Separating Substance from Hype: Conquering the Next AEC Marketing Frontier

The digital future has arrived, bringing with it innovation, disruption and rapidly evolving technologies – causing marketing mayhem and forcing AEC firms to continually adapt how they compete and win business. Artificial Intelligence (AI) is taking the industry by storm, changing everything from proposal development to content marketing to image and video generation to analytics. But AI is just one of the forces shaping AEC marketing's next evolutionary step. The generational handoff and emergence of a new hyper-connected "business consumer" are challenging the traditional approaches to how AEC firms have been building business and client relationships. In this quicksand of change, adaptability is key. What's even more critical is a strategic and disciplined approach to managing change that today's rapidly evolving digital landscape creates for AEC marketing and business development. The biggest challenge in marketing has always been avoiding the temptation to chase shiny objects and, instead, being thoughtful and strategic about how we use technology to achieve business goals while maximizing our time and resources – especially when we are asked to do more with less. Technology needs strategy! Separating substance from hype and understanding the most influential underlying trends that will become frontrunners in the years ahead will ensure that your firm's investment in new strategies, tools and technologies will deliver a return on objective (ROO). Marketing for the future will require new knowledge, tools and skillsets. Most importantly, it will require a new mindset. As marketers, we need to keep innovating and evolving – evolving our approaches, our firms, and, together, our industries. The session will examine the top drivers of "what's next" in digital-first strategy, marketing, and business development. It will explore how AEC firms can incorporate new technologies, including conversational marketing, chatbots, personalization and Generative AI to get ahead. The program will provide practical, actionable insights and a new toolkit (and ammunition) you can take back to your firm. You are guaranteed to walk away inspired and with a practical roadmap to get started!

Audience Takeaways

• Understand how the generation handoff, the emergence of the new hyper-connected "business consumer," and digital transformation (including Gen AI) will shape the next AEC marketing frontier.

• Identify the "next best" practices and most effective strategies and approaches for building trust and influence with a digital-first experience.

• Learn how innovative digital tactics, including conversational marketing, chatbots, personalization, AI, and more, help you attract ideal clients/employees.

  
  

Conference Session Tracks

• Domain Track: Planning, Promotional Activity, Business Development & Management

• Career Track: Senior

• Position Track: Marketing/Communications & Sales/Business Development

Ida Cheinman is the principal and creative director of the brand strategy, design and digital firm Substance151. Ida uses her 25 years of experience as a brand strategist, designer, marketer, and educator to help business leaders and marketing professionals make sense of trends, tools, and best practices in order to position their firms to win in the 21st century's fast-changing and extremely competitive marketplace. Ida is a sought-after speaker who is knowledgeable, energetic and excels at making complex information accessible and immediately applicable. She presents for professional services and A/E/C organizations and conferences nationwide and is a frequent contributor to industry webinars, blogs, podcasts and publications. Ida is a past president of SMPS Maryland and currently serves on the SMPS Marketer editorial committee.

Connect with Ida on LinkedIn.