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OPINION
Foundations
Over time, evolving client needs and approaches could erode your marketing foundation. Take the time to shore up your foundation before it crumbles entirely.
I n the AEC industry, a strong foundation is of utmost importance. Build it poorly, and you will suffer the consequences. Build it well, and it will serve you for a lifetime.
Marketing is not so different from building construction when it comes to foundations. Those of us with longevity in our positions worked hard to create strong foundations for our marketing structures. We are intimately familiar with the equivalent of the concrete, steel, block, and stone of our constructs. These metaphoric building materials likely take the form of your one-page firm history, organization chart, project sheets, professional resumes, business card templates, and letterhead files – for print and digital use of course. Building on top of these foundational items, we have our website (which some may argue is a foundational element today), your latest 3D graphics for marketing, and your movie files. Then there are the campaign details for direct mail and email marketing, procedures and details for core client gifts,
promotions for prospects and promotions for existing clients, and let’s not forget the qualifications packets and of course, the proposals. Suffice it to say, over time, as client needs and marketing approaches evolve, so have our marketing enterprises. In most cases, I would argue that the basics are still the same and the core structure stands. But depending on your organization, your target markets (which may remain consistent or change over time), and your overall growth, you may have new additions – in the building metaphor, a new wing, a dormer, a carriage house, additional floors, or levels above. Add to that the transition from print-based systems to more digitally intense marketing. Where once there was an elegant structure on a
Jane Lawler Smith, MBA
See JANE LAWLER SMITH, page 4
THE ZWEIG LETTER JUNE 6, 2022, ISSUE 1444
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