We live in changing times. In fact, we may be living through some of the biggest structural changes witnessed since the start of the 20th Century due to the increasing prevalence of technology and its impact on the way in which we communicate. But as much as things are changing, some fundamentals remain. Storytelling is one such example. In fact, the popularity of storytelling as a marketing vehicle is regaining popularity.
Storytellers: The Original Thought Leaders
This unique skill been around since human beings learned to speak. Before we had such amenities as electricity and heat, people would gather around a bonfire to listen to master storytellers. Storytellers were the original thought leaders. They had the unique ability to attract and maintain the attention of the audience. Isn’t that the Holy Grail of every business? You can still find master storytellers today throughout marketing, politics, media, and even among the leadership ranks of corporations.
In fairness, today’s storytellers have a much greater challenge. Instead of competing for attention with the crackle of a fire, or the hoot of an owl, they must now compete with millions of messages from innumerable sources. And the hoots have been replaced with tweets. Marketers today have been reminded of a valuable lesson. The brand that masters the art of storytelling increases is ability to attract the business and loyalty of its target market.
The Rich History of the Built Environment
Every company has a story. The good news is that the Architecture, Engineering, and Construction (AEC) market is filled with incredible stories: stories of great companies formed by scrappy immigrants with empty pockets, passion, and barely enough money to buy a bulldozer; stories of war veterans that replaced heavy memories of combat with sheer grit and determination to build great companies; stories of engineers and architects that innovated new ways to make structures bigger and stronger; stories of innovators that opened up the fourth dimension by developing new technologies such as Building Information Modeling (BIM); and stories of women and minorities that saw a window of opportunity opening and launched new firms.
While our history is rich, your storytelling must incorporate the past, present, and future and it must evolve and be retold consistently over time. It may be a product application story in a trade journal. Perhaps it’s a white paper on how your firm exceeded a project deadline by reducing downtime. Or maybe it’s a case study depicting how you exceeded the expectations of a client.
Great Storytelling Requires Passion
The greatest storytellers shared a common element. They had passion for the stories they told. Fraley AEC Solutions can tell your story because we’re passionate about the construction and design industry. I grew up hearing dramatic inspirational stories about my great grandfather, an Irishman and an immigrant, that founded an excavation company at the tail end of the Great Depression. That legacy inspires me to this day. As kids we heard about tales of gunplay with the unions, firebombed equipment, and shredding and burning tires to stay warm. Telling the story of your firm and the legacy of our industry is not just business. It’s personal.
What is your company’s story? What is your personal story? Are you using it to build your brand? If not, you’re missing an incredible opportunity. Let us tell your story.