As an architect, do you suffer from not being able to deliver your design ideas and expertise to other people? Does this, in turn, make it difficult to find work? If you grapple with this issue, you have come to the right place for guidance.

We will discuss the thing missing from your career – a successful architecture marketing strategy. That’s right. This is all you need to step up your game. 

We will discuss what an architecture marketing strategy is and go through a comparison between traditional and modern/digital marketing. Then, we will take you through a number of marketing strategies that will be your ladder to success. 

So, read till the end, and you will learn the secrets of this trade.

What is an Architecture Marketing Strategy

Before we delve into an architecture marketing strategy for your business, you need to first be clear about what an architecture marketing strategy is. While it may seem like just a requirement to have your design ideas reach a wider audience, it serves a far greater purpose. 

Suppose you are an aspiring architecturalist with brilliant designs that can instantly capture a person’s eye. You are certain that your designs are not only attractive but are practical for their function as well.

Nevertheless, it is something only you know. What can you do to have others notice your designs? For this, you need some strategies that will deliver your design ideas to others. That is architecture marketing strategy – the marketing or promotion of your architectural skills and services.

Traditional vs. Modern Marketing

It is true that an architectural marketing strategy will enable you to be noticed by potential customers. Yet, you do not want them to just be aware of you; you need them to select you from among all their other options of architects. 

This requires taking your marketing to another level – something that will make you stand out. There are some traditional marketing strategies still in vogue, but they are no longer effective in the face of this digital era. 

Here is a comparison of traditional and modern marketing strategies. Through them, you will see that traditional marketing is rather disadvantageous and that you should adopt modern, digital practices. 

Of course, you don’t have to completely forgo the traditional ones – keep the ones useful to you but to a limit.

1. Their Reach

The number one thing that you want from your marketing is for your work to reach a large number of people. Traditional marketing, no doubt, reaches a great many people, but it is nothing compared to the audience that digital practices can reach.

These strategies worked for our ancestors – you might be wondering – so why can’t they work for us? The reason for this is rather simple. We live in a different age than our predecessors. They did not have the modern technology we have today, so those methods were just right for them.

We, on the other hand, are an entirely digital generation. We spend the entirety of our day working on computers or laptops; even our leisure time is on our smartphones. On top of it all is our busy lifestyle.

In such a scenario, we would never make time to check out mails, print handouts, broadcast, or attend face-to-face meetings when online meetings are possible. Thus, these traditional marketing methods will never reach a wider audience.   

2. Cost

The second thing we have that proves traditional marketing a futile attempt is the amount of money it costs. When you advertise through brochures and handouts, you need money to get it printed. 

When you need to do a broadcast, you need proper space and equipment, and that costs a lot. When you need to do face-to-face meetings, you do not need just a room; you need a well-furnished and decorated room. The furnishings will cost you extra money.

You may be enthusiastic about spending on these things, thinking that the return on investment (ROI) will pay everything off. You may even have gotten a return on investment if it had been some decades back. 

Now, however, you will not get much ROI because these methods no longer work. You will lose all your money with nothing to show for it.

In modern marketing, everything is digital. So, there is no need to spend money on these things. You do need money for higher subscription plans for online apps, but you will get a significant ROI to make up for it. 

3. Measurable Results

Have you ever felt anxiety gnawing in your heart due to not being able to find out if your marketing strategy is working or not? For instance, you have delivered printed brochures to every area you could think of. 

Or you have held a meeting with potential clients but have not heard any response from any party. Just as these scenarios imply, no matter how excellently you carry out your marketing, you cannot measure their results. 

You will never be able to know if someone is interested in appointing you as their architect or if a company is interested in hiring you for an architectural project. In digital marketing, though, there is nothing to worry about. 

You can actually keep track of how many people view your designs and then how many get interested and search for information about you. Thus, you can track your success every step of the way and improvise as you deem fit. Convenient, isn’t it?

4. Audience Attention

Lastly, and perhaps most importantly, traditional marketing greatly diminishes audience attention. It is a universal fact that in order to succeed, you need to understand the psyche of your viewers/consumers. 

As an architect, you need to determine the mindset of your audience to make them notice you. When people spend so much of their time on laptops for working and on social media for leisure, that’s where they will see all that they need to see. 

They will not bother with printed handouts because they no longer hold the appeal that digital marketing has. It is visually pleasant, shows viewers many things through a few words, allows you to engage with the content, and is simply much more than traditional marketing can promise. 

Therefore, it is only natural that traditional marketing no longer holds the audience’s attention, and it is taken away by modern, digital marketing. 

Architecture Marketing Strategies

Now, let’s discuss the architectural marketing strategies you can employ to make a name for yourself. 

1. Social Media Marketing

First of all, we have social media marketing. As we have discussed, people use social media a lot nowadays, so uploading pictures or videos of your design to social media platforms will get you noticed. 

Instagram, LinkedIn, and Facebook are the most famous and commonly used social media platforms. Therefore, these are the sites you need to work on. 

Since Instagram is a visually-driven platform, your architectural visuals will shine here. You should utilize not just pictures and small videos but reels as well. Always use industry-relevant hashtags to come in relevant searches. 

Compared to Instagram, LinkedIn has a more professional setting, so you will create your professional profile here. You need to attach a professional photo of yourself, list your qualifications, and follow and interact with other professionals in the field. You can also make use of posts and articles to deliver information about your work.

On Facebook, you need to make use of the posts, ads, and community groups focused on architecture and design. If you actively participate and consistently upload your work and design ideas, you will be able to reach a wider audience. 

2. Website Development 

Now that you have spread the word about your designs and work framework, people will want to know about your brand. So, the first thing they will access is your website (whose link you have already added to all your posts).

Consequently, your next task is to create an appealing website. Of course, it can’t be just attractive; it needs to be user-friendly as well. Ensure that all features you incorporate are easily accessible to others. 

You also need to provide your contact details, which include your phone number and email address. At the same time, you need to ascertain that the website is mobile-friendly. This means that it should be adaptable to any screen size; viewers should be able to open it on mobile, tablet, laptop, or computer.

Besides this, you also need to ensure that your website comes under searches; thus, it should be SEO optimized. Do this by adding relevant keywords, meta descriptions, and alt text for images.

3. Creating Portfolio

So, viewers have come to the website and are attracted to your work and designs. What next? Now, they will search for your profile. So, your next agenda is to create your profile and upload it to your website. 

This profile is different from your profile on LinkedIn. The LinkedIn profile is more about your network and posts. This profile, on the other hand, will be all about your professional experience and success. 

Firstly, you will add several of your successfully completed projects. Nonetheless, that is not all. You also need to add detailed project descriptions, listing out all the different architectural elements you added to your design that led to its success.

Secondly, you will add testimonials from your clients, presenting their satisfaction in working with you. While it may not seem much, these are very important; client testimonials are akin to reviews that you receive for your services. It is the number one thing (besides your skills) that potential clients check when deciding whether to hire you for a project or not.

4. Using Modern Technology

Uploading pictures of your design idea is not bad, but this is considered rather old school now. Technology has gotten way far ahead; 3D modeling and virtual tours are in vogue. 

If you present just images or a drawing of your design, it will be difficult for viewers to imagine it or relate to it. This is especially true for laymen who are not aware of the jargon or drawing style of architects. 

In such a scenario, you need to improvise. Suppose you are creating a complete design for a retail building, house, or office. In such a scenario, using 3D modeling or virtual tours will allow your viewers to visualize the final look of the building.

When they are able to relate to it and understand what makes it unique from standard property designs, they will want it for themselves. When they have decided this, they will search for you and hire you.

5. Email and Newsletters

Have you noticed that when you visit any website that provides services, it immediately brings up a follow-up option? In this, you basically have to submit your email address, after which they email you newsletters or just some news regarding their projects, industry trends, or any of their upcoming events.

While this method is somewhat of a traditional one, there is a reason it is still in use. It is a way of sending personalized emails to your previous clients, keeping them updated, and showing your willingness to work with them again.  

Such a customized email personally addressed to your previous clients does wonders in establishing a long-term relationship and keeping your projects with them going. Of course, you have to know your clients to send it to them because only then can you send them content of their interest. 

You should also include a Call-to-Action (CTA) at the end. It can include anything – such as asking to schedule a consultation with them, to visit your website, or to follow you on social media.

6. Brand Awareness 

By following the previous steps, you have worked hard to establish yourself and market your designs. Now, you need to focus on creating a brand image that is the same on all your social media platforms and websites. 

Brand awareness is not just about the name of your business – it includes the color scheme, logo, and the promises you convey about your work. Create a signature logo that articulately conveys your business motto. 

Secondly, be it whichever social media platform, your website, emails, etc – all places must have the same color scheme and whatever guarantees you are promising regarding your work. 

7. A Winning Proposal 

Just creating an appealing website and marketing your designs on various platforms is not enough. Right now, you are simply waiting for potential clients to come and knock at your door for work. This alone will get you nowhere.

You need to step out and actively seek out potential clients. For that, you should create proposals and submit them, whether physically to companies or online. Of course, you do not need to create just any proposal; you need to draft a winning proposal. 

In order to create one, you need to clearly highlight your past successes while outlining your approach, timeline, and budget. At the same time, specify why you are the right person for the job. Personalize each proposal to address each client’s specific needs and preferences.

Another thing you can do is add visual elements, such as sketches, renderings, and project timelines. It will definitely make your proposal more engaging and eye-catching. 

8. Attending Events and Public Speaking

So far, we have talked about how to build your online presence. Now, let us discuss what you need to do to create a professional network and let others know your face. Socializing is, after all, extremely important no matter what industry you are in. 

You need to attend whatever industry event you can find out about, especially if you find out about some important architectural figures attending. Attend the events, be well-dressed, engage in conversations with everyone you can, connect with your peers, and learn industry trends. 

Where possible, you can also offer to speak at events or webinars to showcase expertise and share insights with a broader audience. It will help build your credibility and make others remember you – which is what you want. 

9. Elevator Pitch

Just now, we repeatedly emphasized the need for you to create a network and meet others from the industry to leave a lasting impression. However, when you meet someone in a business setting or webinar, you cannot just begin discussing your ideas immediately. 

You need to briefly introduce yourself. Yet, that, too, cannot take a long time. Make it brief and make it impactful. That is called an elevator pitch – a concise speech of not more than 30 seconds. 

In this short time, you will introduce yourself, convey your point, and deliver your proposition to a prospective client. You should practice this before attending any business event or webinar. Don’t make yourself appear desperate for a chance, but don’t be dismissive about your chances either. 

Most of all, be confident in your posture, speech, proposition, and ideas. It will make the other party deem you credible.  

Conclusion 

Overall, we now know that an architecture marketing strategy is imperative for your design ideas to reach a wider audience and for prospective clients to learn about you. Traditional marketing methods have lost their vigor in the face of modern ones. 

Modern marketing strategies are more wide-reaching, cost-effective, have measurable results, and actually attract the audience’s attention. 

An architecture marketing strategy involves investing in social media marketing, website development, and portfolio creation. You also have to use modern technological methods such as 3D virtual tours. 

Other than that, sending emails and newsletters to your clients, creating brand awareness, and drafting an immaculate proposal is worth your time. Lastly, you need to attend events, partake in public speaking, and work on your elevator pitch – you will successfully catch clients. 

FAQs

Q. How can online marketing benefit architects? 

Unlike traditional marketing, digital marketing strategies have a far greater reach and are less costly. They also provide you with measurable results and attract audience attention. 

Q. What are some effective social media platforms for architects? 

Social media platforms/apps – such as Instagram, Facebook, and LinkedIn – are the most effective platforms for you as an architect. You can not only showcase your work designs but also create a professional network. 

Q. What should be included in an architect’s digital portfolio?

As an architect, your digital portfolio should have high-quality images of your completed projects and their detailed descriptions. Client testimonials and a variety of other projects are also a must to demonstrate your expertise and versatility in different architectural styles.