Anna Martinovich of Architectural Engineering Design Group in Denver graciously consented to be the second subject of this interview series, which is designed to present the perspectives of relative "newbies" to the A/E/C marketing world.
Here are Anna's answers to the five questions I posed.
How long have you been in a marketing position in the A/E/C industry?
I started working as a marketing coordinator a little over a year ago for Architectural Engineering Design Group, Inc. a lighting and electrical engineering company in Denver, Colorado.
What do you think are the two or three most important things you've learned in the past year on the job?
"I don't know," is not a good answer; "here's how I'll find out," is more than acceptable. I transitioned into marketing after a great experience as a graphic design co-op in a large A/E/C firm, but currently work as part of a very small team. So I'm responsible for running analytics, writing proposals, social media, newsletters, internal engagement and whatever else may pop up. Successfully completing these tasks has almost always involved asking other professionals, bouncing ideas off other team members and a lot of Google searches.
People skills matter, especially when it comes to the people you work with. It doesn't matter how great an idea is if you're not able to pitch it at the right time and in the right way. Recognizing that your bosses and supervisors are looking to you to be the expert can be daunting in an entry-level position, and being able to pitch a new marketing endeavor to the people who approve your timesheets is a valuable and undervalued skill.
What things do you wish you had already known on your first day in this position?
I wish I had known more about social media, online marketing and analytics. The A/E/C industry as a whole is behind the ball when it comes to all three, but a lot of the traditional channels are already ineffective. Running print ads in a magazine is a classic tactic and there are a lot of resources to help guide a marketer in how to figure out if a certain publication is worth investing in, but ask a room of A/E/C marketers about how to use Twitter effectively and you’re more likely to hear crickets. However, social media isn’t going anywhere; it’s only becoming more influential, but the resources and truly knowledgeable people (in many A/E/C firms) are lacking.
What has surprised you the most about the A/E/C industry?
Just how long the construction process really is and how much of it is dependent on relationships. The number of people who have to work together successfully to make one home or office building happen is astounding.
What has surprised you the most about the position of marketing coordinator?
How much of the job can be summed up with, “Yes, I can help you do that,” and how fulfilling it is to have a new challenge almost every day.
Many thanks to Anna for her interesting responses. If any of you want to find out more about Anna, you can take a look at her LinkedIn profile at https://www.linkedin.com/in/annamartinovich