About a week ago I came across this HubSpot post showing that websites influence 97% of clients’ purchasing decisions (survey by RainToday.com). The best part of this survey from my perspective was that it was focused solely on professional services, completely eliminating the argument of many nay-sayers that statistics are often skewed by product companies.

The survey hits on a very important point that I try to reinforce with clients and colleagues all the time.

Marketing is not only about the immediate ROI, but must include longer-term and softer metrics.

Your AEC firm’s website is only one tool in the marketing mix, but it can be pretty easily extrapolated that other marketing channels have similar influence (some perhaps more successful than a website, others less). I’d like to draw a few parallels to other channels.

Online advertising – There is a great deal of importance placed on click-throughs and conversions. However, a solid ad buy of a couple hundred thousand impressions provides influence, name recognition and brand building that needs to be measured through client sentiment and long-term growth. That also means sticking with it over a period of time, so that it has the chance to work. (Remember that compared to a website, almost any other marketing channel has a shorter lifespan)

Social media – There are any number of articles and blog posts about calculating social media ROI, and plenty trying to get firms to STOP doing so in the first place. Looking solely at influence, your blog, Twitter account(s) and Facebook pages all cast a net. They don’t HAVE to result in direct sales for them to be successful or worthwhile. They allow you and your firm to have more connection with your audience, and therefore more influence when it comes time for them to make a buying decision. On the flip side, when done poorly or started but then abandoned, they do just what a broken down website does. They serve to discredit your firm, or at least raise red flags that demand further investigation.

I often tell people that a great website probably won’t “win” you any contracts, but a poor website can definitely lose them. It’s nice to have a survey that, in my opinion, backs that up with good, professional service-specific numbers.