AEC Marketing Communication in the New World:
Low cost strategies
that really work
By Mark Buckshon
What are the best techniques and methods to find new
business in the current era of rapidly developing
technologies and intensified competition?
The answer to this question combines some new
approaches with long-standing traditional and effective
marketing strategies. You need to build on your brand -
and that is primarily based on your actual client
experiences and their genuine enthusiasm and enjoyment
in working with you.

Then you apply technological innovations to accelerate
and enhance your positive reputation, with effective client-
focused editorial and visual marketing content, a solid
website, and some easy to manage social media
strategies. Finally, if you wish, you can package these
qualities, combining current technologies with future-
looking concepts including Building Information
Modelling, virtual/augmented reality, and – looking forward
– the powerful potential of machine learning and artificial
intelligence. At root, the basics of effective AEC marketing haven’t
changed in decades. People (and business-to-business
clients are of course individuals working for companies)
like doing business with organizations where they feel
good about their experience. Clearly, your actual
work/service/product must be competent, but if your
clients’ overall experience isn’t at least satisfactory, you
will have a one-time relationship. However, your goal
should be to make their experience super great, by
anticipating needs, communicating frequently, and where
you can, providing value added extras that don’t cost
much money but make the process more enjoyable.

Why is the client experience so important? Consider
the fundamental data that I’ve gathered over the past
decade through an ongoing poll on my
constructionmarketingideas.com blog. At least 71 per cent
of the contractors, architects and engineers who have
responded over the years say that repeat and referral
business is their most important source of revenue. (It
breaks down to 41 per cent from word-of-
mouth/recommendations and 30 per cent from repeat
clients.) Advertising (at 13 per cent) and leads
services/open RFPs and public tenders (at 11 per cent) are
significant business builders but don’t really move the
needle as much. Irritating and intrusive techniques such
as telemarketing and door-to-door canvassing work for
only a few contractors (at five per cent).

The point in these numbers is that anything you can do
to improve your repeat and referral business will have
disproportionate impact on your bottom line. So you need
to do everything you can to connect with and deliver value
to your clients.

The Canadian Design and Construction Report — Winter 2018 – 7