Top Tips for AEC Industry Marketing Strategies with Keri Hammond, FSMPS, CPSM

MARKETLINK Principal Keri Hammond is a party planner of sorts. What Keri plans is how a company can create or shift its strategic vision to achieve goals, exceed revenue expectations, and bring different departments together for the improvement of the whole. It may sound intense, but for her, it is a party.

Begin at the End

Keri begins each planning session with the end in mind. “We want to know what the company’s revenue goal is, how they’ve achieved it in the past, and how they will achieve it in the future,” she explains. “We want new ideas, and if that means entering a new market because there is growth and opportunity there, then we’re going to discuss it and adjust goals accordingly.”

Ask All the Questions

Keri is not only good at strategic planning, she is also passionate about involving all the stakeholders and doing the heavy lifting to make a strategy successful. “Whether through client surveys, market analysis, competitor research, information gathering is the first step to better understand the various factors,” Keri emphasizes. “You’ve got to do the research before the initial planning session so your decisions and discussions are based on the reality of the market's future.”

Involve the Right People: Everyone

Getting the overall company vision always appealed to Keri, but she’s excited when a firm involves the visioning process to any stakeholder in a company; from front line staff to middle management and upward. “If you are interested in understanding the challenges and opportunities your company is experiencing, sit in on the strategic planning session and see the process in action.”

This eye for opportunity, a macro-level vision, and the charisma to get everyone to unite for a collaborative goal sets Keri apart. “Marketing strategy was one of the first projects I was involved with when I started working as a consultant,” she describes. “I loved seeing how a plan saved time, money, and heartache from a marketing department perspective. I found I was good at bringing individuals together and finding solutions for implementing all of the details into a workable plan.”