07/27/09
AEC Marketing: Infrastructure
We're talking about:
The "foundations" upon which you build your marketing program...
The "structure" that supports your marketing efforts...
The "infrastructure" that you build and use everyday to market your products and services...
Focus on these elements so you don't need to pull a rabbit out of the hat when it's time to get serious about marketing.
You'll hit the ground running.
PHOTOGRAPHY
- You're ready to get that website revamped. You want it to look good; convey the quality and scope of your work and the essence of your solid company.
- You want to create a brochure. You want it to communicate what you do - your best work. You want it to be as powerful as it can be, and you want the reader to be as enthusiastic about your company as you are.
- You decide to run an ad. You need to convey your company in as few words as possible, and get the readers' attention as he or she flips past articles and 50 other ads in the magazine.
Be Prepared.
You need strong imagery.
You want your design, your work, your materials or equipment shown in its best light; that means in its working context. Better show what it can do. Good luck getting that winning, representative shot on demand. Lighting, background, composition, will all be important elements of a given day's photography. When it comes down to selecting the images that tell your story, time, variety and luck have a lot to do with your photography stock. Better use all three.Someone around your project/equipment/work has a photographic knack. Maybe it's you. The question who's got the inclination? Probably it's you. The goal is a large assortment of images from which you can select the strongest representations of your work/materials/equipment when you need it. Build a "Photography Catalog" of your work including the full scope of applications. Don't miss opportunities to photograph from every angle, in key situations, under dramatic light and with striking backgrounds. And if there's a big yellow van in the background...move your feet!
"A good photograph is knowing where to stand."
-- Ansel Adams
CONTACT DATABASE
- Your contact data is one of the most valuable investments you have. Are you using it to its full potential?
- Can you break down your contacts into segments: top clients, casual clients, past clients?
- Is your list unwieldy and undependable with old contacts that you might have met at the 1993 ConExpo?
- Can you view your clients on a company wide basis? Does everyone have their own list?
When you want to send an e-mail/postcard/mailer/letter/etc. how do you focus your delivery?Be Prepared.
Goal: Prepare with the end in mind. How will you and you company use this data?
No doubt there's a "big budget" experience and "small budget" experience here. Contact Management tools and software are an available solution and an ROI decision. Since contacts can be such an important part of a direct marketing program, getting the company contact management act together shouldn't be underrated.How the data is entered company wide will determine if you are building a mess or a powerful asset for marketing, analysis and decision making.
Are the expectations clear company-wide about what is expected from sales calls, conference & Exhibition attendance, daily contacts, etc. What fields are expected to be complete? Are the fields of entry consistent employee to employee, department to department? What about breakdown fields? How will marketing segment their direct marketing efforts if they want to focus their efforts? This needs to be anticipated beforehand. A company wide policy could pay long dividends in the future."Chance favors the prepared mind."
-- Louis Pasteur
Marketing Infrastructure is built over time, and when it comes time to change the ads, update the website, revise the brochures, etc., it's "who you can reach" and "how effective you can be at it" that counts.
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