What Is Dark Social? How It’s Disrupting Modern SEO Marketing for Architecture and AEC Firms
There is a moment when you reach the end of a show, a speech, or see a piece of art, and your brain immediately demands: “I have to share this with…!” Whether it’s a shared interest with a friend or content that could benefit someone, the urge to share is immediate and undeniable. I recently encountered this urge. My brother is a music producer, so when I discovered a podcast that provides a thorough analysis of contemporary music, I had to send it to him. I texted and messaged the name of the show, and even told him about it in person. The thing is, the creator of that podcast has no idea how my brother will become a listener. This is Dark Social, a rising concept that confounds marketers and is a significant opportunity to tap in to, but we’ll come back to that later.
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For the Architecture, Engineering, and Construction (AEC) industries, our businesses thrive on relationships and connections. Marketing plays a pivotal role in shaping these relationships, influencing perceptions, and creating brand differentiation. After a pandemic and an increasingly digital world, the approach to acquiring and nurturing these relationships are bound to evolve. Over time, the AEC industries have struggled through the evolution of marketing strategies, moving from a historical aversion to advertising to slowly embracing modern, diverse marketing techniques. We’ll explore the historical context, the importance of marketing, the emerging role of content creation in the AEC industries, and the significance of Dark Social.
Evolution of Marketing in AEC Industries
Historically, architects, engineers, and builders relied on the inherent quality of their work, with advertising considered detrimental to professional dignity. For example, the 1909 Rules and Regulations of the American Institute of Architecture condemned advertising, pushing firms towards word-of-mouth and reputation-based client acquisition. The shift towards marketing began in the 1970s after an ethics review led to regulatory changes, marking the acceptance of marketing as a tool for differentiation and relationship-building.
Distinguishing Marketing and Advertising
Due to the substantial financial capital involved and the lengthy timelines of project engagement, the significance of relationships cannot be overstated. Relationship-building is key to the success of AEC businesses, so understanding the distinction between marketing and advertising is crucial. While advertising focuses on producing commercial messages, marketing encompasses a broader scope, including market research and promoting products or services. In addition, marketing positions you to be top of mind when your ideal customer needs your product or service. AEC firms have moved beyond traditional advertising to embrace holistic marketing strategies that consider operations, client relationships, and broader market dynamics.
Contemporary Marketing Strategies
Modern AEC marketing strategies prioritize client success, ethical practice, sustainability, and shared values. Firms are increasingly leveraging knowledge management resources, thought leadership, branding, and market research to cater to evolving cultural expectations and consumer demands. Building a brand while celebrating client success fosters responsive relationship-building, aligning with the larger societal shift towards transparency and accountability.
Content creation has emerged as a powerful marketing tool in this regard. It builds a rapport with your target audience over time. One leading method is Podcasting. The low barrier of entry allows architects, engineers, and contractors to easily provide valuable content, demonstrate expertise, and build trust with their audience.
In fact, podcasting is gaining trust and engagement among audiences. Research by the University of California suggests that headphone listening is twice as effective for message reception, with 93% of podcast consumption happening on headphones. For advertisers, podcast host-reads outperform social media, according to data presented in Audacy’s Spring 2023 State of Audio guide. Furthermore, a Spanish listener survey by Acast revealed that 97% of listeners have a positive perception of brands advertised on podcasts.
Podcasts offer a low-risk, consistent, and non-salesy approach to warming leads over time. Even through podcast advertising, podcasts allow for regular exposure, enabling businesses to stay top of mind and build a brand personality that resonates with listeners.
The Unique Challenges of AEC Marketing
The AEC industries face distinct marketing challenges, such as long sales cycles and complex decision-making processes involving numerous stakeholders. Long-term commitment to marketing is important. Content creation and targeted advertising passively build a sales pipeline. However, for many AEC professionals, the complexity of marketing, particularly content marketing, in addition to professional commitments can be overwhelming, leaving them to withdraw from marketing efforts. In some cases, it’s simply a limited understanding of marketing dynamics that drives premature pivots when performance data is misunderstood, or not readily available. In turn, there are missed opportunities and potential revenue loss. Selecting an agency or team familiar with these challenges is essential for success. That was a leading factor for the founding of Gābl Media. Led by AEC professionals and supported by media experts, the goal of Gābl Media is to empower AEC professionals to share their knowledge, expertise, and value with the world. Organizations like the American Institute of Architects (AIA), American Society of Civil Engineers (ASCE), and Associated General Contractors of America (AGC) can only broadly promote the value of AEC professions to the public. It is up to each individual and company to speak directly to their ideal customer. To do so efficiently requires an understanding of unique opportunities like Dark Social.
The Rise of Dark Social
In the digital age, the concept of dark social has emerged, referring to the sharing of content through private channels without identifiable tracking data. The term gained prominence in 2012, highlighting the significant portion of online marketing occurring beyond public social platforms. RadiumOne, a marketing company offering diverse advertising services through programmatic campaigns, reports that 84% of content that is shared is identified as dark social, underscoring its importance in marketing analytics.
Understanding Dark Social Metrics
Avoid prematurely concluding your campaign; the true performance of your marketing efforts may be hidden. Go beyond social media “likes,” “comments,” “shares,” and “follows.” As dark social becomes increasingly influential, understanding and measuring its impact is crucial. While there’s no referral data attached, one way to get a sense of basic metrics on campaign performance is through Google Analytics, tracking users, new users, sessions, bounce rate, pages per session, and average session duration. Analyzing these metrics helps businesses gain insights into dark social traffic, understand engagement, and measure conversion rates.
The AEC industries have undergone a transformative shift in marketing, embracing holistic strategies and content creation. Embracing diverse strategies, including podcasting, allows firms to navigate the evolving landscape and build meaningful relationships. As the AEC industries continue to evolve, understanding and leveraging dark social metrics further enhances the effectiveness of marketing efforts, ensuring a holistic approach to developing a warm sales pipeline, engage with clients, and build a brand that resonates with your ideal customer.
Explore our AIA-approved marketing courses for architects to optimize your game-plan and build stronger visibility strategies for your firm.
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***This article was written for Gābl Media by Dimitrius Lynch***
Gābl Media co-founder and host of ‘Spaces‘.