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BUSINESS NEWS SOUTHLAND ENGINEERING OPENS NEW CLEVELAND OFFICE Southland Engineering , a collaborative engineering partner offering a complete range of engineering services nationwide, is expanding its presence in the Midwest and opening a new office in Cleveland, Ohio. “We are excited to add Cleveland to our growing list of locations across the nation. This office reaffirms our commitment to

clients in the region who seek our unique approach to engineering services that deliver better outcomes for their mechanical, electrical, plumbing and fire protection systems and their facilities,” stated Executive Vice President of Southland Engineering Mike McLaughlin. “Our recent work with key healthcare, mission critical, and manufacturing clients in the region exposed the need for a more permanent local presence. This office will allow us to

expand our local team, create new business partnerships, and better serve our clients,” he continued. The office, located in downtown Cleveland, is led by Principal Engineer Mark Crawford, PE. Like all Southland Engineering experts, the Cleveland team is committed to delivering innovative, cost-responsible, and practical solutions that redefine the expectations of a modern engineering firm.

SANJAY JENKINS, from page 9

rather than generalists, we better serve our niche. We enjoy a beneficial cycle of adding value to clients and clients bringing more business to us. There are many management consulting and research firms out there, but by focusing on the approximately 100,000 firms in the AEC industry rather than the millions of businesses across many industries, we are better able to build meaningful and lasting relationships. This is a good business practice, and this is the fundamental principle behind any successful digital marketing strategy. Use digital tools to cultivate relationships, accelerate and increase the frequency of adding value to your niche, and document the whole process. HOW REAL GROWTH HAPPENS. AEC firms sell expertise and cre- ativity in specific, technical ways. Not everyone is going to follow you on social media, but you don’t need to worry about being interesting to everyone. You can’t sell to ev- eryone and trying to sell to everyone is a waste of time, resources, and emotional capital. Focus on adding value to your community by increasing the sphere of influence of that community. Dedicate time and energy to making your community an inclusive space where you can educate and inspire all who participate. You’re only going to have a few followers early on; this is to be expected. Keep adding val- ue. Reward your early followers so they can’t help but rave about how great you are. Provide content that showcases your technical expertise on a regular basis. The people who find what you do most relevant will follow and interact with you. You never know who you impact. Start small. Deploy the tools and techniques of the experts from day one. Deploy patience. Nurture your community and assemble your tribe. Stay consistent, as digital marketing is not a one-off project. It is a long- term investment that requires maintenance; not a lot of maintenance in a burst, but a little bit every day. The return on your investment will come, and it will be a multiple of the time, energy, and money you put in. That’s just how the game works. The next chapter in this series will cover the primary digital platforms your firm needs to implement, as well as the basic principles for success on each one. If you enjoyed this installment, then join me for the third and final one next week! SANJAY JENKINS is the marketing and e-commerce specialist at Zweig Group. Contact him at sjenkins@zweiggroup.com.

marketing don’t seem to make as much sense for architec- ture and engineering firms (especially engineering firms), because the mass market will never need their services. A/E firms aren’t T-shirt or technology companies. What would be the point of trying to get a million followers on Twitter if less than 0.001 percent of those followers could ever buy from you? The value proposition for digital marketing in the AEC industry, however, is not about immediate sales wins. Even if your firm attains 1 million followers on a social media platform in a short amount of time, that follower count does not add real value to the marketing channel. The value of digital marketing occurs in the long term. Strong brand equity built over time is the true power-play for digital marketing, and that brand equity, which is the culmination of a lot of smaller wins, starts scaling the size of what you do until you’re known as an industry giant. Done properly, digital marketing will help you build your empire. “The value of digital marketing occurs in the long term. Strong brand equity built over time is the true power-play for digital marketing, and that brand equity, which is the culmination of a lot of smaller wins, starts scaling the size of what you do until you’re known as an industry giant.” THE LARGE FOLLOWING FALLACY. When I first began my work in digital marketing, I approached it as a generalist and as a consumer. That perspective fed the notion that to have true success on social media, it was imperative that an individual or business have thousands, if not millions, of followers. This seems to be a commonly held belief, not just in the AEC industry, but in society in general. The truth is that you do not need a million followers on digital plat- forms such as Twitter and Instagram to be “successful” on social media. Success using social media and other digital outlets comes from cultivating a community around what you do and providing them consistent value. The size of the community does not matter as much as the relevance of that community. Zweig Group has spent the last 30 years serving only the AEC industry. The “tribe” that we have assembled over the years is specific; by being specialists

THE ZWEIG LETTER September 11, 2017, ISSUE 1215

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