Engineering firms have historically operated on a seller-doer model, with the most experienced staff responsible for both drumming up new business and getting the work done. Many still rely mostly on networking and referrals, with little interest in proactive, strategic marketing. 

That approach might have worked for years, but it doesn’t anymore. There’s too much competition for lucrative clients and projects. And the buying process for engineering services bears little resemblance to what it used to, thanks to our digital, AI-influenced world. 

So why is marketing still a hard sell for engineering firms?  

Based on my 20+ years providing strategic marketing for engineering companies, I propose 3 reasons they don’t tend to value marketing, 3 reasons they should if they want to grow, and 3 ways to do it well. 

Why Engineers Don’t  Always See the Value in Marketing 

1. Marketing isn’t in the engineer’s DNA.   

The very attributes that make engineers good at their jobs might seem to run counter to the world of marketing. Most engineers are highly analytical and logical. They love to figure out how things work or how to make them work better. Many also prefer to work independently. (It’s no wonder the Myers-Briggs Type Indicator refers to the Introverted, iNtuitive, Thinking and Perceiving profile as The Engineer.)

If an engineer’s only experience with marketing is a lot of arbitrary, fluffy tactics that aren’t grounded in strategy, they’re understandably wary.  

2. Engineers thrive on facts. 

Most engineers love talking about features, facts, and figures, because their jobs depend on those types of details. And since the buyer for engineering services is typically other engineers, they believe they don’t need marketing to sell their offerings. When you already speak the same, fact-based language as your prospective client, who needs marketing?  

3. Engineers aren’t always enamored with appearance. 

Traditional engineering marketing once revolved around brushing up the website (which was nothing but brochureware) and creating pretty one-pagers to mail to prospects. Unfortunately, some firms never moved past that approach. If an engineer’s impression of marketing is that it’s nothing but style over substance, they won’t care about it very much.  

Yes, I’m overgeneralizing a bit. The point is that there’s much about the engineering mindset that makes leaders of these firms turn off from marketing.   

Why Engineering Firms Must Embrace Marketing to Stay Competitive 

BUT…growth-minded engineering firms are bumping up against three undeniable realities that underscore why strategic marketing is critical to growth, and why it’s perfectly aligned with the wants and needs of the analytically-minded engineer. 

1. The competition for engineering business is intense. 

Whether you focus on mechanical, structural, forensic, civil, or other engineering specialties, the market for your services has likely become crowded and fragmented. Private equity groups have created massive engineering rollups, and the Internet has broken down geographic barriers to competition. That means firms across the country are now vying for lucrative projects in your own backyard, and the big guys have the deep pockets to stay top-of-mind with prospects using modern marketing principles.  

2. The buying journey for engineering services has forever changed. 

Buyers of engineering services no longer rely on referrals to find a firm that matches their needs. Much of their buying journey happens digitally: They typically start with an online search (assisted by AI) to create an initial list of firms to evaluate. Then they learn everything they can about your firm through digital channels before they’ll talk with you personally.  

As older professionals retire and younger professionals move into decision-making roles, your buyer is even less likely to seek a referral and more apt to take a digital buying journey. And as they travel along this long, circuitous path, your firm needs to be visible and relevant at every stage with engaging marketing.   

3. Marketing is now data-driven and highly measurable.  

For engineers who love facts, the data-driven decision-making that guides modern marketing is music to the ears. A fractional marketing agency will develop a strategy and go-to-market plan grounded in research and data. They’ll establish key performance indicators (KPIs) to measure your marketing against, aligned with your business goals. Then they’ll use advanced analytics to score your leads, track how your marketing is performing, and use the data to optimize your campaigns for the best ROI. You no longer need to wonder what your marketing is based on or whether it’s delivering measurable results.       

For reasons like these, high-growth engineering firms are turning to strategic marketing to help achieve their ambitious goals. But what exactly should an engineering marketing plan focus on? 

How Engineering Firms Can Leverage Marketing for Sustainable Growth 

A comprehensive engineering marketing plan will be highly customized to your firm’s objectives and needs. But in our experience, these 3 strategies typically apply to any engineering firm that’s serious about transforming marketing into a growth driver.  

1. Build a consistent, strategic program, not one-off campaigns. 

Engaging in random, disconnected acts of marketing is basically throwing your firm’s budget away. The only sure way to drive growth is to build a predictable pipeline of leads that reflect your ideal target client. And that requires a long-term, strategy-based, multi-channel marketing program. 

Effective engineering marketing is ground in strategy and consistent across all the channels your buyer uses during their decision process. It’s an integrated effort that establishes credibility and builds trust, enabling your firm to attract and nurture the right buyers through your revenue funnel. By focusing on the long game, a strategic marketing program leverages repeatable processes and proven approaches, while building the momentum to keep your lead pipeline growing. 

2. Lean into facts and data to connect with your buyers. 

Some buyers of engineering services are engineers themselves, while others are non-technical. But they all look for proof points that demonstrate the value you can deliver to their business. 

Engineering services buyers appreciate facts and data once they’re further down the revenue funnel, at the point of evaluating and considering your firm. Be sure your marketing program includes case studies, webinars, and other tactics that allow you to highlight proof points specific to your services, such as cost savings, time savings, or other measurable benefits.   

3. Stand out as a thought leader in an AI-powered world. 

Effective engineering marketing differentiates your firm, even in a crowded market. And one way to stand out is to showcase the unique expertise of your talented team.  

Your strategic marketing program should include informative, insightful content that positions your engineers as trusted advisors and thought leaders who understand and can solve your buyer’s challenges. The key is to make that content authentic and original. In an AI-driven world, many companies are publishing blogs, sponsored articles, and other content that’s entirely AI-generated, creating a sea of sound-alikes. While your content should be AI-friendly—so the latest AI-powered search tools find it and serve it up to your buyers—it has to reflect your expert’s insights and perspective, along with your firm’s unique brand voice.  

Of course, there’s much more to engineering services marketing than these three strategies, but they’re a solid start.  

Strategic Marketing Helps Engineering Firms Stand Out and Drive Revenue

The key point is this: When marketing is strategy-based and consistent; when it uses facts and data in the right way; and when it differentiates your engineering firm in a crowded space, it becomes a true driver of predictable, profitable revenue. 

Marketri has helped many engineering and other professional services firms achieve their growth goals through our Marketri Momentum Model (M³)™. This disciplined approach transforms marketing into a revenue generator, with a process that spans these key steps: 

• Conducting discovery to understand your business, competitors, strengths, opportunities, and goals 

• Developing a marketing strategy aligned with your objectives 

• Crafting positioning and messaging that sets your firm apart 

• Creating a customized marketing plan grounded in research-based insights  

• Executing the plan flawlessly, with precision and urgency 

• Measuring and optimizing your marketing for a high ROI 

If you run a growth-minded engineering firm, schedule an introductory call with our President Deb Andrews to learn how our proven approach can turn your marketing into a growth driver.   

Originally published May 27, 2020.