When business gets tough, some turn to the shelter of professional publications, social media networks and even e-newsletters. This is especially true with architects who are toughing it out right now. This audience responds well to stories about spaces their peers have created. Here’s an example:

Now in its 6th year, nora® Designer’s Notebook is a monthly enews program built on architectural project profiles. The subscription list, mostly commercial architects, is hungry for information and inspiration. The stories are about design challenges, like turning a 100-year old college into a more dynamic learning environment or creating positive spaces for patients in a new hospital.

For this highly visual audience we feature ONE project profile per month. Just one. No clutter. No distractions. The email and landing pages show photos of the project along with the architect’s thinking behind the design. There are always a few quotes about our client's flooring, but that’s secondary. This about inspiration, collaboration and brand love, not trying to jam a product down anyone’s throat. It's about solving human problems with good design and sustainable practices.

Designer’s Notebook is like job therapy in a tough economy. It’s a quick break 12 times a year for people concerned about load stresses on steel beams and ways to reduce the carbon footprint of a building. We focus on color, surfaces and human factors – not because of aesthetics – but because they are regarded as functional elements that extend the useful life of a building. They can keep a structure relevant well into the future.

Whether people skim, read every word, or just scan the project photos, Designer’s Notebook has helped nora® stay connected with their target audience. For five years it has supplemented personal sales calls and sent a wave of traffic to their website. Chasing these stories is always hard work but each story provides many times the value of traditional PR:

1. Monthly enews and landing pages
2. Ongoing, relevant Tweets
3. Permanent project profile library content
4. Printed project profiles and PDFs
5. Gallery images for web and mobile apps
6. A targeted list of interested prospects
7. Detailed analytics

What’s working today is different than five years ago. Direct is evolving from general behavioral tracking to advanced analytics. Mobile and social media are changing everything too. But one thing hasn’t changed. People value their time. In an era of purchased lists and bulging inboxes, our opt-ins are by permission only. It's a reminder that professional courtesy still gets results and that brands can be built one story at a time.