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Why a video case study is useful to an architect

8th October 2020 By Ben Adam-Smith Leave a Comment

At Regen Media we serve a portion of the construction industry that is dedicated to quality. Comfort, health and well-being are always high on the agenda. So when a building has been completed we want to help you shout about it.

We caught up with architect Mark Siddall from LEAP to find out why he wanted to make a case study video of Larch Corner Passivhaus.

Let your clients do the talking

It’s all very well telling people about your products and services, but this is not necessarily the best way to build trust and rapport.

Instead let satisfied customers do the talking. When they explain how your business solved their problems it will have a much greater effect.

In Mark’s case study video he returns to Larch Corner to chat with self-builder Mick Woolley. We see a beautiful timber house, full of character, and quickly realise that Mick is immensely proud.

Then we hear more about the desirability of the property.

Mick comments: “The heating went off early March and I haven’t touched it since. The house stays at a very even temperature all the time.”

As Mark chats with Mick it’s clear that the design took into account energy efficiency, daylighting, futureproofing, use of eco-friendly materials, and the opportunity to have some fun in the process (Mick proudly displays his sliding wall and fold-down bed!).

Mark’s expertise is also highlighted when they talk about the construction process and the decision to target the Passivhaus standard.

Mick says: “I’m very happy. Obviously I needed you to help me turn it into a Passivhaus… and I’ve got a lot of information when I needed it from you. That’s been the thing that’s made it a success.”

Show how you make better buildings

The Passivhaus standard (also known as passive house) is a tried and tested methodology that delivers high levels of comfort throughout the year without the need for much heating or cooling. Other benefits include low running costs, constant fresh air and a lovely peaceful indoor environment.

As one of the early adopters of the Passivhaus standard in the UK, Mark is driven to spread the word far and wide.

“I think the fastest and most powerful way to build a professional relationship comes from sharing useful information and being able to educate others about better standards of construction and design.”

He’s even set up a website called ‘Passivhaus Secrets’ that is separate from his architectural practice’s website.

The case study is just the introduction to Mark

There are several ways you might find Mark’s case study.

The search term ‘Passivhaus’ brings a lot of people via Google or YouTube, and then conversations on social media account for more eyeballs.

After watching the video online, people would then be able to follow a link through to the ‘Passivhaus Secrets’ website.

At this point, by entering your email address, there is an opportunity to watch an in-depth documentary series.

This gives Mark the opportunity to drip-feed information over time and engage with viewers.

“In this process, I reach out to them, asking if they’re finding all the answers that they were hoping to find, and to try to fill in a few gaps if necessary. And obviously, in a sense, also provides an opportunity to start building a relationship.”

The best way to appreciate a building is to visit it

A video case study is a great way to condense information and a testimonial into a short space of time, but Mark allows people who join his email list to dig deeper. This culminates in the opportunity to visit one of the Passivhaus Open Days that he helps to run. 

“Open days give people more information about the processes that are associated with good architectural design and Passivhaus as well – as well as allowing them to experience what a particular Passivhaus is like. Again, this also gives me an opportunity to build a relationship and to demonstrate some of the knowledge and expertise that I have to offer on their project. If they want to create a project in the future then hopefully I’ll be at the top of their list.”

Mark is set on continuing this knowledge sharing approach in the future and plans to work with Regen Media again.

Make your own case study video

If you’ve recently completed a low energy project then maybe we can help you promote it. Get in touch to find out more.

Filed Under: Marketing Tagged With: architect, Mark Siddall, Passive House

10 Lessons I’ve Learned in my First Year as a Blogger

13th July 2015 By Ian Winterton Leave a Comment

Architect Elrond Burrell launched his lively, plain English blog on Passivhaus last year. So what has he learned from a year in the blogosphere? 

Elrond 2 v 2

Elrond Burrell is passionate about designing buildings that are affordable, comfortable and healthy to live in – and which have the minimum impact on the environment. It’s a passion he puts into practice at the firm where he works, Architype. They’re one of the UK’s leading Passivhaus and sustainable architecture companies.

He’s long been an active and outspoken participant on social media, interacting and commenting regularly on matters of environmental and sustainable design. It was this evident passion that saw his peers prompt Elrond to start his own Passivhaus blog.

“Because I was active on social media anyway, establishing relationships with others in the industry, I found myself commenting on Passivhaus and sustainable building a lot,” he said.

“A couple of people said to me that it was unusual to have someone who was so knowledgeable and outspoken about Passivhaus and suggested I do something for myself. That was what really prompted me to think about blogging.”

Conflict Resolution

Elrond loves to write. In fact, he goes as far as saying that if he had an alternative career, it would be as a writer. But if you think that made starting a blog any easier, you’d be wrong.

“There was a lot of deliberation when I started thinking about writing the blog,” he said. “It took me a long time before I published anything.

“My main concerns were about what I could and couldn’t write about in a personal capacity. The blog is a personal project, so I have to be careful not to write specifically about Architype, clients or projects I’m working on.

“That conflict between work and personal opinions was a tricky line to tread – and there are still some grey areas. It took a few months of thinking about that before I got the guts up to publish.”

ElrondBurrell

Avalanche of Ideas

Elrond’s second concern was what to write about. So he embarked on the ambitious task of scheduling ideas – one blog every two weeks – for the entire year. Each one would be based on questions or challenges he encountered around Passivhaus and would provide a few key answers.

“What always interests me is when you work with clients you hear the misconceptions and misunderstandings people have about adopting Passivhaus. So these were a great starting point.”

With the planning in place, Elrond stepped into a brave new world of blogging. And here are 10 key lessons he’s learned:

  1. Tone down your perfectionism

It always takes much longer to write than I anticipate. I’ve had to learn to tone down my perfectionist streak. Early on, I was drafting something, then editing it, then worrying whether I should have done it in a different way. What I’ve learned is that at some point, you say ‘it’s done, it’s good enough’ and you hit publish.

  1. Your schedule is sacrosanct

I decided early on to publish a post every two weeks. And having a schedule for this was important for two reasons. Firstly, it meant I did it – otherwise it was too easy to put it off. Secondly, reliable, regular posting helps people get engaged because they know something is coming. The most important thing is to keep going. Regularity is as important as the quality of your work.

  1. Collaboration is key

Working with other people is beneficial in terms of generating different quality of content. I’ve done two interview-type posts with a structural engineer and builder. I use their comments to reinforce my message, help flesh out my own ideas and get a good synergy between their words and mine.

  1. Controversial titles are good for traffic

I wrote a piece called, 10 Things I Hate About Passivhaus. It was kind of tongue in cheek and based around the film 10 Things I Hate About You. In that film, through hating each other, two characters eventually fall in love. The blog was similar. It said that in order to adopt Passivhaus, you need to get to know it first and change your mind about a few things. It caused a massive stir, with triple the normal traffic. But I’d be cautious about being too attention-grabbing. I’d rather get people who want to get involved in the subject rather than those just looking at the blog because of a controversial headline.

Elrond 3

  1. Be clear on your ideas

I find it easier – and I write better – if I spend time getting a clear idea of what I want to say before I start writing. I’m also a fan of writing in small chunks and then checking they all fit together at the end. So I’ll tackle the intro, make sure I’m happy with that, then each key point, and then the summary. Then I’ll give it a final proofread to check it flows well.

  1. Short is sweet

It’s really important to write shorter sentences. With technical subjects, it’s easy to have a long, in-depth style. But actually, in terms of getting people to read what you’ve written – and feel it’s fast paced and easy to understand – it’s better to write punchier sentences.

  1. Define your target readers

At the beginning, I tried to establish who my target readers were, which helps me to keep my posts relevant and engaging. I established that my readers would be either self builders, architects or design professionals looking for information on Passivhaus, or corporate clients keen to find out more. I’m also trying to provide resources that take Passivhaus back to basics to see what response I get. I want it to be an evergreen resource for people new to Passivhaus, to try and extend the blog’s reach.

  1. Book reviews boost traffic

I had the idea of reviewing Passivhaus books quite early on, where I’d take out the key points and get people to think about them. So I wrote to authors who had published an English language book on Passivhaus and asked for a review copy. It’s been great on a number of levels. You establish a relationship with the author, who’s an influencer in the sector, you get a free copy of a book you’re interested in, and you bring a new audience to your site.

  1. Ideas flow once you’re up and running

I found that once I got going, I was overflowing with content ideas, so I’ve barely referred back to my original list. It’s important to make a note of good ideas when you get them – or you’ll forget them later! I’ve got so many things to write about now, that I can’t possibly fit them all in. I’ve also learned to borrow ideas from other disciplines. Lots of Passivhaus writing is quite insular, but I want to push the boundaries of understanding Passivhaus and get it out to a wider audience.

  1. Fresh ideas grow your audience

I recently added a pop-up to the blog, which displays when it looks like you might be leaving the site. It gives people an easy opportunity to subscribe and has increased my number of subscribers considerably. I’m also using MailChimp to send a newsletter out when each post gets published. While the mail used to just be a summary of the blog and a link to it, I now write a few paragraphs of original content that share my thoughts on various conversations I’ve had or my thoughts on projects I’m working on. I refer to it as ‘insider information’ – although I don’t share any specific details – and it is an experiment to see if it entices more people to subscribe and feel privileged as a subscriber.

You can read and subscribe to Elrond’s blog at elrondburrell.com

Filed Under: Blogging Tagged With: architect, Architype, blog, blogging, blogs, Elrond Burrell, MailChimp, Passive House, Passivhaus, social media, sustainability

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