Most of us in the AEC industry realize that a new name, icon, or logo will not create a new brand for our firm. Creating an “All In” mentality is crucial to forming the brand message necessary to make a lasting impression. The ultimate goal is for every person who interacts with anyone at your firm, in any capacity, to have a structured, consistent, and carefully orchestrated experience.

By prioritizing the direction of your public relations plan, you can ensure you are getting the return on investment (ROI) expected from your firm leaders. It may be hard to determine which efforts will be most rewarding for your firm. Pick the tactics that will work best with your marketing strategies, within your budget and timeframe.

Marketing coordinators, you are critical to the public relations process. From researching the best tactics to creating a schedule of events and action items and finally implementing the tactics, you'll be involved every step of the way.

AEC technical professionals, your intimate familiarity with design, projects, processes, and the solutions provided is an untapped gold mine for public relations.

Do you know what clients and potential clients think of your firm? Does it match what you believe is true about your firm? Because “perception is reality,” it’s important that you make the effort to understand the perception of your firm within your industry and market sectors.

Often misunderstood, PR is an influential tool – a way of turning cold calls into warm prospects. While some people think of PR strictly as press releases and advertising, we suggest you turn that notion on its head. PR is “Perception = Reality.” When used as a support tactic, it will help you win work.

For Myrna Wagner, Vice President of Business Development at Swinerton Management and Consulting, the most important step to marketing mentality was to create a culture of collaboration and accountability with the leadership team. Her approach is to provide them with tools to help and encourage their involvement with business development. MARKETLINK Principal Stephanie Craft asked some questions to find out more.

MARKETLINK Principal Stephanie Craft caught up with Chuck Hack, a Lionakis principal and owner, to learn more about how he and Lionakis’s leadership have created and fostered a marketing mentality within the firm.