Guidance for Technical Professionals

One of the most challenging demands in marketing is maintaining authenticity. As a firm, we need to show our best to anyone who might stumble across our site or social media, so that the next time they think of AEC services they need, we are the firm they remember for that need. It’s important, therefore, to show our work at its most reliable and highest quality.

Our “best” is also our people—they are where our expertise lies, how our projects come together, and how our brand is presented. You, as technical professionals, are inevitably the center of the story that needs to be told about the firm and the core of authenticity.

Most social media posts draw from existing content—whether through site photography or articles that technical professionals write. Many firms regularly make team posts, where they introduce employees, celebrate anniversaries, or congratulate on promotions. From a marketing perspective, the point of this is to achieve authenticity; if clients can see the people behind the name, they get to know the firm. Better yet, if they can understand the people behind the name, there’s no question that your work is genuine.

How can you engage in your firm’s social media as a technical professional? First, allow your work to be known! It does not have to be through your company’s professional outlets, either. The most powerful marketing comes from word-of-mouth. Share your work on your own social channels, engage with your firm’s posts, and make yourself known.

Articles are your second engagement outlet. Your knowledge and expertise are worth sharing because they are genuinely and authentically interesting. Consider engaging in your firm’s blog and social media by offering up your expertise in the ways you feel confident—whether that is through a low-pressure interview, working with your marketing team on a case study, writing an article yourself, or engaging via another format like video. You are key to providing educational content about your projects, processes, and the expertise that your clients or potential clients will value.

Odds are your firm wants to promote your work and highlight your expertise on social media. Visible expertise is necessary for clients to confirm that they are making the right decision. Clients want to know that the people behind the service they need are knowledgeable, confident, and engaged.

Many people do not trust social media marketing because it can be inauthentic and sterile. Turn that stereotype on its head by showing how you overcome technical challenges and bring value to your clients—then it is authentic. Sharing what you do is a form of marketing, and it is the most genuine kind. Allowing people to see you and your expertise is what makes your work, your firm, and your services real, and that is not misleading. Create a scenario where clients choose your services because they discerned that it is real, true, and authentic work—and they are right!

<<< Last Month's ENGAGE <<<

>>> Next Month's ENGAGE >>>