12
Jul

Content marketers: 7 ways to improve your subject-matter-expert interviews

July 12, 2017
by: in B2B , Marketing strategy , Content marketing , Architecture, Engineering and Construction No comments  

Get the information you need to create persuasive, insightful content by conducting better interviews

I’ll let you in on a little-known secret that sets great content marketers apart from the good ones. It’s not the writing. It’s not video production skills. It’s not even research.

Don’t get me wrong — those are important. But the real secret sauce? Conducting great interviews.

Read more »

 
Leave a comment
 
21
Apr

3 newsroom lessons to improve your sales story

April 21, 2017
by: in B2B , Content marketing , Architecture, Engineering and Construction No comments  

3 newsroom lessons to improve your sales story

Humans are natural storytellers and we gravitate to stories — whether around a campfire, the office water cooler or on Netflix. The world of sales is no different.

A compelling narrative can be the difference between a pitch that converts prospects into clients and one that falls flat. That’s why sales stories are so important.

Read more »

 
Leave a comment
 
30
Mar

A Q&A with Cosential: The CRM made especially for AEC

March 30, 2017
by: in Marketing strategy , Lead generation , Architecture, Engineering and Construction No comments  

 A Q&A with Cosential: The CRM made especially for AEC

Our team recently had the pleasure of mingling with movers and shakers in the architecture, engineering and construction (AEC) industry at the SMPS SunBuilt conference, an annual regional event for AEC marketing and business development professionals.

One of those people was Bobby Hollis, VP of Marketing for Cosential, a CRM and proposal tool for AEC firms. We wanted to pick Bobby’s brain about what the industry-specific CRM means for AEC lead-generation efforts. Luckily, he agreed (without us pinning him down).

Read more »

 
Leave a comment
 
16
Mar

How to get the most bang for your content buck [infographic]

March 16, 2017
by: in B2B , Content marketing , Lead generation , Architecture, Engineering and Construction No comments  

When you put blood, sweat and tears (ok, maybe just a lot of strategy, hours and money) into a top-quality piece of thought-leadership content, it deserves a longer shelf life than one round of LinkedIn promotion and a slot in your website “resources” section. Whether you’re an architecture, engineering or construction (AEC) firm or a law firm, long-form content offers like e-books can cost thousands of precious marketing dollars to produce and design, so you need to squeeze out every lead-generation opportunity you can. Top companies know that repurposing content is the smart thing to do — here’s how:

Read more »

 
Leave a comment
 
14
Mar

How to address your AEC prospects’ sales objections with great content

March 14, 2017
by: in Content marketing , Architecture, Engineering and Construction No comments  

How to address your AEC prospects’ sales objections with great content

Think back to your firm’s last major client project. Now consider the process of winning that contract in the first place. That journey can be almost as complicated and drawn out as the construction project itself.

In a perfect world, your business development team would love nothing more than smooth sailing from start to finish — question-free sales calls, a straightforward proposal presentation and full agreement across the board with no objections or back-and-forth whatsoever from the prospective client.

Alas, life isn’t an episode of “Friends” where all your problems are solved and loose ends tied up in just 22 minutes to the sound of a laugh track.

Read more »

 
Leave a comment
 
09
Mar

9 ways AEC firms are missing the mark with content marketing

March 9, 2017
by: in Content marketing , Architecture, Engineering and Construction No comments  

9 ways AEC firms are missing the mark with content marketing

Content marketing isn’t going away anytime soon, especially in B2B markets that have a  lengthy procurement process (*cough cough* AEC).

A recent survey by HubSpot showed the number-one challenge for B2B marketers (with 65 percent of respondents) is generating traffic and leads. That’s because only good content marketing can help. In fact, the Content Marketing Institute and MarketingProf’s collaborative research report found that in 2016, 85 percent of companies who reported better content marketing over the last year upped their content creation while 72 percent attributed success to strategy development. There’s hope for you, too.

Read more »

 
Leave a comment
 
02
Mar

Why your AEC firm’s business development team should be using your content (and 5 ways to do it)

March 2, 2017
by: in Content marketing , Architecture, Engineering and Construction No comments  

Why your AEC firm’s business development team should be using your content (and 5 ways to do it)

So your firm is producing useful, educational, client-centric content. Or maybe you’re just exploring content marketing and wondering if you should incorporate it into your firm’s strategy.

No matter where you are on the spectrum, you must ask a crucial question: What is the business development team doing with our content?

Your marketing team’s blog posts, e-books and white papers can’t live in a vacuum. By using a balance of inbound and outbound tactics, your business development team can leverage your content to win more contracts — and they should.

Read more »

 
Leave a comment
 
28
Feb

Why AEC firms need content marketing [infographic]

February 28, 2017
by: in Content marketing , Architecture, Engineering and Construction No comments  

In the world of architecture, engineering and construction (AEC), getting leads isn’t as simple as an a flashy sign near the checkout register. If you’re in the AEC industry, you know better than anyone that B2B clients take their good ol’ time making a hiring hüpfburg mit rutsche kaufen decision — that’s because it’s a big deal. Because buyers these days take their time searching information and educating themselves before talking to your business development team, content marketing is more crucial than ever.

Read more »

 
Leave a comment
 
23
Feb

Why the most successful AEC firms combine online and offline marketing

February 23, 2017
by: in Content marketing , Architecture, Engineering and Construction No comments  

I’ve said it before, and I’ll say it again: The internet has changed the game for how architecture, engineering and construction firms grow their business.

Inbound marketing, which “pulls” clients in by educating and solving their problems online, has stolen the spotlight from the traditional “push” tactics of outbound marketing (think: trade shows, advertisements, cold calls, direct mail).

So does that mean outbound marketing is dead and gone? I think not.

For AEC firms, the key to success is achieving a balance between inbound and outbound, a strategic blend of online and offline marketing.

Read more »

 
Leave a comment
 
21
Feb

AEC firms: Why 2017 is the year to kick your content marketing into high gear

February 21, 2017
by: in Content marketing , Lead generation , Architecture, Engineering and Construction No comments  

Why 2017 is the year to kick your content into high gear

Alright, we’re more than a month into this brave new world we’re calling 2017. So how are those resolutions coming?

Maybe you’re crushing that 5K training plan (good for you!), or perhaps you decided a world without fried chicken taco shells isn’t a world you want to live in (you do you, friend). Or maybe the whole New Year’s resolution thing is too mainstream for you. That’s cool, too.

Regardless of where you stand, there’s a conversation we need to have that’s bigger than a simple resolution.

See, a resolution is a choice to do something, but when it comes to the AEC industry, content marketing isn’t really a choice anymore — if you want your business to boom, at least.

Read more »

 
Leave a comment
 
« Older Entries
Newer Entries »

Get INKsights in your inbox

Archives