When you want to reach new customers or clients in any industry, digital marketing needs to be part of the plan. That is certainly true in architecture, engineering, and construction – and we’d like to use this article to highlight the importance of putting digital marketing methods to use for your AEC business. The ten stats below should be enlightening and may be all the motivation you need to get started.
#1 – For AEC, Social Media is Lacking
Studies show that 20% of companies in the AEC space don’t have a connection between their website and their social channels (if they even have active social accounts). This represents a missed opportunity for those businesses to better connect with their target audience, and remedying this problem would be quick and easy. Leaning more fully into the power of social media is something that nearly every AEC company could benefit from, and the learning curve is not as intimidating as you might believe.
#2 – Over 50% of AEC Websites Fail on SEO
SEO – or search engine optimization – is a great way to bring organic traffic to your website. While SEO does require some effort and the payoff tends to come on a delay months or years after the work was done, it’s an incredibly powerful tool. Surprisingly, more than half of AEC websites still seem to be falling short on this point, failing to follow basic best practices for on-page SEO standards. Again here, this is something that would be an easy fix and could lead to compounding positive results for years to come.
#3 – Very Few AEC Companies Utilize Lead Magnets
In other industries, offering “lead magnets” to website visitors is considered a standard practice. Unfortunately, less than 10% of AEC websites seem to be offering this enticement to visitors, which means those businesses are missing out on a big chance to secure new leads.
What is a lead magnet? It’s simply a piece of educational content or something else of value that can be offered in exchange for filling out a contact form. This could be a whitepaper with some industry research, or an e-book with ideas relevant to the field in question. Whatever is offered as a lead magnet, it should be behind a form so site visitors have to provide contact information first before they are provided with the item.
#4 – Potential AEC Leads in the Millions
It’s hard to grasp the scale of what is possible with digital marketing. To help you understand what might be waiting out there to be grasped, consider these stats for some common Google searches. Each month, more than four million searches are performed for home builders and designers. Another 1+ million searches take place looking for roofers, and the list can go on and on. No matter what part of the AEC landscape you and your company occupy, it’s safe to say that plenty of searches are taking place day after day – and digital marketing is the only way to give your business a chance to be seen in this arena.
#5 – In AEC, It’s Important to Be #1
While this statistic will vary from one specific industry to another, it has been found that around 40% of potential clients may consider just one company to work with before making their selection. This highlights the value of holding a prominent place in digital marketing environments, so your company can be the first one that is presented in the right context. If you are running PPC ads, for example, and your ad is at the top of the search results, you’ll instantly have a leg up on the competition – and that may be what it takes to secure the project.
#6 – More AEC Proposals, More Revenue
Okay – so this one isn’t exactly breaking news, but it is worth discussing nonetheless. Research has found that a firm that is growing quickly and rising in its space is likely to be submitting over 50% more proposals than average firms in the market. Of course, you have to find enough prospective projects to send out that many proposals, which is where intelligent digital marketing comes into the picture. Creating a strong digital presence can lead to more requests for proposals, which will naturally boost your odds of signing more contracts.
#7 – AEC Website Traffic is Lacking
In the modern landscape, a website is the virtual version of your business’s front door. That being said, you’d like to welcome as many people as possible through that front door – but AEC firms tend to come up woefully short in this area. It’s been found that the average AEC website may only get around 750 visitors per month. That’s not casting a very wide net, and that number can be dramatically improved through proper digital marketing.
#8 – In AEC, There’s Only One Top Spot
We are cheating a little bit on this one, as it’s not really a statistic in the traditional sense. The point here is that there is only a single top spot in Google for any given search term, and you should be working as hard as possible to capture that spot for your business. Residing at the top of the results is going to not only get you more traffic, but will also confer some added credibility and authority to your firm.
#9 – A Huge Return for AEC Companies
Stepping out of the AEC market specifically and looking at the bigger picture of digital marketing, it has been found that big returns are waiting for companies that manage PPC correctly. How big can the returns be? Earning $8 for every $1 spent is a rough estimate of what can be achieved, and that’s especially realistic for an AEC firm that is likely closing deals with significant price tags attached.
#10 – AEC Companies Need to Think Mobile
To wrap up, we’d like to provide you with a reminder that the way people use the internet has changed dramatically in recent years. Today, most of the traffic that lands on your site is going to come from a mobile device, so your digital marketing plans should keep that in mind and be optimized for such traffic. Offering a poor mobile experience is going to turn many users away, which is the same as leaving money on the table.
Ready to get started using digital marketing to advance your AEC business and get ahead of the competition? We would love to help. Reach out today to discuss what we can offer and let’s work together to reach new heights.
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