30
Sep

Navigating the AI revolution: What you need to know if your marketing agency uses AI

September 30, 2024
by: , in Law , Marketing strategy , Architecture, Engineering and Construction No comments  

Estimated reading time: 7 minutes

In an era where artificial intelligence’s (AI) influence is proliferating, many have proclaimed the obsolescence of marketing agencies — or, at the very least, the death of certain marketing functions. Can we do away with copywriters now that ChatGPT can automate copy? What about graphic designers now that Canva has Magic Design, an AI design generator?

But how much more efficient and effective does AI actually make marketing agencies? What should clients expect? And should clients be concerned about how their agencies are using AI?

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26
Mar

How to build your speaking strategy before this year’s conference season

March 26, 2024
by: in Law , Marketing strategy , Lead generation No comments  

Legalweek. ILTACON. American Bar Association (ABA) section seminars. Sector-specific conferences. 

These eclectic events share two things in common: potential clients in attendance and invaluable speaking opportunities to reach them.

Leaders and professionals should consider joining the legal speaking circuit to amp up their profile and build their clientele. After all, speaking engagements are more than just additional CV bullets; they demonstrate authority and expertise to prospects.

However, lawyers and business leaders cannot expect panel invites based on reputation alone (unless they are U.S. Supreme Court justices or Fortune 500 CEOs). The average professional plebian can avoid the submission slush pile by approaching conference season like litigators: building a robust case with strong evidence of prior engagements and accomplishments.

Fortunately, a competitive submission does not need to feature a laundry list of prior speaking engagements — or any at all! What matters more is whether a speaker candidate made an effort to establish their expertise. Establishing third-party credibility through article writing, podcast appearances, smaller speaking engagements and more can give organizers the confidence and social proof they need to gamble on accomplished professionals with valuable insights.

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28
Nov

Shutting the revolving door: how AEC firms can leverage marketing for employee retention

November 28, 2023
by: in Marketing strategy , Architecture, Engineering and Construction No comments  

Labor woes have the architecture, engineering, and construction (AEC) industries in a chokehold. A decreased interest in the trades has caused the pool of skilled workers to dwindle, while the number of AEC professionals entering retirement is threatening to drain the pool altogether. 

The U.S. construction industry had 374,000 job openings in June of 2023, according to a recently released report by the Bureau of Labor Statistics. These dire statistics underscore the importance of retaining skilled labor and should motivate AEC firms to leverage marketing to combat the exodus. 

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23
Oct

Looking for a marketing and PR agency? Consider niche AEC specialists

October 23, 2023
by: in Marketing strategy , Public relations , Architecture, Engineering and Construction No comments  

If your company or firm’s marketing team needs a little extra help, or you’re starting from scratch and want to build brand awareness and credibility for your business, hiring a marketing and public relations agency can be a game-changer. 

Maybe you’ve already decided to hire an agency and have begun your search, but how do you find one that is right for your firm? Instead of turning to a jack of all trades who reinvents the wheel with every new client, consider hiring an industry specialist agency. 

This kind of agency (you may already know one!) focuses on one or a few particular sectors, such as the architecture, engineering and construction (AEC) industry (we work with legal clients, too). Because these agencies typically represent clients in only a few focused industries, they offer a level of insider knowledge and experience compared to one representing a grab bag of clients with various needs and nuances. 

So, what are the benefits? 

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28
Mar

Why AEC firms need to know about the ‘excess share of voice’ rule

March 28, 2023
by: in Marketing strategy , Content marketing , Architecture, Engineering and Construction No comments  

There’s a well-known principle in business-to-consumer (B2C) marketing: Brands that have a higher “share of voice” than their “share of market” will grow. This is called the “excess share of voice” (ESOV) rule. 

While market share is a widely known metric, share of voice (SOV) isn’t as clear. It’s defined a number of ways depending on the source, but it essentially means the number of conversations about a brand, divided by the number of conversations about a topic, industry or niche (i.e., whatever “market” you are measuring). 

Every time a brand is mentioned in the media, authors an article, posts on social media or runs a series of ads, a conversation is happening. The conversation is amplified when the audience engages by sharing the article, commenting on the social media post or clicking on the ads. All of this activity results in a certain share of voice. 

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09
Mar

What legal marketers should know about Google’s ‘helpful content’ algorithm update

March 9, 2023
by: in Law , Marketing strategy , Content marketing No comments  

Google recently launched a “helpful content” update to its search algorithm to prioritize unique and thorough content for its users. In addition, it will now automatically identify content that seems to have little value, low added value or is otherwise not particularly helpful. When Google identifies what it considers deficient pages and websites, it automatically moves them to the bottom of the search results. Think of it as a way for the search engine to separate the wheat from the chaff in the infinite web of information (and misinformation) that is the internet. 

For those in legal marketing and thought leadership, the update could mean fewer users will see your content if it’s not up to snuff. Cue the panic amongst content creators and SEO marketers.

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16
Jan

Tangible ways AEC companies can reach their target audience in the metaverse

January 16, 2023
by: in Marketing strategy , Architecture, Engineering and Construction No comments  

Although abstract in nature, the metaverse is transforming the universal business landscape (and by extension the marketing field) in ways that have real-world implications. Despite the burgeoning trend of using augmented and virtual reality in marketing campaigns, many corporations have been slow to adopt this new technology. In doing so, they’re neglecting an enormous group of potential clients and employees (especially those younger cohorts). According to consulting company, Metaversed, earlier this year the population of the metaverse hit a major milestone, reaching 400 million unique monthly active users. 

Being a pioneer in any field can be risky, but with great risk comes great rewards. The key for architecture, engineering and construction (AEC) firms will be to find their target audience before the market becomes saturated. Think of the metaverse as California in the 1800s. Everyone is rushing there for gold. You don’t want to be knee-deep in frigid river water, bumping elbows with all the other 49ers who missed their cue.

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22
Dec

Why editorial calendars are a legal PR crystal ball for 2023

December 22, 2022
by: in Law , Marketing strategy , Content marketing , Public relations No comments  

“If only reporters and editors would just tell us what they’re covering next.”

How often does this thought run through your head as a legal PR professional or marketer? Weekly? Daily? Hourly? Does it haunt your dreams? Your nightmares? Do you wake up in a cold sweat each morning worried you missed getting your sources into the next Big Story? 

If so, you are not alone. Most of us spend way too much time obsessed with what’s going to catch the media’s attention. Some days I wish I had some kind of crystal ball that could help me peer into the future and see the stories to be written that need my clients as sources. 

And then I remember there is such a crystal ball, and I can access it anytime I want. It’s the humble editorial calendar (also known as an edcal). What’s that, you ask? Well, it’s only the best way to predict some of what a target media outlet will cover in the coming 12 months. If this is news to you — or it’s a reminder of a tool you once used but have forgotten while pursuing shiny new whizbangs — have I got a blog post for you.

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02
Dec

Contributor networks and bylined article opportunities: What lawyers and legal professionals need to know

December 2, 2022
by: in Law , Marketing strategy , Content marketing No comments  

There are many ways to secure a byline in a key media outlet. While working with a legal PR agency is a surefire method to get in front of the right editors and reporters, it’s just one pathway to publication. Joining a contributor network can be an alternative way to break in — and your PR agency can help with that too.

Think of a contributor network as a bullpen of subject-matter experts a publication relies on to provide one-time articles or ongoing columns. Outlets usually open their doors to contributor network writers to offer practical, boots-on-the-ground stories and opinion pieces that supplement their staff-written stories. Once accepted into a network, lawyers and professionals usually have broad discretion regarding what they can write about, so long as they meet the outlet’s editorial standards and publishing cadence requirements. 

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23
Aug

Legal public relations: How to get covered by The Wall Street Journal

August 23, 2022
by: in Law , Marketing strategy , Content marketing No comments  

Getting featured or quoted in The Wall Street Journal can be a major coup for any lawyer whose practice intersects with the business world. With its reputation as the standard bearer of news for the financial community, the Journal has established itself as the leading news source for information about the markets, business developments and — most importantly for lawyers — the latest developments in corporate, M&A and securities law. 

Getting that flashy mention in a Journal feature can do wonders for a law firm. For reputation-building, lawyers get to showcase their knowledge on the ins and outs of emerging business and market issues to the global swath of CEOs, board members, broker-dealers, funds and banking institutions that pore over the Journal’s pages every day. 

For online marketing, one or more WSJ backlinks can do wonders for a firm’s SEO rankings, especially for uber-competitive keywords that CPC-centered law firms lurk around. Not to mention the nifty perk of having a Journal hedcut — which, like a Simpsons caricature, is the media world’s way of saying that a professional has arrived. 

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