As Built – Details, episodes & analysis

In this episode of our series about the Nelson-Atkins Museum of Art International Design Competition, As Built co-hosts Patience Jones and Brian Jones speak with competition finalist Brian Butterfield of the firm WHY Architecture. 

Photo of Brian Butterfield courtesy of WHY Architecture

In this episode of our series about the Nelson-Atkins Museum of Art International Design Competition, As Built co-hosts Patience Jones and Brian Jones speak with competition finalists Marion Weiss, FAIA and Michael Manfredi, FAIA, of the firm Weiss/Manfredi.

Photo of Marion Weiss, Michael Manfredi courtesy of Shuli Sadé and Weiss/Manfredi

Google has been found in violation of U.S. anti-trust laws, and now it’s time for ... “the punishment.” We walk through what the case means, what the Department of Justice is proposing for a penalty, and whether firms need to start changing their digital strategies in anticipation of the outcome.

Highlights

• The four prongs of the DOJ’s proposed punishment
• The timeline for the court’s decision and implementation
• Why the ultimate outcome shouldn’t drastically impact marketing
• The importance of creating a good user experience and search optimization regardless of platform
• Why a “marketing mix” is vital for business growth

Episode Resources:

• The Court’s decision in US v. Google

Connect with Brian Jones and Patience Jones

• https://graphicmachine.com/
• https://www.linkedin.com/company/graphicmachine/
• https://www.linkedin.com/in/brian-jones-graphicmachine/
• https://www.linkedin.com/in/patiencejones/ 

Change can be scary. When an architecture firm is thinking about - or in the middle of - a leadership change, what are the most important marketing considerations?

In this episode of the As Built podcast, hosts Brian and Patience Jones discuss the importance of communicating changes in architecture and building material firms to clients and other stakeholders in order to avoid confusion and rumors. They also talk about how these changes can be an opportunity to get people excited about what the firm can offer and the importance of putting yourself in the shoes of others when communicating these changes.

Highlights

• Reasons leadership change occurs
• Who needs to know your leadership is changing and why
• How and when you should communicate leadership changes
• Using change as an opportunity to get people excited about what the firm can offer
• The importance of putting yourself in the shoes of others when communicating changes

Episode Resources

• Connect with Brian and Patience Jones
• https://www.instagram.com/graphicmachine/
• https://www.linkedin.com/company/graphicmachine/
• https://www.instagram.com/bjonesoriginal/
• https://www.linkedin.com/in/brian-jones-graphicmachine/
• https://graphicmachine.com/
• https://www.linkedin.com/in/patiencejones/ 

Clinets are the lifeblood of every firm. Your relationship with your clients can determine your future success — and that can be achieved using a CRM.

For this As Built Podcast episode, hosts Brian and Patience Jones talk about the Client Relationship Manager, more popularly known as CRM, and how it helps businesses keep track of their clients and customers. They also explain what to look for in a CRM and how it can help businesses grow and be more effective in their marketing.

Highlights

• What is a Client Relationship Manager?
• CRM as the brain of your firm
• Benefits of using a CRM for your business
• Importance of a CRM in business development
• How to help businesses be more efficient in selling
• How to be less annoying when following up with clients
  Popular CRM tools
• How to get started with CRMs
  
  
  Episode Resources
• Connect with Brian and Patience Jones
• https://www.instagram.com/graphicmachine/
• https://www.linkedin.com/company/graphicmachine/
• https://www.instagram.com/bjonesoriginal/
• https://www.linkedin.com/in/brian-jones-graphicmachine/
• https://graphicmachine.com/
• https://www.linkedin.com/in/patiencejones/ 

For this very first episode of the As Built Podcast, Brian and Patience Jones talk about an integral part of any architecture firm marketing: Websites.

Together, they discuss the importance of websites in digital marketing and business. They argue that a new website is not always the right answer and that sometimes other factors may be more important.

Brian and Patience also discuss the importance of having a website for an architectural firm that accurately represents the firm's work. They note that potential clients and employees often use websites to learn about a firm and its work and that it is important for firms to be upfront about what kind of work they do. In order to be effective, an architecture firm's website needs to answer four to five key questions. These include what type of work the firm does and who they work with, as well as providing detailed descriptions of the work they have done in the past. By answering these questions, potential clients will be able to better understand what the firm has to offer and whether or not they are a good fit for their needs.

Highlights

• The role of having a website for architecture firms
• Key questions to ask yourself when building a website
• Importance of showcasing your work
• Who are the people in charge?
• Curating your profile and portfolio
• Having a website for your project portfolio
  
  
  Episode Resources
• Connect with Brian and Patience Jones
• https://www.instagram.com/graphicmachine/
• https://www.linkedin.com/company/graphicmachine/
• https://www.instagram.com/bjonesoriginal/
• https://www.linkedin.com/in/brian-jones-graphicmachine/
• https://graphicmachine.com/
• https://www.linkedin.com/in/patiencejones/ 

The professionals who build buildings also need to build their practices. The key to business development in the built environment is understanding the relationship between architects, building materials, contractors, and clients - and how each group makes decisions. In As Built, you’ll hear from industry leaders about how they built their practice. Hosts Brian Jones and Patience Jones will also provide insights from their experiences helping firms in the built environment industry grow and succeed.

Considering a new firm name? Historically, whether to change – and what to change to – was impacted by a limited number of factors. Now that we live in a digital age, and as trends have shifted away from using principal names for the firm name, there are more things to consider: Is the name you want available as a domain name? How easy is it for people to spell and say the name? Does the proposed name make your firm more or less discoverable? In this episode, we outline modern criteria for architecture firm names and explain their importance.

Highlights

• How a firm name can promote – or impede – firm growth
• The firm name as a tool for legitimizing the firm
• Avoiding confusion with competitors
• Helping your firm be more discoverable by ideal clients
• How to think about a URL
• What the increased use of vocal search means for firm names

Episode Resources:

• Firm naming checklist

Connect with Brian Jones and Patience Jones

• https://graphicmachine.com/
• https://www.linkedin.com/company/graphicmachine/
• https://www.linkedin.com/in/brian-jones-graphicmachine/ 
• https://www.linkedin.com/in/patiencejones/ 

Marketing calendar tools: not super exciting, but super necessary. In the newest Tech Stack episode, we explain how these tools work, why you need them, and how to choose the best one for your firm.

Highlights:

• What marketing calendar tools do
• Why your firm needs one
• How to identify your firm’s calendaring needs
• How to choose the best marketing calendar tool for your firm

Episode Resources:
Marketing calendar resources
(These are not endorsements, just a few options to kick-start your research and evaluation process)

• Free templates from SmartSheet
• Free templates from HubSpot
• DivvyHQ
• Trello
• CoSchedule
• Planable

Connect with Brian Jones and Patience Jones

• https://graphicmachine.com/
• https://www.linkedin.com/company/graphicmachine/
• https://www.linkedin.com/in/brian-jones-graphicmachine/
• https://www.linkedin.com/in/patiencejones/ 

Are all of your marketing efforts stuck in an eternal feedback loop? If you’re constantly revising based on new opinions and can’t get anything out the door, the answer is, “Yes.” Iterative processes have their place, but there comes a time when your marketing can’t do anything for you because nothing can get final approval. When your marketing flow starts to look like an M.C. Escher drawing, it’s time to break out of the eternal feedback loop.

Highlights:

• Why the pursuit of elusive perfection is your enemy
• How knowing something can be changed can keep it from being finalized
• The downside of creativity: nothing is ever “done”
• How to get out of the feedback loop and marketing efforts reflect priorities
• Remembering your marketing output is not your legacy

Episode Resources:

• Connect with Brian Jones and Patience Jones
• https://graphicmachine.com/
• https://www.linkedin.com/company/graphicmachine/
• https://www.linkedin.com/in/brian-jones-graphicmachine/
• https://www.linkedin.com/in/patiencejones/