What 2025 Revealed About AEC Marketing

Tis the season of reflection, but here at Vnzo we are always more practical than we are nostalgic or even theoretical. In between the madness of year-in-review-type posts, we figured we’d take a more pragmatic approach – sharing what we’re seeing across the AEC marketing world.

Humbly speaking, we’re working with more AEC firms than ever before – ranging from national GC’s to inner-city architects, regional engineering firms and just about every type of sub-contracting company you can imagine.

What have we learned? A lot.

Here’s our crack at a Spotify-esque year in review:

1) Document your projects, don’t just capture them.

In the world of photography, especially for wildlife and landscape, there is a common discussion around simply taking a photo to show it happened versus telling the story.

Is that an owl on a dead stick or is that an owl perched on a branch feverishly eying its next meal?

Ya… the same goes for AEC projects. Are there just after photos summed up in 140 characters or were there people involved? What stages were there? What design, engineering, or craft went into the project.

Let’s learn from the wildlife photographers.

2) AI is not just your intern, it’s a serious deal-maker

Yes AI can be used to help with your copy (I promise this one is a human-written article) however, it’s also playing a much bigger role in how prospects are finding firms like yours.

Across commercial construction and architecture, sub-contractors like flooring and roofing, and even residential home-building – buyers are asking tools like ChatGPT, Copilot, and Gemini for recommendations.

The good news? If you’ve invested in a strong website and solid SEO by now, you’re likely already seeing the upside.

3) Prioritize clarity (not fluff) with your messaging.

Enough is enough… no one wants to hear about how you build relationships, your amazing team, or how you won your local AEC bingo contest six years in a row. Your messaging, AKA the text on your home page or on the cover of your proposals, likely needs updating.

Country Joe Homes is the semi-custom builder edging out national builders: “Build local, live better”.

JLCS is an owner’s rep firm that quarterbacks any commercial project from start to finish: “We make complex projects simple”.

Solid is a subcontractor that simplifies all aspects of construction for homebuilders: “All of your trades, under one roof”.

The point is: your clients are choosing your firm for unique reasons. Those reasons, often pain-points in your customer’s journey, should be front and center in your marketing material instead of nonsensical fluff.

4) Short-form video is still king

In a world divided on the meaning of the word “king”, we cannot understate the importance of short-form video. LinkedIn videos (now also called “reels”) generate roughly 3x more engagement than traditional static posts, with reach on Instagram being about 125% better on average.

“Ok so what post types are working?”

Glad you asked! We typically break them up into categories for our clients but here are a few ideas to get you started:

• Film a few shots at a finished project and narrate what is being shown
• Film a PM or Sup talking about a misconception or an industry trend
• Film the before, beginning, and after of a project for a project lifecycle type video
• Film the client’s reaction to their new space
• Film the client discussing their experience with your firm

5) Quality content is greater than quantity of content

We’ve all been there – staring at the social media calendar thinking about how to fill it. You scrape the bottom of the barrel and start doing some wacky things and the low engagement shows.

Let’s promise to not do this in 2026.

Instead, spend some more time editing that reel or putting together that longer carousel post. It’s better to have meaty content people want to consume instead of just pumping out mundane content into the ether (we could all use a little less mundane these days).

Conclusion

The gap in AEC marketing is not between the big firms and the small firms anymore… it’s between those accepting the status quo and those who refuse to.

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