September AEC firm rankings, lists, awards and PR opportunities

September 16, 2024

Thank goodness we made it to autumn! (She says while watching the thermostat hit 88 degrees.)

I think we can all agree that the end of Q3 is when things start sprinting toward the new year. All of a sudden we’re developing 2025 budgets, planning conference attendance and ironing out new goals.

If more ink for your architecture, engineering and construction firm sits on the top of your goals for 2024 and 2025, we’re happy to help. We keep an eye on all things AEC, and below are the opportunities we believe to be worth your time.

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May AEC firm rankings, lists, awards and PR opportunities

May 14, 2024

Q2 is halfway over. I know!

Historically, this is the time of year when we get a bit more breathing room. The start of summer is often when things slow down a little…

Not this year!

When things are very busy, it may feel too overwhelming for your architecture, engineering and construction (AEC) firm to seek out proactive PR opportunities.

No fear! We are here with the strongest opportunities for AEC firms to get the most mileage from their time spent on submissions. Here are a few of our favorites:

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

November 28, 2023

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

March 28, 2023

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

March 9, 2023

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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Why editorial calendars are a must for AEC PR in 2023

January 31, 2023

Sometimes working with the media can be like trying to predict all the change orders an owner will have on a project before construction even gets started.

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

How often does this thought run through your head as an architecture, engineering and construction (AEC) 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 subject matter experts (SMEs) into the next Big Story? 

Okay, maybe I’m being a bit dramatic, but if you’ve thought this before, 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 that, while there isn’t a Magic 8 Ball to read your client’s mind and anticipate every change order request (yet!), there is a similar tool for media outlets, and I can access it anytime I want. It’s the humble editorial calendar (also known as an edcal, if you’re into lingo). 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 next 12 months. If this is news to you — or if 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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What AEC firms need to know about Google’s ‘helpful content’ algorithm update

November 30, 2022

Google recently launched a ‘helpful content’ update to its search algorithm to prioritize unique and thorough content for its users. Conversely, it will automatically identify content that seems to have little value, low added value or is otherwise not particularly helpful to those performing the searches. When it 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 the architecture, engineering and construction industries, particularly those that partake in B2B 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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9 mistakes marketers should avoid when interviewing architects, engineers and construction pros for thought leadership content

March 10, 2022

So you read our guide on improving your subject-matter-expert interviewing skills and now you think you’re ready to rock your next thought leadership interview. If you follow our advice, you probably are. But even though you know what you should do, you also need to know what you should not do to get the best, juiciest, most innovative ideas and quotes from the architect, engineer or construction pro you’re speaking with.

A good interviewer knows how to get their subject talking without getting in their way. But there’s a lot more to being a good interviewer than just being a good listener. Do you think Oprah showed up to the vineyard to interview Meghan and Harry empty-handed? 

The answer is no: the queen of interviews definitely spent hours with her team arming herself with background information and a hefty list of questions designed to pull out those jaw-dropping soundbites that plastered headlines for weeks afterward.

I can’t teach you to be Oprah, but I can help you optimize your interviewing strategy by avoiding these nine mistakes.

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Crisis PR and the FIU bridge collapse: 8 ways to prepare your AEC firm for the worst

March 30, 2018

8 crisis PR tips

“By the time you hear the thunder, it’s too late to build the ark.” —Unknown

It’s everyone’s worst nightmare in the architecture, engineering and construction industry: a catastrophic incident with multiple fatalities, and your company is on the line.

That’s the reality right now for FIGG Bridge Engineers and MCM — the designer and builder, respectively, of the pedestrian bridge at Florida International University that collapsed March 15, killing six and injuring 10 others.

The focus now is on honoring the lives vendita gonfiabile percorso ad ostacoli lost, determining what led to the collapse and ultimately holding anyone negligent accountable. However, the incident is a reminder of how incredibly important it is for AEC public relations professionals to prepare to respond to such worst-case scenarios.

While every situation is unique, and the experience of a crisis PR professional is invaluable during an event, here are eight ways you can prepare now to protect your firm’s reputation as much as possible in the event the worst happens.

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

July 12, 2017

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.

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