July AEC firm rankings, lists, awards and PR opportunities

July 12, 2024

In my neck of the woods, it is back-to-school season. 

I know!

This heat begs for pool days and popsicles. But alas.

I’ve always loved back-to-school vibes. The freshly sharpened pencils, the rainbow of highlighters, the color-coded binders standing at attention. It’s no wonder that, in adulthood, I found my way to a role that allows me to treat each month as a fresh start.

At Rep Ink, we keep monthly tabs on the brightest opportunities we think are worth your architecture, engineering and construction firm’s time. And while things tend to slow down in the summer, rest assured that we will continue to send all relevant awards and rankings your way. 

Read more »

 
 

Maximizing visibility and impact: how to effectively promote your AEC firm’s projects

July 9, 2024

Effectively showcasing your architecture, engineering, and construction firm’s projects is essential for attracting clients, skilled project partners, and top talent. But no one likes a show pony. If you’re going to draw attention to yourself, it better be worth it, and you need to know how to capitalize on your audience’s curiosity in a way that leads to new business opportunities.

From innovative designs to sustainable solutions, each project represents your firm’s expertise and creativity. However, promoting these projects requires a strategic approach to ensure maximum visibility and impact. After all, you don’t want to spam potential clients with fluff. 

Read more »

 
 

June AEC firm rankings, lists, awards and PR opportunities

June 13, 2024

The temperature isn’t the only thing rising these days.

Many of our architecture, engineering and construction (AEC) clients are experiencing busy seasons. Whether your team is working to attract talent, generate proposals or pursue new business opportunities, it can feel like proactive PR efforts are something you just don’t have time for.

We know someone who can help (gentle wink).

Below are a few proactive initiatives we keep our eyes on year over year. We know your inbox is filled with promises of fame and fortune by pay-to-play options, but these are the few we think are worth your valuable time this month:

Read more »

 
 

May law firm rankings, lists, awards and PR opportunities

May 14, 2024

It’s hard to believe Q2 is halfway over.

Well, kinda hard to believe. If your firm is anything like our clients, this year has been remarkably busy.

And even though legal marketers recognize the importance of legal rankings and awards in generating new business and strengthening relationships, time can sprint past us (right alongside our good intentions).

Below is our curated list of our favorite recognitions. If you only have time to submit for a few this season, we recommend:

Read more »

 
 

How AEC firms can craft a winning DBIA awards submission

March 26, 2024

The fields of architecture, engineering and construction (AEC) are incredibly competitive. Securing a bylined article in a reputable industry publication isn’t the only way to capture the attention of your desired clients. The prestige associated with winning certain AEC awards (I know, I know, you don’t do it for the recognition) can also bolster your firm’s reputation. But not all awards are the same.

Clients won’t be won over by a participation prize, much less one you paid for! If you deliver design-build projects and you’re going to invest money in an annual award submission, the Design-Build Institute of America’s national or regional Design-Build Project and Team Awards, similar to the organization’s leadership awards, are a great place to start, as they’re incredibly competitive and highly esteemed. They also recognize a wide scope of projects, from vertical construction to various infrastructure sectors like aviation, water/wastewater and transportation.

Because the DBIA Awards are so competitive, they require a lot of diligence and documentation to verify design-build best practices were used to improve the project outcome, a process the DBIA dubbed “Design-Build Done Right®.” Like high school algebra, it’s not enough to show the end result; you actually have to show your work. I know, I know. I’m full of good news today.

Read more »

 
 

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

March 26, 2024

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.

Read more »

 
 

Media exclusives: how and when to use them

June 29, 2023

Media exclusives: how and when to use them

When I was working at a television station, the first question the news director would ask after a reporter came in with a juicy story was, “Is it exclusive?”

She wanted to know if her station was the only place viewers could find the story or if they would at least be the first to break the news. In a time when just about everyone has 24/7 access to information at their fingertips, regardless of when the 5 o’clock newscast airs, media outlets are looking for any edge they can get over their competitors.

For PR purposes, exclusives can help you squeeze all of the “juice” you can get out of a story and make sure it’s placed with an outlet that will give it the coverage you think it deserves.

Read more »

 
 

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.

Read more »

 
 

Law360: Law firm submissions 101

July 25, 2022

There are more legal rankings and award opportunities than degrees on our summer thermostats.

And while some are legitimate recognitions for your law firm and attorneys, many are money grabs that give way more of an “aWaRdS” vibe — they aren’t worth your time and truly don’t serve to provide a distinction.

Now, we don’t want to come across as too negative. There are many legal awards we highly recommend for clients (Chambers, The Legal 500, Super Lawyers and The Best Lawyers are some of our favorites).  

Today we are exploring Law360 awards and rankings, and why we think they are worth the non-billable hours for your firm.

Read more »

 
 

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

January 27, 2022
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.

Read more »

 
 

Get INKsights in your inbox

Archives