Will Rudd
Championing complex engineering expertise and stewardship of the Built Environment
The Brief
Perceptive was appointed by Will Rudd (WRD) in September 2020 to increase awareness and profile of the company, enhance their reputation as industry leaders and grow commercial opportunities. Will Rudd are leaders in providing civil, structural and conservation engineering and construction consultancy services to clients across the UK and Ireland. With offices in Glasgow, Edinburgh and Dublin, the multi-award winning team deliver highly-specialised engineering and design services and act as lead consultants for major civil engineering, infrastructure, remediation and road works.
Our Approach
We were brought on board by Will Rudd to help increase awareness of the Will Rudd brand and manage communications around two new senior appointments in its Edinburgh and Glasgow offices, as well as building their profile across social media, with LinkedIn identified as a key channel.
Following an in-depth communications and messaging workshop with the company’s senior management, we identified the following communications objectives:
Increasing awareness of company amongst target audiences
Building profile and credibility of company and key representatives
Improving target audience knowledge and understanding of new service offerings e.g blue/green infrastructure
Identifying relevant key platforms for comment and to position company in appropriate way
Monitoring attitudes/sentiment on relevant issues to highlight risks/opportunities for commentary
Anticipating and mitigating any reputational challenges
At the time of our appointment, we were still working against a backdrop of covid restrictions, making face-to-face meetings and communications virtually impossible. Online communications were prioritised until a point where in-person engagement could restart.
At the outset, we conducted extensive competitor research to establish a baseline for Will Rudd: This enabled us to plan and implement measurable communications objectives with clear targets for media coverage and social media engagement.
It was agreed that building a consistent drumbeat of proactive communications for each WRD office was the best way to achieve an enhanced profile over a short period of time. Success measures for the client were identified as:
Amount of media coverage – encouraging greater awareness/visibility
An increase in opportunities and enquiries
Digital measurements across website and social media
Increased levels of new business, both repeat and new clients
Reduced time/resource required by senior management for communications activities
The Results
214 pieces of media coverage from November 2020 until May 2023
133.3 million potential reach from November 2020 until May 2023
100% spokesperson inclusion in articles since April 2022 until March 2023
226% increase in LinkedIn followers (Oct 2020 - May 2023) - 126% more growth than the closest competitor.
Average LinkedIn engagement rate of 11.6% (Oct 2020 - May 2023) - 4 times the average for this platform.
Outcomes & Impact
Will Rudd has received more leads as a result of an increased profile
Senior management within WRD have reported more engagement from industry peers as a result of media appearances
After a expert piece in Project Scotland on reinforced autoclaved aerated concrete, WRD received a number of enquiries about the services they offer
Huge reduction in time spent by senior management on communications activities
Employees have become more engaged with company social media accounts
Similar businesses in the industry have commented on the quality of social media
Client Feedback
“
I must admit I was wary of social media initially, but Perceptive has carefully guided us each step of the way. We’re delighted with the page growth, engagement we’ve achieved, but more than that, we’ve seen a significant uplift in employee advocacy, particularly on LinkedIn, as a result. We can clearly see the value of Perceptive’s expertise in creating a regular drumbeat of high quality content.
Gillian Ogilvie: Managing Director, Will Rudd Edinburgh
