construct a winning communications strategy with bim
TRANSCRIPT
@costello_palmer
Blended activity
No longer have separate plans and actions for; Sales, Customer Service & Marketing – make them connected and create more value than you capture.
Understanding your audience
Get to know your customer, what they both want and need, when they need it and by which means.
Precision messaging
Find out what your customers/prospects want to know about your products/services and be precise.
@costello_palmer
“BIM is essentially value creating collaboration through the entire life-cycle of an asset, underpinned by the creation, collation and exchange of shared 3D models and intelligent, structured data attached to them.”
UK Government BIM Task Group
@costello_palmer
“There is no fully accepted definition of BIM, however it can be thought of as a digital representation of physical and functional characteristics of a facility, creating a shared knowledge resource and forming a reliable basis for decisions during its life cycle, from earliest conception to demolition.”
Turner & Townsend
@costello_palmer
“At its simplest level, BIM provides a common environment for all information defining a building, facility or asset together with its common parts and activities. This includes building shape, design and construction time, costs, physical performance, logistics and more.”
RICS: Royal Institute of Charter Surveyors
@costello_palmer
The point is, BIM means different things to different people and you have to define what it means to you, your business and your customers.
Then own it.
@costello_palmer
“The time has come to reform the construction industry by seizing the opportunities offered by the digital construction processes and unleash the commercial power of BIM.”
Costello Palmer Communications
@costello_palmer
Before I tell you how, just take a few minutes to think about what BIM means to you and your organisation.
@costello_palmer
Let’s look at 5 key steps for creating that winning
BIM communications strategy:
1. The commercial benefits of digital collaboration.
2. Align your BIM vision to organisational goals and corporate objectives.
3. Identify your target audience.
4. Express your BIM capabilities to your customers.
5. Creating high engagement by building and maintaining a community around your BIM content.
@costello_palmerImage source: http://undergroundelephant.com/
BIM CommunicationsDigital
Collaboration
@costello_palmer
• BIM is a digital process therefore it makes sense to deliver your communications via digital channels
• Providing the opportunity to create a digital community or following
• It’s quick, it’s easy and it’s accessible by the masses
@costello_palmer
Why Digital?
Global active internet users now totals 3.175 Billion, that’s nearly half of the world’s population (7.357 Billion)
There are over 2.206 Billion active Social Media users, a global penetration of 30%
1.925 Billion users utilise their mobiles for Social Media platforms
12 new mobile social users are added every second, that’s 1 Million per day
Source: socialmediatoday.com / August 2015
@costello_palmer
Strategic Planning
• Corporate objectives are fundamental to performance enhancing strategic plans
• A systematic approach to incorporating BIM into these corporate objectives is essential
• This is a clear indicator to stakeholders that your commitment to BIM is at the core of your business function
@costello_palmer
Establish your BIM credentials
• What do you know BIM?
• What do you want to share?
• Why do you want to share it?
• How are you going to share it?
@costello_palmer
What do you know about
BIM?
What do you want to share?
Why do you want to share it?
How are you going
to share it?
@costello_palmer
Who are you sharing it with?
• What do they need to know?
• Tell them how they can use this information
@costello_palmer
What are the benefits of your BIM implementation?
• To your business
• To your customers
• To the industry
@costello_palmer
Understanding who your customers are as individuals and why they are buying from you allows you to see their exact needs.
Characterising your ‘ideal customer’ as the kind of person who buys your product/engages your services is less helpful.
@costello_palmer
Information sharing through digital platforms
• Be social with your BIM expertise
• Provide content that is useful to customers and advances your business objectives
• Establishing loyalty is essential
• Be meaningful to your customers and start generating earned media
@costello_palmer
Now you have identified who are your customers and what they need…
• Avoid mass promotions and target your messaging carefully
• Then select your channels
@costello_palmer
BIM uses digital technology to improve the sharing and analysis of data within a construction project.
Therefore you need to be using digital methods of communication to share your BIM expertise.
@costello_palmer
Emails
Social Media
Content Marketing
Connectivity of themes and messages across multiple platforms
@costello_palmer
Never underestimate your audience - people are clever and will cut through the clutter
@costello_palmer
5.Creating high engagement by building and maintaining a community around your BIM expertise
@costello_palmer
Make the shift from a sales approach to engagement
Image source: http://www.globalnerdy.com/
@costello_palmer
But engagement on its own isn’t enough, we need the intelligence to go with it
Find new image
@costello_palmer
How are your customers engaging with you?
What are the purchase influencers?
How are you closing the sale?
@costello_palmer
It’s no longer enough to have your customers’ experience or knowledge of your
brand/product/service as ‘fit-for-purpose’:
Functional
Practical
Reliable
@costello_palmer
Yes you want them to think you’re the right product/person for the job…
But people buy with their senses, and make purchase choices with their emotions (even in construction!).
Image source:http://www.mpa-canada.org/
@costello_palmer
Gratifying
Reassuring
Meaningful
Switch to company and brand knowledge and understanding
as ‘that’s exactly what I need’:
@costello_palmer
And people share emotions more than facts, therefore to get people to talking about you, your information needs to appeal to them, why this product/service will improve/change their lives.
@costello_palmer
What happens after they buy?
Customers’ experience of after-sales service is just as important as gaining new customer as you want to build brand/customer loyalty
People can be mean on social media!
@costello_palmer
Dos:
1. Have a clear strategy before
you start tweeting, know
what you want to say.
2. Look for a unique selling
point.
3. Engage with customers that
‘Tweet’ you.
4. Keep it relatable to the brand
or core values of your
business.
5. ‘Tweet’ regularly.
Don’ts:
1. Use disasters to try and
increase brand awareness.
2. Leave customers questions
unanswered.
3. Send a ‘Tweet’ without
checking the content.
4. Allow company wide access
to Twitter – lock it down!
So here’s a few Twitter tips!
@costello_palmer
To summaries…
• What makes a ‘winning’ communications strategy?• What is BIM?• What you know about BIM?• What your customers need to know about BIM?• And how you’re going to tell them…