Marketing Strategy

Strategy vs. Plan

• A Marketing Strategy asks “what needs to be done.”

• A Marketing Plan asks “how do we accomplish what needs to be done.”

Development

• The purpose of a marketing strategy is to create defined targets based on research. – What does the firm want to be– How do we get there– What DON’T we want to do

8 Steps to a Marketing Strategy

1. Discover Potential2. Analyze Opportunity3. Synthesis' Direction4. Declare Soul5. Structure Enterprise6. Connect Clients7. Channel Aspirations8. Audit Performance

Discover Potential

• “What can we be?”• “How might we grow?”• “What don’t we know and how can we learn

it?”• The point is data gathering and that can be

broken into five driving forces

Passion• What is the firm passionate about collectively and

individually?• What drives peoples work as professionals• Why did you all become architects (nerds)

Markets

• This step makes you look at items outside the firm, mainly looking at your current and potential clients– How do they interact with architects?– What affects their buying choices?

Competition

• Now we look at who we are going up against. Another honest look at whether there are obstructions or possibilities.– What markets do they work in?– Do they design similar products?– Services?– What do clients think of them?

Trends

• The last step in your research analysis is, what is hot now.– Eco-Friendly?– Budget Conscious?– Flames and Dragons and Wizards and Unicorns?

Unique Selling Position (USP)

• From the information gathered in the prior sub sections you should be able to determine what your USP is. How your firm differentiates from everyone else in the market.

Analyze Opportunity

• What does the information gathered during our research mean for our firm?

• Are there possibilities or obstructions– What is the firms market share?– How does the firm compare to the competition?

Synthesize Direction• Time to choose the key focus that your firm will pursue during the life of this

strategic Marketing Strategy– Active Markets – Where the firm wants to maintain an established and significant

market share– Growth markets – A market with the opportunity to significantly increase the firm’s

market share– Reactive Markets – Markets that are stagnant or not with the monetary effort to

pursue– Operational improvements– Marketing choices for specific markets– The Action Plan with key must-do activities

Declare Soul• The Firm’s inspiration and essence.– Mission – The Firms Purpose• Why the firm exists and its function in the

surrounding environment

– Vision – The Firm’s Destination• Where the firm will be in a given amount of years

– Values – The Firm’s Interaction• How the firm works with clients and collaborators

as well as internally

Structure Enterprise

• Leadership– Organization and Communication– Transition

• Talent– Human Resources– Tools

Leadership - Organization and Communication

• It is always a good idea to have an organizational chart that indicates who has decision making authority, but also how a firm wants to conduct its work.– What is this person’s job description– Who is responsible for this project– Who can best answer this question

Leadership - Transition

• While it would be ideal if strategic plans came to fruition in weeks, most often (i.e. never) they wont.

• It is a good idea to look down the road at potential future leaders

Talent – Human Resources

• What skills need to be developed• How will new staff be indoctrinated in the

firms marketing strategy• Do specific capabilities need to be hired

Talent - Tools

• Firms utilize tools to move the marketing strategy into daily activities– What are the key tools in the firm– Do they help or hinder goals

• Design – Definition and tools for architectural design process

• Technical – Building systems and information resources• Process – Project management tools and resources• Information Technology – CAD, BIM, the electronic flow of

information• Financial Management – Project and Firm financial tools

Connect Clients

• Balancing the operational plan and focusing externally on your clients is called a Marketing Plan.

• The key points to focus on, with regards to the marketing plan, are– Brand, Markets, Go/No Go, Public Relations,

Business Development, Client Care

Brand

• The brand is the sum total of external understanding and perception of the firm.

• The brand component of a marketing strategy are the tools used to shape those perceptions.– Logo, Firm Name, tag line and other visual imagery

associated with the Firm.

Markets

• On one sheet of paper, distill the key markets the firm works in and whether those markets are in growth, active or reactive markets

Go/No Go

• A tool that is use to determine whether a project is worth the firm’s time or not.

Public Relations• Is utilized as a way to influence a broader

range of potential clients, customers and the general public.

Business Development

• Targeting individuals and organizations, specific tools and the actual personal connections involved to build and maintain relationships

Client Care

• Good client care is about building strong working relationships and understanding how clients grade project performance, then making sure the firm performs at an outstanding level on each project

Channel Aspiration

• This step involves highlighting the most important deliverable components and inspire your talent to live the plan daily.– Communicate your passion and inspiration – List the most important activities to build and maintain the firm’s

unique vision.

Audit Performance

• This is the firm’s regular colonoscopy.• The goal of this step is to put into place a set of check-in and

measures that help answer “how are we doing on our strategy”– Project Profitability– Overhead Rate– Staff Utilization– Employee Turnover– Market Share– Short-List Rate– Interview Selection Rate– Direct Award Rate– New Client Contacts