Construct a winning communication strategy with BIM

@costello_palmer

Marie Grieve

Founder and DirectorCostello Palmer Communications

@costello_palmer

@costello_palmer

Construct a winning communications

strategy with BIM

@costello_palmer

What makes a ‘winning’ Communications Strategy?

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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.

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What is BIM?

Image source: http://www.bluentcad.com/

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“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

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Or how about…

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“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

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I prefer…

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“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

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If we’re confused imagine how your customers must feel!

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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.

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“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

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HOW?

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Before I tell you how, just take a few minutes to think about what BIM means to you and your organisation.

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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.

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The commercial benefits of digital collaboration1.

@costello_palmerImage source: http://undergroundelephant.com/

BIM CommunicationsDigital

Collaboration

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• 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

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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

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/

Image source: http://pendhari.com

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But think before you leap…

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Know your

customersKnow your

market

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Align your BIM visions to your organisations goals and objectives2.

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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

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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?

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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?

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Who are you sharing it with?

• What do they need to know?

• Tell them how they can use this information

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What are the benefits of your BIM implementation?

• To your business

• To your customers

• To the industry

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3.Identify your target audience.

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What do you know about your customers now?

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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.

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Then return to the all important question…

How will BIM benefit my customers?

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4.Express your BIM capabilities to your customers

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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

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Now you have identified who are your customers and what they need…

• Avoid mass promotions and target your messaging carefully

• Then select your channels

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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.

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Emails

Social Media

Content Marketing

Connectivity of themes and messages across multiple platforms

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Never underestimate your audience - people are clever and will cut through the clutter

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5.Creating high engagement by building and maintaining a community around your BIM expertise

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Make the shift from a sales approach to engagement

Image source: http://www.globalnerdy.com/

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But engagement on its own isn’t enough, we need the intelligence to go with it

Find new image

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How are your customers engaging with you?

What are the purchase influencers?

How are you closing the sale?

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It’s no longer enough to have your customers’ experience or knowledge of your

brand/product/service as ‘fit-for-purpose’:

Functional

Practical

Reliable

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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/

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Gratifying

Reassuring

Meaningful

Switch to company and brand knowledge and understanding

as ‘that’s exactly what I need’:

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Lets make life easy for your customers and the loyalty will follow.

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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.

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Animal Anti-Cruelty League:

That’s Not A Football

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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!

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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_palmerImage source:http://www.theguardian.com/

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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…

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