency in mind. Have several logo versions available to fit different reproduction methods you might employ. Thinking ahead about how you will use your logo will enable you to present a consistent marketing image without breaking the bank.

In the construction industry, marketing starts with a great website, but there are four other marketing tools companies should include in their plan. Those four, search engine optimization, branding, social media, and email marketing, should work together to channel visitors to the website. All five marketing channels must use the same voice to tell the company’s story.

 

1. Website

– Your website is your most important marketing tool, regardless of your business type. Chances are, your website will be your company’s first opportunity to impress prospective clients. A well-built, informative, helpful, and well-optimized website provides more opportunities for proposals, bids, and, ultimately, projects. It helps match your services and business approach with the most appropriate visitors.

A professional services website should include seven page types that contain all the information a potential client needs to decide if the firm fits their needs. The website should consist of:

• About Us – The About Us page should tell the company’s story. It can explain the organizations history and express its vision. You might also introduce the team on this page.
• Approach – The Approach page is particularly important in the building industry. Here is where a company talks about what makes it special and how it differs from its professional competitors.
• Services Pages – Be sure to describe every service your company offers on the Services pages. Consider how a visitor might search for the services you provide. A complete list and description of services are particularly important for SEO.
• Markets Served Pages – Highlighting the markets you serve is key to drawing in the right customers. Keep in mind that services offered and markets served are different. Look like experts in the markets you want most to serve. To expand your reach, consider including markets you want to serve in the future. Even if you are open to any business, narrowing to some specific markets can help differentiate you from the competition
• News – The News pages are an open-ended, free space where you can share news, crow about accomplishments, educate, and entertain. Since adding content often and regularly is important for search engine optimization, news pages or blogs are a great place for that.
• Completed Projects – Portfolio pages show potential clients the work you have done. Include prior projects, with descriptions and high-quality pictures or videos to build credibility with visitors and search engines.
• Contact – Make sure it’s easy to contact you, even after hours. You can provide a form to request a quote or more information. Companies should have internal links from every other page to the contact page so that at any point in someone’s visit, they can jump to the actions stage.

 

2. SEO or Search Engine Optimization

– While your website is the most important marketing element, it won’t bring you new clients if it has too few qualified visitors. So, the second most important element is SEO, a process that takes steps to increase the number of visitors to a website. Search engines like Google and others have algorithms that guide them to the best websites for any given search a person makes. Optimization experts can create and edit websites to make them more algorithm-friendly.

Some SEO tools include the following:

• Following layout guidelines to make pages reader-and search-friendly
• Providing complete information about your company and services
• Including keywords and phrases determined by research
• Adding incoming and outgoing links to reputable and appropriate sites
• Regularly adding content to encourage search bots visits and keep the website active
• Using high-quality photos, videos, and graphics

 

3. Branding

– People hire or partner with companies they feel they know well. Effective branding makes building trust with potential clients or partners easier. While prospects can do extensive research to find the ideal company for their needs, branding provides a shortcut or shorthand for your organization and its reputation. When your reputation is represented by your logo, taglines or slogans, color scheme, etc., less research is needed, which means you get an advantage in a competitive situation.

Branding will include a unique but appropriate logo in specific, consistent colors. The logo and color palette should reflect the company’s approach to business, whether traditional, sophisticated, casual, or flexible. The colors should be used consistently throughout all marketing, including signage and collateral materials. A brand could also include either a tagline or slogan in a specific typeface. The fonts should always be consistent, so companies should choose something commonly available. The more often people see the logo, colors, and typeface, the more they will feel they know you.

Another part of branding is the voice used in marketing and communication. Voice is a company’s communication style or personality. Voice includes word choice, sentence structure, and even inflection. For example, one company may say employees while another prefers team members, and some say customers, and others, clients. Sentences and paragraphs can be short or long, and writing can be formal or informal.

 

4. Social Media

-Although social media is more effective in business-to-consumer marketing, like single family home builders, all companies need a social media presence. Social media can help with branding and public relations as well as internal company culture for professional services companies. For example, a construction firm’s support of a local high school team could be a social media post. As part of your branding, showcasing successful projects, team members, new services, etc., can build a company’s professional reputation. Social media also works well for staff recruiting. For example, a construction engineer searching for a new position may watch a company’s social media sites for opportunities.

 

5. Email Marketing

is a good tool for business-to-business promotion. It’s cost-effective, with a higher ROI than many other marketing tools. According to Constant Contact, studies show that every $1 spent on email marketing returns about $44. Marketing studies consistently find high returns for well-designed email marketing campaigns. One reason for their success is the ease of evaluating results and making strategic changes to improve.

Email campaigns build loyalty among existing clients, reach prospective clients with important messages, and drive traffic to your website. Creating a great email list should be step one. Ask clients to opt in as a start. Your emails should look great, be correct (proofread), be interesting, and arrive regularly (many experts say monthly). Then, watch your metrics, like the open and click-through rates. Make changes and compare the next set of metrics so you can continue to improve results.

One option companies choose for an email campaign is sending a monthly newsletter, especially one that supports the brand and presents a company as a community supporter, market leader, and industry expert.

 

Support and Feed the Website

In professional services industries like construction, five marketing tools, starting with your website, typically carry the bulk of the marketing load. A professionally built website should be a priority. The other four, search engine optimization, branding, social media, and email marketing, support and feed that website. Successful companies coordinate the five marketing channels so they work together, use the same voice, and tell the same narrative.

When a user enters your Architecture firm’s name into a search engine, your social media accounts may appear first, so it is important to keep these up to date. While you ultimately want to drive traffic to your website, you can use social media platforms to get them there by including links to web pages from your posts. On social media platforms, you can tell your story, introduce your team, build excitement about your accomplishments and community activities, and build brand recognition. Social media is also a great place to recruit.

There are several good ways for architects to use social media, from publicizing completed or ongoing projects, showing support for community events, and educating visitors about industry trends. Building a new home is an emotional endeavor for families. So is having a new business headquarters building designed. Social media is less formal than a website and can help architects establish emotional connections with potential clients.

 

1. Showcase Your Work

Posting videos and pictures of completed or ongoing projects inspires people to dream about a new home or building. A potential client may be enlightened, seeing ideas in your designs that are the answer to their needs or challenges.

You can choose to show work while on the drawing board, in progress, or newly finished. You could also show how your talents and expertise can ease or enrich the viewers’ lives by showcasing the home or building you designed occupied and being enjoyed after completion.

2. Share Candid Team Moments

People want to work with positive companies whose team members are happy. They also want an emotional connection to an architect they hire. Pictures of your team at work sharing ideas and making presentations help the public feel they know your company. Make the shots candid and show a happy and productive work environment. Use only top-quality images.

3. Posting Industry Trends

To present yourself as an industry leader, share recent architectural or building trends. Use good imagery and graphics to explain innovations and new ideas. For example, readers could enjoy reading or watching videos about the latest sustainability ideas and materials or using virtual reality to build a design collaboration. Include links to interesting professional sites.

4. Share that You Care

Let people know what causes your firm cares about and supports. Doing so will help you and your staff connect with people. If you participate in a charity running or biking event, post pictures of you and your team at the event. Whether you volunteer at a food bank or donate your professional services to a non-profit, post about it on your social media platforms.

Even if you don’t actively participate in a fundraising event, you can show your support by advertising and promoting the events on your social sites. Being associated with good works can help your reputation as a community leader and empathetic human.
Showing pictures and videos of what your teams do when they are not working also shows you support a healthy work/ life balance, which can’t hurt when you use social media to recruit.

5. Contests and Competitions

Sponsor either internal or community competitions. You can choose anything from a holiday recipe contest to a community holiday light display or home landscaping competition. Internally, you could have fun with a captions contest for candid team photos. Team members can have fun laughing and being creative, and the public will enjoy reading the captions your team writes.

Include team member’s families, too. Have a crazy family picture event or videos. Themes can be anything from “School’s Out for Summer” to “Best Halloween Decorations or Costumes.”

Do you want to encourage the next generation of architects? Support local schools by sponsoring a drawing contest. Connect with community college programs and sponsor contests there. Everyone loves a good competition, and it’s a good way to drive traffic to your website.

6. Introduce New Team Members

Social media can be great for recruiting. When you hire, tell the public about new people in your organization. You could also highlight a person who has been promoted or feature a team starting a new project. Give details about the project and some background about each team member.

7. Offer Seasonal Tips

If your potential clients are homeowners, offer them seasonal tips and advice on home improvements. When’s the best time to replace a roof? You might write about home improvements that boost home real estate values, giving details about ROI. Hopefully, some of them relate to the services you offer.

8. Post Community Updates

When someone buys a home, they are also buying into the community. It’s important to share what’s going on in the community. Sharing grand openings, new neighbors, and community activities is great content to share. Find a couple of online or published sources to pull from to save time.

9. Inspirational Quotes

Some firms like posting an inspirational quote every Monday. Community folks looking for an uplifting start to their work week may regularly check in to read the selection. Write or collect a list of quotes to post each week to deliver a variety without spending too much time each week.

10. Hosting a Live E-Event

Live remote events have become more popular on the Internet. Companies and organizations use e-events to share information and build community. Hold a demonstration of new equipment or announce a new project. It could be a demonstration, grand opening, or virtual tour of a recently completed building.

 

Social Media platforms allow architecture firms to reach and connect with clients and prospects, which helps them foster trust. Social media analysis can provide more information about client behavior. Being active in social media also increases brand visibility, and links within posts drive more visitors to a company’s website. Increased website traffic feeds your business’s success. It also provides additional marketing data to analyze so that you can continually improve your efforts.

 

At Brantley, we’re experienced in managing social media for architecture firms.  We think about social media strategically:  planning your posts, getting your approval, and then posting them for you.  We can even handle engagement if you wish.  It doesn’t get any easier.  Use the form below to reach out and we’ll be happy to discuss options and get you a custom quote.  We’d love to hear from you.

 

The recruiting game is anything but passive these days, especially when targeting the Millenial generation to join the “less than glamorous” construction industry. All firms struggle with it, from Architects, Engineers, to Trade Contractors attempting to build their future. Understanding todays internet culture is paramount to your success in the Building Industry.

 

Posting an opening on a job board and waiting for candidates to apply doesn’t cut it anymore. People use job sites like Indeed to apply for openings in just a few simple clicks. Despite some filtering tools based on generic criteria, this still means hours sorting through applications… from mostly unqualified candidates.

For the building industry, finding the right hires is more important than ever. A survey conducted last year  outlines the construction hiring problem:

73% of firms planned to expand their headcount in 2017 due to high demand.

Most firms actively seeking candidates reported they were having a hard time finding skilled applicants.

This hiring standoff was largely due to a skills gap in the workforce, with a particular need to find qualified workers to replace those heading for retirement.

While things may not be as grim for employee retention, the urgency to find new talent persists. The fact that a large portion of workers in the building industry are approaching retirement age exacerbates these hiring challenges. Soon there will be an even greater need for new hires in companies all across the country.

How does an industry facing these odds step up their hiring?

Companies seeking to attract qualified workers need to take an in-depth look at their current recruiting process. One promising development is Content Marketing — a marketing approach built on creating valuable and consistent content that focuses on a specific audience. 

While considered an important tool in driving customers to your business, this same marketing strategy can revolutionize the way you approach recruitment.

Using content marketing to target the right candidates can provide an edge over competition in the crowded hiring space.  Additional benefits include a huge cut in hiring costs and greater chance of employee retention.

In reality, the most important part of an applicant’s hiring path comes long before they fill out an application. Unless they stumbled across your company name on a job board– which again, is a big gamble in the hiring game– they most likely engaged with your content in some way.

If you’re not entirely sure what that means, take a moment to consider what someone would find by briefly searching your company name:

A robust blog with SEO friendly posts educating them on industry specific topics, or an abandoned blog with three half-hearted articles from 2014?

An Instagram account with posts that play to the platform and engage users, or an account with a few “Hire me” graphics and nothing else?

Content marketing is more than an obligatory calendar of posts and articles to share with a few sporadic followers. It’s an opportunity to establish your brand and start a conversation.  Conversations to engage future customers, peers in your industry, and ideally potential hires.

 

If you’re ready to let content do the heavy lifting in your recruiting process, read on.

 

Consider the millennial market.

As more and more skilled workers reach retirement age, companies will be scrambling to find skilled workers and Project Managers. Flipping the switch on your marketing means considering this new audience and offering a take on the industry that appeals directly to them.

The first step is to recognize that when it comes to hiring, the focus has changed on both sides.

Just as hiring managers are looking beyond the resume for other signs of a good fit, candidates are vetting potential companies with a new perspective. Now workers consider factors like work/life balance, office perks, growth opportunity, and company culture when considering a new job.

Millennials, this new generation of workers, have grown up using technology to develop opinions and make decisions. They have embraced content and are constantly being influenced by it.

Young professionals want to work for a business that values them as individuals and instills them with purpose. In a recent brand study,  85% of people said that being trustworthy was the most important thing a brand can do. To build on these desires, whether it’s for new hires or new customers, you need to be authentic, consistent, and purposeful.

Your content sets those expectations.

 

Recruit the right people.

 It’s not enough to attract candidates with your content– they need to be the right ones.

 Digitalist Magazine  estimated 80% of employees decide within six months whether they plan to stay with a company long-term. They found that a thorough digital onboarding process backed by strong content upped the chances of a positive decision.

High turnover is costly and has a huge effect on company morale, so retaining employees is crucial. How can you make sure your star players want to stick around?

 

By doing the important work before they hit “apply.”

Just as B2C marketers use content to speak directly to a customer avatar, businesses can narrow the focus of their content by speaking directly to their ideal hire. This helps to filter out applicants before they even interview. If everything you’re creating is personalized for that ideal candidate, you will get a strong response from people who see themselves in your message.

When you go to write a blog post or create an image for an Instagram ad, picture that ideal hire in your head:

Speak directly to them.

Influence their perspective of your company and its role in the industry.

Give them a glimpse of what it would mean to be part of the team.

Applicants want to be able to see themselves working for your company. Strategic content allows them to do that.

In practice, this means showcasing specifics. Give your audience the opportunity to experience what it’d be like to work at your company. Your content will not appeal to everybody, and that is fine. Specific content works as a filter to resonate with the right people who relate to your vision and your values. These are the kinds of hires that stay on and benefit the company in the long run.

Promote retention.

Even if you’re attracting long-term candidates, the work required to retain them doesn’t stop at the hiring process. Yearly raises, while appreciated, only go so far for an employee approaching their career satisfaction from multiple angles.

With the popularity of sites like Glassdoor, employee reviews of overall job satisfaction can also have a direct influence on your future hires.  These live updates of how your company and your competitors are viewed by your target workforce is invaluable.

High value and often low-cost perks or a helpful list of what not to do are there for your benefit– you just need to look. Maybe you find that employees in your industry would consider community activites like “Bagel Friday” a bigger perk than that two percent raise.

Losing an employee is a stressful and expensive experience. Though it’s becoming commonplace to switch jobs multiple times over the course of a career, the building industry inspires longer stretches with one company. Content marketing plays a key role is keeping the right people around.

How do you retain employees through content? By making them advocates for your brand.

Consider LinkedIn.

An estimated 250 million users  are active on the platform every month. While considered the best place to form a digital network, LinkedIn is also a content-sharing machine. People who are proud of what their company does are quick to share posts detailing new projects and or company-wide accomplishments. If you provide content that celebrates the successes of your company and employees, it will reinforce where you place your value and inspire likes, shares, and click-throughs.

Try offering surveys and other engaging content to gather valuable information for future growth initiatives. The value in this type of content goes beyond the data. Business and HR new platform Hppy expands on the emotional impact of surveys, claiming that they make current employees feel heard. Best of all, new employees see that you take action and make your staff active participants in their own career.

This transparency breeds retention and company loyalty.

Take the next steps.

We’ve established the power of content marketing when it comes to recruiting. But what does this mean for your 2018 digital marketing strategy?

Before you worry about finding an intern who can string a few posts together, consider this: more and more companies are choosing to outsource their content marketing initiatives to the experts.

Today’s audience creates personal content multiple times a day, so it makes sense they expect a greater level of professionalism and sophistication from the companies they follow. By even choosing to put content out there, you are establishing yourself as a dominant player in the industry.

Knowing how and where to access this tool is imperative to companies trying to stretch their hiring dollar. People want to trust brands, and consistent, valuable content will set your company apart from the competition. Using an agency’s understanding of SEO, industry keywords, and phrases that will trigger an emotional response from your audience can make your company a formidable expert online.

How do you find the right agency?

Thinking back to our discussion of creating content for your ideal client, and do the reverse.

You need to approach your own search in the same way your ideal hire would. Find a company that has narrowed their focus to your industry and that speaks to your company’s vision and values.

Once you’ve found a great fit, you’ll be well on your way to smarter recruiting and a stronger brand presence that attracts the right people– no endless resume sorting required.

 

Generating high quality leads is the lifeline of any business. It does not matter whether your company has been in business for only two years or if you have been crushing it for the past twenty, your business will suffer without a regular influx of new customers. Say hello to Content Marketing, the Building Industry’s hottest way to build brand loyalty!

Gone are the days when all a construction or architectural company had to do to bring in new customers was word-of-mouth referrals and a basic online presence – which was simply a brochure website, stuffed with keywords.

Unfortunately, that strategy no longer works.

Today, content is king and if your company is not investing in content marketing, you are literally leaving money on the table for your competitors who understand the way the modern consumer thinks.

Several studies have shown that content marketing can directly influence the way today’s consumers research and consume information in order to make a buying decision online. The average client has done his or her own research extensively before contacting a construction or architectural company. In fact, their decision to contact a particular company is based entirely on the efficiency of that company’s content marketing strategy.

Content Marketing: What It Is, How It Works and The Importance of Providing Value

A simple definition for content marketing is creating helpful and valuable content (instead of infomercials and direct marketing adverts) to attract, educate, nurture and convert your target audiences through online channels such as a blog, social media, and email.

The keyword here is valuable, but many companies seem to miss the point.

Content marketing is a strategy that gets your business found online. It is more than just writing blog posts and flooding your social media with poorly crafted sales pitches disguised as valuable content. Yet, this is a mistake we see a lot of construction and architectural companies make online.

However, this will eventually hurt your brand because, according to the Economist Group’s “Missing the Mark” report, about 71 percent of readers say they were turned off by content that seems like a sales pitch.

So, how does content marketing work exactly? Surprisingly, it starts with a mental shift.

The first thing we do with new construction or architectural companies we work with is to help them understand the content marketing mindset. We do this before we talk about their funnels and what content marketing strategy to utilize in bringing in high-value clients (HVCs).

We help them understand that by creating valuable content that answers the questions prospective clients are searching for, they will start attracting the right audience to their website. This, in turn, will boost their search engine ranking by signaling to Google that their website is a reliable source of high-quality information.

Content marketing works in four simple steps: attracting your ideal audience, educating them on your industry, nurturing them until they are ready to work with your company and converting them into clients when they are actually ready to start a project.

1. Attract: By creating valuable content, your company positions itself to attract prospective clients that are using search engines to research more about their problems and possible solutions. According to recent research, about 86 percent of buyers conduct non-branded search queries and consume about 4 pieces of content before making a purchase decision. As you can see, it is about delivering the right piece of content at the right time and for the right audience.
2. Educate: Your content should always aim to educate prospects about their problems and, if possible, offer possible DIY solutions instead of trying to get them to call you “for a free consultation”. While this is not entirely a bad idea, most people are wary of taking up the offer because they do not want to feel any obligation. Encouraging them to leave a comment with their questions, instead, opens the communication in a risk-free way and enables you to demonstrate your expertise and professionalism.
3. Nurture: This stage is about building a relationship with your prospective clients that serves two distinct purposes. The first is to build trust because that is the number one factor when trying to get new clients online. The second purpose is to remain top of mind with these protects until they are ready to start a construction or architectural project.
4. Convert: This is the final and most important stage of the entire content marketing framework because it is where all the hard work starts to pay off. By creating content to attract, educate and nurture your prospects, you are getting them primed to want to do business with you because of the immense value they are getting. Therefore, it is a natural progression for them to reach out to you when they are ready to start a project.

Now that you understand what content marketing is and how it works, we want to show you some of the reasons why you should invest in content marketing today, and also the types of content we have seen to be converting the most for our clients.

Top 3 Reasons Why Your Construction or Architectural Company Should Invest In Content Marketing

There are several reasons why you should invest in content marketing. In fact, you are literally leaving money on the table if you are not.

This is because your potential clients are using the internet to conduct their own research instead of relying on the opinion of others. Content marketing allows you to stand out from your competitors during this research stage, thus enabling prospects to find and connect with you.

And just in case you are still not convinced, check out our top 3 reasons why you should invest in content marketing for your company.

1. Content marketing enables you to display your expertise and thought leadership

Simply saying how awesome your firm is and why people should hire you instead of the next construction or architectural company is not enough to motivate potential clients.

On the other hand, demonstrating professionalism and highlighting your firm’s expertise through valuable and high-quality content would establish you as a credible thought leader within your industry.

The internet is divided into two very basic verticals:

• Those who create content, and
• Those who consume content

When potential clients are in the research phase, they are consuming a lot of content. A 2016 research by DemandGen states that 95 percent of B2B buyers consider content as trustworthy when evaluating a company and its offerings. So, the more valuable content you are able to feed them with, the more convinced they are that your firm is not only trustworthy but also more knowledgeable than your competitors are.

 

2. Content marketing helps your company attract quality website traffic

At the end of the day, the number one reason why your company will invest in ANY type of marketing is to bring in high-value clients.

The good news is that content marketing allows you to do that on autopilot.

You see, content marketing is all about creating relevant content with relevant keywords. Content that addresses a specific need of potential clients. And the more relevant your content is, the higher the chance your website has of being indexed by Google and other search engines.

When you take into consideration that 85 percent of users ignore paid ads and focus on organic search results, then you will realize the importance of using valuable content to drive targeted website traffic.

By offering relevant and specialized information on the specific matters that concern your potential clients, you demonstrate how your construction or architectural firm can add value to their design or construction projects, thus capturing them earlier in the research stage of their decision-making journey.

3. Content marketing is a cost-effective way to build brand loyalty

The internet is so full of misinformation; hence why today’s consumers are highly skeptical of self-praising content that offers little to no value. It is always a sigh of relief whenever potential clients come across a piece of content or information that is truly relevant to their current situation.

We cannot stress the importance of creating valuable content enough. That is what will differentiate you from your competitors. By consistently offering educational content (and top quality service), you will eventually build loyalty and long-lasting relationships with your clients.

Loyal clients are what keep a business afloat because they not only bring in repeat work, but they also act as your brand advocates – telling others about awesome your firm is through case studies, testimonials, and word-of-mouth.

 

The Most Effective Content Marketing Types Your Company Can Leverage To Build Brand Loyalty

For the umpteenth time, creating valuable content is the key to attracting, educating, nurturing and converting a potential client into an actual high-value client.

However, many construction and architectural companies struggle with creating content that actually resonates with their audience.

From our experience working with several of these companies, the number one reason for this problem is not having a complete understanding of your target audience and their pain points

Fortunately, the solution to this problem is simple.

You just need to stop thinking like an architect or contractor and start thinking like the people you actually want to serve. You need to ask yourself questions like: What are their pain points? What problems are they trying to solve? Why are they trying to solve that problem? Understanding these key insights will enable you to work on creating a content strategy that actually serves your ideal audience.

An amazing thing occurs when you do this. You start seeing all the possible ways you can serve your audience with your content. The following are types of content we have experimented with and recorded huge success.

• Blogs and articles:

This is a great way to gain credibility and build thought leadership. Writing a blog post that provides actionable tips and step-by-step DIY tutorials will endear you to many potential clients. This type of content can further be optimized by including graphic images or infographics.

• Whitepapers:

These are a more in-depth alternative to blog posts and articles and they are usually offered in exchange for contact information. Whitepapers take your credibility and thought leadership a notch higher, thereby positioning your firm as knowledgeable about your industry.

• Case studies:

Testimonials are a form of social proof that helps potential clients who are researching contractors or architects to narrow down their options. However, case studies are ten times better. They are a longer, more in-depth, version of testimonials and if done right, they can convert a potential client into an actual client there and then.

• Webinars:

These are the digital versions of seminars and they are a great way to build trust with potential clients, nurture them until they are ready to buy and display your professionalism and credibility all at the same time. With about a third of all online activity spent watching videos, it is no surprise that webinars have exploded in recent years. We have helped various contractors, and architects include webinars in their content marketing strategy with very positive results.

• Social media and email marketing:

These are necessary for your company. You need social media accounts and a vibrant social media marketing strategy to promote your content, make new connections and answer client questions. Email is another beast that you absolutely need to grow your business. Not all potential clients will hire you the first time they come across your content or visit your website. However, if you have their email address, you can easily nurture them with valuable content until they are ready to start their design or construction project.

Conclusion

No matter how big or small your company is, content marketing can help you attract, educate, nurture and convert your potential clients into actual clients cost-effectively.

Thought leadership, client loyalty, and long-lasting relationships are some of the many ways content marketing can put your company at an advantage when compared with your competition.

Now that you know the benefits of creating valuable content for your audience, the question is, will you take the necessary step needed to take your business to the next level? If so, click here to find out more about how we can help your construction or architectural company.

TED Talks are a great way to learn about new developments in your industry and smarter ways of working. We’ve spent 10 hours hunting down the best TED Talks for social media marketers—so you don’t have to.

In this post, you’ll find TED Talks that will teach you how to:

• Make your ideas spread (from one of the world’s best marketers)
• Understand why certain types of video go viral with insights from YouTube’s trends manager, Kevin Allocca
• Find more free time and balance in your schedule with smarter time management

Continue reading for a list of our favorite TED Talks that can make you a better social media marketer.

1.3 Ways to Usefully Lose Control of Your Brand

Strategist and author Tim Leberecht opens his TED Talk with the quote “Your brand is what other people say about you when you aren’t in the room.”

He explains that brands need to come to terms with the fact that they have little power over their own reputation and “if you’re relevant, there’s a constant, free-form conversation happening about you that you have no control over.”

According to Leberecht, there are three ways businesses can positively lose control of their brands and create more meaningful experiences for their customers:

1. Give people more control. This means trusting your employees and your customers to collaborate towards better solutions.
2. Give people less control (and more meaning.) Trust is earned by predictable behavior, so this is a wonderful way to counter the abundance of choice customers face every day.
3. Be transparent. Staying true to the brand’s self is the only true value proposition. As Leberecht says, “Openness is paramount but radical openness is not a solution.” He suggests each brand find the level of transparency that works for them.

2. How Better Tech Can Prevent Us From Distraction

Design thinker Tristan Harris wants to figure out how technology can help us avoid distraction and spend our time more efficiently.

Harris shares his ideas surrounding the notion of choice. As he explains, “We want to have a relationship with technology that gives us back choice about how we spend time with it.”

The constant interruptions involved in work and life cause serious harm to attention spans, and Harris wants to show how technology can fix this.

Harris’ theories focus on one core metric: net positive contribution to human life. He calls for a world where all designers are first and foremost asking themselves how their creations will positively impact the lives of real human beings.

Social media marketers need to be constantly thinking about how their content is creating more meaningful interactions and, with Harris’ philosophy, this can become top of mind.

3. How to gain control of your free time

If you’re a social media marketer you might be scoffing and asking, “What free time?” Time management expert Laura Vanderkam has your back. She believes successful time management is not about finding more hours in the day, but about figuring out where your priorities lie.

Her ideas hinge on the importance of work-life balance and helping people find time for what matters most. Vanderkam provides two key steps for figuring out exactly what your priorities are. You can apply this approach to any areas of your life, whether it be your social strategy or your personal growth.

1. Pretend you are one year in the future. Write next year’s performance review as if you are looking back on the year. What were the things that made it so amazing? What did you accomplish? When you know what a successful year looks like to you, it’s easier to carve a path in advance.
2. Break down your goals into doable steps. Treat these goals as priorities, and put them into your schedule. Make a three category list including career, relationship, and self-improvement goals, and see where you can make time to work on these.

Concentrating on your social media efforts is difficult when you feel strapped for time and under pressure. Apply Vanderkam’s approach to your work and personal life to find “small moments with great power.”

4. The nit-picking glory of The New Yorker’s Comma Queen

Social media marketers know the importance of writing and editing. One typo can change your content’s meaning and distract from your message. Nobody knows this better than the New Yorker’s copy editor, Mary Norris.

In her TED Talk, Norris explains the level of detail that goes into copy editing and the processes surrounding the art. When this process is rushed or ignored, the copy editor’s work is at the mercy of public critics.

Social media marketers understand this pressure well. With every tweet and Instagram caption you write, there’s always the terrifying possibility of a glaring typo or grammatical error. Explore the ways Norris has made peace with her work—and how you can too.

5. Adventures in Twitter fiction

While the art of storytelling hasn’t wavered, the chosen format has evolved. Hearst Magazine’s chief digital content officer Andrew Fitzgerald (previously Twitter Moments Editor) explores the ways microblogging platforms like Twitter are changing the landscape of media and content sharing.

Fitzgerald is most interested in how “creative people are experimenting with the bounds of what is possible in this medium.” As a social media marketer, telling your brand’s story within the confines of each platform’s limits is a constant challenge.

If you’re tweeting, using Instagram Stories, or posting to Snapchat, real-time storytelling is something you need to consider. Fitzgerald explores the blurring between fact and fiction, real and digital worlds, and the tools we have available to us in our search for creative experimentation. Watch his TED Talk for inspiration and examples surrounding these ideas.

6. How to get your ideas to spread

If you want your audience to take action, you need to find a way to get your ideas to spread. Author Seth Godin walks audience members through a series of examples where seemingly simple concepts have spread like wildfire.

According to Godin, brands need to find a group that cares about what they have to say. Talk to them. And then make it easy for them to want to tell their friends.

As Godin says, “It’s really simple—you sell to the people who are listening, and just maybe, those people tell their friends.”

7. Why videos go viral

Nobody knows the answer to this better than YouTube’s trends manager, Kevin Allocca. If you’re a social media marketer looking to get your video content in front of a bigger audience, you’ll want to take note of Allocca’s three key reasons a video goes viral:

1. The influence of tastemakers—The people who are influencing their audience and seen as authorities in the industry have huge power. For more on influencer marketing, check out our post Influencer Marketing on Social Media: Everything You Need to Know.
2. Community participation—It’s key that your content inspires some sort of reaction from your audience. Read more about creating engaging content with our post How to Use Social Media to Engage With Customers and Build Your Brand.
3. Unexpectedness—Branded content can get boring fast. Keep your audience engaged and constantly surprised by providing unexpected content on the regular. Learn more with our post How Big Brands Are Using Humor on Social Media (and Why You Should Too).

TED Talks are a great way for any social media marketer to discover new ways of approaching their craft. Take a look at the ones above, and let us know of any others you have found valuable.