Maximizing Business Value and Profit through an AEC Blog: Your Guide to Success

In today's digital landscape, a powerful online presence is essential for any architecture, engineering, or construction (AEC) firm looking to thrive in a competitive market. A well-crafted blog on your company's website can be a game-changer, bringing immense value and driving profits for your business. Let's explore how you can create and enhance an AEC blog so that it captivates your audience, showcases your expertise, educates your clients, and boosts your brand reputation.

Confirming Expertise: Sharing High-Quality Content from Your AEC Thought Leaders

Creating great content is just the beginning; the key lies in sharing it effectively. By maintaining a high-quality blog, your brand remains relevant and top-of-mind with clients while simultaneously boosting your search result rankings. To achieve this, consider generating topics that cover various aspects of your industry, from design and construction trends that will establish your firm as an expert, to articulating firm culture that will help recruit desired AEC professionals. Integrating your blog into a comprehensive content marketing plan allows you to showcase your differentiators, experts, company culture and best work, building a strong brand reputation in the process.

For instance, Curtis Miner Architecture - CMA (now CORE Architecture) hired MARKETLINK to assist with public relations and digital content for over 10 years. The MARKETLINK team interviewed internal staff and external resources, researched, wrote, and published the article on the CMA website. This article, “Trends in Active Adult Communities” increased CMA’s SEO for targeted keywords, highlighted a recent project, mentioned and linked to numerous clients, and increased visibility through featuring thought-leaders within the firm. 

Framing Authenticity and Relatability with Your AEC Blog

An AEC blog is more than just a medium for sharing information; it's an opportunity to connect with your audience on a personal level. Regularly writing engaging and authentic content enables you to establish a relatable and relevant brand identity. Blogging, as one of the most popular forms of content marketing, allows you to share ideas, projects, industry inspiration, and educational material. This builds trust and positions your firm as a reputable authority in the field, further enhancing your business value.

Crafting Engaging AEC Blog Categories

To ensure your AEC blog's success, it's essential to structure your editorial planning process effectively. Here are some blog categories to explore and inspire your content:

AEC Project Highlights (before, during and after)

Go beyond visual project stories and delve into the processes behind your work. Discuss design details, client engagement, and unique project narratives that may not fit traditional case studies.

For instance, MARKETLINK worked with Focus Engineering and Surveying to create a compelling project highlight showcasing their expertise. This article provides a deeper look into the project and captivates the audience with its engaging storytelling.

AEC Event Announcements & Recaps

Keep your readers informed about industry events, conferences, speaking engagements, and competition juries your team participates in. Share insightful recaps of these events and illustrate their impact on your firm and the industry.

After CMA attended a client-focused industry event, MARKETLINK collaborated with them to create an informative blog article that recaps the lessons learned. This article keeps their target audience informed and engaged.

Market Sector and/or Service Highlights

If your firm specializes in a specific industry vertical, use the blog to showcase your expertise and share valuable insights, challenges, and best practices related to those projects.

As a full-service firm, Focus Engineering & Surveying has many services from which to glean. MARKETLINK helped them create a timely blog series called "Design Matters." Each month, they feature a different department service, providing valuable information about their market sector specialties, such as recent flooding concerns. 

AEC Publications and Thought Leadership

Highlight contributions from your team in industry publications, summarizing and sharing excerpts or project features. This enhances your thought leadership and may lead to valuable backlinks.

For Watson Engineering’s 50 year anniversary, MARKETLINK coordinated an interview, content, and photos with Utah Construction and Design Magazine. Once the article was published in the magazine, it was featured on the company’s blog. 

Community Involvement

Use the blog to inform readers about your involvement in the community, showcasing projects that positively impact the local area and demonstrating your commitment to making a difference.

Eckman Construction/Eckman Cares often highlights their community involvement, such as their Habitat for Humanity contributions.

AEC Corporate Culture

Showcase your firm's culture through value statements, founding corporate philosophies, seasonal events, workplace amenities, and employee interviews. This fosters a strong connection with your audience and serves as a great recruiting tool.

Forge Contractors’ blog features an article about a founding principle that is the basis of how they run their business and serve their clients as a team.

Team Member News & Announcements

Celebrate the achievements and milestones of your team members, spotlighting their work and contributions to the firm. This not only highlights your company culture but also attracts potential employees.

Keri Hammond with MARKETLINK has been volunteering on the SMPS Utah Board of Directors as the Communications Director for many years. As part of this role, she has helped feature chapter members and their accomplishments in a new blog category, “Good News”.

Industry-focused Educational Content

Encourage employees and directors to share their perspectives on industry trends and movements through personal essays. These provide unique insights that differ from traditional case studies and project highlights.

CMA routinely features content that will education potential clients about their expertise in the markets they serve. Read article about their multi-family housing specialist.

On the Boards

With client approval, share ongoing projects to give readers a glimpse into your creative process. This inspires interest in your work and encourages readers to follow your progress over time.

A project groundbreaking is the perfect opportunity to add content to your blog.

Team Member and/or Client Interviews

Conduct interviews with team members and/or clients, discussing their experiences, day-to-day work, past projects, and future ideas. This personal touch humanizes your firm and fosters stronger connections with your audience.

MARKETLINK’s blog, Stuff You Need, features monthly interviews with staff, clients, industry leaders, and experts in various areas of marketing for the AEC industry. Read about one of the firm founder’s experience as she was learning how to market the AEC industry. 

By adopting these blog categories, you can create a diverse and engaging content calendar that resonates with your readers and bolsters your business value.

Embracing New Forms of Media

While written content is essential, don't limit yourself to just blog posts. Embrace new forms of media, such as videos, infographics, and interactive content, to further engage your audience and showcase your work and ideas creatively.

Want more examples? Stay up to date with industry trends and tips by joining our Stuff You Need newsletter tribe. Visit our industry blog, Stuff You Need, for AEC marketing ideas and thought leadership.

Remember, a successful AEC blog speaks not only for your business but also to your audience, establishing a lasting connection that drives value and profit for years to come.