Melody Siebel of Westwood (multi-disciplined surveying and engineering) in Eden Prairie, MN, graciously consented to be the third subject of this interview series, which is designed to present the perspectives of relative "newbies" to the A/E/C marketing world.
Here are Melody's answers to the five questions I posed.
How long have you been in a marketing position in the A/E/C industry?
A little over one year now (started April 2014).
What do you think are the two or three most important things you’ve learned in the past year on the job?
Brand is a very critical element to our success, especially since we have offices across the nation. We’ve recently refreshed our brand, which is a process that really demonstrates the importance of having all of our online and print documents, promotional items, and everything in between consistent across the board. Inconsistencies can quickly create confusion about the brand.
It’s important to get our name out there in the industry. Whether that’s attending events/networking, having a strong LinkedIn presence, sending out press releases or having the best resume- everything counts. In April, we held a seminar at our office on transit oriented development (TOD). We had a great turn-out; many of our clients attended the event. These kinds of things help build awareness with the right people in the industry.
Having a strong marketing and communications department is vital to the company's success. Although it might not seem like press releases and updating our Facebook status is doing anything for us in the short term, I have seen it make a difference in the long run. At the end of the day, it’s all about getting our name out there and helping our business development team attract new clients.
What things do you wish you had already known on your first day in this position?
How different it is from the B2C marketing I was used to. Also, I wish I would have had some experience coming in to this, but you’ve got to start somewhere, right?
What has surprised you the most about the A/E/C industry?
How diverse it is; the people, expertise, and the experiences we all have. From engineers to surveyors to planners, and from marketing to human resources, we all bring a ton of experience and expertise to the table.
What has surprised you the most about the position of Marketing Coordinator?
It’s very different from the B2C marketing which I was involved with before I came to Westwood. Now that I’ve been doing this a little over a year - well - it’s what I know and this seems to be the “normal way“ of doing marketing to me now. It’s also very fast-paced and there are many different avenues you can go down. From proposals to event coordination, and from social media to press releases, there is a lot you can make of it.
Many thanks to Melody for sharing her perspective on these questions.
I'm always looking for new voices for this series. If you're a marketing coordinator in an A/E/C firm who has been in that role around a year, and if you'd like to answer these five questions, please drop me a line at [email protected]. I'll be happy to include your thoughts.