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Put Project Stories in Your Marketing Toolbox

October 30, 2014 by Brian Fraley

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The Architecture, Engineering, and Construction (AEC) industry is a results-driven industry populated by some very smart and often pragmatic folks. Yet many firms within and outside of the industry try to sell their products and services by boasting about top notch service, the number of licensed professionals on staff, or how many similar projects they’ve performed. You’ll pick up more yards by building a story around your qualifications.

The age old project story, also known as a job story or a project application story, is one of the most powerful tools to promote your firm. It’s an effective way of delivering your qualifications within a great story about how your product or service solved a problem for a client. Here’s an analogy that will resonate with the pet lovers. How do you get your dog or cat to take a pill prescribed by the vet? Wrap it in cheese, peanut butter, or something else that your friend enjoys to disguise the pill. Ingenious, right? The analogy here, of course, is that the client will have an easier time accepting your sales pitch if it’s contained in an interesting package, like a project story. If a job story isn’t within your marketing toolbox, why not?

Designing, Building, and Storytelling

Storytelling never died. It’s timeless. And it has been launched to the forefront of brand building by a powerful movement called Content Marketing, which is redefining the way marketing is done. I would argue that storytelling is even more powerful in the construction and design sector. Perhaps I’m biased because I’ve dedicated part of my career to writing project stories. After discussions with hundreds of folks in this industry, the conversation always reverts back to a past project or work in progress. We are bound by a common heritage and passion that we enforce by sharing stories.

This is an action-packed industry with a rich history. We have stories of courageous founders, construction feats, and mammoth machinery that shapes our surroundings with blunt force. And it’s visually powerful as well, which complements the project story itself. Even outsiders slow down to witness work in progress. Even the quieter folks from the World War II generation that I’ve had the pleasure of dealing with over the years, broke their silence to rattle on about stories of design and construction projects past and present. My grandfather was one of those guys. He was a man of few words, but his eyes would light up as he shared with me the colorful stories of the old days in the construction industry. I miss those conversations.

Why Project Stories Work

Unless you procure 100 percent of your work via low bid, demonstrating your qualifications to a client is key. Time for straight talk. Telling the client you’re the best firm for the job is a waste of time. They don’t care. Furthermore, there’s a very strong probability that your firm is not the best. Your competition also has the best estimators, P.E.’s, P.L.S.’s., etc. We all need to be knocked off of our high horses from time to time to keep our competitive edge sharp. Stop telling the client how qualified you are and show them instead. A project story is a testament to how you solve problems for your clients.

There are more ways than ever to promote your business these days. Things were a bit a simpler 20 years ago because you focused on traditional, or native, advertising. Now you have Social Media, Content Marketing, Digital Marketing, and more. The project story delivers results regardless of the medium or the approach. It doesn’t matter if the story is in glossy print or online.

The Internet Amplifies the Results

The beauty of the Internet is that we can amplify the power of a great project story beyond a nice print publication. The reach is virtually unlimited. You now have the ability to post it to your website, across your Social Media pages…several times, and in your e-mail newsletter. Better yet, post it on your website and add links across those other platforms to draw traffic to your website. You can also improve your search engine rankings by posting valuable content. That’s powerful. Let it sink in for a minute.

It is also worth noting that many trade publications tend to post high quality stories on their own Social Media platforms, which increases your Internet presence. This is all evidence that the results of the traditional project story have been further amplified courtesy of the World Wide Web.

Share the Publicity, Build Client Loyalty

Sharing publicity with your clients is so powerful. It’s more effective than that bottle of wine you gave them for Christmas, in fact. If you want to build good will with a contractor that just rented a crane, for instance, have a job story done. Diecast models are nice, but publicity with the potential to generate real business is nicer.

I experienced how this model worked back in the early 1990s while working with Fraley Communications. Our core clients were construction equipment dealers and they believed in building client loyalty with project stories. It was a routine and it worked. Any promotional outlet that offers the potential of growing your customer’s bottom line is effective. Period.

Trade Publications are Starving for Good Content

The good news is that there are still many great trade publications serving the design and construction industry. Ready for some insider information? They’re starving for high quality content. That means that your project stories, if written properly and according to their specific needs, stand a better chance of getting published. There is a story behind why quality content is currently such a desired commodity these days, but it won’t add value to this entry.

Let me stress one key point that is vital to your efforts. Don’t waste your time unless you have someone with the unique ability to comprehend, and convert technical content into a story that folks actually want to read. There are many actors that claim they can write good project stories. Remember Charlie Brown and the gang on the old cartoon “Peanuts?” More specifically, do you remember Lucy being lulled to sleep when the teacher spoke because she could only hear”wha wha wha?” That’s what a layperson will hear when they interview your project manager. They may not fall asleep, but there eyes might glaze over. Your author must have genuine interest and passion for your story. If you’re lucky enough to have a technical person that can write well, you’re lucky enough. Otherwise, seek outside help.

Memorialize Your Accomplishments

You don’t have to enjoy history to know that you’re creating it. Every day, you design and build projects that physically alter the landscape of this country. Whether moving dirt, designing a building, or manufacturing the tools to get the work done, your accomplishments are meaningful. Humility is admirable, but these stories need to be told.

Thanks to digital storage, your stories can be preserved and passed down as a family heirloom. Future generations will thank you some day for memorializing the work that you, and perhaps your family, has done. 100 years down the road when we are all reduced to ashes and memories, your children’s children will read about your efforts and gleam with pride. Now that’s priceless.

 

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We found Brian and his team easy to work with and they did an outstanding job on our website. Brian offered editorial work when needed and his team put together a great layout and format for our site. Once we decided to get serious with the content, our site came together quickly and now we have a more professional representation of Earth Engineering on the Internet. I highly recommend Fraley Construction Marketing for anyone involved in the engineering or construction industry who wants someone… Read more
Ward McMasters, P.E.PresidentEarth Engineering Inc.
Brian was there for us when we had just a few days to put together a complex proposal for a P3 bridge replacement project we were bidding that involved detailed technical and financial plans. As a contractor, we had no experience in putting together the marketing and narrative pieces that the proposal required. Brian not only walked us through the process, he helped us put together a complete and professional looking proposal. His extensive experience and knowledge of construction and engineerin… Read more
Mark EckmanPresidentJ.D. Eckman Inc.
I’d like to thank you for the job you did redesigning our website. The site is more modern and MUCH easier to navigate. You listened and brought our ideas to life.
Bob HessPresidentFaddis Concrete Products
The services Fraley Construction Marketing provided to us were top notch.  We’ve hired photographers across the country to obtain photos of our equipment in use on various job sites, but Brian’s talent shined in this particular project.  He went above and beyond, was very informative and did a great job scheduling and coordinating with the jobsite.  We are very happy with the quality of his photos!  We would be more than willing to use his services again in the future.
Gretchen TremmierSecretaryPile Hammer Equipment
Fraley Construction Marketing has taken KB’s online presence to the next level. Brian utilizes multiple social media platforms to engage with our industry and drive traffic to our website. They also manage our e-mail marketing and we anticipate many long-term benefits. Fraley is a truly innovative online marketing firm.
Mark WaltersMarket ManagerKB International
We are extremely pleased with the work Fraley Construction Marketing has done. We had a massive amount of website content that needed to be edited and written within a tight schedule and it was all done in a timely manner. Brian is a great communicator and talked me through the entire process to make sure everything was exactly to our liking. 
Caitlin KitchensCommunications SpecialistSuperior Construction
We are very happy with Fraley Construction Marketing’s services. Brian helped us get into key industry trade publications and did a fantastic job writing the story of an unconventional project we performed. His experience and understanding of the construction industry is inherent. We continue to work with Brian, whose knowledge and hard work has raised our online presence!
Kay MiluskiPresidentCompaction Grouting Services
Fraley Construction Marketing has achieved incredible results in our company’s marketing efforts. Brian has taken our social media and press releases from zero to overwhelming. This is due to Brian’s industry knowledge and exemplary communication skills. His skill and guidance have led us beyond our expectations.
Ben DuttonPresidentEquipment Corporation of America
I was looking for an effective and precise way to market my new Black Splitter log splitting products to potential customers and that’s exactly what I got with Fraley Construction Marketing. Brian exceeded my expectations by suggesting a project application story instead of a standard new product press release, and identifying and getting it published in at least six industry trade publications. I will be doing more marketing projects with Brian in the future.
Eric RansomeOwnerRansome Attachments
Brian Fraley is an asset to any business that desires a stronger emphasis on construction marketing. In the past year, Brian crafted two job stories, opening doors to more than 10 publications, including PileDriver, Piling Canada, Deep Foundations, Foundation Drilling and Pile Buck to name a few. His in-depth knowledge of the construction industry, writing and photography skills, and relationship with trade magazine editors makes collaborating on stories a pleasure and helps ECA promote the cap… Read more
Jeff HarmstonVice President - Sales & MarketingEquipment Corporation of America
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