AEC Marketing Views

CIM Auction is Today!

2012-01-25T11:39:00.001-05:00

The seventh annual Concrete Industry Management (CIM) Auction is being held today at the World of Concrete in Las Vegas.

"The 2012 Auction will be the biggest ever," said Brian Gallagher CIM Marketing Committee Chairman. "We have over 100 items in the CIM Auction this year."

For those not attending the World of Concrete, you can bid online. Please visit www.rbauction.com to register.

QR Codes and AEC Marketing

2011-10-28T22:58:00.003-04:00

A growing trend in marketing is the use of QR codes. An abbreviation for Quick Response, QR codes can be found on a variety of marketing items including advertisement, brochures, mailers and specific products.

QR codes are gaining in popularity because these codes allow people to get information quickly. In addition, the explosion of Smartphone technology has made reading QR codes easier.

QR codes first gained acceptance in the manufacturing. QR codes are similar to bar codes. However, there are some differences. Bar codes, which are typically used for inventory tracking, are one dimensional pattern and can hold a limited amount of information. QR codes are designed in a two dimensional pattern and can thousand of alphanumeric characters.

QR codes are scanned or read by QR code readers on Smartphones such as iPhones, Blackberries, and Android phones. These devises take a picture of the QR code and link to a web site via a web browser; activate a phone function such as an SMS message, a phone number, an Instant Message (IM) or SMS Message.

Creating a QR code is relatively easy. There are a number of QR code generators that are available online. These tools will walk you through the process and provide you with a QR code you can put on your materials.

Here are links to popular QR code generating sites:

• Kaywa www. qrcode.kaywa.com/

• QR Stuff www.qrstuff.com

• Dliver www.delivr.com/qr-code-generator

• ScanTag www.scantag.com

Here are some examples of AEC firms can use QR codes include:

• As a call to action on direct mail pieces

• In advertisements

• On brochures to provide a link to a web site or landing page

• As an email signature

• On business cards

• On products or packaging

• On job site signage

• At rade shows

• On trucks or job site trailers

• On recruiting materials

• Integrated into your social media efforts (to gain Likes and Follows)

Like other marketing techniques, QR codes are another part of the marketing mix. QR codes can be great tools to engage your audience. Before you get started with QR codes, look at how other companies and organizations are using QR codes and think of ways they can be used in your business.

Are you using QR codes in the AEC marketing efforts? Share your examples with me. E-mail me at bgallagher@leadingwithmarketing.com.

Business Etiquette and the AEC Firm

2011-10-25T22:25:00.000-04:00

All too often companies in the AEC industry overlook a fundamental aspect of doing business: etiquette. Architecture, engineering and construction firms typically hire people for their technical abilities. Communication skills, professional dress, networking and other aspects of business can be just as important to professional success.

One firm, O'Neal, Inc., an integrated design and construction firm based in Greenville, SC, has developed a successful approach to helping its employee-owners develop soft skills.

"If they went to engineering school, there's no curriculum that talks about how do you do sales. In fact, these guys picked engineering so they probably wouldn't ever have to deal with it, said Kevin Bean, president of O'Neal.

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ABI Drops Again

2011-10-19T22:42:00.000-04:00

The Architecture Billings Index (ABI) dropped in September. A leading indicator of construction activity, the ABI was down in September after a slight increase in August.

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O'Neal Gets Boost From Industry

2011-10-09T22:33:00.000-04:00

This recent article in the Greenville News focuses on the growth of O'Neal, an integrated design and construction firm.

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CIM Announces 2012 Auction at WOC

2011-08-25T22:35:00.001-04:00

The Concrete Industry Management (CIM) program – a business intensive program that awards students with a four-year Bachelor of Science degree in Concrete Industry Management – is seeking donations for their seventh annual auction to be held at the World of Concrete. The auction is scheduled for Wednesday, Jan. 25 at the Las Vegas Convention Center. The silent auction will be held from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. and the live auction begins at 1 p.m.

According to Gene Martineau, Chairman of the CIM National Steering Committee, "The proceeds from the 2012 Auction will benefit the CIM National Steering Committee (NSC) and support the current CIM programs, the new Executive MBA program, as well as help fund future program expansion."

Organizers hope the 2012 Auction is even bigger than the 2011 Auction, which raised over $500,000. The money raised from the CIM Auction will benefit the NSC and support the CIM programs at Middle Tennessee State University, Arizona State University, New Jersey Institute of Technology, Texas State University and the California State University - Chico.

"The NSC of CIM has raised more than $2 million through the previous six CIM Auctions," said Brian Gallagher, CIM Marketing Committee Chairman. "We've been blessed with tremendous support from the concrete industry. The World of Concrete (WOC) Show Management, Hanley Wood Publications, The Concrete Producer magazine, Concrete Construction magazine, McNeilus and Ritchie Bros. Auctioneers have been with us from the beginning," he added.

Previous auction items has included concrete mixer trucks, cement, skid steers, concrete saws, drills, mixers, vibrators, scaffolding, safety equipment, screeds, fiber transport systems, dust collectors, NDT equipment, decorative concrete tools, water meters, pumps, generators, training sessions, reference books, advertisements, laptop computers, mobile computers, sports memorabilia, sports travel packages, golf school packages and vacation travel packages.

Those interested in making a donation should contact CIM Auction Committee Chairman Gene Martineau at eugenemartineau@comcast.net or 904-735-5537.

Building an Effective College Recruiting Program

2011-08-20T14:50:00.000-04:00

Company growth requires a constant infusion of talent. One effective means of obtaining new talent is a proactive college recruiting program. However, such an effort requires focus, commitment and persistence to consistently pay dividends. Just like the marketing and sales process, an effective college recruiting program requires a strong focus on relationships and branding.

Getting started

For AEC firms, the process starts by identifying target schools that offer programs that will produce students that meet your needs for engineers, project managers, estimators and business people. Identify programs with solid engineering, construction management and business programs that are in close proximity to your offices. Then, the next step is building relationships with faculty, professors and students.

You’ll likely need to try some atypical marketing techniques to reach today’s students. It is no secret that today’s college students are tech savvy and they do research a lot differently than how you likely searched for a job. As such, be sure to utilize a variety of media outlets and technologies to promote your company brand. Your efforts must include proactive, integrated communication efforts. For example, begin by evaluating your website. Do you have a content-rich section geared toward students? Be sure to use videos, podcasts, and other multi-media tools to reach this audience in a language that speaks to them. Also develop an integrated approach to using Web 2.0 strategies that incorporate tools such as Facebook, wikis, e-newsletters, text messaging and other tools commonly used by students. Be sure that your communication also addresses parents as they have become increasingly more involved in their children’s decision and career choices.

Another key component of building awareness about your firm is through career fairs as they are a great tool to reach a broad array of students. Many colleges and universities have general career fairs as well as specific engineering and construction fairs. Since attendance at most career fairs typically consists of juniors and sophomores, you have a great opportunity to establish a relationship and explore internship and co-op possibilities. Internships are a great way to provide professional experience for students as well as an opportunity for you to evaluate them as potential employees. Most important, internships provide a means for you to develop a relationship. Ideally, internships and this relationship can start after the sophomore year, and can possibly continue for a second internship. Students that have a good internship experience are likely to look heavily at your firm upon graduation. In addition, they become ambassadors for your company as they share their experience with students and professors. However, don’t simply show up to a career fair with your standard booth that you use at industry trade shows. Rather, be sure to invest in engaging, quality graphics and multi-media tools that speak to students. Also consider taking advantage of on-campus interviews that are usually offered in conjunction with career fairs. The same rules apply for recruitment pieces -- develop engaging, and interesting materials that fully articulate your company’s capabilities, career opportunities, and advantages.

In addition to various media outlets and career fairs, groups such as Chi Epsilon, ASCE, ACI and others are an excellent way to reach and build relationships with students. Consider offering guest speakers, hosting a social event, funding a project, or participate in other innovative ways to develop a relationship with the groups. An added bonus is that the student group officers are typically high-potential candidates.

It is also prudent to build relationships with the academic community. Professors and other faculty members can help identify high-potential students for internships, part-time work and for full-time positions. Further, they typically have great insight into a student’s work ethic, intelligence and interaction skills. Therefore, it is important to establish and maintain relationships with professors. Start by researching faculty members, their background and classes they teach. Offer to be a guest speaker or host a class trip to a job site or engineering office. Professors are also looking for “real projects” that can serve as cases or projects for their students. Also consider teaching a full semester long course as an adjunct professor. Be sure to also reach out to professors that serve as faculty advisors to the aforementioned students groups.

Building a brand on campus

Ultimately, your goal is to present your firm as an employer of choice for students. Like all consumers, students tend to gravitate to brands they know. As such, it is important to develop a strategy for developing your brand on campus that goes beyond career fairs. Ideas include sponsorships of student competitions such as the steel bridge or concrete canoe contests. Also be sure to take advantage of advertising opportunities in student newspapers, directories and other publications. Further, consider offering named scholarships, making donations to capital campaigns, sponsoring events, or distributing shirts, hats and other premium items as means to gain exposure on campus.

Another important audience that is essential to building your brand is the career services or counseling departments. Strong relationships with career services offices also can have many benefits. Counselors can identify candidates and recommend your firm to students. Also be sure to take advantage of job boards, web postings and other ways of promoting your firm. For example, offer to host a seminar about your business or a generic topic such as “Career Options in Engineering,” “What General Contractors Look For in New Hires,” or another relevant topic. Also consider having a recent grad that works for your firm be part of the presentation. Students are more likely to relate to someone closer to their age, ideally a graduate of that school. Send new brochures, press clippings and articles to the Career Services staff, faculty and professors.

Next Steps

In addition to a proactive, detailed marketing program for your recruitment efforts, it is important that you have outlined the type of student you are looking for to join your team. Develop specific profiles and potential career paths for the types of students you want to reach, including the establishment of goals, expectations and desired results. This clarity will help ensure you find a good match and create success for both you and the student.

Like any other marketing or sales effort, it is important to identify a champion within your firm to be accountable for implementing and managing the college recruiting program for each campus. College students have a number of choices when starting their career. By developing a proactive, coordinated approach to college recruiting, your firm can ensure a strong brand and a steady flow of talent to grow your business. The result will be the establishment of a solid pipeline of talent coming into your organization.

Debt Deal Does Little For Construction

2011-08-05T22:55:00.000-04:00

Now that the great debt deal of 2011 has been consummated, what does it mean for the construction industry? Despite all of the press and attention the Debt Ceiling debate garnered, the impact on the construction industry will not be very positive. The leadership in Washington did not do enough of the right things to spur confidence and investment.

The country needed closure, but we got another extension. The deal formed a "Super Congress" that will meet later this year to determine what programs to cut. This alone creates more uncertainty as we must wait to see what programs are cut. The administration and Congress don't seem to understand that business leaders need certainty to invest and run their businesses.

Construction projects are likely to suffer. When the Super Congress meets, numerous programs are going to be cut in order to meet the deficit reduction mandates set. Infrastructure and other construction projects are likely to be reduced or cut. The Super Congress is expected to make recommendations by Thanksgiving, with the full Congress voting on the recommendations by the Christmas holiday.

Not enough was done. After weeks of build-up, debate, and controversy, little was done. In the end, the Debt Ceiling was raised, and minimal cuts were made. Hardly enough to boost confidence and get spending under control. In addition, the president and Congress failed to get to the $4 billion in cuts needed to maintain the country's AAA rating. In the coming weeks, don't be surprised if the U.S. is downgraded for the first time in our history.

ABC Carolinas Names O'Neal GC of the Year

2011-08-03T22:39:00.000-04:00

Associated Builders and Contractors of the Carolinas has named O’Neal, Inc., its General Contractor of the Year.

O’Neal, an integrated design and construction firm with offices in Atlanta, Greenville, and Raleigh, was recognized for its outstanding business practices and service to the industry. O’Neal will be officially honored during the ABC Carolinas Construction Conference Aug. 4-6 in Charleston.

“Being recognized by peers in our profession makes us extremely proud and honored. We are proud to be the only general contractor in North or South Carolina to achieve this distinction,” said Kevin Bean, O’Neal president and CEO. “We have assembled a strong, growing team of project delivery professionals that create cost-effective capital solutions for our customers. This honor is a reflection of the hard work of our employee-owners, and we are grateful that ABC recognized us.”

“O’Neal and their employees represent what ABC stands for: Free Enterprise and The Merit Shop Philosophy,” said Doug Carlson, president and CEO of ABC Carolinas Chapter. “O’Neal supports ABC’s mission with passion and integrity and is a leader in our industry, not a follower.”

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AEC Marketing Veterans to Speak at SMPS

2011-08-03T11:52:00.002-04:00

Brian Gallagher and Kimberly Kayler, CPSM, both long-time architecture/engineering/construction (AEC) industry veterans, will discuss the importance of leadership in the marketing function at the Society for Marketing Professional Services (SMPS) annual conference.

Their session, entitled “Leading with Marketing,” will be held from 1:30-2:45 on Thursday, Aug. 25 at the Sheraton Chicago Hotel & Towers at part of SMPS’ Build Business: The Bottom Line.

The presentation will highlight many of the themes in the book Gallagher and Kayler co-authored, Leading with Marketing. Published by AuthorHouse and available from amazon.com, the American Concrete Institute as well as through Hanley Wood at the World of Concrete, the book is a comprehensive resource for creating, building and managing successful AEC marketing programs.

According to Gallagher, investing in marketing initiatives can be a key driver for profitable growth for AEC firms. These marketing initiatives ultimately lead to a constant flow of new business opportunities.

“We have seen first-hand the impact marketing can have on growing AEC firms,” said Gallagher. “Our presentation is designed to provide an overview and a roadmap for all involved in marketing and sales in the AEC industry.”

According to Kayler, Leading with Marketing embodies how a company approaches their business, their marketplace, and their customers.

“Whether it is handled by a department or an individual, marketing is a leadership function in every AEC firm,” said Kayler. “When companies lead with marketing, they choose which markets to target, what services to offer, how to differentiate, how to communicate, and how to win.”

Based on years of actual experience with a diverse variety of companies and associations in the AEC industry, the authors wrote this book with the intent of bridging the gap between traditional marketing concepts and emerging marketing trends, while providing a contextual link to the construction business. The authors note that this is not another book about how to write a marketing plan. Rather, the mission of this book is to help change the way those in the industry think about marketing, so firms can select the right target audiences, communicate with them effectively, and create profitable opportunities. It is designed specifically as a tool for professionals in the AEC fields that are providing leadership to the marketing efforts, with a complete overview of marketing process, tools, systems and best practices. Companies that market services such as architecture, engineering and construction services; as well as companies that sell products, such as materials, systems, and other products used in construction, will find the marketing principles outlined in this book to be beneficial.

Gallagher has served in executive level marketing positions with industry leading engineering, construction and manufacturing organizations. In his roles with O’Neal, Inc, Structural Group and Williams Scotsman, he has provided strategic leadership to the sales and marketing teams. His extensive background and knowledge of the construction industry enables innovative and effective marketing programs. He frequently writes and speaks on marketing topics. In addition, he has co-founded a marketing and sales consultancy, GBM Marketing, and launched several industry-specific web portals.

Gallagher holds a bachelor’s degree in Marketing from Towson University and an M.B.A. from Loyola College. He also has served as an Adjunct Assistant Professor of Marketing at Loyola College. He has served in leadership roles for various committees with the American Concrete Institute, the Associated Builders and Contractors, the Post-Tensioning Institute, the Concrete Industry Management Program, the SC Solar Business Alliance, and other organizations. He also is a member of the Society of Marketing Professional Services.

With a journalism degree and a decade of high-level experience serving engineering, architecture and construction firms as a corporate marketing executive, as well as experience working for a full-service advertising/marketing communications agency, Kayler started Constructive Communication, Inc. in 2001 to serve the needs of technical and professional service firms. Clients include five international concrete associations; a variety of general contractors, engineers and architects from around the country; as well as firms in the aerospace, chemical and industrial sectors. Services provided by the growing Constructive Communication, Inc. team include technical writing, proposal development, public and media relations, social media and marketing/communications.

The author of more than 1,250 published articles on a variety of concrete, construction, design, marketing and other technical subjects, Kayler was the first to earn the Certified Professional Services Marketer designation in the state of Ohio from the Society of Marketing Professional Services. She is a frequent speaker on technical marketing and public relations and is a registered provider through the American Institute of Architects. Although she is a graduate of the University of Arizona, she now calls Columbus, Ohio home. She has a M.S. in Organizational Management with an emphasis in Leadership from Capella University and she is a member of SMPS and the Construction Specifications Institute. She is a volunteer with the Junior Achievement program and she serves on the Board of Directors for the Dublin Foundation, the Dublin Convention & Visitors Bureau. Further, she is co-founder of the Women in Concrete Alliance (WomenInConcrete.org).

To find out more about the conference, visit BuildBusiness.org. Those interested in learning more about the book, its contents and how to order it should visit LeadingWithMarketing.com.

Establish Your Employment Brand

2011-07-29T21:54:00.000-04:00

The Wall Street Journal recently featured an article, In Quest For Job Candidates, Companies Aim to Look Cool. The essence of the article is that as hiring is rebounding, companies are focusing on marketing themselves as great places to work. While attracting new recruits to the construction industry has always been challenging, the devastating impact the economy has had on the industry creates a bigger challenge. As we continue to rebound, many in the design and construction industry are still actively seeking qualified individuals to fill positions. Establishing and building an employment brand is more important than ever for firms in the AEC industry.

Recruitment branding
Job seekers have become increasingly savvy and the Internet has given them an opportunity to learn a great deal about a company before ever having an interview. Often a hot topic in marketing circles, branding is coming up more in discussions of recruiting skilled employees. Smart firms recognize that branding your company goes far beyond marketing your products and services. In fact, establishing an employment brand can play a big role in both attracting and retaining employees.

The brand promise
Products and companies have a brand that tells consumers about the company and helps set the expectation for their experience with that product. This same principle applies for recruiting. Recruiting branding should clearly communicate ideas and expectations associated with your company and help create a desire for candidates to work at your firm. One of the key principles of effective recruiting is creating an image where you are viewed as the “employer of choice.” This is another method for differentiating your company from others.

So, how do you begin to differentiate your firm? The first place to look is within your company. Begin by surveying employees to determine what they value the most about working in your firm. Sit down with your top performers and discuss what they like about their jobs, why do they stay, what do they think will make the company appealing to outsiders, and more. Use the results of the survey to identify four to five value points for your company. As with branding a product or service, you should then turn these value points into key messages about your company. These messages will serve as the key selling points about your firm to perspective employees and should be clear and compelling. Consider engaging your marketing team to help develop messages and strategies.

Beyond surveying, use exit interviews of employees as an opportunity to uncover hidden or emerging issues within your firm. An exit interview is a strategic tool to understand what people value and what issues they have. It is crucial to learn why an employee is going to work for a new firm, because it can provide insight to what your firm can do to retain more employees. Are your salaries much lower than the competition? Is your benefits package not as comprehensive? Do you need to reevaluate your firm’s culture? Exit interviews can help you determine if there is a gap between what you perceive and what your employees perceive. If one is identified, it needs to be fixed promptly to eliminate a flood of employees leaving. This process can also assist with identifying key messages by learning what prompts employees to select a firm. Use the information to refine or drive home points in your key messages.

Once the messages are developed, they should be tested internally. Share them with your team members and determine if they agree with the statements or have any ideas for improvement. After they have passed the internal testing, develop a plan to communicate the messages. Everyone from on-campus recruiters to hiring managers and interviewers must be on the same page and emphasizing the same points. Interviewees should be hearing from several different levels why your firm is different and why it is the place to work. Consistency is key when delivering key messages or beginning branding efforts.

We are all recruiters here
Similar to the philosophy that everyone in your firm is a marketer, everyone is also a recruiter. This is why it is critical to develop an elevator speech so employees can quickly and clearly articulate information about your company. The 30-second speech should explain the real benefits to working at your firm and how you are different from other firms. Each interaction your employees have with people – trade shows, industry events, projects, etc. – provides opportunities to network and get the word out about your company and employment opportunities. To encourage employees to seek out referrals, regularly post your positions internally, and consider offering referral incentives. Ultimately, it is the job of all team members to market your company and sell candidates on the opportunity.

In addition to ensuring all team members are selling the firm in the same manner, there must be a consistent message on your recruiting materials, website, and other marketing venues. Carefully consider the tone of your messages. It is important to not be over the top and take a warm, friendly and welcoming tone. Consider including thoughts from current employees that span a wide demographic – a new hire, someone who has been with the company for year, etc. Develop profiles, Q and As, and even videos with team members. Let them help sell the experience of working at your firm.

Go beyond the traditional employment recruitment efforts to get the message out. In today’s electronic age, prospective employees will always search the Internet for information about a firm. Use blogs, social networking sites and other emerging tools to help attract team members and properly position your firm. Develop articles about your company and people to showcase how you are different. An often forgotten tool in recruiting efforts, public relations also is a great tool to get the message out about your firm. It provides third-party credibility that is hard to achieve with other mediums and gives you the opportunity to dispense your key messages to a wider audience. Also consider entering “Best Places to Work” contests. Fortune magazine runs their survey every year and most local business journals and even some specific industry publications have similar contests.

Share the story
Finally, never under-estimate the power of story-telling. People can easily relate to other people sharing a story. In recruitment efforts, it is critical to personalize the process and make a human connection with prospective employees. Career choices are some of the biggest choices we make as they affect nearly every other aspect of our life. People want to feel comfortable with their selection and know that their contributions will be valued. In either a good or bad economy, recruiting branding is critical to getting the right employees. This process helps drive people to your firm, which make you an employer of choice.

FMI's Construction Index Released for 2nd Quarter 2011

2011-05-24T09:03:00.000-04:00

FMI recently released its Nonresidential Construction Index (NRCI) report for the second quarter of 2011. The report indicates a continued increase in construction activity. The NRCI moved up 1.4 points to 58.7 for the second quarter, depite of adjustments made to accommodate the rising cost of materials, For the fifth quarter in a row, the Index has been slightly positive.

Nonresidential construction continues its slow recovery. The report cites an increase in consumer spending, rising material costs, skyrocketing gas prices, an increase in auto sales, and the impact of the Japanese disasters has had on the supply chain as impacts to the construction economy.
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Log on to FMINet.com to download a complimentary copy of the full report: NRCI 2Q 2011

Job Creation Through Solar Energy

2011-05-05T12:06:00.000-04:00

This Op-Ed appeared in the Greenville News on April 16, 2011.

As the 2011 legislative session continues, one of the top concerns of South Carolina citizens continues to be job creation. Right now, over 10 percent of our citizens are unemployed, many of them skilled workers. As our lawmakers search for viable options to put our state back to work, we are missing out on a veritable gold mine of economic development: alternative and renewable energy production, particularly solar energy.

Despite recent investment announcements by businesses, traditional manufacturing jobs in South Carolina have consistently declined during the past few decades. Many states around the U.S. ¬ particularly those in the Southeast - have been aggressively developing strategies and incentives to attract clean and green industries that will result in investment and job creation.

Last year, the South Carolina Legislature took positive steps towards embracing clean energy. The Economic Competitiveness Act included a tax credit for manufacturers of green energy equipment and materials. While this is a critical first step, it is not enough to attract investment and stimulate demand for solar energy. Our state needs to implement legislation that includes new tax credits for large-scale utility and commercial installations, as well as an increase in incentives for residential installations.

There is a direct correlation between incentives that stimulate demand in solar energy and capital investment in manufacturing facilities and green job creation. A recent Clemson University study revealed that establishing commercial and residential incentives in South Carolina would be net revenue positive.

Currently, electricity generated from renewable resources such as wind and solar typically costs more than power generated from coal, nuclear or natural gas. In the last few years, additional manufacturing capacity, increased demand and technological advances have driven down the cost of solar energy. While a gap between the cost of traditional and renewable power still exists, it is closing - and incentives can help close that gap sooner.

The reality is that energy prices will remain volatile. Increased demand from the United States and from China, India and developing countries will drive energy prices higher. Reliable and stable energy is central to our country’s economic security and environmental future. Solar will not replace fossil and nuclear as primary fuel sources in the U.S., but solar technology has a role in a more balanced energy portfolio.

We have tremendous resources in South Carolina that we can leverage for clean and green energy. We have the Savannah River National Laboratories, Clemson University, the University of South Carolina, our technical colleges, and others that are engaged in renewable energy education and research. One of the major utilities serving South Carolina, Duke Energy, is viewed nationally as a leader in solar technology. However, the majority of their solar projects are not in South Carolina; they are in states that have legislation that encourages and incentivizes solar.

North Carolina has a comprehensive incentive program for renewable energy production companies. Incentives are attractive to these businesses – so much so that in the last three years, nearly 300 companies chose to relocate to or open locations in North Carolina, resulting in over 12,500 green jobs. Tennessee and Georgia, which also have more attractive incentives than South Carolina, have landed several large manufacturers during the last few years that produce materials and products for the solar industry.

It is inevitable, given the finite nature of fossil fuels, that the federal government will pass legislation mandating alternative renewable energy programming for each state. When it does, demand for solar products, designers and installers will spike. Right now, the infrastructure to service this industry is going to our neighboring states. It would be prudent for our lawmakers to implement an energy program that best meets our state’s needs rather than waiting for a program to be written for us.

We must leverage our strengths that are attractive to green businesses and become a leader in the emerging green economy. These strengths include an educated and trained workforce; strong partnerships between our universities and businesses, and a link between our legislative agenda and economic development. We are well positioned to be a leader in green industries. Now we need the vision to create conditions so the manufacturing investments and new jobs come to South Carolina, not North Carolina, Georgia and Tennessee.

CIM Announces Executive MBA Program

2011-03-16T19:12:00.002-04:00

During a press conference at the 2011 CONEXPO-Con/Agg show in Las Vegas, Nev. on March 22 at 10 a.m. in Room N249-251, the Concrete Industry Management (CIM) program – a business intensive program that awards students with a four-year Bachelor of Science degree in Concrete Industry Management – will announce the addition of a unique Master of Business Administration (MBA) degree in Concrete Industry Management. The program – which will be offered through the Jennings A. Jones College of Business at Middle Tennessee State University (MTSU) – is designed to expand the industry-academic partnership by bringing CIM to the business world through an Executive-type MBA in CIM and stand alone in its focused curriculum on the concrete and construction industry.

“A continued interest has encouraged CIM and the National Steering Committee (NSC) to develop a master’s program that suits the needs of the concrete industry,” said Eugene Martineau, NSC Executive Director. “Since CIM is still a young degree program, most interest came from industry professionals with business, liberal arts or technical degree backgrounds. All those expressing interest in seeking this degree desired to stay with their current position and complete a concrete industry material-infused MBA delivered primarily through a distance learning format.”

Beginning in August 2012, with an initial recruiting class of 25, the18-month-long program will be administered in 10-week blocks. The program will be presented by the Jennings A. Jones College of Business on the campus of MTSU in Murfreesboro, Tenn. The format will include distance learning, webinars and on-campus visits to MTSU. This distinctive program will be a partner structure for networking and sharing experiences, while fostering a collaborative learning environment and allowing national recruitment with limited campus visits that are intensive and focused.

According to Dr. Heather Brown, Director and Associate Professor of the CIM program at MTSU, “The Executive model for specific industries has been developed at other institutions for banking, healthcare, education and technical fields. It is our intention to make this a top-notch program that serves the entire country with a concrete and construction-infused MBA.”

Embracing the Madness

2011-03-16T10:17:00.000-04:00

It's that time of year again: March Madness! Every year, employees flock to college basketball. With many employees having smart phones, iPads and other devises, access to tournament pools and live game stream will be at an all time high this year. Rather than fight the madness, embrace it. Consider March Madness as an opportunity to create a fun atmosphere, engage employees, and build morale.

According to a report by consulting firm Challenger, Gray and Christmas, March Madness will cost companies $192 million in lost productivity. Challenger estimates that total online viewership during work hours is likely to reach at least 8.4 million hours during this year’s tournament, which begins with special qualifying games on Tuesday, March 15. Multiply that figure by the average hourly earnings of $22.87 among private-sector workers and the financial impact exceeds $192 million.

“Over the three weeks of the tournament, the nation's 108 million workers will have logged more than 11 billion hours of work. The 8.4 million hours lost to March Madness is a relative drop in the bucket, accounting for less than one-tenth of one percent (about 0.07 percent) of the total hours American
workers will put in over the three weeks of the tournament,” said Challenger, Gray & Christmas CEO John A. Challenger.

"Basically, there is no measurable impact on the economy or even an individual company's bottom line. However, if you ask department managers or IT staff whether March Madness has a noticeable effect on
productivity, they are likely to answer in the affirmative. The situation is comparable to a traffic accident, which does not have any measurable impact on the overall economy, but if you happen to be stuck in the resulting congestion and arrive late to work because of it, it has an immediate and noticeable impact on your day’s productivity.

Allowing employees to stream video can ave an impact on your IT infrastructure performance. “For an office with 50 to 100 workers, five or ten people streaming basketball games will definitely have an impact on everyone else’s Internet speed,” said Challenger.

Here are some tips for embracing the Madness:

Organize an Office Bracket Contest- Consider setting up a company bracket challenge. Sites such as CBS Sports and ESPN offer free private brackets. Invite employees to participate. Avoid requiring entry fees and cash prizes to avoid any legal issues. Offer prizes in the form of company merchandise. Be sure that your efforts are not encouraging gambling.

Host a Tip Off Party- It is amazing how many employees suddenly come down with a cold on Tipoff Thursday. Consider holding an event where you stream the games in for employees. For a few dollars you can bring in some snacks and beverages for employees to enjoy.

Embrace the Theme- Consider adding basketball-themed items and decorations around the office.

March Madness can be an exciting time for companies and employees. Embrace the opportunity to build morale and create a environment where people enjoy coming to work.

2011 CMO Guide to the Social Media Landscape

2011-03-10T09:35:00.000-05:00

Social media strategies are clearly a must have for AEC firms. With the social media landscape constantly changing, keep track of the different tools can be a daunting task. To help with this, CMO.com recently released the 2nd social media media landscape tool. The CMO.com tool provides a great overview of social media outlets and their role in communications, SEO, brand exposure and driving site traffic.

A PDF of the tool can be downloaded here.

Creating and Re-purposing Content

2011-03-08T20:23:00.003-05:00

We've all hear that content is king in the new digital age of marketing. But many in the AEC industry simply struggle with how to develop quality content. Fortunately, content exists in each of our firms. We just need to know how to identify it, shape it, distribute it, and re-purpose it.

Quality content is information, news, or perspectives that provide value to the readers. Start with what you already have and re-purpose the content. Content does not always have to be a 2,500 word white paper. Short 250 word articles can be as valuable.

For years, I've been able to re-purpose content. For example, that project you submitted for the annual association awards competition can easily be re-purposed into a case history for your website, a blog entry, a subject for an article, an eNews feature and even a tweet.

Projects
Projects are an obvious source of content. Project awards, ground-breakings, and ribbon cuttings are low hanging fruit for AEC firms. Each presents a PR opportunity. Consider getting comments from owners, economic development people and elected officials. These also make for great photo opportunities.

Q&A

Question and Answer features with the executive team or key leaders in your organization can provide significant content that is valuable to readers. While these can be effective, be sure to focus on what is of value to the readers.

Viewpoints

Develop article about key trends and activities in your industry. These viewpoints can be very interesting, relevant and even introspective. Be careful to steer clear of controversial issues. Examples are green construction trend, safety training programs, technology on the job site, emerging trends related to BIM, etc.

Content is indeed critical in marketing communications for AEC firms. Having an on-going process to capture, create and disseminate quality content requires focus and commitment. These efforts can go a long way in building awareness, establishing credibility and establishing thought leadership.

Preparing for the Future

2011-02-06T16:04:00.000-05:00

Recent reports have indicated the economy is starting a slow recovery. Depending on the report, the U.S. economy is projected to grow between 3 to 4 % in 2011. As the economy continues its slow recovery, businesses in the construction industry face dynamic challenges. However, while many tighten their belts and cut their expenditures, in challenging economic times and competitive conditions, marketing is more important than ever. While dollars may be tight, studies show that a consistent presence in the marketplace now will pay dividends in the future. The challenging economy presents an excellent opportunity to review your marketing efforts and ensure you are acquiring new and retaining existing customers. Further, many have shown that marketing dollars invested in a down economy are actually more valuable than those spent in a good economy as you gain greater market presence.

Regardless of the economy, marketing strategies must be constantly reviewed to ensure business goals are being met. This is definitely true in a down economy, as it is a great time to take advantage of limited marketing spending by others, which improves your chances of getting noticed and standing out. In other words, turn the challenging economy into an opportunity. Although it may seem prudent or even appear to be a good business decision to cut back on marketing costs to “save money,” it is very important to maintain consistency and stay true to your marketing goals. After all, the need for building a brand and creating awareness, as well as generating leads for opportunities, doesn’t go away when the economy is sluggish. In fact, it is more important than ever.

Many would even argue that marketing during a downturn actually gets you more “bang for your buck.” In fact, marketing dollars invested during down economies when others are cutting back are more valuable than dollars spent in more vibrant economies. This is because that dollar spent represents a greater share of the total marketing expenditure. After all, when your competitors choose to cut back on their advertising and marketing budgets, such a scenario results in less of a presence from your competition in the marketplace and a greater impact will be realized with your efforts. For example, as competitors cut back marketing spending, they are likely cutting back on investments in search engine optimization and marketing. Take advantage of this and rise in the search engine result pages. Further, with decreased revenue, many publications may be willing to negotiate lower prices or value-added package deals, editorial opportunities, or even merchandising opportunities. It also is a great time to invest in public relations as publications may tighten their freelance budgets and are likely looking for article content. Another opportunity may be creative partnerships with vendors such as trade show hosts, printers, advertizing agencies and more as these firms want to keep their own staffs busy and may be willing to negotiate more than during the bustling times. Digital media is another opportunity. Be sure to take advantage of the efficiencies of digital which include lower costs and improved tracking opportunities.

Marketing and advertising during a sluggish economy also boosts the confidence that customers and potential customers have in your company as your consistent market presence will deliver the message that you are a strong, viable, stable company. Such a message contributes to long-term brand building and supports your differentiation strategy. And, when the economy builds again, the top-of-mind awareness you’ve built will result in a sustainable competitive advantage.

In sales, there typically is not a better source of future revenue then your current customers. And, this holds true in tight economic times. Your current customers already have a relationship with you, and hopefully you have performed for them. Marketing to your current customers is critical during downturns. Continue to invest in integrated marketing programs to maintain constant contact with your customers. Find more ways to add value by offering current customers a new or expanded offering of services and products. Offering complimentary services and products is an excellent way of providing more value to your customers. This can also be achieved by forming strategic alliances with companies that offer complementary products and services. Again, the goal is to find opportunities to provide more value and forge deeper relationships.

While downturns in the economy are challenging, they also force us to look at our activities and initiatives and make tough decisions. In reality, this is a very healthy process, and forces us to look at the return on marketing investment. A critical evaluation of marketing investments will result in greater efficiencies and more effective programs.

Consistency is important in marketing. Consistent investments in marketing yield consistent results in terms of lead, opportunities, closed sales and ultimately, profits. Resist the urge to slash marketing investment and seize the opportunity build your brand, generate more opportunities, and drive more profitable revenue.

CIM Raises $500,000 in Auction

2011-01-29T16:10:00.000-05:00

The National Steering Committee (NSC) for the Concrete Industry Management (CIM) program raised more than $500,000 in gross revenue at its sixth annual auction, held in conjunction with the World of Concrete on Thursday, Jan. 20.

According to Brian Gallagher, Chairman of the Marketing Committee for the NSC, this year’s auction totals are nearly $120,000 more than the 2010 event. “The attendance at the auction was greater than ever before – both on-site and online. The expanded participation this year from internet bidders was a key as we sold $97,000 worth of items through online bidding.”

The signature item this year was a Mack Truck model GU713 equipped with a McNeilus 11-cubic-yard Bridgemaster® concrete mixer donated by Mack Trucks, Inc. and McNeilus Companies, Inc. The winning bidder of the mixer truck was San Benito Supply from Northern California.

Read More

"Marketing in a Down Economy" Presentation at WOC

2011-01-06T16:04:00.000-05:00

Kimberly Kayler and I will be presenting "Marketing in a Down Economy" during the Hanley Wood Contractors Clinic at the World of Concrete in Las Vegas. The seminar will be held on Wednesday, January 19th, starting at 3:00 pm PST in the South Hall RM 13350.

Powell Delivers Inspiring Speech at Green Build in Chicago

2010-11-17T20:20:00.039-05:00

General Colin Powell delivered an inspiring speech at the USGBC's Green Build Conference and Expo in Chicago yesterday. Powell, a former Secretary of State and Chairman of the U.S. Joint Chiefs of staff addressed an audience of over 10,000 people at the annual green building event.

“Leadership has to be passionate. Each person involved must believe they have a purpose,” said Powell.

Powell, a former four star general, was greeted with a standing ovation. Despite being a career military man, Gen. Powell is quite familiar with green building. "All of you should be saying to yourself, 'Excuse me, he was secretary of state --- but what does he know about green stuff, what does he know about green building?' " Powell said. "Actually, I know more about it than you think."

While serving as secretary of state, Powell oversaw over nearly $1 billion used for construction and operations for U.S. embassies around the world. Powell focused on making these structures more secure and sustainable.

His name prominently appears on several buildings around the country, but Powell said he is particularly proud of the Habitat for Humanity's General Colin Powell Apartments in South Bronx neighborhood. The apartment building provides affordable housing to over 50 families and is LEED-Platinum building.

According to Powell, the building is "three blocks away from the house I was raised in." He continued, "we called it a tenement, but in later years they called it a slum, and I watched as the neighborhood I was raised in was ruined by drugs."

"I believe that leadership is universal and (its principles) apply to any organization," said Powell. More and more, he added, people are looking for "leaders with the highest ethical standards ... leaders who are selfless, not selfish ... leaders who understand the needs of the organization are important, not the needs of the leader."

In addition to Powell's keynote, the morning session included a discussion between political pundits and husband and wife Mary Matalin and James Carville. USGBC President, CEO and Founding Chair Rick Fedrizzi also addressed the group.

According to Fedrizzi, “The leadership of the green building community is at the heart of Greenbuild,” said Fedrizzi. “This year us all about Generation Green: Redefining Our Future – and today, I see that we are collectively the most important catalysts for the change that will result in the greatest consumer, cultural and market revolution in America."

If you were not at Green Build, you can watch the speech from the USGBC site. To view Powell's speech, click here.

Public Comment Period Open on LEED Revisions

2010-11-08T21:50:00.001-05:00

The U.S. Green Building Council (USGBC) announced today that they have opened up the proposed update to the LEED green building rating system for public comment. The public comment period will be open until December 31, 2010. According to the USGBC, this is the next step in the continuous improvement process and the on-going development cycle of the LEED program.

For More information on the public comment period, please see coverage iGreenBuild.com.

LinkedIn Announces Company Pages

2010-11-02T21:25:00.002-04:00

Today LinkedIn announced plans to add Company Pages to the popular social networking site for business contacts. The new tool will be a tool for companies to promoted their products, services and associated recommendations.

According to a press release on the LinkedIn site, the Company Pages will be a place where companies can “attract new customers” by showcasing products, services and recommendations. Once recommendations and endorsements are posted, they become visable to all of the poster's contacts.

“Company Pages take product and service recommendations to another level, allowing professionals to benefit from the considered perspectives of those whom they trust and relate to the most – the people they know,” said Jeff Weiner, chief executive officer of LinkedIn. “By displaying their strongest recommendations to prospective customers and employees on LinkedIn, businesses can use Company Pages to accelerate growth and trust in their brands.”

The Company Pages feature seems to be very similar to Facebook Pages and Twitter. Site members can choose to “follow” any company they wish, by adding that company’s updates to their main feed.

The Company Pages will offically be introduced tomorrow at “LinkedIn Connect: 10″ in New York City. Ina dvance of the event tomorrow, 40companies have already developed Company Pages on LinkedIn, including Microsoft, HP, Volkswagen, and Dell.

According to HP’s Chief Marketing Officer Michael Mendenhall: “LinkedIn is a pioneer in harnessing the power of social media and brands can benefit tremendously from participating in this networking of leading professionals.”

With over 80 million users, LinkedIn is the largest business focused social networking site. For all of us in the AEC industry, the Company Pages will become another tool for our So Me marketing efforts.

LinkedIn Company Pages Announcement
LinkedIn Company Pages Learning Center

Engineering firms, DOTs, and professionals are using Twitter to better their businesses

2010-10-14T06:16:00.000-04:00

By Brian Gallagher and Kimberly Kayler, CPSM
Civil Engineering News, October 2010

While movie stars and athletes have made Twitter famous, it isn’t simply a pastime for the young, rich, and famous. In the AEC industry, the “micro-blogging” site has made great inroads. In fact, many of the departments of transportation and other public entities throughout the United States are using Twitter as a means to update the public about roadway and bridge projects, road closures, and even traffic and snow removal.
Twitter crosses the line between social networking and blogs. The web-based social messaging network originated as a means for users to answer, in 140 characters or less, the question, “What are you doing?” However, the use of Twitter as a business marketing tool for engineering firms has grown significantly.

Like other social networking tools, Twitter began as a way for people to keep up with each other. Today, there is an estimated 100 million people using Twitter. As a social networking tool, Twitter ranks just behind Facebook and MySpace. Known as “tweets,” Twitter postings typically are short messages and conversations about topics, products, and companies. These messages can be sent to a large group of people or to individuals publicly or privately. People can sign up to be “followers” of people and companies.

What is significant from a marketer’s perspective is the fact that Twitter has quickly gained acceptance as a marketing tool. While this doesn’t seem cutting-edge, it is an easy and effective way for marketers to reach their target audiences and engage their customers. However, it’s important to remember that social-networking tools such as Twitter are ways to help build and enhance relationships, not just another vehicle for press releases.

In business-to-business marketing, there is a misconception that businesses buy from businesses. However, it is the people in those businesses who are making decisions — thus, people at one business buy from people at another business. Tools such as Twitter can be effective methods to engage prospective customers and current clients, and offer information, resources, and advice. Twitter can have even more value in the business-to-business world than in the business-to-consumer world because it allows users to tweet very specific, and sometimes very technical, messages about their products or services.

As a professional services firm, you are selling your firm’s expertise and experience. Twitter can be a great tool to expand your thought leadership by communicating information about your firm’s white papers, blog posts, podcasts, and other news. Twitter can also be an effective way to share relevant or interesting information and trends impacting the markets you serve.

Another part of the Twitter strategy is to engage the community. For AEC firms, this involves gaining followers in your relevant target audiences by posting content relevant to them. “Twitter is like trying to yell at someone traveling past you on a bullet train,” said Jeff Anderson, president of Anderson Consulting Engineers as well as California Stormwater Advisors, Inc., who has been tweeting about his company since May 2009 under the name www.twitter.com/ExpertCivl “To circumvent this, I started by selecting a couple of key people to follow and then tweeted them specifically to say ‘Thought you’d like to see this news item,’ or ‘Have you heard this news?’ If they respond positively, usually they will follow, and that leads to a ton of people.”

Twitter can be a very effective tool for building the personal brands of your partners or practice leaders. For the most part, design firms have partners that are active in the business. They typically are the face of the firm, and are also the key thought leaders. Consider setting up separate Twitter accounts for key partners and practice leaders so they can share information and news.

Twitter is also a great tool for public relations. Because of its level of immediacy, Twitter can be an ideal way to deliver messages to writers and editors. You can start this process by following key trade publications and their editors and writers (see “CE News Twitter handles” below). By following their tweets, you gain a good sense of what is important to them. Many editors have started to tweet about editorial opportunities. Sending a direct message to an editor through Twitter is a more casual approach than a call or e-mail.

Twitter in practice
Civil engineer M. Damon Weiss, P.E., of Pennoni Associates Inc., a Philadelphia-based firm that specializes in civil engineering and infrastructure management, started using Twitter (www.twitter.com/damonweiss) in February 2009. Today, 380 followers later, he is using Twitter to help market his expertise in advanced infrastructure systems — an exciting discipline that combines civil engineering with information technology, sensors, databases, and machine learning as a way to help create more sustainable, “smart” infrastructure.
“In order to promote this new way of thinking, I started a blog (http://advanced-infrastructure.com) and used Twitter and other social media outlets to help distribute content and other information related to advanced infrastructure,” Weiss said. “It has been a very successful marketing tool, in my opinion. Social media has allowed me to broaden my audience considerably more than had I relied entirely on word-of-mouth and search engine hits on my blog.”

Weiss said that for the first month, he tried to tweet about whatever conventional civil engineering projects he was working on, in addition to the advanced infrastructure topics featured in his blog. However, he quickly realized that this was watering down his base message.

“I like to think that people follow me because they appreciate the stream of information about cutting-edge breakthroughs and trends in civil engineering, not because they want to hear about the conventional highway culvert or detention pond I am designing,” he said. “Eventually, I may start posting again about specific projects, perhaps as a way to broaden my audience. For now, however, I am content to stick with the industry topic of advanced infrastructure.”

However, he has always stayed away from one topic on Twitter: his personal life.

“With Twitter and other social media tools, you really are selling yourself in many ways. However, I don’t think it furthers my particular goals to tweet about what I’m having for dinner tonight or where I’m going tomorrow, unless it is related to my purpose,” Weiss said. “I also try not to mix topics too much. In addition to advanced infrastructure, for example, I am also a big proponent of green infrastructure. If I someday decide to start tweeting regularly about that topic, it may very well be under a different Twitter account, so as to better tailor the content to the audience.”

In addition to Weiss’ efforts, the engineering company he works for, Pennoni Associates, has its own Twitter account (www.twitter.com/pennoni) and posts regular tweets about various accomplishments and projects. The firm’s is a team-based direct marketing strategy intended to help bring in new clients.

Moody Nolan, a national architecture, civil engineering, and interior design firm (www.twitter.com/MoodyNolan), also has its marketing department run the company’s Twitter feed, which has been going since October 2009. However, according to Marketing Director Lindsey Grant, “Engineers and architects often send suggestions for tweets if they come across an article or piece of information that they think may be of interest to others in the industry.”

Most of Moody Nolan’s tweets, Grant said, are geared toward key topics in the industry, rather than promotion of the company. “We tend to tweet about trends we know a great deal about, such as sustainable design or BIM,” she said. “Some tweets are company-oriented, but even then, we try not to be overly self-promotional. Our project tweets may be case studies, or we may include an article authored by one of our employees that we think others may find beneficial. In order to truly benefit from Twitter, it is important to engage your followers, post interesting content, and not focus solely on self-promotion.”

Weiss echoed the need for businesses to give their Twitter correspondence a personal touch. “A brief direct message or tweet to new followers to thank them for noticing you can go a long way,” he said. “If you are tactful about it, you can even send them a quick link to your website — almost like a business card — and engage them in back and forth discussions. These are the basics of conventional business networking — tweets can be a lot like small talk, in that respect.”

John Kissinger, P.E., COO for GRAEF, an engineering consulting and planning design firm that tweets as www.twitter.com/_GRAEF_, said approximately 80 percent of their tweets are focused on relevant trends and articles in the industry, with the balance comprised of activities from the firm itself. Kissinger tweets under www.twitter.com/johnkissinger.

“Like most firms, we are waiting for Twitter to gain wider acceptance within our industry. When it does, we believe it has the potential to be a vital part of any firm’s marketing plan,” Kissinger said. “Twitter is a useful tool to build relationships. We’ve gotten to know our clients better and vice versa and it has allowed us to share our insights, which supports our reputation as a trusted advisor.”

In the simplest terms, Twitter is just a new way to connect with potential customers. “Unlike a website or our other marketing materials, Twitter allows for two-way communication and interaction,” Grant said, “and creates a unique opportunity to connect with peers and clients in an informal environment.”

In this respect, Twitter can be a powerful marketing tool — but a thorough understanding of its ebbs and flows is essential to making it work for your business. “It’s not about finding new clients,” Anderson observed. “It’s about finding peers who will help you find clients or key information. Getting potential clients is a bonus.”

AEC firms can use Twitter to:

Promote a company or brand
Have a dialogue with your customer base
Position your firm as thought leaders
Promote partners or practice leaders
Monitor what people are saying about your company and brand
Promote events
Celebrate completed projects and successes
Leverage and create PR opportunities
Provide a liaison to the industry
Offer updates on current projects or applications
Share technical information
Re-tweet industry articles of interest to your followers
Engage clients

Twitter Tips

Before you start, figure out your strategy and goals. What are you trying to accomplish? Who are you trying to reach?
Make sure that you have filled out your bio, uploaded a picture, and shared a URL after creating your account.
Keep in mind that you can change your name, username, e-mail, URL, bio, location, background, and picture at any time by clicking on Settings in the top right of the page.
You only have 140 characters, so write in headlines and use TinyURL.com to shorten long URLs.
Tweet often about exciting news, how-to pieces, FAQs, products, and events, and share articles of interest.
Use search.twitter.com to follow new people, monitor your company, as well as see what your target audience is talking about. Also, if you want to see if people have re-tweeted or asked you a question, search your own username.
Follow publications and key leaders in the industries you serve.
Another way to add followers is to see who your followers are following.
To re-tweet, use RT @username then copy and paste what the original user said. By following this process, you give proper credit where credit is due. Remember, on Twitter, a re-tweet is a compliment!
@reply is when someone asks you a question. Use @username and then answer the question. Since your followers might not know what the original question was, re-phrase it and then answer it.
Facilitate a hash tag to allow users to tweet about a specific topic and have real-time conversations. Hash tags are # followed by a keyword. They are used to discuss specific topics and facilitate better searches within search.twitter.com. For example: #civilengineering.
Add value, be positive, and have fun! Treat Twitter like a dinner party — don’t just constantly talk about yourself. Answer and ask questions, reply to concerns or complaints, and re-tweet often!
Remain transparent and do what is appropriate for your audience.
If you think something is questionable, don’t say it. Tweets are permanent.
Consider using other websites such as TweetDeck, Twitpic, and HootSuite to personalize Twitter and make it easier to use based on your needs. Twitpic allows you to upload and share photos; HootSuite allows you to tweet to many accounts; TweetDeck is an added tool to monitor mentions, @replys, and tweets.
Avoid getting in a “Twitter war” when addressing a complaint. Take the conversation off Twitter and discuss concerns over the phone, e-mail, or in person. To implement this step, send the user a direct message (DM) asking for their contact information. To send a DM, go to the user’s page. In the mid-right part of the page, there is an option to message the person; click on this. Or you can click on “direct messages” on your home page and select any users on your list to DM.
Market your tweets! Add your Twitter feed to your website and business cards to get more exposure, and be sure to include your Twitter handle in your other marketing communications efforts.

Kimberly Kayler, CPSM, CSI, and Brian Gallagher are co-authors of Leading with Marketing (visit www.leadingwithmarketing.com for more information). Follow Kayler at www.twitter.com/kimberlykayler, and Gallagher at www.twitter.com/bgallagher13. For marketing tips, follow www.twitter.com/leadwithmktg.

Solar Presentation for IFMA

2010-10-11T16:02:00.001-04:00

On Thursday, October 14, 2010, I will be delivering a presentation on solar technologies for the International Facility Managers Association (IFMA) at the Michelin HQ in Greenville, SC. During the presentation, I'll cover the following topics:

Solar Trends
Solar Technologies (Solar Thermal, PV Solar)
Commercial/Industrial Applications
Financial Incentives/Models/Structures
Project Considerations
Legislation

If you are interested in attending, please see the IMFA website. If you cannot attend, but would like a copy of the PowerPoint, please email me at bgallagher@onealinc.com .

Social Media Presentation at Concrete Works

2010-10-03T07:09:00.000-04:00

On Monday, October 11, 2010, I will be delivering a presentation on Social Media Strategies for the National Ready Mix Concrete Association (NRMCA) Concrete Works in Charlotte, NC. For more information on the Concrete Works event, visit www.nrmca.org.

If you are unable to attend and would like a copy of my presentation, please email me at bgallagher@leadingwithmarketing.com.

Majority of U.S. Companies Have a Social Media Strategy

2010-09-07T23:09:00.001-04:00

According to a new study featured in eMarketer, social media is becoming an even bigger part of the marketing efforts of U.S. companies. As social media usage as grown, over 72% of the companies surveys had a social media policy. With social media is becoming an even more integral part of the marketing landscape, companies are realizing that a strategy is required for on-going success with social media.

While this survey consisted of a broad sampling of companies, the results apply to firms in the AEC industry. Success in social media is a direct result of a strategy that part of your firms integrated marketing communications program.

Whether you are an architectural, engineering, or construction firm, this integration should flow from the top line marketing strategy and be integrated with all of your marketing and communication tactics.

In addition, as more investments and resources are directed toward social media efforts, measuring results and and tracking a Return on Marketing Investment (ROMI) are critical.

The survey was conducted in June 2010 by King Fish Media, HubSpot and Junta42.

Social Media Landscape Tool

2010-08-27T09:39:00.000-04:00

I attended a joint USGBC and ABC meeting in Charlotte, NC this week, and was asked for a visual tool that provides a good overview of the social media media landscape. As we all know, that landscape is constantly changing. While there are many graphics and tools available, the one I found to be most useful was published by CMO.com. The CMO.com tool provides a great overview of social media outlets and their role in communications, SEO, brand exposure and driving site traffic. The Social Media landscape tool was crated for CMO.com by 97th Floor, an SEO and social media firm that does work for CMO.com.

Download a PDF here.

CIM Seeks Donations for 2011 Auction at WOC

2010-08-27T09:34:00.001-04:00

(Las Vegas, Nev. – August 18, 2010) – The Concrete Industry Management (CIM) program – a business intensive program that awards students with a four-year Bachelor of Science degree in Concrete Industry Management – is seeking donations for their sixth annual auction to be held at the World of Concrete on Thursday, January 20 at noon.

According to Peter Brewin, Chairman of the CIM Auction Committee, “The proceeds from the 2011 Auction will benefit the CIM National Steering Committee (NSC) and support the current CIM programs as well as help fund future program expansion.”

Organizers hope the 2011 Auction is even bigger than the 2010 Auction, which raised approximately $386,000. The money raised from the CIM Auction, which will be held at the Las Vegas Convention Center, will benefit the NSC and support the CIM programs at Middle Tennessee State University, Arizona State University, New Jersey Institute of Technology, Texas State University and the California State University - Chico.

“The NSC of CIM has raised more than $1.7 million through the previous five CIM Auctions,” said Brian Gallagher, CIM Marketing Committee Chairman. “We’ve been blessed with tremendous support from the concrete industry. The World of Concrete (WOC) Show Management, Hanley Wood Publications, The Concrete Producer magazine, Concrete Construction magazine, McNeilus International and Ritchie Bros. Auctioneers have been with us from the beginning,” he added.

Previous auction items has included cement, a skid steer, concrete saws, drills, mixers, vibrators, scaffolding, safety equipment, screeds, fiber transport systems, dust collectors, NDT equipment, decorative concrete tools, water meters, pumps, generators, training sessions, reference books, advertisements, laptop computers, sports memorabilia, sports travel packages, golf school packages and vacation travel packages.

Those interested in making a donation should contact CIM Auction Committee Chairman Peter Brewin at peter.brewin@gmail.com or 214-693-6669.

Does Your AEC Firm Need a Facebook Page

2010-08-27T08:59:00.001-04:00

Do AEC firms really need a Facebook page? Absolutely! Facebook is not just for teens and consumer companies anymore. AEC firms gain benefit from having a Facebook page in numerous ways. Connecting and communicating with customers is a critical function that Facebook can play for your firm. However, without a plan, you will not get results.

I've written about about the importance of having a social media plan that is integrated with your overall marketing program. This is particularly true for AEC firms.

Setting Goals
As with any plan, begin with the end in mind. Define what you want from your Facebook page. Set specific goals, such as how many "Likes," postings, and comments. Track results on a monthly basis. Be sure to review your Google Analyticsand set benchmarks.

Type of Content
The type of content on your Facebook page is key to getting people to "Like" your page. Your business Facebook page should contain information about your company, projects your firm is working on, press releases about people, company events and other interesting facts about your organization. A Landscape Design Firm I've worked with uses Facebook to share before and after photos of their projects.

Fresh Content
While a successful Facebook page can be defined in many ways, the metrics we will use include how many people "Like" your page, leave comments, and interact. Another key factor is keep the content fresh. New content should be added at least on a weekly basis if not more often. Assign responsibility for updating content to a few individuals.

Engaging Employees
Another use of Facebook is for engaging employees. Facebook can be a great tool to celebrate successes, feature employee events and other activities.

A Tool for Recruiting
Facebook can be a great tool for recruiting candidates for your firm. If your firm actively recruits college students, Facebook is a great tool to reach those students that are seeking an internship or full-time job. Event older generations are increasingly using Facebook to find employment opportunities.

Increasing Brand Awareness
Facebook can also be a great tool for increasing awareness of your brand or firm. Not only can you enhance your brand with Facebook, you can improve traffic to your website by adding content to your Facebook site.

With a little planning, goal-setting and committment, Facebook can be a powerful tool for your business.

Social Marketing Requires An Integrated Approach

2010-08-23T17:12:00.001-04:00

A recent article posted by MarketingShepra indicates reinforces the point that use of specific social media tactics must be a result of an overall approach to social media. As I've stressed in previous posts, specific tools such as Twitter, Facebook and LinkedIn must be part of your overall marketing communications strategy.

MarketingShepra has been running a series of articles regarding a the development of a Social Media ROAD Map. This chart below shows the average percentage of organizations using each of the social platforms listed above for tactical purposes. As MarketingShepra advocates, social media tactics should be social brand agnostic when creating your organization’s social marketing plan.

An example of an enduring tactic would be to "build and participate in a network populated by our targeted audience," not "build and participate in a Facebook fan page." To take this even further, defining participation and engagement goals will help in aligning social media efforts with specific goals and objectives.

While social media is still an emerging medium in the AEC industry, many firms lack a cohesive and integrated approach to social media. Social media requires a well-planned approach to achieve social marketing goals and truly deliver a return on marketing investment. An Executive Summary of MarketingShepra's Social Media Benchmarking report is available for download.

SMPS Features Leading With Marketing Excerpt in Marketer

2010-08-10T10:34:00.001-04:00

The Society for Marketing Professional Services (SMPS) is featuring an excerpt from the book, Leading With Marketing, that I co-authored with Kimberly Kayler in the June 2010 issue of Marketer magazine. Thanks SMPS for the support! To read the excerpt, click here.

ConcreteExecutive.com Coming Soon

2010-08-03T23:12:00.002-04:00

ConcreteExecutive.com will be launched prior to the 2011 World of Concrete. The ConcreteExecutive.com Advisory Board is working on editorial content and partnerships. The ConcreteExecutive.com website will be focused on providing relevent news, information and resources for leaders in the concrete industry. Until the site is live, please follow ConcreteExecutive.com on Twitter. twitter.com/ConcreteExec

If you are interested in being a content contributor or advertiser, please contact me.

Integrating Social Media and Marketing Communications

2010-08-03T22:42:00.002-04:00

I will be presenting "Integrating Social Media and Marketing Communication" at the ABC Carolina's Construction Conference in Wilmington, NC on Saturday, August 7, 2010 at 10 am. If you are interested in attending the ABC Conference, please visit: ABC Carolinas.

The Conference will be held at the Riverside Hilton in Wilmington, NC. If you cannot make the conference and are interested in the PowerPoint, you can e-mail me at bgallagher@LeadingWithMarketing.com.

What To Tweet

2010-07-27T23:38:00.000-04:00

Everyone in the AEC industry is interested in jumping on the social media bandwagon. Many have chosen to start “tweeting” without a formal plan or strategy. Social media has burst onto the marketing scene faster then anything in history. The initial adoption of social media, as a marketing tool, compared to the Internet, has been tremendous. I recall developing and launching the first website for Williams Scotsman in 1995- and that was to decades after Al Gore invented the Internet. In the last couple of years alone, social media has dramatically changed the landscape of marketing communications. Before you get started, develop a plan for how you will use social media. Your social media plan needs to be an extension of your overall marketing plan.

Here are a few tips for getting started on Twitter:

Have a plan. When it comes to Twitter, it is best to start with a strategy and plan. Before you start to tweet, I suggest that you start by following leading people in your industry and other industries. Look at their posts and see how the posts relate to building a brand, offering expertise, solving customer problems, providing information (or links to information published by others), or a more direct marketing pitch. Then look at the people you are trying to influence and determine what would be important to them.

Twitter 101. Twitter recenlty added a tool for businesses called Twitter 101. The useful tool provides information on Twitter basics, getting started, best practices and case studies. To view the tool, visit Twitter 101.

Multiple accounts. Consider establishing multiple Twitter accounts. Some people suggest balancing or blending personal and professional tweets. I suggest keeping them separate. At least have one for business use and one for personal use. An important customer probably doesn’t care about your kids soccer game or what movie you saw last night, so separate business from pleasure.

The short and sweet tweet. Since each post can only be 140 characters, tweets must be short. Use very succinct posts with a link to information you post in a blog or on your web site. When providing a link to another site, be sure to provide enough descriptive information.

Keep it tiny. Use TinyURL.com to reduce the size of your links. The service is easy and free.

Brand your Twitter page. Avoid using the standard backgrounds and icons. Create a distinctive look that is consistent with your company brand identity.

Leveraging other social platforms. There are several tools you can use to push your Twitter posts out to your other social media platforms. This can help broaden the reach of your message. In addition, Twitter posts are starting to appear in search engine results pages.

What to tweet. Remember, you want the tweets to be relevant and useful for your followers. For firms in the AEC industry, there are a number of things that you can tweet, including: new projects, completed projects, awards, certifications, new offices, new resources, etc. You can also provide links to articles, news or information that is interesting and relevant. Ask yourself: what is going on in your firm that is valuable to prospects and customers?

Some examples:

-A steel supplier tweeted about a seminar they are hosting on codes.

-An engineering firm announced engineers that have recently achieved LEED certification.

-A construction company tweeted about recently completed projects.

-An equipment rental company tweeted about an upcoming ABC meeting.

-A construction attorney provided a link about a risk management seminar.

-A scaffolding company tweeted about a new safety resource on their web site.

-A small architectural firm announced a speaking engagement.

-An electrical contractor tweeted a link to an article in ENR.

Remember your tweet should be focused on building your brand, establishing thought leadership, offering expertise, solving customer problems, or offering information. Need help in starting or managing your Twitter efforts, e-mail me at BGallagher@LeadingWithMarketing.com.

Choosing Project Delivery Methods

2010-06-15T16:37:00.003-04:00

For manufacturers, production efficiency, innovation, cost management, and time to market are critical factors for achieving a competitive advantage. As such, manufacturing facilities are a key part of a company’s business strategy, and a strategic approach to delivering capital projects is required. By choosing the right project delivery method for capital construction projects, manufacturing companies can ensure successful project delivery and meet overall business goals associated with the project.

While there are a variety of project delivery methods available, choosing the appropriate strategic approach to project delivery varies by project. The decision needs to be based on a number of factors, including budget, schedule, cash flow, project complexity, risk mitigation, project team composition, and project goals.

Traditionally, manufacturing firms retained sufficient in-house engineering and project management resources on staff. However, due to economic and competitive issues, many manufacturing companies have reduced their in-house capabilities. This is a key consideration in selecting a project delivery method.

Whether building a new greenfield facility, modernizing, or expanding an existing facility, there are a variety of approaches available for design and construction. Essentially, a project delivery method is a configuration of roles, relationships, responsibilities, and sequences on a project. Here’s a brief overview of some of the typical project delivery methods.

DESIGN-BID-BUILD (DBB)

DBB is the most common project delivery method in the manufacturing industry. Owners with sufficient in-house staff contract with different entities for each phase of design and construction, and take on the responsibility of orchestrating the various team members. Each step in the execution process follows the other sequentially with minimal overlap. Under the DBB approach, the owner functions as the overall project manager and hires external engineers, consultants, and contractors.

The owner typically starts by retaining an architect to program and develop a scope of work, then develop the project plans and specifications. The selection process for the architect can be competitive on a lump sum basis or the more traditional approach where the architect’s costs are a defined percentage of the total installed cost (TIC). The owner may have already selected manufacturing process equipment at this point. The architect generally prepares a preliminary cost estimate to assist the owner in budget development. These estimates are typically historically or empirically based.

The DBB approach is typically used when the project is not well-defined and there is adequate time for the design and construction phases. DBB projects are typically competitively bid and priced as lump sum. The competitive nature of the bidding process usually results in a competitive cost for the owner, but the quality of the subcontractors is left to the GC. Under this method, all construction and performance risks are assumed by the contractor. Scope variations resulting in change orders and schedule delays can occur if the owner’s intent for the scope of work is not well-defined by the architect to the contractor.

With DBB, the contractor has little influence on the project design, and opportunities for alternative approaches at bid time are minimal. In addition, the nature of DBB projects can contribute to an adversarial relationship among team members. Owners run the risk of expending significant funds and time for detailed design only to find out the final project, as designed, is above the project budget and schedule parameters.

DESIGN-BUILD (DB)

The DB project delivery model is suited for manufacturing clients that require fast-track project delivery and want a single point of contact. The contractor and designers are hired by the owner to deliver a complete project. This model has been used extensively in the manufacturing industry for manufacturing, warehouses, and offices.

The owner selects a DB firm from prequalified companies that have submitted designs and prices based on the project requirements. The DB firms retain their own architects, engineers, and other consultants. The selection criteria are based on a combination of factors, including design, price, schedule, and team. The DB firm selected by the owner is typically responsible for preparing the estimate and scope, as well as producing all construction drawings, details, and specifications. DB contracts are typically lump sum and based on the design that accurately meets the owner’s requirements. The owner may be given a guaranteed maximum price based on the defined requirements.

DB is utilized to reduce the project delivery schedule. DB is typically used for architecturally-driven projects. The DB concept typically results in enhanced communication and a higher degree of accountability. While this is a complex delivery method, the compressed schedule and value engineering approach often result in cost savings for the owner. The DB approach is well-suited for larger, less complicated, time-sensitive projects where the owner has a clear project definition and concept prior to soliciting bids and desires a firm price to be confirmed early in the process.

CONSTRUCTION MANAGEMENT (CM)

Under the CM method, the owner will retain a firm to act as its construction management representative. There are a number of variations on the CM model. An architect is retained to develop a design package. Either the architect, design engineer, or CM rep will develop a cost estimate. The CM is retained for a fee and is responsible for managing detail design and construction while meeting goals in terms of quality, scope, cost, and schedule are met.

The CM rep is also responsible for estimate development, construction, engineering, subcontracts, scheduling, reporting, quality control, and cost controls. Then architects, engineers, and consultants are retained to develop a program. Specifications and drawings are developed for various parts of the project. Multiple construction packages are developed, and bids are solicited from various trades that then become contractors reporting to the CM. Under the CM method, design and construction activities overlap. The CM rep is essentially an extension of the owner and is typically referred to as “Agency CM” or “CM for Fee.”

The CM model is well-suited for owners that lack in-house design and construction expertise or capacity. The method ensures consistent oversight and careful monitoring of costs and schedule. However, this method can result in additional upfront costs and create communication challenges among the team.

ENGINEER-PROCURE-CONSTRUCT (EPC)

EPC has emerged as a preferred choice of project delivery for many industries and is starting to gain favor in manufacturing. With an EPC contract, the owner has a single point of contact for the project. Under this model, the EPC firm handles the design, procurement of all equipment and construction materials, and construction services for turnkey delivery of the facility, usually at a lump-sum price. The EPC process starts with a preconstruction effort that involves some preliminary planning and engineering to define the scope, schedule, and costs of the project. This can be completed for approximately 1% to 3% of the TIC. The EPC firm has complete responsibility for the project from start to finish.

Project scope and estimates are developed by the EPC firm. The project schedule and project budget are known at the start. All scope and budget risks are passed to the contractor. EPC project delivery offers the tightest integration of activities during the construction process through a structured and disciplined approach. In addition, communication among the design, procurement, and construction teams begins immediately.

The EPC model helps align team members for optimal project performance. This often results in a collaborative, value-based construction process. EPC delivery is typically used for process or equipment driven projects. The EPC model reduces project risks for the owner, delivers predictable results, and maximizes the effectiveness of capital planning.

PRICING CONSIDERATIONS: GUARANTEED MAXIMUM PRICE (GMP)

The GMP approach is similar to the lump-sum bid, except the GC, CM rep, EPC team, or design firm submits a guaranteed maximum cost rather than a firm lump-sum bid. The GC or EPC firm is compensated for actual construction costs plus a fixed fee. Design fees can be on a cost-plus or lump-sum basis. For GMP pricing, there needs to be a well-defined scope and time frame. On a schedule-driven project, the owner to selects team members based on fees and/or labor pricing, prior to developing project details and scopes necessary to procure credible lump-sum bids.

Regarding the actual construction phase, a general contractor or EPC firm can participate in a “shared savings” approach that incentivizes them to manage costs and bring the project in under the GMP. If work is completed for less than the GMP, the contractor and owner can opt to share the savings. Additional incentives can be addressed for sharing risk of schedule, safety, and quality. If the actual costs exceed the GMP, the contractor carries that burden. These variations effectively identify project risk areas and initiate important discussions concerning project responsibilities and ultimate accountability among the project team members.

Under the GMP approach, the owner is given a “not-to-exceed” cost during the project development phase for the overall project by the GC or EPC firm. The GMP approach allows the owner to establish a firm project cost early. Once the GMP is established, the risk of cost performance is transferred to the GC. GMP arrangements typically involve an open-book approach to costs. The GMP feature can be successfully implemented in most project delivery approaches.

ACHIEVING COMPETITIVE ADVANTAGE THROUGH PROJECT DELIVERY

Whether manufacturing, R&D, or warehousing, capital projects are becoming more challenging and complex. The right configuration of roles, relationships, responsibilities, and sequences is essential. The owner’s ability to define and develop project requirements and scope, as well as provide project management, significantly impacts the decision process. Owners need to consider cash flow (initial and overall), opportunities for concurrent processes with other project activities (e.g. process design, long lead-time items), and the owner’s capital approval process.

Selecting the right delivery method can be challenging, but the success of any capital project depends on it. Project objectives vary by each project, and there is not a single project delivery method that addresses every situation. While there are trade-offs for each delivery method, quality, cost-effectiveness, and timely project delivery can be achieved. By clearly defining expectations and balancing project goals, costs, schedule, complexity, risks, and the team, manufacturing companies can achieve competitive advantages through project delivery.

This article orginally appeared in Made in S.C. magazine and published by the South Carolina Manaufacturer's Association.

Marketing With LinkedIn

2010-05-25T23:09:00.000-04:00

By now you have heard of Linked In, but how can you effectively use LinkedIn as a business-to-business marketing tool? The obvious benefit is for connecting with your colleagues and business contacts,but that is just the beginning.

For those not familiar with LinkedIn, it is a professional profile and social networking site. LinkedIn claims to have over 40 million members in over 200 countries, that represent 170 different industries, including every Fortune 500 company. According to LinkedIn, 46% of their members are business decision makers, with an average age of 41, and an average income of $109,000. From a marketing and sales perspective, LinkedIn provides a unique opportunity to:

· Connect with your business colleagues
· Identify new prospects
· Build your company and personal brand
· Improve your search engine optimization (SEO)
· Establish yourself as a thought leader
· Follow companies
· Share content, resources and information

Marketing is about connecting, communicating and building relationships. LinkedIn can be an effective tool for connecting with specific people with whom you are trying to communicate.

Building your profile. The goal of being on LinkedIn is connecting with people. With that in mind, take the time to fully develop your profile. Your goal is to maximize your visibility and connectability on LinkedIn. You can achieve this by including detailed information about your professional history, educational history and affiliations. Providing specifics, including company names, titles, professional designations, school names, activities and organization names helps people find you.

Building your network. Once you get started, building your network is relatively easy. To get started on LinkedIn, search for a few business associates and colleagues, invite them into your network. Before you invite them, be sure to review their profile and see how they prefer to be contacted. Some people may only want to be contacted for specific reasons. LinkedIn has an interesting feature that allows you to see people in your network, your friends network and your friend’s friends network. So in reality, you are only 3 degrees away from millions of people. For example, I currently have 118 contacts in my network (1st degree), my friends have 24,000 contacts (2nd degree), those contacts have 2.1 million contacts (3rd degree). Checkout who your friends know and expand your network. Then search groups. Then look at your customers and target customers. The term LION, refers to LinkedIn Open Networks. These are “power” networkers” that basically accept all LinkedIn invitations. You can also visit TopLinked.com to find more LIONs. The top LIONs on TopLinked.com currently have over 45,000 connections. An advantage of being linked with a LION is that you become a degree closer to many more people.

Getting into groups. Joining a LinkedIn group is extremely easy. There are thousands of groups on LinkedIn ranging from trade groups, professional associations, charities, alumni groups, and special interest groups. Joining these groups will expose you to a whole range of people who share a common interest. Once you join the group, review the members, check their profiles, and connect with those people where you have a business relationship. Once you join a group, you can display the group’s logo on your profile page.

Beyond the basic membership. While basic membership in LinkedIn is free, there are Premium Memberships available for a nominal monthly fee that offers enhanced features, such as the ability to connect directly with other members that are not in your network. With the free Basic membership there are monthly limits to the number of Invitations, InMails, and OpenLink Messages you can use. The Premium Memberships, which still has limits, range for $24.95 to $49.95 per month.

Take advantage of the tools and applications. There are a number of tools on LinkedIn that can be very useful. The “Search” tool allows you to search people, jobs, answers, companies, and groups. It can be a very powerful tool for finding and connecting with people. The “Jobs” tool allows you to post open positions on LinkedIn. “Answers” is a forum to ask and answer questions. The benefit of the Answers tool is that is goes beyond your network. This can be a useful tool to find answers to questions, but more importantly an opportunity to share your knowledge and expertise. The “Services” page is a great way to find links to people offering services in a specific specialty or geographic area. There are also a number of applications that you can use through your LinkedIn profile such as SlideShare, Word Press, Tripit, Box.net, and others.

Following Companies- LinkedIn recently introduced a "Follow Company" tool. This is a great way to follow companies with whom you have a relationship. You can also use LinkedIn to track prospects, customers, vendors and others.

Sharing with LinkedIn- There are a number of tools and plugins available, such as SlideShare, Box.net, Company Buzz, Amazon Reading List and others that facilitate sharing. Start simple by posting a few PowerPoints by utilizing SlideShare.

Communicating thru LinkedIn. LinkedIn is a great tool for communicating with business associates. Updates can be easy sent out. You can also help build your personal brand by participating in discussions and responding to posts.

Marketing with LinkedIn. Social networks have helped changed the way companies market. LinkedIn offers a number of opportunities to market your business and promote your personal brand. You can use LinkedIn to announce new products or services, provide links to news articles about your company, or start discussions about specific topics relevant to your business. You can also use LinkedIn to drive traffic to your blog. Many of my colleagues use Twitter, LinkedIn, and blogs to cross promote. You can also list your self in the Services section. LinkedIn profiles also have been appearing higher and high in search engine results pages (SERPs). In fact LinkedIn has a high page rank in Google. Also consider including your LinkedIn public profile address on your e-mail signature and blog posts.

Advertising on LinkedIn. The people at LinkedIn has started to harness the power of the network for advertising. LinkedIn currently offers two levels of advertising, general ads for larger campaigns, and DirectAds for smaller, focused campaigns. LinkedIn offer advertisers to use their Precision Targeting Tool to reach: “Run of Professionals,” which is all members, “inCrowds,” which could be Executives, Sales Professionals, Finance Professionals, etc, or very specific audiences. Using LinkedIn for advertising can be very powerful since you can specifically target people based on industry, job function, geography, seniority and any number of criteria. LinkedIn current ad rates range from $12 to $76 per thousand.

Consider the risks. Using LinkedIn is not void of risks. Employers and supervisors that have a large number of people on LinkedIn run the risk of too much company information being revealed. For example, projects your people are working on, titles and roles of people in your company, and financial information. Companies need to be proactive about developing guidelines for how your people should use LinkedIn. Also remember that what you post on LinkedIn or and social networking site, can live on the Internet for an indefinite period of time. Since it was founded in 2003, LinkedIn is a head hunters dream. Recruiters regularly use LinkedIn to identify and connect with potential candidates for positions.

Other professional networks. LinkedIn is not the only professional networking site. There are a number of other sites that offer a variety of features, such as: Plaxo, Jigsaw and Spoke. Recently, Google has started offering individual profiles that are appearing in search results. You may want to consider joining these networks in addition to LinkedIn.

LinkedIn is not a replacement of other marketing activity, but should be an extension of your marketing and sales efforts. As a business-to-business tool, LinkedIn offers you the ability to highly target select segments and individuals. If you would like assistance getting started with LinkedIn, email me at BGallagher@LeadingWithMarketing.com

Effective Technical Presentations

2010-04-06T18:45:00.000-04:00

Delivering a presentation, let alone a technical presentation, can be an arduous and often scary feat. Making sure you get your point across without boring or under-stimulating the audience is something that takes a great deal of practice and understanding. Keys to success are understanding your audience, developing the right presentation strategy, assessing and accommodating your audience, using graphics properly, and effectively delivering a concise message. Further, a key element of presentation success is the ability to combine verbal and visual content in a clear, concise and compelling manner.

Introduction and Objectives

To deliver an effective presentation, you must first understand that the subject matter presents a unique challenge in itself. Your goal is to transfer ideas and information to the audience. Technical information and data is something that can be very easily lost on a person if not “gift-wrapped” properly. People being presented large amounts of data and facts have a tendency to disengage and lose interest. It is up to the presenter to strategize and create interesting ways to communicate that information. Pictures, graphics and even sounds help keep senses and minds from wondering to other thoughts, while also effectively communicating your message.

One of the most common mistakes when preparing for a speech or large presentation is not thinking about the audience. For example, you want to steer away from using jargon if you are speaking to a group of people who are not familiar with your topic. A person would become very frustrated and lost with the “special” terms and eventually stop paying attention. Therefore, researching and understanding your audience and presenting on their level are very important to your success. What does the audience have in common with each other? Why has this particular audience been brought together? Why did they ask me to make a presentation? Do they want me to talk about a specific subject? Understanding why you have been brought to speak will help when it comes to outlining the content of your presentation.

In addition to keeping your audience’s attention span and characteristics in mind, you must also establish a process in which your presentation will flow. Outlining and knowing how one subject matter will flow to the next will not only help with how comfortable you will be, but also help keep the audience on target. Begin by understanding the audience -- what language will you use when addressing them? Outline the content, the aesthetics and the material flow. Also, what other things can contribute to the success besides the content of your message? For example, are there visuals or something other than words that will help relay or reinforce your message?

Further, be sure to review the necessary preparation needed. How much time should you spend practicing and how does that fit into your schedule? Finally, it is important to anticipate what kinds of questions the audience might ask. Having a good understanding and game plan about your presentation will help eliminate the nervousness that comes with being unprepared.

Developing Your Presentation Message

Developing the content can sometimes get a little daunting and at times overwhelming. That is why breaking it down into sections and how you want to come across to your audience is very important. Not only will it give you a starting point, but it will also make you more comfortable with the material.

First, identify the topic about which you feel most comfortable speaking. A successful topic is one for which you have unique expertise or experience and is timely. Also, pick a topic that can be supported with relevant case study examples, research, testing and practical applicable tips. The more comfortable you are with your topic, the easier it will be to make the presentation, which will in turn enable a rapport to be developed with the audience. Also, be sure that your message is perceived as high-level in terms of expertise, otherwise it may appear to be a gimmicky commercial and you will lose credibility.

Building the Presentation

Now it’s time to outline your presentation: Knowing how one point will lead to the next in a logical and coherent flow is key. Start by writing down the main points you wish to discuss. If you are describing a process, write down the steps to the process in order. From there, you will flesh out the subject matter with details, keeping in mind that this is a presentation and not a manual. Be sure to use transferable concepts as they engage the audience. Remember, your goal is to communicate ideas and information. Further, ensure that every minute counts and that there are no wasted opportunities. For example, the first 60 seconds with the audience are critical. It is in those moments that the audience ascertains whether or not this is worth their interest.

While writing, keep in mind the visuals you think of, and see if you can incorporate any of those images into your presentation. Your slides must be engaging, not distracting. The use of pictures, graphics, color and graphs all help in terms of audience comprehension. In certain cases, videos and animated graphics are effective means of communicating with the audience. Use formulas, graphs and charts prudently. Further, since everyone learns differently, having different means of delivering the message through a balance of graphics and words will help convey your message. Graphics should be used to reinforce a verbal point, not the other way around. Graphics and slides can divert attention, but if used effectively, they can give you credibility and authenticity. Do not, however, leave the delivery of information solely to graphics; it is to be used in combination with your narrative.

Building the Presentation

Once the content is outlined, the next step is actually drafting the presentation. Start by thinking of the presentation as a performance. One tip is to think of the technical presentation as a three-act play: beginning (introduction), middle (body) and end (conclusion). Each part of the presentation must be clear and distinct, but the three parts must work as one with the theme or topic holding all three parts together. It is said that the best presentations can be summarized in a single sentence. Keeping this in mind, think of what you want the audience to carry away from your presentation.

Slides should contain bullet points and not a narrative description. People do not want to read a novel on a projection screen. Make clear and concise points and move on to the next. The audience will be too busy trying to figure out what is on the screen and won’t be paying any attention to what you are saying. Bullet points need to be the highlights of what you are going to say because it is your job to flesh that out when talking. To avoid confusion, a brief synopsis of what will take place will help clarify the audience’s expectations.

Ensuring Presentation Success

Thinking beyond the content and structure requires you to prepare for the big day. In order to make sure that you are as comfortable as possible with the content, it is absolutely necessary to practice with passion. It is a good idea to practice with a “rehearsal audience.” This can be made up of family, friends or peers and will aid in alleviating nerves. The will also help you establish the pace of your delivery and get a better feel for timing, transition and balance of your presentation. It is also important to rehearse with props and all equipment that will be used. Ideally, a dry-run in the venue that you will be presenting will help work out any kinks or possible malfunctions.

Being prepared is one of the most important things you can do to ensure success. Studies have shown that practice actually results in spontaneity because you are more comfortable with the information. Practicing with a wide variety of audiences that will constructively critique you afterwards will help you with that comfort level. The more prepared you are, the less nervous you will be.

It’s also a good idea to think about the presentation room logistics. For example, consider the location of the audience, where you will be situated and your equipment will reside, room temperature, and what opportunities you will have to interact with the audience. A connection is possibly one of the most important elements to the success of a presentation. Obviously, if you are in a large auditorium or theater, you are not going to be able to have one-on-one time or dialogue with all audience members. If you are unable to have that close interactive time with participants, it is prudent to make yourself available during breaks or after the session. Handouts can be effective tools for communicating information and reinforcing your messages, but they can also be a distraction. Consider distributing handouts at the end of the presentation.

Follow-up also is very important. It is smart to make your contact information easily accessible and clear to participants. The same goes for contacting the participants yourself. If the presentation host supplies audience contact information, it is best to contact participants within a week to offer additional information as appropriate.

The Presentation: Always be Prepared

Often times, some of the keys to success are overlooked. For example, it is important to know when the host wants you to arrive. Further, it is crucial to ensure you are dressed appropriately. You will not bestow very much confidence on your peers if you are late to your own presentation or show up in jeans and a t-shirt. But, if your audience is dressed casually, a suit may be overkill. Check with the host to find out what is appropriate, but it is always best to be overdressed than underdressed.

The delivery of the presentation is as important as the content itself. The first step is to build rapport with the audience so they can relate to you. You also want to build confidence, trust and credibility. If the audience is unable to understand what you are saying because of an accent or you are speaking too fast or have poor diction, everything you have worked for is a complete loss. Make sure that you speak slowly and concisely. Try to eliminate crutch words and vocalized pauses (uh, um, ah, etc.) or any other nervous habit (fidgiting, fumbling, gestures, etc.) that distracts the audience. And, while ice-breakers or jokes are good ways to alleviate nervousness, keep them clean and light. When used properly, humor can help you build a rapport and engage the audience. Do not target anyone specifically, including yourself. Self-deprecating humor can be funny, but don't make yourself look stupid. Body language and non-verbal communication also has a tremendous impact on the audience. Be sure to stand up straight, lean forward and make direct contact with the audience by making eye contact with different people in the audience.

And, always try to avoid the unexpected. While it is impossible to account for everything that can go wrong, making sure that all computer programs are running correctly during a dry-run will help avoid kinks and malfunctions that might pop up. For example, making sure any instant messengers are closed, Outlook is closed (email notifications), sound checks (microphones and speaker system is working correctly), the projector is working properly and that you have a back-up cd or flash-drive in case something breaks or malfunctions.

Next Steps

By following the aforementioned steps, you’ll alleviate many of the stresses related to making a technical presentation. But, even more important, by making a successful technical presentation, you’ll benefit from the third-party credibility earned through such professional opportunities.

AIA Billing Index Shows Slight Increase in Demand

2010-03-25T06:35:00.000-04:00

According to the American Institute of Architects, the Architecture Billings Index (ABI) moved slightly higher in February. The index for last month was 44.8, compared to 42.5 in January. The February index indicates a continued decline in demand for design services. Any reading above 50 indicates an increase in billings.

The ABI is widely viewed as a leading economic indicator of construction activity. The ABI tyoically reflects an approximate nine to 12 month lag time between architecture billings and construction spending.

"We continue to hear that funding dedicated for construction projects in the stimulus package has not yet been awarded, resulting in a bottleneck of potential projects that could help jump-start the economy," said Kermit Baker, PhD, Hon. AIA, chief economist at the American Institute of Architects, which compiles the ABI. "That, coupled with a persistently rigid credit market for private sector projects, is a key reason why the design and construction industry continue to suffer at near historic levels in terms of job losses." The AIA conducts a monthly survey of architectural firms to build the index.

Key February 2010 ABI highlights:

Regional averages: Midwest (49.4), Northeast (44.1), West (43.6), South (40.7)

Sector index breakdown: multi-family residential (47.3), institutional (44.2), mixed practice (43.3), commercial / industrial (43.2)

About the Architecture Billings Index

The Architecture Billings Index (ABI) is a diffusion index derived from the monthly Work-on-the-Boards survey, conducted by the AIA Economics & Market Research Group. The ABI serves as a leading economic indicator that leads nonresidential construction activity by approximately 9-12 months. The indexes are developed from the monthly Work-on-the-Boards survey panel where participants are asked whether their billings increased, decreased, or stayed the same in the month that just ended. According to the proportion of respondents choosing each option, a score is generated, which represents an index value for each month.

ABC Offers Green Contractor Certification Program

2010-03-16T06:50:00.002-04:00

For contractors interested in sustainability and green construction, the Associated Builders and Contractors (ABC) offers a Green Contractor Certification program. According to ABC, the programs documents the efforts of merit shop construction firms that are developing a sustainable workplace environment and to recognize those ABC members that are leaders in the green industry.

The process starts by submitting an application detailing green efforts and undergoing a third-party onsite assessment to achieve certification from ABC’s National Green Building Committee. ABC’s Certified Green Contractor program focuses on the green initiatives ABC member firms undertake in the workplace, not on construction practices, and it certifies companies, not individuals.

“ABC members have been on the forefront of the green building movement since its inception, but ABC also believes in stretching green achievements beyond the construction process and into the workplace,” said W. Brewster Earle, chairman of the ABC National Green Building Committee and president of Comfort Systems USA Energy Services, in Hartford, Conn. “The Green Contractor Certification program is another step in ABC’s goal to provide support and recognition for those firms that are setting an example for the industry by promoting green practices within the company and those that would like to create sustainability in the workplace as well as in construction practices.”

Twelve prerequisites ranging from the electronic distribution of documents to establishing an aggressive recycling program must be completed by each company. In addition, companies are required to fulfill at least 12 out of 36 elective items that include conducting a professional energy audit, engaging in water conservation efforts and providing incentives for carpooling or using public transportation. Each company also must achieve four education and training benchmarks, such as instructing employees on sustainability issues and requiring at least 25 percent of eligible managers to receive green building awareness education. For more information, visit ABC’s green website http://www.greenconstructionatwork.com/.

IGCC Introduces New Green Code

2010-03-15T23:44:00.000-04:00

A new code designed to reguate the construction of new and existing commercial buildings was recently released by the International Green Construction Code (IGCC). The announcement of a Green Building code addresses a major issue faced by designers, the lack of a standard code.

The American Institute of Architects (AIA) and ASTM International collaborated to launch the initiative in 2009. Several other industry leading associations also supported the development of code.

“We talked to communities who indicate that their voluntary green building programs reach only, but an important, 30 percent of the built environment,” Code Council CEO Richard P. Weiland said. “This means that there is a clear need for a regulatory tool to establish a baseline to help jurisdictions meet their sustainability goals.”

According to the IGCC, enforcement of the code will improve indoor air quality, and support the use of energy-efficient appliances, renewable energy systems, water resource conservation, rainwater collection and distribution systems, and the recovery of used water (graywater).

Read IGCC Press Release

Damage Done For Toyota

2010-03-11T21:24:00.000-05:00

Toyota's quality issues have been dominating the news lately. Unfortunately for Toyota, the damage is done. Toyota failed to manage the crisis from the beginning. They failed to get out in front of the crisis before it became a story. Toyota's failure in managing the crisis will have a long-term impact on one of the world's most respected brands.

The unintended acceleration problem is the most recent in a string of quality issues plaguing Toyota. In just the last couple of years, Toyota has dealt with quality issues including rusting Tundras, steering rod issues, floor mats and now the accelerators. For a brand that has been build on quality and reliability, the damage is done. Restoring consumer’s confidence will be a momentous challenge for Toyota. Their failure to address the issues and be proactive with their customers has hurt their credibility.

While Toyota is in the automobile business, there are several aspects to this story that I want to address that go beyond the auto industry.

Lost Focus on Quality
The first aspect is at the root of Toyota’s quality and reliability issues. Toyota, a leader in quality for years, has taken a quality. Recalls, safety problems and law suits are the public symptoms of the problem. Toyota, which until recently was gaining market share, expanded too quickly. According to Automotive News, an auto industry trade magazine, Toyota’s market share in the U.S. rose to 17% in 2009 from just 9.3% in 2000. During that same time, Toyota moved up to number 2 in sales from number 4, just behind GM.

Volume and market share became so important for Toyota that quality suffered. Toyota also became a global manufacturer by locating assembly plants around the world. However, they have not been able to maintain quality production at these plants. Toyota became overextend, and their product suffered.

A Damaged Brand
Toyota had become a trusted brand based on quality and reliability. Automobile purchasers knew what to expect when they bought a Toyota. Over the years, Toyota has invested hundreds of millions in advertising and brand building. Toyota has successfully become one of the top brands in the world. Unfortunately, one of the most respected brands in the world has been tarnished. No brand that is bulletproof. The lesson here is that brands are valuable assets that must be managed and protected.

PR Mistakes
The last few weeks are a living case history in how not to handle a crisis. When managing a crisis, you need to get out in front of the problem quickly. Toyota has not managed the crisis, the crisis has managed Toyota. Toyota was slow to publically address the problems. Initially, there was no one from Toyota visible in the media. Essentially, Toyota lost control of the message and never got it back. Their lack of visibility allowed the media to control the message. The late attempt by the Toyota president Akio Toyoda was mediocre at best. They should have addressed the issue and taken responsibility.

Lack of Transparency
Congressional testimony and NTSB reports have revealed that Toyota knew of the issues months ago, but failed to address them publicly. Several media reports have cited an old Japanese proverb: "If it stinks, put a lid on it." It appears as if Toyota tried to follow this proverb and is now in a world of trouble.

Slow to Get a Message Out
Toyota was also slow to get their message out. Now, they are using television, radio and newspaper ad, as well as, social media. Unfortunately for Toyota every report of an unintended acceleration is now a national news story. Particularly in today’s media environment where responses are measured in minutes, the message needs to get out fast.

Toyota is still a great company, and they will survive this crisis. However, the damage has been done and the brand will forever be tarnished.

CIM Makes a Mark at WOC

2010-02-16T20:43:00.001-05:00

The Concrete Industry Management program had a big week at the World of Concrete. Once again CIM students and faculty partcipated in seminars and worked the CIM booth. During the course of the week, the students and faculty members had numerous opportunities to interact with people representing various parts of the industry.

On Wednesday, we held a press conference to provide the media with an update about the CIM program and unveil the first-ever CIM Annual Report. A PDF of the Annual Report is available here.

Committee meeting for the Education, Auction, Long Range Planning, and Finance Committee were held on Wednesday. The CIM National Steering Committee held meetings on Wednesday and Thursday.

The 5th Annual CIM Auction was held on Thursday and $386,000 was raised to establish, support, and sustain programs at selected universities. Both silent and live auctions were held. The signature item was a concrete mixer truck donated by McNeilus and Freightliner. The auction was made possible by the generous support from Hanley Wood, the World of Concrete, and Ritchie Bros. Auctioneers.

Perhaps the most interesting and emotional aspect of the week was the memorial the CIM students built for the firefighters who were killed in the 9/11 attacks. Ed Gruetzner, a retired NYFD firefighter from a firehouse on 48th & 8th Streets in New York City, lost many friends on 9/11. Several months ago, Ed, currently a decorative concrete contractor in White Plains, NY, approached Mike Eastergard, owner of PreiTech Corp. in Atlanta, GA, to discuss the idea of creating a concrete memorial for the firehouse. Mike volunteered his custom concrete form expertise and worked with CIM students to create the memorial during the 2010 WOC Artistry event. A Captian from the firehouse spoke to the NSC members about 9/11 and the fire fighters who lost their lives. There was not a dry eye in the room.

By attending the WOC, one can see the positive impact the CIM program is having on the concrete industry.

Super Bowl Ads 2010

2010-02-08T21:46:00.002-05:00

Another Super Bowl has come and gone, and so have the Super Bowl commercials. This year's advertisers got their money's worth as Neilsen reported that Super Bowl XLIV was the most watched television program ever. Over 100 million people tuned in to watch the Saints beat the Colts.

Even with ads costing companies $2.5 to $3 million for a 30 second spot, the Super Bowl is an effective ad buy. After taking a more serious tone last year, the 2010 commercials featured a more humorous tone. While most of the commercials entertained, to be truly effective the ads had to deliver a brand message and want to buy the product. In general, I thought 2010 was a down year for the commercials. Here are some highlights and thoughts from the 2010 ads:

Controversy over Focus on the Family ad. For the weeks leading up to the Super Bowl, the Focus on the Family ad featuring form University of Florida Quarterback and Heisman Trophy winner Tim Tebow created a significant amount of controversy. Pro-abortion groups took the airways trying to force CBS to pull the ad. The ad that ran focused on "celebrating life and family" according to a Focus on the Family spokesman. In reality, the protests leading up to the ad actually created more attention for Focus on the Family than the ad could itself. What amazes me is that the President of the National Organization of Women (NOW) decried the ad for promoting violence toward woman since it depicted Tim Tebow tackling his mom. Ironically, I didn't see NOW protesting Betty White getting tackled in the Snickers commercial or the woman ripping open their shirts in the GoDaddy.com ads.

Bud dominates. Once again, Bud had the most commercials during the broadcast. Overall, Anheuser-Busch purchased 5 minutes of ad time. The best Bud Light ads were the House of Bud cans, the Stranded on an Island, and the Bud Bridge. It seems the Bud Bowl was so long ago.

Too many men in underwear. Interestingly, a couple of ads featured men (and some women) in underwear. This is not something we need to see.

With love, from Google. Google ran a clever and interesting ad which seemed to tell a French Love story. The Googler start by finding things for a date and eventually looks for a crib. I found the ad to be engaging and entertaining.

Late night fun. Amazing, CBS was able to keep a lid on its ad promoting The late Show With David Letterman. The ad featured David Letterman sitting on a couch with Oprah. Then the camera panned to show Jay Leno sitting on the couch. I'm not sure who benefited more: Letterman, Leno or Oprah.

Green police. Audi's A3 TDI commercial promoted the clean diesel, but also provided a glimpse of the future under "Cap and Trade."

Free breakfast anyone? For the second year in a row, Denny's ad promoted a free meal. This year, Denny's will be offering a Free Grand Slam Breakfast on Tuesday. According to Denny's, they expect to serve over 2 million breakfasts, and they also are promoting a contest to win a free breakfast once a week.

Fewer starts, but they shine. The Snickers commercial featuring Betty White was selected as the best ad according t the USA Today. This year's ads lack the star power typically seen during the Super Bowl. The best star ads were Brett Farve receiving the 2020 MVP award that promoted Hyundai's 10 year warranty, and the TruTV Punxsutawney Polamalu. TruTV followed up the ad with full page, four color ads in newspapers on Monday. Homeaway.com effectively used Chevy Chase and Beverly D'Angelo as the Griswolds. Taco Bell continued its campaign featuring Charles Barkley.

Fewer automotive ads. There were fewer auto ads airing this year. The Kia "Toy Fantasy" ad showing the toys having a fantasy trip was fun and engaging. Hyundai's ad featuring its employees "hand building" the Sonota was very effective. I thought Dodge's "man's last stand" ad featuring the Dodge Charger resonated with the male audience and was effective. Volkswagen, Honda, and Audi also ran ads. Missing this year, were truck ads. It seems that every NFL game featured Dodge, Chevy and Ford promoting their trucks, but the biggest game of the year lacked a truck spot.

Staying offline. Just a few years ago, many Super Bowl advertisers use their Super Bowl ads to drive people to their web sites. With the exception of GoDaddy.com, most advertisers stayed off line this year.

Poor taste. Doritos and GoDaddy.com failed to impress again this year with their ads.

Waste of tax dollars. The Census ad was another good reason the government should not be spending our money.

Battle of the job boards. CareerBuilder.com and Monster.com again went head-to-head with ads this year. I did not find either of their spots to be particularly effective.

Missing from this year's line-up. Pepsi, a long-time Super Bowl advertiser, chose not to advertise this year. Coke, also a long-time advertiser, did advertise. Coke featured "The Simpsons" in their ad. FedEx, also a frequent advertiser, also passed on the 2010 Super Bowl.

To view the Super Bowl ads, click here.

AGC Reports That Construction Not To See Recovery In 2010

2010-01-20T20:25:00.000-05:00

According to a report recently released by the Associated General Contractors (AGC) of America, nine in ten contractors say there will be no recovery in 2010. many of the contractors I have talked with would agree with the AGC report. Most contractors are struggling to find work, and build a backlog. The survey of AGC members also found that fewer contractors plan to purchase construction equipment and doubt they will be able to hire new staff this year. To view the report, visit AGC.

"Unfortunately for the industry and for our economy this year's construction outlook is far from positive," said Stephen E. Sandherr, the association's chief executive officer. "As long as the construction industry remains mired in its own depression, broader economic and employment growth will continue to lag."

One of the most telling elements of the report was that most construction firms believe that they will be unable to hire employees in 2010. In addition, the AGC report reveals that most firms will delay capital investments and purchasing new equipment. According to the report, 73 percent of firms said they laid off employees in 2009, averaging 39 layoffs per firm. For 2010, however, 60 percent of firms say they are unsure whether they will be able to add new staff, or be forced to make further cuts.

The report also details the impact the stimulus has had on the construction industry. Contractors reported that the stimulus drove up expectations for highway, sewer and public building work. Thirty-one percent of contractors say they were awarded stimulus funded projects. Of these, 46 percent say the stimulus helped them retain an average of 24 employees each. Another 15 percent say the stimulus helped them to add an average of 10 new employees per company while 12 percent cite the stimulus as driving new equipment purchases.

The stimulus is finally beginning to have a measurable, but limited, impact on the construction industry,"" Sandherr noted. "The full impact of those investments has sadly been tempered by the inability of Congress to put a host of multi-year infrastructure funding plans in place."

While 2010 looks like another difficult year, Sandherr noted that construction costs are at low levels which is positive for those seeking to build.

Updated: Fifth Annual CIM Auction At the World of Concrete

2010-01-15T19:19:00.001-05:00

Industry Veterans Author "Leading With Marketing"

2010-01-08T19:39:00.001-05:00

Brian Gallagher and Kimberly Kayler, CPSM, both long-time architecture/engineering/construction (AEC) industry veterans, have announced the publication of their book entitled Leading with Marketing.

Published by AuthorHouse and available from amazon.com, the American Concrete Institute as well as through Hanley Wood at the World of Concrete, to be held Feb. 1-4 in Las Vegas, the book is a comprehensive resource for creating, building and managing successful AEC marketing programs.

According to Gallagher, investing in marketing initiatives can be a key driver for profitable growth for AEC firms. These marketing initiatives ultimately lead to a constant flow of new business opportunities.

“We have seen first-hand the impact marketing can have on growing AEC firms,” said Gallagher. “This book is designed to provide an overview and a roadmap for all involved in marketing and sales in the AEC industry.”

According to Kayler, Leading With Marketing embodies how a company approaches their business, their marketplace, and their customers.

“Whether it is handled by a department or an individual, marketing is a leadership function in every AEC firm,” said Kayler. “When companies lead with marketing, they choose which markets to target, what services to offer, how to differentiate, how to communicate, and how to win.”

Based on years of actual experience with a diverse variety of companies and associations in the AEC industry, the authors wrote this book with the intent of bridging the gap between traditional marketing concepts and emerging marketing trends, while providing a contextual link to the construction business. The authors note that this is not another book about how to write a marketing plan. Rather, the mission of this book is to help change the way those in the industry think about marketing, so firms can select the right target audiences, communicate with them effectively, and create profitable opportunities. It is designed specifically as a tool for professionals in the AEC fields that are providing leadership to the marketing efforts, with a complete overview of marketing process, tools, systems and best practices. Companies that market services such as architecture, engineering and construction services; as well as companies that sell products, such as materials, systems, and other products used in construction, will find the marketing principles outlined in this book to be beneficial.

Gallagher has served in executive level marketing positions with industry leading engineering, construction and manufacturing organizations. In his roles with O’Neal, Inc, Structural Group and Williams Scotsman, he has provided strategic leadership to the sales and marketing teams. His extensive background and knowledge of the construction industry enables innovative and effective marketing programs. He frequently writes and speaks on marketing topics. In addition, he has co-founded a marketing and sales consultancy, GBM Marketing, and launched several industry-specific web portals.

Gallagher holds a bachelor’s degree in Marketing from Towson University and an M.B.A. from Loyola College. He also has served as an Adjunct Assistant Professor of Marketing at Loyola College. He has served in leadership roles for various committees with the American Concrete Institute, the Post-Tensioning Institute, the Concrete Industry Management Program, and other organizations. He also is a member of the Society of Marketing Professional Services.

With a journalism degree and a decade of high-level experience serving engineering, architecture and construction firms as a corporate marketing executive, as well as experience working for a full-service advertising/marketing communications agency, Kayler started Constructive Communication, Inc. in 2001 to serve the needs of technical and professional service firms. Clients include five international concrete associations; a variety of general contractors, engineers and architects from around the country; as well as firms in the aerospace, chemical and industrial sectors. Services provided by the growing Constructive Communication, Inc. team include technical writing, proposal development, public and media relations, social media and marketing/communications.

The author of more than 1,250 published articles on a variety of concrete, construction, design, marketing and other technical subjects, Kayler was the first to earn the Certified Professional Services Marketer designation in the state of Ohio from the Society of Marketing Professional Services. She is a frequent speaker on technical marketing and public relations and is a registered provider through the American Institute of Architects. Although she is a graduate of the University of Arizona, she now calls Columbus, Ohio home. She has a M.S. in Organizational Management with an emphasis in Leadership from Capella University and she is a member of the Society for Marketing Professional Services, the Construction Specifications Institute and the Women Construction Owners & Executives. Her firm is a Certified Women’s Business Enterprise as well as a certified participant in Ohio’s Encouraging Diversity, Growth and Equity (EDGE) program through the Equal Opportunity Division of the Ohio Department of Administrative Services. She is a volunteer with the Junior Achievement program and she serves on the Board of Director for the Dublin Foundation, the Dublin Convention & Visitors Bureau, as well as the Small Business Council of the Columbus Chamber of Commerce.

Although only just introduced to the marketplace, the book has already been well received.

“Leading With Marketing should become a basic primer for anyone or any organization marketing products and/or services in the AEC market arena. Construction management, architecture and engineering programs could use this book as a text or guide. It should be a lesson to us that marketing should and must be a vital part of our overall strategies for success going forward. My compliments to the authors for their well thought out and explicit thoughts on how to create viable and successful marketing programs in the AEC marketplace. This book is a great read,” said Jack Wyatt, Vice President, Chief Marketing Officer, Acton Mobile Industries.

"Having worked with Brian and Kimberly for many years and seeing the direct results of their wisdom help Structural Group grow to over 500-million in sales, now having their wisdom detailed in this great book will allow more of us to apply marketing strategies to our everyday business. I highly recommend this book to every architectural, engineering and contracting company that desires a profitable growth strategy," said Peter Emmons, CEO and Founder of Structural Group (Hanover, Md.).

The cost of the book is $49.95. More information about the book, its contents and how to order can be found at http://www.leadingwithmarketing.com/.

Spending Increases on Branded Content

2009-12-21T06:50:00.000-05:00

According to a study recently released by the Custom Publishers Council (CPC), spending on branded content has increased.

The CPC study, "The ContentWise and Custom Publishing Councils' 2009 Spending: A Look at How Corporate America Invests in Branded Content," was recently released by the CPC.

“Due to rising demand, branded content has proliferated in recent years, expanding beyond its traditional roots of print publications and the Internet. The study shows substantial growth in our industry sector,” explained Lori Rosen, Executive Director, CPC. “Perhaps even more importantly, 78% of respondents reported that branded content is more effective than advertising.”

According to the study, branded content was double that of 2008 and the highest amount since the study was first conducted in 2003. The study revealed that per-company spending among companies surveyed totaled $1.8 million, with 51% spent on custom print publications, 27% on Internet media and 22% on categories including video and audio. Branded content accounted for 32% of overall marketing, advertising and communications.

In the AEC industry, we have seen a steady increase in the number of publications and web sites that offer customer publishing opportunities. There's not a week that goes by that I don't get a call about "an opportunity" to be a "featured company," or "salute" a firm with whom we have worked on a project. This trend is bound to continue as advertising revenues continue to decline for print publishers.

The interesting point of the study is the 78% that viewed branded content more effective than advertising. In addition, 54% of the companies surveyed, the primary reason for branded content initiatives was to educate customers. That demonstrates to me the blurring of the line between PR and advertising. .

Will You Be Ready?

2009-11-20T18:55:00.000-05:00

I recently attended an Economic Summit focused on commercial real estate and construction. Like the other attendees, I was eager to hear what the panel of experts had to say about the economy. As expected, uncertainty was the common theme relayed by each speaker. In reality, no one knows what the future holds for the AEC industry. The stimulus package has not really had the impact on construction many had hoped for when it passed Congress. While we cannot predict how soon the construction industry will rebound, we can start to plant the seeds to position our companies for business when the rebound happens.

For AEC marketers, this should involve developing and implementing strategic marketing plans and tactics. Previously, I’ve written about the importance of marketing in a down economy. Investing in marketing is even more critical as we start a recovery. While I doubt we will come out of this economic downturn as quickly as we have in the past, I believe it will be faster than most expect. Marketing has a critical role in an AEC organization. The role is being a strategic thought leader, and that includes vision. Firms need to invest in activities to build awareness, deliver messages and position the firm. These activities are even more important in a soft economy.

Now is a great time to invest in marketing. Many companies have cut back on marketing investments and activities. Just look at any industry trade publication and see that advertising is down. When advertising is down, there’s an even greater opportunity for you to stand out as you are competing with fewer messages. Trade show attendance is down significantly. However, by cutting out key industry shows, you may be conspicuously absent and send the wrong message to your customers. An interesting fact I’ve observed is that show attendance may down, but those attending the shows seem to be serious buyers.

Social media and digital marketing are also effective ways to maintain your company’s presence in the market place. All digital and social efforts, however, need to be part of the overall marketing communications strategy.

Consider using direct response tools to remind and inform your prospects and customers about your services. Share completed projects, news and resources with them. This can be effective to remain relevant, maintain your brand position and generate leads.

Most importantly, keep your sales team in front of customers. Your sales assets are your best link to the customer. While the customers may not be buying today, they will buy from those who continued to call on them.

Invest now in marketing to raise your image and provide your clients with good information, resources and advise. No one knows when we will rebound, but by continuing to invest in marketing you will be ready.

CIM 2010 Auction At the WOC

2009-11-15T14:52:00.001-05:00

The Concrete Industry Management (CIM) program – a business intensive program that awards students with a four-year Bachelor of Science degree in Concrete Industry Management – will host their fifth annual auction to be held at the World of Concrete on Thursday, Feb. 4 at 12:00 p.m in the North Hall Room N262 of the Las Vegas Convention Center.

Organizers hope the 2010 Auction is even bigger than the 2009 Auction, which raised approximately $300,000. In addition to the traditional auction items, a silent auction will occur in the North Hall this year. The money raised from both the live and silent auctions will benefit the CIM National Steering Committee and support the CIM programs at Middle Tennessee State University, Arizona State University, New Jersey Institute of Technology, California State University – Chico, and Texas State University.

“The support from the concrete industry has been tremendous. Thanks to the World of Concrete (WOC) Show Management, Hanley Wood Publications, Concrete Producer magazine, Concrete Construction magazine, McNeilus, and Ritchie Bros. Auctioneers, the 2009 auction helped raise valuable dollars that benefit the CIM programs,” said Brian Gallagher, Chairman of the CIM Marketing Committee.

To date, the following companies have donated these big ticket items for the Auction:
· McNeilus concrete mixer
· Holcim –cement
· LaFarge – cement
· Command Alkon- batch panel system

Other items available through the silent and live auctions include concrete saws, drills, vibrators, scaffolding, safety equipment, screeds, fiber transport systems, dust collectors, NDT equipment, decorative concrete tools, water meters, pumps, generators, training sessions, reference books, advertisements, computers, sports memorabilia, sports travel packages, golf school packages and vacation travel packages.

Those interested in making a donation should contact Wally Johnson at 713.499.6229 or wjohnson@us-concrete.com.

About CIM Receiving tremendous support from the concrete industry, the CIM program was the first of its kind in United States – a four-year Bachelor of Science degree in Concrete Industry Management. The need for such a program was recognized in 1994 and was put into action by the concrete industry. The end-result was a partnership between the concrete industry and Middle Tennessee State University (MTSU) to develop the CIM program, implementing it with its first two students in 1996. Available at MTSU, Arizona State University, California State University, Chico, Texas State University and the New Jersey Institute of Technology, the program has been successful for both the industry and the graduates.

The goal of the program is to produce broadly educated, articulate graduates grounded in basic construction management, who are knowledgeable of concrete technology and techniques and are able to manage people and systems as well as promote products or services related to the concrete industry. It entails a broad range of courses, from English and history to science and mathematics. A series of required business courses such as finance, marketing, management and business law are also taken throughout the length of the program.

The concrete-specific courses teach the fundamentals of concrete, properties and testing, concrete construction and more. All of these courses provide much more than what is simply in the text – they emphasize problem solving, quality assurance and customer satisfaction. They utilize practical case studies and an internship to make sure the student obtains real-world experience essential to starting a successful career. Additional opportunities for growth include on-campus socials and other organized events providing industry networking and professional development.

To learn more about the program, visit www.concretedegree.com.

Insight into the Penske Corporation

2009-11-06T05:19:00.000-05:00

I recently had the opportunity to attend a presentation by Walter Czarnecki, Executive Vice President of Penske Corporation. Penske is a closely-held, Michigan-based company, with a variety of automotive-related businesses. Czarnecki provided an overview of the Penke organization and the current state of the automotive industry in the United States. The presentation was at the Clemson CUICAR facility in Greenville, SC. From a marketing perspective, Czernecki shared significant insight about Penske’s business model, selection of markets, product strategy and marketing initiatives.

Czarnecki joined with race-car legend Roger Penske in the early 1970s to build a Chevrolet dealership in Michigan. Over the years, they expanded the business to include fleet leasing and maintenance, motor speedway operations, manufacturing and a variety of related businesses.

Czarnecki showed a series of slides that described the strategy of Penske. Their approach retail car business was to focus on selling foreign brands in the United States. This included a focus on premium brands such as BMW (BMW accounts for 23% of new sales for Penske), and Lexus. In addition, foreign volume manufacturers, such as Toyota and Honda represented a significant share of Penske’s sales. U.S. manufacturers accounted for only 5% of Penske’s volume. That strategy proved to be sound as Penske grew as the foreign manufacturers gained market share in the United States. Another part of the Penske strategy was to build large auto malls with several brands. According to Czarnecki’s slide, Penske dealers sell approximately more new vehicles per store than the average retailers. In 2007, Penske became the exclusive dealer for SMART Cars in the United States. Over 26,000 SMART cars have been sold in the United States since they entered the market.

The truck leasing and operation business is another key component to the Penske business. Penske owns, leases, and maintains vehicles for large fleet truck operators such as FedEx. A key component of Penske’s success here has been partnerships with their clients. Czarnecki also described Penske's partnerships with investors and other companies such as GE.

Penske has had a long association with motor sports in the U.S. and around the world. Penske doesn’t view motorsports as a sponsorship, but rather as a business. Penske Racing is well known throughout racing circles around the world. Czarnecki said that motor sports was the one common thread that ran though all of Penske’s businesses and was a unifying factor. In addition, Penske utilizes their sponsor relationships as opportunities to connect their business partners to truly bring value for their investment. He cited examples, such as connecting Cintas with Snap-on Tools to discuss supplying uniforms; and connecting Avis with Exxon Mobil to discuss rental car programs.

How AEC BD People Can Use Twitter

2009-10-21T06:15:00.002-04:00

Undoubtedly, Twitter is a great tool for a variety of marketing purposes, but can it be used effectively by business development people in the AEC industry? Absolutely! Here are a few ways Twitter can be used by your business development team.

Keep a Tab on Customers
Follow your key customers to learn about news and information about their company. Due to the nature of the real time updates, you can find out information real fast.

Keep a Pulse on the Industry
Follow the key industry associations and publications in your industry. Most associations and publications use Twitter. This is an easy and effective ways to keep abreast of news and trends in your industry.

Monitor Competitors
Keep track of your competitors and their activities. You’d be surprised what you can learn by following your competitor’s tweets.

Keep Connected with Colleagues
Twitter is a great tool to keep connected with colleagues as they change organizations.

Maintain Visibility
Utilize Twitter to share information, news, links, and other information. You can also use Twitter to promote your blog or web site.

Establish Thought Leadership
Twitter is a great tool to provide links to your blog, web site, technical or other articles that can help establish thought leadership

Since Twitter posts are limited to only 140 characters, it is very easy to quickly scan tweets to stay connected and communicate. Just like prospecting and follow-up activities, Twitter requires focus and commitment. Make Twitter a part of your business development routine.

The 7 Habits For Contractors

2009-10-20T22:23:00.000-04:00

The Seven Habits of Highly Effective People, by Stephen Covey has long been one of my favorite books. I have successfully used the Habits in my career, and have lead sessions to teach others the 7 Habits. Matt Stevens of the Construction Institute recently published a book summary of Covey's classic work and tailored it to contractors. To download a copy of the summary, click here.

In the book, Covey advocates that people take an "inside-out" approach to effectiveness, and align themselves with "True North" principles and character ethic. Covey believes that our charachter is a collection of habits, and these habits consist of knowledge, skill and desire.

For those that are not familiar with Covey's 7 Habits, they are:

Dependence to Independence
Habit 1: Be Proactive: Principles of Personal Choice
Habit 2: Begin with the End in Mind: Principles of Personal Vision
Habit 3: Put First Things First: Principles of Integrity & Execution

Independence to Interdependence
Habit 4: Think Win/Win: Principles of Mutual Benefit
Habit 5: Seek First to Understand, Then to be Understood: Principles of Mutual Understanding
Habit 6: Synergize: Principles of Creative Cooperation

Continual Improvement
Habit 7: Sharpen the Saw: Principles of Balanced Self-Renewal

I highly recommend reading the 7 Habits and applying them in your personal and professional life.

Client-Agency Relationships Change

2009-10-13T17:25:00.004-04:00

B to B Magazine recently published an article titled Relationship Troubles. The article discusses how economic challenges and the emergence of new media technologies have impacted traditional client-agency relationships.

I have found the last few years in marketing to be facinating. The emergence of search marketing and social media have impacted AEC marketing significantly. Overall, firms have been very slow to embrace new media technology. As the article points out, agencies are quick to outsource new media. This has been reinforced as firms specialized by offering SEO, SEM and social media services.

Fifteen years ago, I worked with one full service agency for everything. However, today not many firms have full service capabilities in-house. This creates more challenges for marketers in the AEC industry, as we must manage our marketing communications programs through multiple firms.

As the lines between advertising, marketing, social media, and PR continue to blur, so will our relationships with agencies.

Construction Writers Association Presents 2009 Awards

2009-10-08T21:48:00.003-04:00

The Construction Writers Association (CWA) recently presented its twelfth annual
Website and Electronic Communications Awards at the organization`s fall
conference in Chicago. Awards were presented in three categories-website,
electronic communications and blogs.

Websites were evaluated by a panel of judges on quality of content, overall
design, use of innovative and accessible technology, navigation, search
functionality, interactivity, and meeting stated objectives. Electronic
communications were judged on the design, graphics, accessibility, meeting
stated objectives, and overall impression. Entries were received from
construction-related individuals, companies, associations, advertising agencies,
public relations firms and publications. "Digital marketing is transforming the
way organizations communicate their message, and the CWA jury saw firsthand how
innovation in electronic communication helps companies to stand out from the
competition," said Michael Reilly, chair of the 2009 awards jury and president
of Boston-based Reilly Communications.

Award winners were:
* Website: GyroHSR; John Deere "Skidsteer Smackdown Season Two"
* Electronic Communications: Portland Cement Association; Concrete Thinking:
Portland Cement Association`s Success Using Twitter
* Blog: Building Design+Construction`s BuildingTeam360 Blog.

The CWA Website and Electronic Communications Awards include marketing-oriented
websites and other digital media, such as e-newsletters, blogs, podcasts, and
streaming video. The competition showcases the best of the best in
construction-related communications and is a prestigious acknowledgment that the
work of these writers, through their various communication efforts, has met a
very high standard of excellence. CWA presents awards at its two major
conferences each year.

Concrete Sustainability Hub Launched At MIT

2009-10-06T21:43:00.001-04:00

Sustainability has been a challenge the concrete industry has been wrestling with for the last several years. Unfortunately, the frargmented nature of the industry has impacted the industry's ability to develop a comprehensive approach to sustainability. Recently, however, some leading concrete associations have partnered to launch the Concrete Sustainability Hub )(CSH) at MIT, which is being described as an interdisciplinary collaboration that will accelerate the growth of science and engineering in concrete research. A press release about the CSH is below.

CAMBRIDGE, Mass. — Concrete is the most widely used building material on the planet; however, the production of some of its component materials accounts for up to five percent of global carbon dioxide emissions annually. To address the sustainability and environmental implications of the use of concrete as the backbone of our housing, schools, hospitals and other built infrastructure, including highways, tunnels, airports and rail systems, MIT today announced the creation of the Concrete Sustainability Hub, a research center established at MIT in collaboration with the Portland Cement Association (PCA) and Ready Mixed Concrete (RMC) Research & Education Foundation.
The Concrete Sustainability Hub (CSH), established with the goal of accelerating emerging breakthroughs in concrete science and engineering and transferring that science into practice, will provide $10 million of sponsored research funding during the next five years. Researchers from MIT’s School of Engineering, School of Architecture and Planning and Sloan School of Management are expected to participate in the CSH’s research activities.
The launch of CSH incidentally coincides with last week’s announcement that the EPA is moving to enact rules that would curtail greenhouse gas emissions from power plants and large industrial manufacturers. If enacted, these rules would likely impose regulations on all 118 cement plants in the United States. The RMC and PCA leaders are hopeful that research results emerging from CSH projects will help ease the way for the industry to meet any changes that would be required by those new regulations.
“The concrete industry has the honor of producing the world’s most favored building material, but this honor comes with a responsibility for the industry to minimize its ecological footprint,” said Julie Garbini, executive director of the RMC Research & Education Foundation.
Brian McCarthy, CEO and president of PCA, added “The MIT research team is an exceptional group of dedicated interdisciplinary faculty and the CSH will take a holistic approach to research that allows science to feed seamlessly into today’s concrete applications like paving and wall systems. For ultimately, the greatest opportunity for the building industry to reduce greenhouse gas emissions may lay in the development of more durable and energy-efficient roads, houses, and buildings.”
“This collaboration is an excellent example of how MIT is addressing complex, interconnected issues of sustainability — and working to provide solutions,” said Subra Suresh, Dean of Engineering and Vannevar Bush Professor of Engineering at MIT. “Putting engineers together with economists, urban planners, architects and industry experts and practitioners on issues related to our built infrastructure will create truly novel opportunities for intervention.”
CSH research will initially be organized around three focus areas: concrete materials science, building technology and the econometrics of sustainable development. The first two projects, “Green Concrete Science,” and “The Edge of Concrete: A Life-Cycle Investigation of Concrete and Concrete Structures” are already underway. Franz-Josef Ulm, the Macomber Professor in the Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, will serve as the CSH’s inaugural director and is the lead investigator on the Green Concrete Science project. The CSH will be co-directed by John Ochsendorf, Class of 1942 Career Development Associate Professor of Building Technology in the Department of Architecture and the Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering.
“It is rare that one has an opportunity to have a positive environmental impact on the most prevalent building material in the world,” said Ulm. “This means working closely with industry partners over time to ensure that our ideas and research are sustainable economically, as well as environmentally, and are a source of job creation.”
# # #
About PCAThe Portland Cement Association, based in Skokie, Ill., represents cement companies in the United States and Canada. It conducts market development, engineering, research, education, and public affairs programs. For additional information, visit http://http://www.cement.org/.
About RMC Research & Education FoundationThe mission of the RMC Research and Education Foundation, based in Silver Spring, Md., is to support research and educational programs that will increase quality, professionalism and environmental stewardship in the ready mixed concrete industry for the benefit of the citizens of the United States. For additional information, visit http://http://www.rmc-foundation.org/.

Google Wave Beta Launched

2009-10-02T19:20:00.000-04:00

Google today launched it's latest tool, Google Wave, to a 100,000 beta users. With Google Wave, Google steps into Web 3.0 territory and attempts to facilitate real time communication and collaboration on projects. Google Wave will allow users to work together on richly formatted documents, videos, images and other tools. Google touts the new Wave as "...equal parts collaboration and document..." Each Wave is available to participants in a tree structure of messages. The messages combine IM capabilities and conventional e-mail. According to Google, users can view information on a keystroke by keystroke basis.

To watch a video on Google Wave, click here.

The Beta release of Google Wave comes on the heels of Google's Chrome Frame release. Chrome Frame was developed as a plug in for Internet Explorer to handle a variety of open web technologies.

The Wave could take social media to the next level. The potential of Wave creates a tremendous amount of possibilities for the AEC industry. Wave can take collaboration on projects to a whole new level. For marketers, Wave can help create a whole new brand experience.

To read more on the Google Wave, click here.

Good To Great As Applied To The AEC Industry

2009-10-01T20:10:00.000-04:00

Matt Stevens of Stevens Construction Institute recently published a summary of Good To Great, by Jim Collins. What's unique about Matt's summary is that he tailored the principles outlined in the book to businesses in the construction industry. To download the PDF summary, click here. You can also access the PDF at Matt's blog, ContractorsBlog.com.

I first read Good To Great a few years ago, and found Collins' concepts to be right on target. Collins based his book on 5 years of research on leading companies. In Good To Great Collins asserts that organizational greatness is a matter of choice and disipline.

One point that is particularly relevent today, is that Collins asserts that great companies hired talent when it becomes available, not just when they need them. Today, there is a significant amount of AEC talent available. The truely great companies will be the ones that seize the opportunity.

AGC Unveils Blueprint For The Construction Industry

2009-10-01T05:37:00.005-04:00

On Wednesday, the Associated General Contractors (AGC) unveiled a blueprint for the construction industry. The plan, "Build Now for the Future: A Blueprint for Economic Growth," was developed to help spur growth in the construction industry.

The AGC plan details a mix of incentives, tax cuts, policy revisions and infrastructure investments to reverse the decline in construction activity nationwide. The plan was announced by AGC at a construction site in Sparks, Nevada, which has been one of the hardest hit construction markets in the United States. According to AGC construction employment declined in 324 of 337 U.S. metropolitan areas between August 2008 and 2009.

To read the AGC plan, click here.

Investment in construction will spur economic activitiy and create jobs, according to the plan. In a press release, Stephen Sandherr, AGC CEO, plan’s primary goal is to stimulate new private-sector construction activity, which accounts for 70 percent of the construction market.

The plan suggests doubling federal spending on the nation's transportation infrastructure and renovating federal facilities. The plan also calls for investments in clean water, flood control and navigation projects. AGC's plan recommends encouraging public-private partnerships and green construction. Also included in the plan are recommendations on streamling regulation and environmental reviews, restoring the gas tax's "lost purchasing power," repealing the alternative minimum tax, and increasing and extending a number of tax credits and cuts.

According to the AGC website, the association represents more than 33,000 construction-related firms.

NBA Latest To Develop Social Media Policy

2009-09-30T17:43:00.000-04:00

The NBA released details on their social media policy. The new policy prohibits social media activities and Tweeting during NBA games, and also restricts what players can say through social media. The NBA also said it will treat comments made through social media as it treats comments in other media.

For the major sports leagues, social media is a tricky subject. The leagues invest so much in marketing their individual stars and players. Social media can be a great tool for connecting with fans and marketing their product. However, it is a delicate balance the leagues face. The recent examples of athlete's Tweets clearly demonstrates the need for social media guideline, but league executives must be careful not to go too far.

NBA teams received the memo on Wednesday telling them that cell phones and other communication devices can't be used from 45 minutes before game time until after players have finished their responsibilities after games. The ban also includes halftime. The NBA follows the NFL in announcing a social media policy.

Construction Related Companies Cut NASCAR Spending

2009-08-13T00:03:00.000-04:00

As the economy continues to sputter, construction related companies are cutting back on their investments in NASCAR sponsorships. Recently, Dewalt announced it was ending its NASCAR sponsorship, and Lowes announce it was ending its sponsorship of Lowes Motor Speedway in Charlotte.

Dewalt, one of a handful of construction related companies involved in NASCAR’s Sprint Series, recently announced a decision to end its 10 year relationship with NASCAR driver Matt Kenseth. Driving the number 17 Dewalt Ford Fusion, Kenseth won a Sprint Car Championship in 2003. Unfortunately this ends a chapter in a great construction branding success story. Dewalt is literally a Harvard Business School case history on brand building and customer loyalty.

Roush Fenway Racing said they were notified by Dewalt that they would not be renewing their NASCAR sponsorship due to a drop in construction activity. “While the motor sports program has been a valuable marketing tool for DEWALT during the past twelve years, the company has decided to redirect its resources in light of an unprecedented decline in the construction industry,” read a press release on Dewalt’s web site. The decision by Dewalt to end their sponsorship was another blow to NASCAR, who has been hurt by Detroit’s woes and a drop in attendance and viewership.

“Our decision to discontinue the sponsorship, while a difficult one, will help us to continue delivering value to our customers and end users, while managing our financial results. We remain committed to the team for the 2009 season, and will have an ongoing presence in the sport as DEWALT tools will continue to be used to build and maintain racecars and equipment. We would like to thank DEWALT racing fans for their loyal support over the years and we also thank Matt, and the entire Roush Fenway Racing organization for their efforts and outstanding results, and wish them continued success,” the release continued.

Dewalt, a unit of Black and Decker, built a dominating construction brand in the 1990’s. Dewalt’s NASCAR sponsorship was a key part of that brand building initiative. Dewalt is a well know case history in marketing circles. Dewalt was transformed from a little known business-to-business and became a leading industrial tool company. While their focus was contractors, Dewalt quickly became a household name in the home owner market.

Their aggressive strategy included reaching their customers where “they live, work and play.” That’s where the NASCAR sponsorship was a key strategy. Dewalt was also well known for hiring hordes of recent college graduates and blitzing job sites, doing demos and giving away items. Dewalt also leveraged their NASCAR investment at trade shows and events by having a 17 car and racing items. They also successfully leveraged the investment by taking cars to retailers such as Lowes and Home Depot.

Lowes and Home Depot have been long-time NASCAR Sponsors. Both have significant customer bases in in consumer and professional markets. While Lowes and Home Deport are continuing their car sponsorships, Lowes announced that it is ending its 11 year sponsorship of the Lowes Motor Speedway in Charlotte. In 1999, Lowes' naming rights deal was one of the first for major NASCAR tracks. Lowes cited "changing marketing strategies" in a press release. The Speedway will likely return to being called Charlotte Motor Speedway.

MAPEI, a leading supplier of construction products, has sponsored Robby Gordon Motorsports' race team since 2006. A number of other companies that serve the construction market are involved in NASCAR. For example, Fastenal, which primarily serves the commercial market sponsors a Nationwide Series Team.

A key part of the sponsorship strategy has to be leveraging the sponsorship investment across all marketing programs. For example, featuring the sponsorship in ads, mailer, and the web. In addition, using the races and other events as opportunities to entertain clients.

While sponsoring a NASCAR team is not possible for most firms in the AEC industry, the premise of Dewalt’s marketing strategy are relevant for all firms. Focus on building your brand, connect with customers, and focus on building loyalty.

ESPN, NFL and the Marines Address Social Media

2009-08-07T08:07:00.004-04:00

ESPN, the NFL, and the Marines are the latest to being focusing on how its employees and player are using Twitter and social networking sites. Yesterday, ESPN implemented a policy which restricts how it's on-air talent and staff can use social sites.

The new policy from ESPN is rumored to have stemmed from ESPN’s management’s frustration with the fact that its on-air talent have been using Twitter to break news.

While it does not have a league-wide policy, the NFL has encouraged all teams to adopt social media policies. "Ultimately, it's up to the individual teams to set policy," Greg Aiello, the NFL’s Senior VP of Media Relations. The Green Bay Packers have gone as far as fining players for Tweeting during team events. In recent weeks, NFL player have been tweeting during training camps. Tweets have ranged from comments on training camp food to comments on other players contract statuses.

According to CNN, the new marine Corp policy cites the high risks and exposure the social networking sites as the driver for the policy. "These internet sites in general are a proven haven for malicious actors and content and are particularly high risk due to information exposure, user generated content and targeting by adversaries.” While Twitter and Facebook are great tools for Marines to communicate with their family and friends, the security and well being of all military personal are paramount.

The ESPN policy doesn’t ban its people from using Twitter or social networking sites, but restricts them from representing themselves as ESPN employees in their updates and postings.

Exept from the ESPN policy:

“ESPN understands that employees may maintain or contribute to personal blogs, message boards, conversation pages and other forms of social media (such as Facebook and Twitter) outside of their job function and may periodically post information about their job or ESPN's activities on these outlets. If an employee posts ESPN or job-related information, they are required to exercise good judgment, abide by ESPN policy, and take the following into consideration. ESPN employees are obligated to be aware of and comply with any applicable provisions set forth in ESPN's Employee Handbook and The Walt Disney Company's Standards of Business Conduct. Employees may not disclose confidential or proprietary company information or similar information of third parties who have shared such information with ESPN. ESPN's intellectual property, logos, trademarks, and copyrights may not be used in any manner.”

Social media has clearly impacted how the media covers sports, and I’m not sure how it will evolve. Like ESPN, the NFL and the Marines, companies must move toward a social media policy that sets expectations and guidelines that protects their company’s assets, intellectual property and interests. For information on social media policies, click here.

Developing A Social Media Policy

2009-08-04T05:11:00.003-04:00

Social Media Policies are a must for AEC Firms
The Wall Street Journal recently reported that leaks of sensitive information were increasingly leaking from top corporations. See: Leaks Grow in the World of Blogs. The article specifically described how information about pending layoffs were leaked by employees before they were announced. There are also countless examples of sensitive company information being leaked to competitors, customers and the public. The main source of the leaks was their own employees social networking habits.

Social media is a tremendous tool and resource, but without proper guidelines and expectations, there are risks. Every AEC firm needs to have a social media policy in place to protect company information and ensure worker productivity.

Evolution of Policies. In general, social media policies have evolved as the medium has evolved. Many firms first started by putting blog policies and guidelines in place a few years ago. As Facebook, Linked In, Twitter and other sites have exploded, these policies have transformed into Social Media Policies.

Getting Started. Great, you know you need a policy, but how do you get started? Start introducing social media, outline your views of social media should be used in your organization, then set expectations for what employees can and can’t do through social media. Depending on your depth of experience with social media, I think it is important to get multiple perspectives for multiple people in your firm, including human resources, marketing, IT and operations.

Do your homework. There are countless examples of Social Media Policies available. Many are modeled after IBM's or Intel's Policies. See: IBM Social Computing Guidelines, Intel Social Media Policy. Your policy should clearly outline your expectations, but not be overly restrictive. Remember, you want to encourage communication, learning, collaboration and engagement.

Protecting Company Information. An essential point of your social media policy is to ensure that all employees fully understand that they have an obligation to protect and safeguard confidential, sensitive, and proprietary company information.

CIM Seeks Auction Donations

2009-07-30T23:21:00.002-04:00

The Concrete Industry Management (CIM) program - a business intensive program that awards students with a four-year Bachelor of Science degree in Concrete Industry Management - is seeking donations for their fifth annual auction to be held at the World of Concrete on Thursday, Feb. 4, 2010 at 1:00 p.m.

Organizers hope the 2010 Auction is even bigger than the 2009 Auction, which raised approximately $300,000. The money raised from the CIM Auction, which will be held at the Las Vegas Convention Center, will benefit the CIM National Steering Committee and support the CIM Programs at Middle Tennessee State University, Arizona State University, New Jersey Institute of Technology, Texas State University and the California State University - Chico.
According to Wally Johnson of US Concrete, Inc., the 2009 CIM Auction Chairman, "The money raised will benefit the CIM National Steering Committee and support the current CIM programs as well as help fund future program expansion."

In addition to the live auction, a silent auction was held this year. Auction items included cement, a skid steer, concrete saws, drills, mixers, vibrators, scaffolding, safety equipment, screeds, fiber transport systems, dust collectors, NDT equipment, decorative concrete tools, water meters, pumps, generators, training sessions, reference books, advertisements, laptop computers, sports memorabilia, sports travel packages, golf school packages and vacation travel packages.
Those interested in making a donation should contact Wally Johnson at 713.499.6229 or mailto:wjohnson@us-concrete.com

What Does The Future Hold For Magazines In Construction?

2009-07-28T20:56:00.007-04:00

The publishing industry has been hit particularly hard with this recession. Drops in subscriptions and advertisers have hit construction publications particularly hard. McGraw Hill, publisher of several construction related publications, reported 2nd quarter earnings were down 23%. McGraw Hill's media unit, which includes Engineering News Record and its Regional Construction publications saw a drop in profit of 42%. Just two weeks ago, the company announce 125 positions were being eliminated from its media unit.

Just a few months ago, Reed Publications shut down all of its regional construction publications. They also recently announced they were putting several assets on the block and their CEO resigned. So what does the future hold for construction media? In a world where people want news and information instantaneously, the future is bleak for traditional print publications serving construction. Their business model is broken. They have been slow to embrace the change and technology that has swept across the publishing industry. I believe there will be a continued shift to digital publications and eNews products, with specialty and association-related publications being the remaining print assets. For marketers in construction, this also represents a shift in media and public relations strategies to digital and social media. Construction firms will have to focus on alternative means of disseminating their news and influencing their target audiences.

Shift Coming in Digital Ads, But How Will it Impact the AEC Industry

2009-06-12T09:45:00.000-04:00

At a recent Advertising 2.0 Conference in New York, Barry Diller, chairman of IAC/InterActive Corp. suggested that the next frontier of internet ads is coming as web content and internet ads are set to change. According to an article on BtoBOnline.com, Diller said that the current ad formats are obsolete and Internet users have come to ignore ad in their "commoditized" state. I agree that we are on the verge of the "next thing" in internet ads. Overall, branded experiences and sponsorships are clearly more effective. For the most part, AEC web advertising is dominated by material and equipment suppliers. Not many contractors, engineers, or architects have extensive web campaigns. Which I see as a tremendous opportunity. The bar is not high, and it is easy to see easily a well planned and executed campaign could easily have an impact.

In addition, Diller believes that more publishers will be moving to a paid content model. My belief is that most publishers will struggle to move to such a model. For this shift to occur, there must be compelling content. So much content is simply regurgitated and linked from site to site. The drop in advertising revenue for publishers has resulted in reductions in editorial staff. This in turn has resulted in less original content. Publishers have struggled to find ways to make publishing their content profitable.

How does this relate to the AEC industry? For the most part, the publishing models in the AEC industry are pretty stale. Other than assets like McGraw Hill's construction.com and ENR.com, the AEC news sites are fairly fragmented. In addition, construction.com and ENR.com have so much content, it is challenging for them to deliver a good experience. On their ENR.com site, the news and content is fairly stale. Feature stories are only updated once a week. They've recently tried to leverage blogs and video content. On the print side, ENR has lost its position as the bible for the construction industry. The page count is only a fraction of what it once was. McGraw Hill is rumored to be considering divesting of its non-core assets so it can focus on its text book and financial services business. As traditional publishers struggle with both their print and on-line assets, advertisers are going to look other options such as paid searches and social media. In the AEC industry, publishers have a long way to go before visitors are willing to pay for content.

B-to-B Applications of Twitter

2009-04-15T09:40:00.001-04:00

Social media has gained a significant foothold in business-to-business marketing. The use of Twitter as a business marketing tool has grown significantly. Twitter is a web-based social messaging tool that allows users to post a message to update their followers.

Like other social networking tools, Twitter began as a way for people to keep-up with each other. Forrester Research reported that over 7 million people are using Twitter. As a social networking tool, Twitter ranks just behind Facebook and MySpace. But what is significant from a marketer’s perspective, Twitter has quickly gained acceptance as a marketing tool. While this doesn’t seem like cutting edge, it is an easy and effective way for marketers to reach their target audiences and engage their customers. Known as “tweets,” Twitter postings typically are short messages, and conversations, about topics, products, and companies. People can sign-up to be “followers” of people and companies.

For marketers, Twitter can serve as an effective tool to deliver messages to your target audience as well as a vehicle to engage in a dialogue. As you start to use web 2.0 tools such as Twitter, remember that this is a tool to help build and enhance a relationship. It is not just another way to put out a press release.

Marketers also must follow conversations and trends on Twitter. Odds are someone on Twitter is saying something about your company, your competitors, your services, or products. Marketers must follow the dialogue and also help monitor their company’s on-line reputation.

In business-to-business marketing, there is a misnomer that business buy from businesses. However, it is people in those businesses making decisions, thus people at business buy from people at other businesses. Tools such as Twitter can be effective methods to engage prospective customers and current clients. Twitter, in my opinion, can have even more value in the business-to-business world than in the business-to-consumer world. This is because it allows users to "Tweet" very specific, and some times very technical, messages about their products or services.

How are AEC firms using Twitter to deliver messages to their audiences?

Updates about products and services
Current projects or application
Project status updates
Providing information from events and trade shows
Announcements
Technical information

There are numerous opportunities to leverage Twitter to communicate information to your customers and prospects

Construction Costs Declining

2009-04-14T08:33:00.000-04:00

State officials have been enjoying a decrease in costs for road and bridge projects due to the economy. The decline in costs is a stark contrast to the cost escalations in recent years.

According to the American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials (AASHTO), costs are down 15 to 30%. A recent AASHTO survey reported that 16 of 21 states surveyed reported they received bids that were lower than anticipated for stimulus projects. An article in the Wall Street Journal, cited lower commodity prices and a rise of unemployment as key factors in the drop in prices.

Reed Business Announces Closing of 13 Construction Pubs

2009-04-07T23:19:00.000-04:00

The economy claimed 13 of 14 of Reed Business’s construction publications. Reed announced on Tuesday that it was ceasing publication of the regional construction titles published under Associated Construction Publications.

Reed will continue to publish Construction Equipment and Minnesota Construction Bulletin, as well as several websites.

Advertising in construction trade publications has steadily declined over the last several years. ACP’s regional construction publications and McGraw Hill’s publication have been significantly impacted as more people are seeking their information from the internet and other sources.

CIM Raises $300,000 at Fourth Annual Auction

2009-02-12T10:15:00.000-05:00

The National Steering Committee for the Concrete Industry Management (CIM) program raised $300,000 at its fourth annual auction, held in conjunction with the World of Concrete on Thursday, Feb. 5. According to Wally Johnson of US Concrete Products, the 2009 CIM Auction Chairman, “The money raised will benefit the CIM National Steering Committee and support the current CIM as well as help fund future program expansion.”Support for the event was provided by the World of Concrete (WOC) Show Management, Hanley Wood Publications, McNeilus Companies, Inc. and Ritchie Bros. Auctioneers.

In addition to the live auction, a silent auction was held this year. Auction items included cement, a skid steer, concrete saws, drills, mixers, vibrators, scaffolding, safety equipment, screeds, fiber transport systems, dust collectors, NDT equipment, decorative concrete tools, water meters, pumps, generators, training sessions, reference books, advertisements, laptop computers, sports memorabilia, sports travel packages, golf school packages and vacation travel packages.

To learn more about the CIM Program, visit http://www.concretedegree.com/

Show Attendance Down

2009-02-12T10:04:00.000-05:00

I just returned from a trip to Las Vegas where three construction related shows were being held: the World of Concrete, the Roofing Expo and Surfaces. According to show management, attendance at each show was down significantly. Walking the aisles and talking to exhibitors at the WOC and the Roofing Expo was disheatening. Traffic was minimal and buyers were not buying. Many of the equipment manufacturers and material suppliers I talked have already cut staff, some by as much as 30%. The general sense was that 2009 is going to be a lost year for the construction industry, and there is some hope for 2010.

Coke To Drop Classic

2009-02-05T02:57:00.001-05:00

Reflecting a shift to focusing on a younger audience, Coca Cola announced that it was dropping "Classic" from its flagship "Coca Cola Classic" beverage. The Atlanta-based company, added "Classic" just after the introduction of "New Coke" in 1985. Coca Cola re-introduced its "old" formula under the "Classic" name after consumers reacted negatively to the New Coke.

According to Coke spoksman Scott Williamson, the lettering on the bottle will have the phrase “Coke Classic original formula.”

“We’ve taken very deliberate steps to ensure that people know the Coke Classic they know and love remains the same,” he said. Williamson also added that change helps toward the development of a consistent international brand. Debate continues today about's Coke's decision to introduce New Coke. Some believe it was a mistake, while others believe it was part of a marketing strategy.

ACEC-NY Launches Campaign to Promote Engineering as a Career

2009-02-05T02:19:00.000-05:00

Launching its first statewide image advertising campaign this month to coincide with the celebration of National Engineers Week, Feb. 15-21, the American Council of Engineering Companies of New York (ACEC New York) is sponsoring a message to promote the engineering profession to government agencies, policy makers, students, parents, academics and the general public. Half-page ads will run in regional and trade publications throughout New York State, with posters and billboards layered on in select markets. Responding to a 2008 report from the National Academy of Engineering (NAE), Changing the Conversation: Messages for Improving Public Understanding of Engineering, ACEC New York’s new “Vision” campaign communicates positive aspects of the engineering profession—creativity, innovation and forward thinking—that have long been ignored or misunderstood by the public.

Developed by Englewood Cliffs, N.J.-based marketing and public relations firm Reichman Frankle Inc., the ad focuses on the inspirational nature of engineering by combining an oversized photo of a young person in a hard hat gazing through binoculars that reflect back images of an idealized built environment and a satellite view of the earth with the headline, “Your Vision Can Change the World.” The copy reinforces the message that engineering requires creativity, imagination, and vision, and provides examples of the kinds of cutting edge projects engineers are involved in, such as green buildings and state-of-the-art bridge design. “The goal of our new ad campaign is to get the general public excited about engineering, to interest young people in the profession and to communicate to policy makers and the public the intrinsic value of the profession to society’s well being,” said Hannah O’Grady, deputy executive director of ACEC New York. “Engineers’ work is essential to meeting the great challenges of our times—global competition, technological literacy and a sustainable planet. Greater understanding of the inventive role of the engineer should rightly enhance the perception of the profession and its essential, and often overlooked, contribution to our quality of life.”

“Consulting Engineering—A Career that Matters” is a new flash movie presentation to raise awareness of the profession among students at the college level. Produced as a CD-ROM, this 8-minute movie features video clips of young engineers describing their work across the various engineering disciplines and incorporates real project photos. The video is available at the ACEC NY website.
Source: ACEC New York -- Consulting-Specifying Engineer, 2/4/2009

Concrete Industry Management to Hold Auction

2009-02-05T02:05:00.000-05:00

The 2009 Concrete Industry Management (CIM) Fundraising Auction is scheduled for Thursday, February 5 at World of Concrete® at the Las Vegas Convention Center. The event will feature a silent auction from 11 am – 1 pm, with the live auction following promptly at 1 pm.

The 2009 CIM Auction will benefit the efforts of the CIM National Steering Committee (NSC) in support of the CIM Programs at Middle Tennessee State University, Arizona State University, New Jersey Institute of Technology, California State University – Chico and Texas State University – San Marcos.

BID ONLINE!Can’t make it to the auction? Real-time bidding is available over the internet using the Ritchie Bros. online bidding service, “rbauctionBid-Live.” Visit rbauction.com to register.

America's Infrastructure Fails According to ASCE

2009-01-28T12:09:00.000-05:00

ASCE's 2009 Report Card for America's Infrastructure was released today, and the overall rating for the infrastructure was a "D." ASCE typically releases its Annual Report Card in March, but moved the release up to hopefully influence lawmakers who are considering President Obama's $825 Billion economic stimulas package. The ASCE report stated an investment of $2.2 trillion would be required over the next 5 years for infrastructure.

FAILING INFRASTRUCTURE CANNOT SUPPORT A HEALTHY ECONOMY

WASHINGTON, Jan. 28 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- Decades of underfunding and inattention have jeopardized the ability of our nation's infrastructure to support our economy and facilitate our way of life. The American Society of Civil Engineers (ASCE) today released its 2009 Report Card for America's Infrastructure - assigning a cumulative grade of D to the nation's infrastructure and noting a five-year investment need of $2.2 trillion from all levels of government and the private sector. Since ASCE's last assessment in 2005 there has been little change in the condition of the nation's roads, bridges, drinking water systems and other public works, and the cost of improvement has increased by more than half a trillion dollars.
"Crumbling infrastructure has a direct impact on our personal and economic health, and the nation's infrastructure crisis is endangering our future prosperity," said ASCE president D. Wayne Klotz, P.E., F.ASCE. "Our leaders are looking for solutions to the nation's current economic crisis. Not only could investment in these critical foundations have a positive impact, but if done responsibly, it would also provide tangible benefits to the American people, such as reduced traffic congestion, improved air quality, clean and abundant water supplies and protection against natural hazards."

As the nation's infrastructure receives focused attention from the White House, Congress and the public, ASCE's 2009 Report Card for America's Infrastructure provides an assessment of the condition and need for investment of 15 infrastructure categories, including, for the first time, levees. While there has been some improvement since 2005, overall conditions in most categories have remained the same, or slipped even lower. Security, a category that was added to the Report Card in 2005, and which received an incomplete grade, has been removed from the list of assessed categories and added into the methodology used to assess each individual category. Grades included:
-Aviation = D (down from a D+)
-Bridges = C (no change)
-Dams = D (no change)
-Drinking Water = D- (no change)
-Energy = D+ (up from a D)
-Hazardous Waste = D (no change)
-Inland Waterways = D (no change, previous listed a Navigable Waterways)
-Levees = D- (new category)
-Public Parks and Recreation = C- (no change)
-Rail = C- (no change)
-Roads = D- (down from D)
-Schools = D (no change)
-Solid Waste = C+ (no change)
-Transit = D (down from D+)
-Wastewater = D- (no change)
The Report Card also offers five key solutions for raising the nation's infrastructure GPA. These include:
-Increasing federal leadership in infrastructure,
-Promoting sustainability and resilience,
-Developing federal, state and regional infrastructure plans,
-Addressing life-cycle costs and ongoing maintenance and
I-ncreasing and improving infrastructure investment from all stakeholders.
Each category was evaluated on the basis of capacity, condition, funding, future need, operation and maintenance, public safety and resilience. A detailed report, which accompanies the grades released today, will be released on March 25, 2009. For more information, including solutions for solving America's infrastructure problems and ASCE's Principles for Economic Stimulus Investment, visit www.asce.org/reportcard.

ASCE Report Card Grades

ASCE 5 Key Solutions

ASCE Key Contacts Program

ASCE Issues Guidelines For Stimulus Investment

2009-01-28T12:04:00.000-05:00

Civil Engineers Present Guidelines for Economic Stimulus Infrastructure Investment
American Society of Civil Engineers’ principles will help ensure that investments aremade wisely and create long-standing benefits

Reston, Va.—The American Society of Civil Engineers (ASCE) has released their recommended ‘Principles for Infrastructure Stimulus Investment’ designed to help guide lawmakers and the Obama administration when allocating economic stimulus funding for infrastructure projects poised to aid in rebuilding the nation’s economy. ASCE is encouraged by last week’s introduction of the American Recovery and Reinvestment Bill of 2009, which highlights a shared focus on accountability and infrastructure investment. This investment is expected to create and sustain jobs, and begin to address the nation’s crumbling infrastructure if appropriately applied to areas that most require federal support.America’s infrastructure is in dire need of proper, sustained attention, as evident by the grade of “D” in ASCE’s 2005 Report Card for America’s Infrastructure. On January 28, ASCE will release its 2009 Report Card, and early indications are that little improvement has been made in the past four years. Infrastructure-related economic stimulus investments can reduce congestion and delays on America’s roadways; enhance public transit systems; reduce blackouts, brownouts and service interruptions; update the nation’s aviation system; and replace leaking water pipes. Careful consideration must be made in the selection of projects—both in stimulus and long-term legislative solutions—to ensure that appropriated funds for infrastructure investment produce desirable results.“The House bill is an encouraging indicator that Congress shares ASCE’s recognition of the need for both infrastructure investment and strict accountability for the use of federal money in this volatile economy,” said D. Wayne Klotz, P.E., F.ASCE, ASCE president.In order to guide the process of allocating funds to these important projects, ASCE has compiled guiding principles which will help steer investment in the right direction by keeping the focus on rehabilitating worn-out infrastructure to increase safety and building new infrastructure to keep the nation competitive in the global economy.

Among these principles, ASCE believes that all projects supported by an economic stimulus investment must meet the following fundamental criteria:
Projects must create and sustain employment increases;
Investments must provide long-term benefits to the public (such as congestion relief);
Long-term maintenance and upkeep needs of all infrastructure projects—existing and new—must be taken into account; and
To ensure accountability and transparency an auditing program must be established to review the program and measure desired outcomes.

As the investments are made, proper attention must be paid to the prioritization and selection of these projects to ensure that the criteria are met. The following principles should guide selection decisions:
The project should deliver measurable improvements in public health, safety and quality of life;
The project should provide substantial, broad-based economic benefit;
The project should be designed and built in a sustainable and cost-effective manner, and proper consideration must be given to life-cycle costs; and
The project should have a significant environmental benefit such as area restoration, improved air quality through reduced congestion or better watershed management through eliminating vulnerabilities in a system.

ASCE has long been an advocate for improving and maintaining the nation’s infrastructure. Following the release of the 2005 Report Card for America’s Infrastructure, ASCE recommended spending $1.6 trillion over five years to bring the condition up to an acceptable level. Since that time federal funding has fallen far below that recommended level.The 2009 ASCE Report Card grades will be released at a press event on January 28, 2009. The event will be held in the Murrow Room of the National Press Club, Washington, D.C., at 10 a.m. A live Webcast of the event will also be available at: http://www.visualwebcaster.com/asceinfrastructurereportcard/.
Founded in 1852, the American Society of Civil Engineers (ASCE) represents more than 146,000 civil engineers worldwide and is America’s oldest national engineering society. For more information, visit www.asce.org.

CMO's To Cut Spending, According To Adweek

2009-01-26T22:33:00.000-05:00

According to a recent article in Adweek, CMO's are significantly cutting back on ad spending. Marketers are shifting advertising dollars to other areas or cutting marketing dolars all together. Several of the CMO's interviewed, cited reallocation of funds to social media, paid-searches, and even investing in new people to serve their customers.

Time To Buy Construction Stocks?

2009-01-26T21:36:00.000-05:00

Forbes.com's Intelligent Investing Panel recently feature construction and engineering stocks. The article focuses on construction services firms such as Jacobs Engineering, Fluor Corporation, the Shaw Group, URS and AECOM Technology. In the article, author David Serchuk acknowledges these stocks have been battered over the last year, but says these construction sector stocks are up over the last five years. While Serchuck like the long term prospects, he urges caution for the short-term.

Where Will The Stimulus Money Go In Construction?

2009-01-26T21:16:00.000-05:00

A recent article in ENR, identified over $159 million in projects included in the proposed economic stimulas package. Read Article ENR reported that over $43 million will be spent on transportation projects, and $36 billion in energy related projects.

A recent press release by the AASHTO, stress that the federal government should strongly consider states that have "Ready to go" projects. "State DOTs right now are moving to advance thousands of projects, so that contracts can be let in 120 days, as the House bill has proposed," said John Horsley, Executive Director of the American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials (AASHTO). "Those projects will enable the transportation industry to keep people at work, and bring construction workers back on the job very quickly. As late as last Friday we asked the state DOTs if they are prepared to have 50 percent of the $30 billion under contract within 120 days, as the House bill stipulates. They responded, "Yes, we can!" Read Press Release or Watch Video.

A new article by the Associated Press reports that President Obama's $825 million economic stimulus package likely create 670,000 construction jobs by the end of 2010. AP conducted an interview with Moody's Chief Economist Mark Zandi. According to Zandi, proposed stimulus package would would direct $70 million to the nation's infrastructure. Read Article

Recruiting Branding Helps Attract Top Talent

2009-01-26T16:00:00.000-05:00

Although the news about our economy and the job market seems to be troubling, many in the design and construction industry are still actively seeking qualified individuals to fill positions. Job seekers have become increasingly savvy and the Internet has given them an opportunity to learn a great deal about a company before ever having an interview. In fact, many learn about a company before deciding to interview. Often a hot topic in marketing circles, branding is coming up more in discussions of recruiting skilled employees. Smart firms recognize that branding your company goes far beyond marketing your products and services. In fact, branding can play a big role in both attracting and retaining employees.

The brand promise
Products and companies have a brand that tells consumers about the company and helps set the expectation for their experience with that product. This same principle applies for recruiting. Recruiting branding should clearly communicate ideas and expectations associated with your company and help create a desire for candidates to work at your firm. One of the key principles of effective recruiting is creating an image where you are viewed as the “employer of choice.” This is another method for differentiating your company from others.

So, how do you begin to differentiate your firm? The first place to look is within your company. Begin by surveying employees to determine what they value the most about working in your firm. Sit down with your top performers and discuss what they like about their jobs, why do they stay, what do they think will make the company appealing to outsiders, and more. Use the results of the survey to identify four to five value points for your company. As with branding a product or service, you should then turn these value points into key messages about your company. These messages will serve as the key selling points about your firm to perspective employees and should be clear and compelling. Consider engaging your marketing team to help develop messages and strategies.

Beyond surveying, use exit interviews of employees as an opportunity to uncover hidden or emerging issues within your firm. An exit interview is a strategic tool to understand what people value and what issues they have. It is crucial to learn why an employee is going to work for a new firm, because it can provide insight to what your firm can do to retain more employees. Are your salaries much lower than the competition? Is your benefits package not as comprehensive? Do you need to reevaluate your firm’s culture? Exit interviews can help you determine if there is a gap between what you perceive and what your employees perceive. If one is identified, it needs to be fixed promptly to eliminate a flood of employees leaving. This process can also assist with identifying key messages by learning what prompts employees to select a firm. Use the information to refine or drive home points in your key messages.

Once the messages are developed, they should be tested internally. Share them with your team members and determine if they agree with the statements or have any ideas for improvement. After they have passed the internal testing, develop a plan to communicate the messages. Everyone from on-campus recruiters to hiring managers and interviewers must be on the same page and emphasizing the same points. Interviewees should be hearing from several different levels why your firm is different and why it is the place to work. Consistency is key when delivering key messages or beginning branding efforts.

We are all recruiters here
Similar to the philosophy that everyone in your firm is a marketer, everyone is also a recruiter. This is why it is critical to develop an elevator speech so employees can quickly and clearly articulate information about your company. The 30-second speech should explain the real benefits to working at your firm and how you are different from other firms. Each interaction your employees have with people – trade shows, industry events, projects, etc. – provides opportunities to network and get the word out about your company and employment opportunities. To encourage employees to seek out referrals, regularly post your positions internally, and consider offering referral incentives. Ultimately, it is the job of all team members to market your company and sell candidates on the opportunity.

In addition to ensuring all team members are selling the firm in the same manner, there must be a consistent message on your recruiting materials, website, and other marketing venues. Carefully consider the tone of your messages. It is important to not be over the top and take a warm, friendly and welcoming tone. Consider including thoughts from current employees that span a wide demographic – a new hire, someone who has been with the company for year, etc. Develop profiles, Q and As, and even videos with team members. Let them help sell the experience of working at your firm.

Go beyond the traditional employment recruitment efforts to get the message out. In today’s electronic age, prospective employees will always search the Internet for information about a firm. Use blogs, social networking sites and other emerging tools to help attract team members and properly position your firm. Develop articles about your company and people to showcase how you are different. An often forgotten tool in recruiting efforts, public relations also is a great tool to get the message out about your firm. It provides third-party credibility that is hard to achieve with other mediums and gives you the opportunity to dispense your key messages to a wider audience. Also consider entering “Best Places to Work” contests. Fortune magazine runs their survey every year and most local business journals and even some specific industry publications have similar contests.

Share the story
Finally, never under-estimate the power of story-telling. People can easily relate to other people sharing a story. In recruitment efforts, it is critical to personalize the process and make a human connection with prospective employees. Career choices are some of the biggest choices we make as they affect nearly every other aspect of our life. People want to feel comfortable with their selection and know that their contributions will be valued. In either a good or bad economy, recruiting branding is critical to getting the right employees. This process helps drive people to your firm, which make you an employer of choice.

Crisis Creates Opportunities For AEC Firms

2008-12-29T12:55:00.000-05:00

"When written in Chinese, the word "crisis" is composed of two characters. One represents danger and the other represents opportunity." -John F. Kennedy

The prognosis for the economy in the AEC Industry remains unclear. Uncertainty remains the biggest concern for the construction industry. However, when there's crisis and uncertainty, there's opportunity.

-Government stimulus package legislation is likely to be introduced and passed early in Obama’s administration. Infrastructure, institutional and community projects are likely to benefit the most. States are preparing “Ready To Go” Lists for projects.

-The credit market remains tight, which makes is difficult for companies to access capital for new construction, expansion and development projects.

-Prices for construction materials and commodities have plunges after a rapid rise in prices. As demand has dried-up, prices have fallen.

-Consumers spending is still tepid due to uncertainty, specifically a drop in there personal wealth, plunging housing values, and fear about job loss.

-Talent will become available from solid AEC firms.

While there is considerable uncertainty, there are several approaches and strategies AEC firms can take to weather the economic situation and be positioned for opportunities when the economy improves.

Focus on Key Customers- Continue to maintaining and developing customer relationships. Focus business development efforts on key clients and building loyalty. Also protect your key clients from competitors. Communicate regularly with your clients and convey a message of strength and stability. Customers want to work with a vendor they can trust and rely on in difficult times. Also consider offering more services and handling different projects for your key customers.

Communication- Communicate regularly and clearly with your employees. Your employees are barraged with negative media messages about the economy. You have an important role to communicate with your employees candidly about your business and marketplace. Consider engaging them in finding cost-saving strategies.

Change Your BD Strategy- Many companies have cancelled or delayed large capital and maintenance projects. Demand is shrinking. While your customers or prospective customers have financial constraints, this does not mean all projects will be cancelled. Your job is to understand their financial condition, verify funding sources, and understand how you can tap their budgets. Consider breaking a large project into smaller projects, offering some incentives or bundling work. Be flexible by working with your customer to create win-win solutions. Also seek to build diversity and consider other types of projects your firm may not have considered in the past.

Modify Your Marketing Messaging- The financial crisis has turned the business world upside down. Several long standing and trust financial companies are gone or have been acquired. Stability can no longer be assumed. If your company is fortunate to have a long history, focus on your stability in your marketing messages.

Focus on Effective Marketing- Many companies decrease marketing investments during tough economic times. In fact, marketing is one of the first things to get cut. This is a great time to invest in marketing. Publishers are typically willing to negotiate favorable terms. Fewer people are advertising so your ads and messages have a better chance to cut through the clutter. Also consider shifting dollars to web marketing initiatives such as SEO and Web 2.0 efforts.

Focus on Niches- Identify key niches or market segments where you have a strategic or competitive advantage. The reality of challenging economic situation is that there are more bidders on projects and prices typically go lower. Offering value-added services and having a clear focus on markets that are not solely price driven will help you weather the storm.

Upgrade Your Talent- For the first time in many years, talent supply exceeds demand in the construction industry. Talent, including engineers, project managers, and business development people, is available. This is a key time and opportunity to add key resources that will strengthen your firm.

Positioning For Success

2008-11-18T17:58:00.000-05:00

Positioning your company is a key element of the marketing process. In fact, the decision on how to position your firm's offering of services and products need to flow from your Business Plan.

Positioning is the process by which companies create an image or identity in the minds of their target audience for a particularly product, service or brand. A position is considered relative in comparison to competitive offerings. Companies cannot be good at everything. If they try to, they often are not superior in anything. Therefore, companies typically set out to develop a value proposition

Here are some common positioning categories:

Low-cost- essentially being the lowest cost option, based on price
Quality- offering the best quality, but also at a high price
Performance- being the most capable firm at delivering results
Service- being the best provider of service associated with the sale
Variety- offering the broadest array of solutions
Best value- offering the best combination of quality and price
Innovator- known for developing innovative products
Expert- having the most experience or expertise in a given area
Leader- being the largest, oldest, best known firm
Reliable- being the most trust, safest choice

While positioning is something that happens in the minds of the customer, it is the result of aggregate perception of customers in the marketplace. Typical position can be based on, such as: relative competitive position, specific attributes, price positioning, category positioning, use/user positioning, etc. Ultimately, the positioning should help the customer answer the question, why should I buy from you?

Marketing in a Down Economy

2008-09-15T22:13:00.000-04:00

As the economy continues its slow recovery, businesses in the construction industry face dynamic challenges. However, while many tighten their belts and cut their expenditures, in challenging economic times and competitive conditions, marketing is more important than ever. While dollars may be tight, studies show that a consistent presence in the marketplace now will pay dividends in the future. The challenging economy presents an excellent opportunity to review your marketing efforts and ensure you are acquiring new and retaining existing customers. Further, many have shown that marketing dollars invested in a down economy are actually more valuable than those spent in a good economy as you gain greater market presence.

Regardless of the economy, marketing strategies must be constantly reviewed to ensure business goals are being met. This is definitely true in a down economy, as it is a great time to take advantage of limited marketing spending by others, which improves your chances of getting noticed and standing out. In other words, turn the challenging economy into an opportunity. Although it may seem prudent or even appear to be a good business decision to cut back on marketing costs to “save money,” it is very important to maintain consistency and stay true to your marketing goals. After all, the need for building a brand and creating awareness, as well as generating leads for opportunities, doesn’t go away when the economy is sluggish. In fact, it is more important than ever.

Many would even argue that marketing during a downturn actually gets you more “bang for your buck.” In fact, marketing dollars invested during down economies when others are cutting back are more valuable than dollars spent in more vibrant economies. This is because that dollar spent represents a greater share of the total marketing expenditure. After all, when your competitors choose to cut back on their advertising and marketing budgets, such a scenario results in less of a presence from your competition in the marketplace and a greater impact will be realized with your efforts. For example, as competitors cut back marketing spending, they are likely cutting back on investments in search engine optimization and marketing. Take advantage of this and rise in the search engine result pages. Further, with decreased revenue, many publications may be willing to negotiate lower prices or value-added package deals, editorial opportunities, or even merchandising opportunities. It also is a great time to invest in public relations as publications may tighten their freelance budgets and are likely looking for article content. Another opportunity may be creative partnerships with vendors such as trade show hosts, printers, advertizing agencies and more as these firms want to keep their own staffs busy and may be willing to negotiate more than during the bustling times. Digital media is another opportunity. Be sure to take advantage of the efficiencies of digital which include lower costs and improved tracking opportunities.

Marketing and advertising during a sluggish economy also boosts the confidence that customers and potential customers have in your company as your consistent market presence will deliver the message that you are a strong, viable, stable company. Such a message contributes to long-term brand building and supports your differentiation strategy. And, when the economy builds again, the top-of-mind awareness you’ve built will result in a sustainable competitive advantage.

In sales, there typically is not a better source of future revenue then your current customers. And, this holds true in tight economic times. Your current customers already have a relationship with you, and hopefully you have performed for them. Marketing to your current customers is critical during downturns. Continue to invest in integrated marketing programs to maintain constant contact with your customers. Find more ways to add value by offering current customers a new or expanded offering of services and products. Offering complimentary services and products is an excellent way of providing more value to your customers. This can also be achieved by forming strategic alliances with companies that offer complementary products and services. Again, the goal is to find opportunities to provide more value and forge deeper relationships.

While downturns in the economy are challenging, they also force us to look at our activities and initiatives and make tough decisions. In reality, this is a very healthy process, and forces us to look at the return on marketing investment. A critical evaluation of marketing investments will result in greater efficiencies and more effective programs.

Consistency is important in marketing. Consistent investments in marketing yield consistent results in terms of lead, opportunities, closed sales and ultimately, profits. Resist the urge to slash marketing investment and seize the opportunity build your brand, generate more opportunities, and drive more profitable revenue.

Advertisers Kickoff New Campaigns

2008-09-08T23:48:00.000-04:00

Coaches, players and stadiums were not the only ones making debuts this weekend. The kickoff of the NFL football season also marked the kickoff of new integrated television commercials and digital campaigns for NFL advertisers. The new ads started last Thursday during the Washington Redskins-New York Giants’ game and continued through the Sunday and Monday games.

While not as significant as the Super Bowl ads, the Opening weekend ads are becoming anticipated. Several NFL advertisers debuted new creative this weekend, including Sprint, AirTran, Ford, Miller Light, Coors Light, Mazda, Microsoft, and Career Builder.

The new Sprint ad features a phone that morphed into a stadium to promote their new NFL Mobile Live service. Sprint has also launched a companion digital campaign for the NFL Mobile Live Service. With the service, subscribers can listen live to NFL games and even watch select game live on their mobile device. Most importantly, the NFL Live Service offers fantasy football owners the ability to monitor their players’ stats live. NFL Live Web Site The computer generated ad was interesting and unique. However, this will quickly become stale. I watched two games yesterday and saw the ad nine times.

Last year, Sprint kick-offed with the Peyton Manning in disguise commercial. This spot was entertaining, but quickly become overused.

Nabisco ran a new Oreo ad featuring the Eli and Peyton Manning and Venus and Serina Williams announcing they are joining the DSRL- the Double Stuff Racing League. This integrated effort features a dedicated website where users can register, play games, buy DSRL items, and get a Yobble, which is an on-line, buildable bobblehead-like figure.

AirTran continued their humorous campaign with a spot called “Brainstorming.”

Coors Light featured a new ad for their campaign of Press Conferences by former coaches. The first in the series this year featured former Baltimore Ravens’ coach Brian Billick.

While entertaining, the ad doesn’t come close to the classic Jim Mora Playoff ad.

The challenge, in my opinion, is that the ad spots become stale quickly. Particularly with the typical football viewers who watch several games in a weekend. I am all for frequency, but eventually the viewers will tune the ads out.

Microsoft Ads Not So “Moist and Chewy”

2008-09-06T23:21:00.000-04:00

The first of a series of Microsoft ads featuring comedian Jerry Seinfeld debuted Thursday night during the opening game of the NFL Season. The highly anticipated ad featured Seinfeld and Bill Gates running into each other while shopping. The two proceed to banter back and forth about the shoes Gates is buying at the Shoe Circus, a fictional shoe discounter. In my opinion, the humor in the 1 minute and 30 second ad seemed force and uncomfortable. While I’m not really sure what the ad was about, I don’t think it was about “nothing.” View Commercial.

Seinfeld repeated scored with television audiences who watched his hit comedy Seinfeld, which was about “nothing.” I’m not sure Seinfeld tried to tap into the “nothingness,” but either way he failed to connect.

According to reports, Seinfeld was paid $10 million to star in the series of ads for Microsoft. Microsoft plans to spend over $300 million for this ad campaign, which is designed to be more “hip” and help Microsoft connect with its audience-undoubtedly, to combat the effective Apple “I’m a Mac, and I’m a PC” ads. Microsoft also has received its share of bad press following the well-documents problems with the Vista OS, and the lackluster sales of the Zune digital music player.

Is Seinfeld the right guy to help stodgy-old Microsoft appear “more cool”? Maybe 10 or 15 years ago…who is their target audience? Gates seems awkward in the ad. Only a few company leaders have been able to pull it off in the past. Frank Perdue, Dave Thomas, and Lee Iacocca come to mind. The first ad out of the box was disappointing at best. Three hundred million dollars buys a ton of TV time, hopefully the future ads will hit their mark-or at least be more witty and entertaining.

Keeping A Pulse

2008-08-04T12:17:00.000-04:00

In every business, there are external factors that significantly impact the business environment. Part of the role of Marketing is keeping a pulse on the external environment. This includes financial, regulatory, political, cultural, technological and competitive environments. Changes in any of these environments can have significant implications for businesses. In change, there is opportunity for astute marketers.

With the exponential growth of media outlets, people are bombarded with information. How do you keep a pulse on these environments without being overwhelmed? Start by assessing key factors that are critical to your business success and choose certain things to monitor. Start by reviewing key general business publications such as the Wall Street Journal, Business Week and local business journals. Identify key trade publications focusing on your industry. In construction, start with Engineering News Record. Then review publications your customers read.

Technology has made this process even easier. Tools such as Google News Alerts, allow you to set email Alerts a certain company, product, or even a person is mentioned in the news. RSS feeds are another way of keep abreast of information. Many trade publications offer industry and market reports.

Keeping a Tab on Competitors

“Know thy enemy.”- Sun Tsu

Every industry has competition. A competitive marketplace is a healthy business environment. Competitive pressures help drive innovation, differentiation, efficiencies and improvements. A key component of remaining competitive is careful monitoring of the competition. A careful analysis of the competition should focus on competitor’s competencies, capabilities and points of differentiation.

Ultimately, the purpose of keeping a competitive pulse is monitor activities, but to eventually be able to predict what a competitor will do given a certain situation. Developing a deep understanding of competitors has many benefits. Efforts should seek to understand:

· Leadership team
· Organizational structure
· Sales and marketing strategies and approach
· Marketing, advertising and pricing strategies
· Competitive strategies and approaches,
· Potentials responses to your strategies
· How they manage, and make decisions
· What do they do well, and what they don’t do so well
· Understand their cost structure
· Compensation structure
· Key customers and relationships
· Their goals, objectives and priorities
· Direct and indirect competitors
· Their motivation (publically held, family business, part of a large conglomerate)
· Goals, strategies, objectives, strengths and weaknesses

Where do you get the information?
There are several ways to monitor, track and even predict competitive activities. In addition to the Google News Alerts and RSS Feeds, media services such as Cisions (formally Bacon’s) offer information only company news. Dun and Bradstreet, Hoovers and other services offer profile and financial information for a very low price. Legal and SEC rules require significant disclosure by public companies. Information about private companies may not be as readily available, but can be obtained with persistence and creativity. Company web sites, press releases and SEC filings provide a tremendous amount of information. Competitor’s sales people, customers, suppliers, and vendors also also excellent sources of information. Sources include:

· Company web sites
· Search engines, such as google
· Social networks, wikis and blogs
· Press releases- offer insight about new strategic initiatives, new products, new services, key hires, new locations, etc.
· Advertisements
· Job postings- position postings on sites such as Monster can offer insight as to a companies’ strategies and initiative.
· Customers and Suppliers- customer and suppliers are typically great sources of information on competitive product and service offering and pricing.
· Former employees, current employees
· Trade Associations

How to get started
Begin tracking competitive activities and develop a tool to store the information and knowledge gathered. Consider both a physical file (brochures, cut sheets, proposals, ad samples, articles, etc) and electronic sources (files with information collected). Involve others in the process. Business development, engineering, and project managers can be excellent sources of information. A key component is ensuring that the information and knowledge collected is current.

LifeLock Integrated Campaign Locks On Target

2008-08-04T11:15:00.000-04:00

Identity theft has become a multi-billion dollar problem in the United States. On a daily basis, television stations and newspapers report security breaches that have impacted millions of Americans. While there are numerous companies offering identity protection services, one company, LifeLock, has successfully created and implemented an integrated marketing communications program that has helped them establish a clear leadership position in the industry. LifeLook, an identity protection service, has been running an advertising campaign promoting its services to protect against identity theft. The campaign which features, Todd Davis, President of LifeLock, is a bold and effective integrated marketing campaign.

The ads, which appear on the radio, television, web, in print, and mobile media feature Davis and give his social security number: 457-55-5462. By giving his name and social security number, Davis is truly confident about his service. The appeal is strong, credible and effective. LifeLock’s media campaign even included sponsorship of a NASCAR race, The LifeLock 400 in Kansas City, in November 2007.

Guarantee Your Good Name is LifeLock’s slogan. The slogan is memorable, succinct, descriptive and effective. In addition to putting his name (and social security number) where is mouth is, Davis also offers customers a $1 million guarantee.

Furthermore, the LifeLock website offers a series of real-life testimonials to which that everyone can relate. For about $100 per year, LifeLock monitors credit bureaus and monitor new account activity for its members.

View Television Campaign

The Coffee Wars

2008-02-28T10:44:00.000-05:00

The Coffee Wars have started as McDonalds and Dunkin Donuts aggressively pitch their coffee offerings in an attempt to steal business from Starbucks. Undoubtedly, Starbucks is the dominate leaders in coffee throughout the United States, if not the World. From a marketing perspective, if McDonalds pursues a strategy of offering good coffee at a good price, they can be successful. McDonalds has already started to close the gap by improving and expanding their product offering. Starbucks owns the upscale “coffee house” space. Moreover, Starbucks markets the experience and ambiance. Starbucks customers are willing to shell out $6 for a Grande coffee because they value the quality of the coffee and the “Starbucks Experience.” In responding to this competition, Starbucks CEO Howard Shultz has to carefully balance product and pricing strategies while not hurting the Starbucks brand. A key asset that McDonald’s has is market presence, with over 14,000 U.S. locations, they have reached market saturation in the country. Just this week, Starbucks closed all of its locations for several hours to provide training to its employees. While Starbucks regulars were locked out of the stores for several hours, Dunkin Donuts ran promotions offering its coffee at 99 cents. Starbucks also recently announced a $2.50 coffee offering and is considering a refillable $1 coffee offering. Starbucks is also planning to roll out healthier breakfast offerings and specialty drinks this year. It will be interesting to see how Starbucks responds to these aggressive attempts by McDonalds and Dunkin Donuts to grow their coffee business. In the meantime, sit back and have a coffee.

Super Bowl Ads Integrate On-Line Efforts

2008-02-28T10:38:00.000-05:00

While the ratings for the 2008 Super Bowl were up, the reviews of Super Bowl commercials were down. However, a growing trend is the integration of marketing messages beyond the commercials into on-line platforms. Over 97 million people tuned in to watch the New York Giants upset the New England Patriots and end the quest for perfection. Previous Super Bowl advertising sought to capture the viewers with a single 30 second commercial. According to Fox, a 30 second commercial cost advertisers $2.7 million (cost per reach of 2.7 cents each). This year, advertisers used the Super Bowl as a medium to engage and connect viewers with their on-line strategy. Over half of the ads included a website address on the screen or in the voice over.

GoDaddy.com, which has created controversial, but effective ads, combined their advertising with extensive search marketing. Their Danica Patrick “Exposure” ad, which Fox deemed inappropriate, was offered for viewing on http://www.godaddy.com/. As part of their integration attempt, GoDaddy reportedly purchased more that 500 keyword phrases related to Super Bowl ads. As a result, their integration strategy resulted in a tremendous surge in traffic. Doritos “Sing Along” ads featured viewer generated content that included a viewer performing a song that was also featured on their website.

The ads for the Tide Pen encouraged users to visit the Tide website and share their story. So many people responded to the “talking stain” that traffic to the Tide site caused problems with their servers. While I did not like the CareerBuilder “Follow Your Heart” ad, CareerBuilder reported a surge in traffic. The Audi “Godfather-esque” ad included a reference to http://www.truthinengineering.com/

From a pure entertainment perspective, the Bud Light commercial featuring the Dalmatian and Clydesdales was my favorite. The Coke commercial featuring the Macy’s parade balloons was a close second. The FedEx and Bood Light spots were entertaining. While reviews were not overly positive, I liked the Under Armor Nation spot. The SalesGenie.com ads were a complete bomb- a waste of ad dollars. The commercials also featured several stars including Shaq, Ray Lewis, T.O. Charles Barkley and Justin Timberlake.

Classic Super Bowl Ads
http://msn.foxsports.com/nfl/story/7754794/Classic-Super-Bowl-ads-through-the-years

View Super Bowl Ads
http://www.superbowl-ads.com/

Huckabee Ads Creative & Stay On-Message

2008-01-03T11:15:00.000-05:00

With the primary season in full swing, the airways are about to become full of presidential campaign ads. The early start of the Iowa caucus and compressed schedule of primaries in New Hampshire, South Carolina and Florida means that the early winners are likely to ride the momentum to victory. Neither party offers an incumbent president or vice president as candidates for the first time in decades. Thus creating a wide open field for both the Republican and Democratic nominations.

The majority of campaign ads have focused on local markets like Iowa and New Hampshire so the campaigns can get the most impact for their ad dollars. As a result, the majority of Americans have not had the opportunity to see most of the presidential campaign ads. However, sites such as YouTube.com and the candidate’s websites offer forums for political junkies to get their ad fix.

I for one have never been a fan of negative ads and the mudslinging that comes with politics. A few ads that have caught my attention have come from the Mike Huckabee campaign. Huckabee, the former governor of Arkansas, was, until recently, a second tier candidate. For along time, he consistently registered single digits in the Republican primary polling. However, he has risen to front runner status in this week’s Iowa caucus. The appeal for Republican voters is his conservative social values and Christian faith. Rudy Giuliani’s two divorces and Mitt Romney’s Morman faith have left the “religious right” seeking another candidate. Before he entered politics, Huckabee was a Baptist minister for 12 years.

Huckabee’s campaign started a buzz on blogs and the internet when he debuted a parody add that featured Chuck Norris. The “Chuck & Huck” ads became an instant hit. See "Chuck Norris Approved ad. In addition, Huckabee’s campaign came out with a Christmas ad that was intended to remind people of the reason for the Christmas Season, the birth of Jesus Christ. See Huckabee Christmas Ad. The backdrop for the ad was a bookshelf and a Christmas tree. With the lighting and panning of the camera, the book shelf created the image of a cross in the background. Within hours of the commercial appearing liberals and television talking heads were in an uproar over the religious symbolism. Well guess what, it was a religious message- and intended or not- the symbolism was appropriate. Giuliani’s team’s attempt a humor and a Christmas message was a poor attempt and fell short in comparison to the Huckabee ads. See Giuliani Christmas Ad.

Huckabee’s most recent “Our Values” ad specifically communicate the candidate opposition to abortion. See Huckabee Our Values Ad.

So far this Presidential Election cycle, I am most impressed with the approach of the Huckabee campaign. I like their focus on their message and resistance to going negative. While there is along way to go, I hope the managers of the Huckabee campaign can maintain this tone and style.

Best of 2007 Ads

2008-01-03T11:04:00.000-05:00

Well it is the end of another year and all of the top lists are out. The top ad lists are again a featured story in the mainstream press. USA Today recently identified the top ads of 2007 as the Doritos amateur ad contest winner. See USA Today article. Both the USA Today and the Wall Street Journal highlights the Dove beauty campaign as a “best of 2007”. In addition, the WSJ features “The Simpson’s Movie” ads which featured a tie in with 7-11. See WSJ article.

From my perspective, the most entertaining ad of 2007 was the Bud Light commercial featuring the two bored guys at the Opera. See Bud Light Commercial. The ad was funny, engaging and featured the product- Bud Light. Most of the commercials that attempt to uses humor seems to be more concerned with making viewers laugh than promoting the product. Some of the funniest ads, typically ads that appear during the Super Bowl, miss the mark and fail to tie in the product. The clever Bud Light Opera ad, created by DDB, is humorous, but also features the product.

Web 2.0 Opportunities For Construction

2007-12-27T11:12:00.001-05:00

The term Web 2.0 refers to the second generation web services and communities that enable communication and collaboration. The evolution of these tools and services offers unique opportunities for firms in the construction industry. A planned approach to embrace and leverage these tools can lead to enhanced communication flow and business efficiency.

In a traditional marketing framework, marketers would define the four P’s of marketing: price, place, promotions, and product. Companies would work with ad agencies and PR firms to develop and deliver a marketing message through a variety of controlled marketing mediums, such as advertising, direct mail, trade shows, collateral, etc. However, Web 2.0, or social media marketing, dramatically changes the marketing landscape. The essence of Web 2.0 is peer to peer communication and collaboration. The use of the 2.0 desigation is similar to number designations use by software firms.

Web 2.0 harnesses the the power of the internet to connect people to communicate and collaborate. As this technology evolves, successful marketers will need to market the way the Internet works. Web 2.0 tools provide an excellent forum for engaging customers by involving them.

Specific examples of new or improved technologies on the web include social and professional networking, RSS feeds or syndication, weblogs (blogs), wikis, podcasts, and other methods of enhancing communication. These advancements allow users of the Internet to do more than just retrieve information. Users can now participate and contribute to the information. Thus the evolution from Web 1.0 of an information source to Web 2.0 as being a participatory web. In the recent Web 1.0 model, a company’s website was another, yet different, marketing vehicle. Marketers controlled the message. With the new Web 2.0 tools, create, edit, shape and control the messages.

Social Networking- Social networking site have exploded over the last few years. Sites such as MySpace.com and FaceBook.com have become extremely popular with all generations. On the business-side, professional sites such as Linkedin.com offer the same features in a professional context. A social network consists of individuals that are tied together based on common interests, affiliations, values or other relationship. These web-based forums provide opportunities for communication, sharing and networking. Building social/business networks, networking, recruiting.

Syndication- sharing or content from multiple sources across multiple sites. RSS (which stands for Really Simple Syndication) allows publishers or information providers to syndicate information and push it out to other sites, RSS readers, or aggregators. RSS readers are tools that allow to view the content. Users can subscribe to the feeds by entering the link feed into their readers on their desktop. Most RSS feeds utilize XML. Increasingly, RSS content is helping web pages with search engine rankings. Syndicate everything that might be useful, interesting or informative. Such as project reports, technical articles, project updates, technology, product news.

Blogs- Blog is short for weblog, blogs are essentially online journals. Bloggers typically provide information, primarily text, although images, videos and web links can be added about certain subjects or topics. A key feature of blogs is the ability of a reader to post a comment. While blogs have been around since the 1990’s, the popularity of blogs has increased significantly. More and more search engine results pages (SERP) are returning blog posts. Create newsfeeds for your blogs. Set-up a blog to post and distribute press releases. Set-up a blog for current employees to talk about your company- recruiting tool. Allow customers to share feedback and insight about your company, product or service. Blogs are not void of risks, as there maybe negative comments and posts. Blogs can also be used for internal communication. For example, blogs can be used for communication from leaders on important topics such as, safety, project status, financial updates, and other company news.

Wikis- the term “wiki” refers to software or a webpage that allows users to create, edit and link content. Essentially, wikis allow for content to be written collaboratively. The most popular wiki is wikipedia.com, which contains millions of entries in dozens of language. Wikis have also become popular for collaboration and knowledge management inside of companies. Like other Web 2.0 tools, wiki entries are returning in SERPs. Take a proactive approach to adding non-commercial, relevant content to entries that are informative. While wikipedia posts are policed and monitored, they can include references to projects, technology, and other information.

PodCasts/On-Line Video- Consider developing Podcasts and videos about your company. Broadcasts can include broadcasts about product applications, completed projects, your safety philosophy, and interviews with employees and customers. Consider developing a regular program or establishing a YouTube channel.

So what are the implications of web 2.0 on the construction business? Companies that can embrace the power of communication and participation to create value will be the winners.

Getting started
Different rules apply for web 2.0. community has different rules, community users typically don’t respond to marketing or advertising messages. Strong editorial content that promotes a product or service can be highly valued, where as overt advertisement are rejected. Authenticity is highly valued in the web 2.0 world. Developing and implementing a web 2.0 strategy take diligence, commitment and effort. Content needs to be consistently created and managed. Social marketing is a form of viral marketing. Interesting things spread more quickly.

Creating a Web 2.0 Marketing Plan- Developing a plan along with your traditional marketing plan. Consider working with a expert or consultant to get started. To get started, participate in social networking as a consumer. By participating you can learn and understand how it works.

With Web 2.0 different metrics also apply. Traditional marketing metrics included circulation, reach, response rates, hits, click thoughts. In Web 2.0, metrics and measurement focus on the number of blog readers, comment posts, SERP, bookmarks, references, contributions to blogs, and others. As with anything, want can’t be measured, can be managed.

Web 2.0 is continuing to evolve as a marketing tool. Develop a plan, monitor activity and results, be creative, and try different things. See what is working in other industries, even consumer marketing and see how it applies to your business.

2007 Christmas Advertising

2007-12-27T10:57:00.000-05:00

Another Christmas has past, and television advertising will soon return to normal. The national Retail Federation reported that consumers will spend close to $500 billion this holiday season (see report) . Economic indicators are not as positive as they have been in past years, but retailers are hoping to get their share.

Beyond the typical jewelry, razor, and car ads, several ad campaigns caught my eye this 2007 Christmas season. The Miller Lite television ad featuring the Trans Siberian Orchestra’s “Wizards’ of Winter” was very engaging, entertaining and even unique (which is hard to do this time of year when almost every ad features a Christmas song.) The choreography with the Plank Road brewery light and the music was impressive (although done by computer). The closing, “Enjoy the Lites” presented with a six pack of Miller Lites was a nice ending. The ads are also getting considerable views on YouTube (see ad).

Although I liked the Miller Lite ads, the traditional Budweiser Clydesdale ad campaign remains one of my favorite campaigns. The ads have a timeless feels and are almost expected this time of year.

Several companies chose to use claymations or animations in their advertising this year. Companies such as Alltel, Microsoft, AT&T, and Starbucks used claymations or cartoons. Undoubtedly these were inspired by the traditional Rankin/Bass Christmas classics, such as “Santa Claus is Coming to Town,” and “Rudolf” specials. I was surprised how many advertisers used claymantions. The ads were interesting, but the fact that so many companies used this technique, I felt it was overdone. My favorite was the Apple ad, which featured clay “Apple Guy,” “PC Guy” and Santa Claus doing a Christmas carol (see ad). The Apple campaign has been effective in differentiating Apple, and the claymation ad was nicely done.

The animated Coca Cola ads featuring the penguins and the polar bears were my kids favorite commercial of the season. The ad actually inspired my sever year old daughter to give me a six pack of Coke as one of my Christmas presents (see ad).

With so many shoppers turning to the web for Holiday purchases, I believe the impact of Holiday television advertising will continue to be reduced...but they are still fun to watch. Now we can look forward to the Super Bowl ads (and the Presidential Campaign ads).

Marketing In The Concrete Industry

2007-11-29T16:47:00.000-05:00

Interview Originally Appeared in Modern Contrator Solutions Magazine (August 2007)

Marketing is a bit of mystery to many in the concrete industry. For some, marketing is a distinct corporate division charged with the branding and promotion of a company. Still others task company owners or project managers with sales activities and marketing activities including proposals and cost estimates. Regardless of the approach, today’s successful companies recognize the importance of having an integrated marketing plan.

As the Vice President of Structural Group, a $320 million Baltimore-based specialty-contracting firm that delivers services, systems and technologies that build, repair, protect, strengthen and reinforce concrete, steel, masonry, timber and soils. Brian Gallagher has led marketing efforts that have helped the company experience growth in excess of $200 million in 3 years. He also holds positions on the marketing committees for several industry associations including the American Concrete Institute, Post-Tensioning Institute, Concrete Industry Management Program and others. We’ve asked him to share his insights as well as some advice about marketing in the concrete industry.

What actions does your firm take to market yourself to the industry?
Gallagher: We have taken an integrated approach to marketing communications that focuses on identifying key market segments, addressing their concerns, developing relevant messages and then using different marketing vehicles to reach their individual needs.

How has marketing changed in the concrete industry in recent years?
Gallagher: Customers have become more sophisticated, more demanding and price sensitive. Marketing has had to become much more sophisticated in recent years. This sophistication is mostly correlated with the increased use and reliance on technology. As the construction industry-and concrete industry- change, marketers need to improve their customer knowledge, understanding of customer economics and focus on customer communication and connection opportunities.

How do you think the Internet has changed marketing?
Gallagher: The Internet has created a sense of immediacy. In regard to these immediate transactions we now experience, consumers have more product information at the tips of their fingers, which encourages quicker and more frequent communication between parties. This immediacy of information gathering has dramatically shortened the lifecycle of sales.

Has your firm done anything to meet this change?
Gallagher: Our firm has definitely made changes to meet the growth and change in technology. We now work harder to assess how people want to research and receive their information as well as the best methods for communicating with our target audience. To create a balance between our traditional marketing activities and integrating Web based email marketing, we have implemented an extremely integrated marketing approach. For example, we leverage marketing tactics in new ways. Articles we’ve authored that are published in trade magazines then can be posted on our Website and then be pulled from a search engine which brings interest from potential clients and even employees.

What is one sales technique you can’t live without?
Gallagher: Although there are new technologies and new mediums being introduced daily, ultimately the thing I cannot live without are the people and the relationships I’ve created and maintained. I believe marketing conditions an environment for a sale, but in most cases, the transaction ultimately relies on people, and they are a very important part of the sales and marketing process.

What is the most important marketing strategy your firm uses?
Gallagher: The most important characteristic to our strategy is taking an integrated approach to marketing communications. We work to balance the right frequency, reaching the right people at the right time and with the right message. Then we focus on implementing, tracking and measuring the results.

What topics and article titles catch your eye when you flip through a magazine?
Gallagher: Anything related to industry trends catches my attention. I also really love to read articles about other companies and other industries and learn about their success. There is a lot to learn from those companies that are willing to share their lessons learned from challenges they’ve encountered.

Why do you think many firms lack a marketing plan?
Gallagher: Many firms do not see the ultimate long-term value of marketing. Because marketing does not typically generate immediate results, some people may look past it and believe it does not produce business.

How has marketing helped your firm?
Gallagher: Marketing has definitely helped contribute to the growth of our firm. Our marketing programs have helped us identify and penetrate markets, create awareness, differentiate us from the competition as well as allow us to consistently deliver our message which has created a position for us in the marketplace. Internally, marketing has created a sense of community and accomplishment. When my co-workers and teammates see our name in a magazine or in an ad on the Web, it evokes a great feeling of pride in the company. I also think it helps in attracting new employees to the company.

What is one recent trend in the concrete industry which you love?
Gallagher: One trend that is becoming a staple in the construction industry is green building and sustainability. The green trend is interesting on the concrete side – you look at an industry that is well established and the green trend has provoked consideration for change. It is becoming a catalyst for many modifications in the industry and has challenged people and the industry as a whole to find better ways of producing products and completing projects.

What is one recent trend in the marketing industry which you love?
Gallagher: The way technology has affected our product research and buying patterns is remarkable. Tools now available to track return on investment are incredible – they are what everyone has wanted and needed over the years but never existed. It allows marketers to better track results and demonstrate an ROI.

What is one recent trend in the marketing industry we can live without?
Gallagher: With the advancements in technology, there has been a real saturation of information -- almost an overload. There is so much going on with email, newsletters and Websites that it makes it challenging as a firm to innovate, differentiate and get out of that clutter.

The term marketing is often used as a catch-all for all things non-billable and sales related. What does marketing mean to you?
Gallagher: At the root of it, effective marketing is consistently developing new ways of understanding, creating, communicating and delivering value. Whether it is through branding or creating a message to generate an opportunity, marketing can be used as a strategic advantage and a competitive asset. However on the same level, that strategic advantage and message you are sending must really match up with your company. You cannot promise something you won’t deliver.

What is one marketing/PR tip you have learned over the years that you would like to share?
Gallagher: In any marketing program there has to be a certain degree of flexibility. I’ve always had the belief that you have to try new things and not be adverse to risk. With that mindset, the best advice I can offer is that marketing is employing an integrated marketing communications approach to be consistent with your message and hitting the right targets at the right time.

Sustainability, The Green Movement and the Concrete Industry

2007-11-29T16:42:00.000-05:00

Green construction, sustainability, environmentally responsible. One cannot read a construction industry trade journal without finding a mention of sustainability or “going green." Despite memories of eco-friendliness fads from the past, this vibrantly green movement -- now approximately ten years in the making-- shows strong signs of staying power. Green structures have many benefits to the environment, economy and the community. New technologies reduce the environmental effects of natural resource consumption, improve the bottom line over the life of the building, improve employee productivity and tenant popularity by enhancing the occupants’ comfort and health, minimize strain on local infrastructures, as well as ultimately improve the community’s quality of life. Largely due to an overwhelming acceptance of green and sustainable practices in the design and construction industries, many in the concrete industry are taking notice and action.

New standards, initiatives and funding resources are consistently introduced, ensuring that sustainability will be a viable part of the future. The United States Green Building Council (USGBC), the American Society of Heating, Refrigerating, and Air-Conditioning Engineers (ASHRAE), and the Illuminating Engineering Society of North America (IESNA) are currently working together to formulate a new ANSI-accredited green building standard entitled Standard 189P Design of High-Performance Green Buildings Except Low-Rise Residential Buildings. This standard is planned to replace ANSI 90.1, which is a current code enforced energy efficiency guideline. It is expected that the ANSI Standard 189P will also be enforced through building codes nationwide. When these sustainable principles hit the building code realm, green building will become a mainstream practice that transforms the overall construction industry -- and the concrete repair industry -- with great momentum. As an interest for green takes an imminent position on the horizon, many firms in the concrete repair industry are looking for solutions as to how their services will become involved in this ever-greening world.

Going Green
The USGBC defines a green building as one that is “designed, constructed and operated to boost environmental, economic, health and productivity performance over that of conventional buildings.” Further, a building’s resource depleting impact on the environment is significantly reduced or eliminated in the following areas: sustainable site planning, water preservation and water efficiency, energy efficiency and renewable energy, conservation of materials and resources, and indoor air quality. In order to quantify the level of sustainability and to ensure a building is indeed green, the USGBC developed a third-party verification rating system called Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED). The USGBC defines LEED as “a voluntary, consensus-based national standard to support and validate successful green building design, construction and operations.” LEED provides specific programs for each of the following: New Commercial Construction and Major Renovation Projects, Guidelines for Multiple Buildings and On-Campus Building Projects, Existing Building Operations and Maintenance, Commercial Interiors Projects, Core and Shell Development Projects, Homes, Neighborhood Development, LEED for Schools and LEED for Retail. Furthermore, new categories are frequently being introduced such as LEED for Healthcare. Buildings are ranked as Certified, Silver, Gold or Platinum based on their performance level in essentially three areas: natural resource conservation, healthy environments both interior and exterior, and reduced building maintenance costs.

Fortunately for the concrete repair industry, repair work can garner points in a wide assortment of LEED's platforms to help achieve the Certified level at a minimum for the building and/or site. Owners and developers can achieve green rating points just by preserving and restoring a structure as compared to building a new building. The natural properties of concrete, used as a main part of a building's structure, have the ability to cause a mass cooling effect. During the evening hours, the concrete will cool down several degrees and will then emit coolness throughout the day until the outdoor temperature reaches the "critical point" at which time the concrete then begins to store heat. In most environments, concrete will keep its coolness until the evening hours. The mass cooling effect is applicable to the energy efficiency category in any LEED program listed above. The use of recycled materials in concrete, such as recycled aggregate and different admixtures that come from post-consumer waste can contribute to LEED points. Construction waste management is a program that establishes the enactment of recycling on a building site both during and after the project is built. Recycling falls under the Materials category in the LEED program. If the concrete repair project uses coatings, then choosing coating systems low in Volatile Organic Compounds (VOCs) can contribute to an increase the indoor air quality, which is also a measure recommended by the LEED program. As a building material, concrete has low "embodied" energy characteristics. Concrete uses a relatively small amount of energy from extraction of recycled and raw materials and to manufacturing transportation localities. For certain applications, pervious concrete for walkways, driveways and parking lots retain storm water runoff and surface pollutants from flooding the nearby retention areas, thereby contributing to an overload on the sewage system. Structures built with concrete tend to last two to three times longer than buildings constructed with other common building materials. In some cases, concrete restoration and repair projects reduce the need to build new buildings.

The Green Light
Now that you’re ready to go green, how do you get started? Begin by talking with your clients, engineers, architects, manufacturers and contractors that have both an interest and some history with green projects so that you can learn from their experience and expertise. Become more educated about sustainability, the USGBC, LEED and other general environmental knowledge. Survey your clients for what services they might be looking for that have yet to be offered. Most suppliers to the concrete repair market have-or are developing- products that meet green criteria. Be sure to do research on all new green products available in the marketplace. The green movement has built such momentum, that even big-box retailers like Lowe’s and Home Depot stock a selection of green construction products.

Be sure to review how others in the industry are tackling green and learn from their best practices. Promote your green efforts, purchase reading materials and send employees to LEED workshops to elevate green awareness among the entire staff. In addition to design and construction practices, look for other opportunities to be a green leader such as recycling paper waste, using recycles products and committing to energy efficiency. Let your employees as well as prospects know your changed world view is a long-lasting theme in your company’s approach.

Sustainability has moved beyond fad stage to an established sector of the U.S construction industry. A growing number of grants and other funding programs are available for green construction and restoration projects. At the end of 2006, more than 5,000 projects had registered to try to obtain LEED certification. More than 20 states and 50 major cities already have policies in place that dictate sustainability for their own building projects. Now is the time to start focusing on your green approach to maintaining existing buildings, repairing the old and investing wisely in future construction projects.

Resources:

The Environmental Council of Concrete Organizations
http://www.ecco.org/

United States Green Building Council
http://www.usgbc.org/

GreenSpec
http://www.buildinggreen.com/index.cfm

PCA: Building Green With Concrete
http://www.cement.org/buildings/green_leed.asp

Integrating Marketing Communications

2007-11-29T16:30:00.000-05:00

As the dramatic growth and proliferation of media and communication avenues continues to change the way people get information, receive messages, and find resources, marketing efforts must continue to evolve to more effectively build brand awareness and preference as well as deliver a measurable return on investment. This evolution includes a shift away from traditional marketing approaches to integrated marketing communications efforts.

Marketing is everything a company does to create awareness, interest and demand for its products and services. Marketing communications is about delivering a clear, compelling message to the right decision maker or influencer. Integrated marketing communications is a strategic approach designed to harness all aspects of marketing communication such as advertising, direct marketing, public relations, sales promotion, e-marketing, collateral and other programs to work in coordination as a unified force, rather than working in isolation. This approach enables the consistent delivery of coherent brand positioning through all marketing communications mediums. An integrated effort consists of planning, coordinating and controlling the marketing communications process that results in a synergistic and seamless, customer-focused marketing program.

The development and implementation of an integrated marketing communications program involves four steps:
Developing a DatabaseAt the foundation of any integrated marketing communications program is a robust database. The database needs to integrate with the sales system or CRM program, and track information about prospects, customers, and decision influencers. The marketing database allows marketers to measure and evaluate customer purchase behavior and gain valuable customer insights which helps identify target markets and segments for the marketing communications strategy.

Strategic Marketing Plan Development The strategic marketing planning process should involve internal and external research and analysis, market segment analysis, marketing plan development, as well as resource allocation and budget development. A core brand strategy must be developed to ensure that brand communications are clear and consistent through all aspects of the customer’s experience with a company. A core tenant of this strategy is that all communications emanate from a single strategic marketing platform.

Integration of all of an organization’s messages will maximize reach, power and impact. Integrating each component of the marketing program leverages and draws from the strength of each other initiative. For example, direct mail will more likely be opened because the recipient saw an advertisement; a magazine reader will be more likely to respond to an ad because they read an article about a product or service; a trade show attendee is more likely to approach personnel at the show because he received a e-mail; and a web surfer will be more likely to visit a web site because a search engine ranks a site high in natural searches or information found in a blog.

Another key component of is the focus on multiple stakeholders. Traditional marketing approaches may only address one stakeholder or target. Integrated marketing communications integrates communications across multiple stakeholders including; customers, prospects, current and potential employees, vendors, investors, media and business partners.

Tactical Implementation Once the marketing plan has been developed, it is critical to build a structure for implementing, managing and executing the marketing program. Implementing an integrated marketing communications program requires careful orchestration of all marketing activities, continual monitoring, and particularly, articulating a clear and compelling message.

Measurement and ROMI The final component of an integrated marketing communications program is measurement. Any marketing program must have specific and measurable goals and objectives-not just leads and awareness, but opportunities proposals and profitable jobs. Focus on measurement and generating a Return On Marketing Investment (ROMI) will lead to continual refinement and improvement.

Companies seeking an efficient, cost-effective, controllable, measurable marketing program must commit to an investment in an integrated marketing communications program. Integrated marketing communication is more than the coordination of initiatives, it is an aggressive, dynamic and results oriented marketing plan that can deliver results. Those companies that implement integrated marketing communication programs will enjoy a significantly greater return on investment than independent traditional marketing efforts.

McGraw Hill Ad Still Relevant in Today's Economy

2007-04-14T13:55:00.001-04:00

In 1958, McGraw Hill, then the owners of Business Week, ran an ad promoting the virtues of business magazine advertising. When I first saw the ad almost 20 years ago, I believed it still had relevance in business marketing-and it still does today.

The simply features a man sitting in a chair asking a series of questions about a salesperson's company.

Dr. Zzzzz

2006-09-02T00:36:00.000-04:00

DaimlerChrysler finally shelved the Dr. Z ad campaign. DaimlerChrysler launched the campaign this Summer to help boost sales of it's Chrysler and Jeep products. The ads have featured Dr. Dieter Zetsche, Daimler's Chairman. The ad campaign was part of a $100 million television, radio and internet blitz to convince American buyers that Chrysler and Jeep products contained the best of German and American engineering and design. The series of ads featured the whitty Dr. Z, with his thick German accent, talking with a reporter, a mom, kids and others about design, engineering, safety and performance of the company's products. The campaign has generated considerable buzz in the industry trade press and general press.

The ads were a bit quirkly, but I found them interesting, entertaining and refreshing. Car commercials have become very predictable and bland. The footage of a car taking on curves or an SUV battling rugged terrain is as engaging as a bar code on a box of cereal. Dr. Z was a refreshing approach, but I think Dailmer overloaded the airwaves with the same commercials. A little more creative would have gone along way. Another challenge was While the initial campaign failed to general the same buzz and showroom traffic that the
(Daimler Chrysler photo)

Lee Iacocca commercials did in the 1980's, I think the campaign, with some tweaking, can be effective. Economic uncertainy and high gas prices have kept American out of show rooms this Summer. I don;t know if any ad campaign would have overcome the economic reality. A spokesman for the company said the campaign is on hiatus, and that the campaign resulted in over 6 million questions posted on the AskDrZ website https://www.askdrz.com/ .

Guten tag, Dr. Z.