A firm’s marketing leader is responsible for leading the website development team, and there are many factors to juggle. Simplifying those processes into ten steps will help development progress from a slow walk to a smooth run.

AEC firm leaders know that their website reflects the best of their business, becoming a major benefit to marketing success. Though its importance is clear, the steps to advising its creation and maintenance may not be. We have provided five best practices to focus on that will anchor your goals toward building and sustaining the ideal website.

In order to quickly and accurately communicate your brand to others, you need to know it from inside and out. With Vision, Voice, Visuals, and Values, you'll be able to hit the four biggest facets to ensuring your brand is known. From there, you're already on the pathway to creating the brand guidelines that will make your company come together.

Branding envelops every aspect of running a company, and it is essential to understand what it is and how to control it. In order to have a successful brand, you have to consider more than just aesthetics, so what is it? Where do you have to consider branding and when is it relevant? 

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.

What is public relations in our industry? PR is often seen as an advertising mechanism, intended for general publicity. While that may be true in other industries, in the AEC industry we view PR as a support tactic to win work and enhance your firm’s image. Ideally, it is an activity that supports and influences your client base to develop a long-term relationship that results in winning work.