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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05
Aug

How to leverage your next event sponsorship

August 5, 2022
by: in Law , Marketing strategy No comments  
Here are some tips for before, during and after an event to make sure every penny you’ve invested in sponsorship counts.

Sponsoring an event — whether an event discussion, seminar or workshop — is a great way to promote your law firm or legal tech company. By sponsoring and/or putting on an event, you not only align yourself in the marketplace with other thought leaders but you can also demonstrate your knowledge regarding a pressing pain point for potential clients. Inviting speakers and eventists is also a great way to reward clients with a marketing boost or make connections with key influencers. (Flattery will get you very far sometimes…)

Event sponsorships don’t come cheap, however, and often cost thousands of dollars. There’s also your time to consider in setting it up, holding the event, etc… Given these investments, it makes sense to try and get the most marketing bang for your event sponsorship buck. (You’ll also reduce any objections from the firm’s beancounters if you can demonstrate a strategy for achieving the best possible ROI.)

Here are some tips for before, during and after the event to make sure every penny you’ve invested in sponsorship counts.

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28
Jun

Architecture public relations: 6 publications every architectural firm should target to showcase projects, expertise

June 28, 2022
by: in Marketing strategy , Content marketing , Lead generation , Public relations , Architecture, Engineering and Construction No comments  

When prestigious architectural publications showcase an architecture firm’s work, it gives that firm an invaluable stamp of approval that can play a key role in business development. 

While these publications are read by other architects — and not necessarily by clients — the coverage in these publications acts like a coveted referral from a trusted expert. It sends the message that your firm does quality work. 

While coverage in publications that clients read — like your local business journal or trade magazines such as Building Construction + Design, Medical Construction & Design and Hospitality Design (depending on your industry focus) — is also important, the strategy is different. These publications, while helping to establish your firm on your clients’ radar and demonstrate expertise in their industry, don’t provide the same cachet as publications like Architectural Record or Metropolis. 

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28
May

How to edit your law firm’s Wikipedia page: 3 golden rules

May 28, 2022
by: in Law , Marketing strategy , Content marketing No comments  

Just like death and taxes, if you’re a marketer, it’s inevitable that you’ll be asked to edit a Wikipedia page (or worse: create one).

It’s an understandable request given Wikipedia’s prominence on the web. The online encyclopedia continues to dominate search results due to its high-quality, up-to-date content on a vast swath of topics. Its pages are frequently referenced in links from other sites, one of Google’s predominant signals of authority. Google’s addition of snippets and knowledge graphs has further cemented Wikipedia in the top few results for nearly any given search. 

Unfortunately, errors are rampant on the site. Correcting inaccuracies, however, is not a simple matter. Any edits, especially those to business pages, have to follow certain rules in order to pass muster. If you do it wrong, there’s also a good chance you could get blacklisted permanently from the site. 

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27
Jan

Reprint Rights 101: How AEC firms can promote media hits without getting sued

January 27, 2022
by: in Marketing strategy , Content marketing , Architecture, Engineering and Construction No comments  
Reprint Rights 101: How AEC firms can promote media hits without getting sued

Great news! You or one of your architecture, engineering and construction (AEC) subject matter experts published an article or got quoted in an industry trade magazine, and you want everyone to know — particularly potential clients. So, you post the full text of the article to your company’s website, send it to your email lists and schedule some social media posts that link to it for good measure.

Good marketing, right?

While promoting your media coverage is important (and kudos to you for recognizing that), unfortunately you’ve left yourself open to legal action from the media outlet because you’ve just violated their copyright. 

The good news is that there are ways to leverage your media hits while staying on the right side of the law — and in the good books of the media outlets that cover your projects.

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02
Aug

Why you should focus your marketing on one (or a few) industries

August 2, 2021
by: in Law , Marketing strategy , Lead generation No comments  
Why you should focus your marketing on one (or a few) industries

This article originally appeared in DRI’s The Voice.

We’ve all heard the age-old adage: “Half the money I spend on advertising is wasted; the trouble is I don’t know which half.” There’s a lot of truth behind this quote: it can be difficult to know where you should invest your marketing dollars. Should you invest in media relations? Social media? SEO? Videos? Email newsletters? Webinars? Speaking at events? There’s a lot you can do, but what’s going to make the most impact?

When working with clients facing this question, I often advise them to pick an industry (or two or three, depending on the firm’s size and budget) and focus their marketing efforts there. Here’s why:

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08
Jul

The importance of email service providers (ESPs): Why you should never send mass emails with Outlook or Gmail

July 8, 2021
by: in Law , B2B , Marketing strategy , Content marketing , Architecture, Engineering and Construction , Professional services No comments  
The importance of email service providers (ESPs): Why you should never send mass emails with Outlook or Gmail

Email marketing is the most profitable marketing channel, garnering an ROI of $42 for every $1 spent. However, if you try to start a mass marketing email campaign through your Gmail or Outlook account, you’re going to be hampered by send limits and you could even end up having your personal email or your entire organization’s domain blacklisted (more on that in a moment).

So how do firms manage to conduct email marketing campaigns that send hundreds or thousands of emails and still hang on to their online reputation? Email marketing services or email service providers (ESPs) are third-party services that handle mass marketing email sends. ESPs take a number of measures to ensure they remain whitelisted and retain agreements with internet service providers (ISPs) that allow them to send emails in bulk. 

You might be asking yourself, “Why do I need to pay extra to send emails when that’s what I do all day, every day? Why not just send each marketing email individually from my individual email address?”

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