by davidlecours | Aug 25, 2009 | Web & Digital
One way to measure the success of your website we is to monitor visitor’s length of stay. The longer a visitor “sticks” on your site, the greater the chance they are making an emotional connection with your brand. Using principles from the outstanding book, Made to Stick – Why Some Ideas Survive and Others Die by Dan and Chip Heath, here are three key qualities of a sticky website.
1. Simplicity
Before redesigning your website, review your strategic and marketing plans, analyzing your current site, and prioritizing what you want site visitors to do on your new site. This gives you a creative brief, or target, to compare design solutions against. Next, create a Site Map which is a clear outline of proposed content. Again, measure against brief. Now a clear navigation system can be designed which allows the visitor to easily find what they need. In a site we recently designed for KTU+A, we determined that viewing projects by market sector was a priority. So we designed the main navigation system to always show all market sectors. With the custom Content Mangagement Sytem we created for KTU+A, they are able to maintain their own site full of current content. Our goal for this site was to keep the graphic design simple so it serves as a frame, supporting their projects as the art.
2. Unexpected Personalization
To capture and hold a visitor’s attention, your site needs to surprise and delight while delivering meaningful content. With the KTU+A site, a goal was to weave their positioning of “balancing human activites with elements of nature” into the site in an enexpected way. So the visitor gets an option to choose their own background image and sound (elements of nature). This infuses the inorganic activity of using a computer with unexpected elements of nature. We created the Project List to allow visitors to sort projects in a way most meaningful to them. Visitors can sort by title, location, market sector or service with the ability to get more information on all projects and detailed information and imagery on featured projects.
3. Stories
Your brand is a story made true through personal experience. It’s critical that your site tell the story of your firm, your projects and your people in a compelling way. Invest in professional project photography and show it off at least 600 pixels wide. Here’s a great example of how impactful photography tells stories. Video is another great tool. Don’t expect your video to go “viral” on YouTube, but do expect to connect with visitors on an emotional level. Here’s a great example from NBBJ. When introducing Principals, use great photography or video, and wording that humanizes the person beyond impersonal resume bullet points. People hire people they know, so let site visitors get to know your key staff.
Your website is the new “front door” to your firm. It’s the first place prospective clients go to learn about you, or confirm what they’ve heard. Use these 3 tips to make a positive first impression “stick” in your client’s mind.
What other web site features, would you recommend to make a site sticky?
Does your website provide compelling content to make visitors stick around?
by davidlecours | Jul 10, 2009 | Content Marketing, Presentations, Strategy
For those looking to stretch their marketing budget, I can’t think of a more cost effective way to attract clients than Thought Leadership. The more a prospect can experience your thinking, writing or speaking, the more they perceive you as an expert, and the less “selling” you have to do. Content Marketing is effective for Thought Leaders because prospective clients can get to know, like and trust them in a no pressure, non-sales context. Here are some tips on how to position yourself, or Principals within your firm, as Thought Leaders.
1. Designate Ambassadors
Designate someone in your firm to be the Thought Leader for each market sector in which you seek work. For example, our client Aquatic Design Group is a market leader in designing and engineering competitive swimming pools (a market sector). They happen to have an Associate who is a former collegiate All-American swimmer. Combined with strong writing and speaking skills, he has instant credibility within this tribe.
2. Discover Where Your Audience Gathers
Ask your best clients which market specific trade publications they read and which conferences they attend. Then introduce yourself to the editors of these journals and offer your Thought Leader as a resource for journalists. Journalists constantly need credible references to interview for stories. Once the relationship is established, inquire about submitting an article or offering story leads. For national conference speaking opportunities, you’ll need to respond to a RFP a year in advance. But there are plenty of local trade organizations hungry for great speakers. Your Thought Leader doesn’t even need to speak. For example, I have put together panels and have emceed for SMPS, Pecha Kucha and USGBC events. This allows me to benefit from the halo effect of being onstage moderating the speaker panel. While it’s tempting to write or speak to your peers (fellow professional service providers), remember to focus most of your efforts where potential clients, not competitors, congregate.
3. Create a Content Ecosystem
Start with writing to develop mastery in articulating your subject matter. Then move to speaking using content you’ve written about. Give away free samples of your knowledge. Leaders demonstrate confidence by sharing their abundant expertise, not hoarding it. Tell real success stories and don’t be afraid to offer up your failures and share lessons learned. This is what makes you human, and will draw people to you. Communicate that you care about your audience’s world and challenges, and you will be invited in.
Thought Leadership requires an investment of time. This guide should help you get started. Be sure to promote your speaking or writing using the power of Social Media. Also, find multiple channels to distribute your content to maximize ROI. For example, this blog post began as an email marketing letter. It has also been broken down into a series of tweets. It could be made into a short video or podcast. Don’t overlook print to distribute your writing. You can a create a 1-page printout of a relevant post to pass out at events where you attend or present.
Whether writing or speaking, Thought Leaders are perceived as experts. Clients like to hire expertise. What are some methods you have used to demonstrate expertise? How do you promote your Thought Leadership activities? Has it ever led to new business?
by davidlecours | Jun 9, 2009 | Content Marketing
I’d like to share with you a few tips and techniques that make e-mail marketing a successful part of the LecoursDesign promo mix.
1. Have a Strategy
It’s wise to have a goal for the overall campaign and for each individual e-mail blast. For example, my overall intent is to position myself as a marketing thought leader in the A/E/C industry. I do this by consistently sharing actionable knowledge and success stories. My goal with this particular entry is to share specific expertise so that you will consider hiring us to create your next e-mail marketing campaign.
2. Building Your Mailing List
Dedicate time to building a mailing list of readers within your target market. It’s best to ask people to opt-in before you show up unannounced in their in-box. I do this by having a link in my e-mail signature to our website that has a sign-up form. Also, when I meet potential clients, I’ll ask either in person, or via e-mail, “may I send you free marketing advice on a monthly basis as an e-mail?”
3. Getting People to Open Up
In an in-box full of messages, a compelling Subject line entices the reader to open your e-mail. Six to ten words and 35-55 characters is best. For continuity I always include “LecoursDesign:” as the first part of our Subject lines and the topic of the e-mail as the second part. Using “David Lecours” for the From field lets readers know this e-mail is coming from an actual person. A good e-mail service provider will provide you with metrics to measure how many people open your e-mail. According to MarketingSherpa, good open rates are 20% and higher. I’ve found that sending e-mails on Tues. or Wed at mid-day improves our open rates. I always send a test to myself and my Office Manager to check spelling, formatting and links before sending to our entire mailing list.
4. Juicy Content Creates a Connection
The first 4 vertical inches of an e-mail often gets shown in a Preview Pane which can determine the fate of your message. I include a branded The Marketing Voice masthead for credibility and a headshot to let the reader know this is written by a real person. If readers only view a sea of lengthy text, then it feels like work and thus decreases open rates. My goal is that our e-mail content offers something of value. The more actionable the content, the more value we are providing. I want to continually be making deposits in our relationships with past, present and future clients. I make the content personal and I’m not afraid to let people know what I believe. I try to keep our messages brief but if more than 800 words, I’ll include a bridge link like “read more on our blog.”
I hope you’ll consider e-mail marketing as another tool to connect with your audience. Let me know if you need assistance in creating a custom, branded e-mail campaign for your firm.
Download a .PDF of this post
Recommended E-mail Marketing Providers: Emma, Constant Contact. We use:Vertical Response
Archived Webinar: If you missed our live Social Networking Webinar, it is archived on CD and .PDF. Click here to purchase
by davidlecours | Apr 2, 2009 | Content Marketing
Here is a simple guide to Social Networking.
SOCIAL WHAT?
Social Networks like Linked-In and Facebook are part of Social Media, the hottest sector in marketing today. Social Media is different than traditional media (like advertising) in that the conversation is two-way. This includes blogs, microblogs (like Twitter), viral video (like YouTube), podcasts and photo sharing (like Flickr). For this issue, we’ll focus on Linked-In but the advice is relevant on any social network. My goal is that you will learn a little about this channel and decide if it supports your overall marketing strategy.
WHY?
If you’ve ever attended a Society for Marketing Professional Services (SMPS) event, you know that A/E/C Marketers are social animals. The foundation of our industry is built on personal relationships. People (and firms) hire people (and firms) they know and trust. People will also hire, or team with, people (and firms) that have been recommended by trusted peers. So your personal network of contacts is an incredibly valuable asset. The bigger your network of quality connections, the more influence you wield. Linked-In is a great way to build and maintain your network.
People want to connect. The 36 million people on Linked-in enjoy being part of micro-communities around shared interests. Specialization will separate firms that thrive versus those that merely survive in the new economy. Narrowcasting is the future. Broadcasting your message as a wide net and hoping to catch a client is futile in our industry. When’s the last time you’ve seen a TV ad for an architecture firm? People listen to and trust their friends, not TV ads.
WAYS TO UTILIZE LINKED-IN
• Post presentations (.ppt, pdf., etc.) about what you are working on
• Do research on job candidates by querying their connections
• Post examples of your work: project photography or case studies
• Explore teaming opportunities with likeminded firms
• Incorporate your blog into your Linked-In profile
• Research competitors or new market sectors
• Use the Answers function to request help from your contacts
• Create a link in your e-mail signature to your Linked-In profile
• Dedicate 1 hour/week to building relationships and connections
• Practice random acts of kindness: write recommendations for others
• Treat your followers and connections as VIPs with special offers or advice
• Survey contacts about your company’s performance or image
WHAT NOT TO DO
• Lifecasting – we don’t care what you had for breakfast
• Appearing like you have no life outside of updating your profile
• Too much self promotion or sales pitching (Balance giving with getting)
• Not having a strategy (know what are you trying to accomplish)
• Not synchronizing your social media strategy with traditional media
• Letting IT establish your social media presence. This is a marketing function.
• Thinking you are broadcasting when it’s really all about narrowcasting
• Being too stiff and using corporatespeak
• Behaving like an ass and thinking you have some sort of on-line immunity
If you, like many, are wondering what to do with a Linked-In account, register for my upcoming webinar: Linked-In for Marketers: a tour and tips
CONNECT WITH ME ON:
Linked-In
Facebook
by davidlecours | Feb 11, 2009 | Branding, Strategy
As Professional Service Marketers, we have the challenge of persuading prospects to purchase something that doesn’t exist. Prospects cannot “test drive” their future multi-million dollar building. Sure, you can show past projects, but that doesn’t guarantee future success. Especially if the project incorporates new technology.
The solution to this dilemma is to have a unique project delivery process that demonstrates your ability to solve problems and deliver successful projects. This communicates to the prospective client, “we don’t know all the answers to the questions your project may present. But, we have a proven process that consistently allows us to find the right answers.” By showing how you’ve helped other clients with your unique process, you put the prospect at ease, and you differentiate your firm from your competition.
1. Process Defined
Process is simply your project delivery method spanning from initial meeting through the life cycle of the building.
2. Why Brand Your Process?
There are many reasons to make your process a persuasive tool to convince clients to select your firm. First, services like Architecture, Engineering, and Contracting are simply a promise. So, we need to empathize with the scary leap of faith our clients make in entrusting us to deliver on our promise. A proven process helps to soothe client fears during the emotional sales cycle. Also, process is an opportunity to differentiate you from your competition. Process is scalable and can be implemented at firms sized from 1″“1000 to reinforce brand consistency across all branch offices. Finally, process is an asset that can live beyond the founding principals of your firm. This can add value in the event of ownership transition, merger or acquisition.
3. Develop, Articulate and Brandâ„ Your Process
Begin with listing the various steps your firm goes through to successfully complete a project. Determine all the key checkpoints for quality assurance. As you make this list, filter it through the positioning of what makes your firm unique. In other words, don’t focus on things that everyone else does. Work with a writer or brand communications firm to articulate your process in a way that is simple and compelling to a prospective client. Then brand it with a memorable name and even register it as a service mark. Our process, called The Joy of Six, is described in greater detail here. I recommend a circular process to close the loop by measuring results of the completed project. This informs an improved next project and hopefully get you re-hired.
4. Demonstrate How Your Process Yields Success
When meeting with prospective clients, don’t just show a portfolio of completed projects. Demonstrate how you reach successful results by presenting highlights of each project phase in the context of your newly branded process. Show sketches, talk about overcoming challenges, and share how intelligence gained in one project phase informs success in the next. When a prospect sees how your process delivers on past promises, it plants the seed of future success in in that prospect’s mind.
FREE .pdf of this advice
