What's the point of marketing for architecture firms?
Is “marketing” a dirty word in your practice?
Or is it something you know you should tackle, but you’re not sure how to start, and you’re too busy to learn more, so you put off taking action; all the while wishing you had more of the right type of clients?
In my conversations with architects - including my clients, people I meet at events, readers of The Drill, and followers on social media – I often pick up on a sense of confusion about the purpose of marketing and business development.
Architects are especially unsure about how to use and prioritise the various marketing channels and platforms that exist now, to connect with new clients and explain your services and approach.
And I totally understand why that’s the case.
The marketing landscape has changed so much in the past 20 years, and it’s not that long ago that architects were prohibited from advertising.
So, it’s really no wonder that architects are mystified by modern marketing methods, and don’t really understand which channels offer the best bang-for-buck (hint: it’s not social media!).
This leaves them feeling uncertain and overwhelmed about business development, and most are consequently not sure how to market their practice to generate a pipeline of great clients and projects.
This confusion and sense of overwhelm can lead to indecision and paralysis, so many architects tend focus on what they know – which may not be the most cost-effective use of their time and effort. Or they just don’t do any active marketing at all.
Then they wonder why their peers and competitors seem to win all the great new projects and clients, or worse still – potential clients sign up with builders, designers and other service providers, who don’t offer the same level design rigour and scope - while many architects are still waiting for the phone to ring.
Marketing for architects made simple
I developed the Six Channel system to simplify modern marketing for architects, and to outline the most effective channels that architects can use to raise awareness of their services. That helps to generate more leads and clients, so they can create an enjoyable, sustainable, and profitable business.
Because modern marketing has one simple purpose: to tell potential customers (in your case, clients) what you do, and how you do it, and why you’re different to others who offer similar-but-not-the-same services, so that those potential customers (clients) will choose to buy from you (or engage you to work on their project).
So what’s the purpose of the Six Channels, and which ones should you focus on first?
I’ve listed the Six Channels in priority order, where 1-5 are the important arch stones in your marketing strategy, and number 6 – your website – is the keystone; the most important channel. I’ve provided a short description of the purpose of each one, followed by the recommended Call to Action.
I’ll try and keep the marketing-speak to a minimum, and explain any terms that might be unfamiliar as we go. So a Call to Action - or CTA - is a marketing term that means:
What action do you want your prospective customer or client to take next?
How do you want them to move along a path towards your practice? Think about the moment when they first learn about your pracice and services, and then start to compare your offer with others, which leads to the moment when they ultimately choose to engage your practice (bearing in mind that for architecture clients, this journey can take YEARS!).
Plotting out how your prospective clients currently find you and decide to engage you - sometimes called a Customer Journey Map - can help you to identify where the gaps are in your marketing plan.
The best marketing channels for architects
1. Referrals
The purpose of referrals is to shortcut the long and arduous process of slowly informing and educating strangers (or prospective clients) about your services.
When a prospective client receives a glowing endorsement or recommendation from their friend, acquaintance, family member or colleague, they are much more likely to want to work only with you.
Call to action: People who receive a referral from a trusted source will probably Google your practice and visit your website, to check whether your stated services, values, ethos, approach etc make you a good fit for their needs and project. If that’s the case, you want them to make an inquiry – to either call you or complete your website inquiry form – to discuss their project.
It’s worth noting that the 2021 Client Insights report by the Australian Institute of Architects found that 71% of respondents preferred a “Referral from a trusted source” to help them identify an architect. Compare that with the lower ranking “Reference the Institute’s list of members” and “Marketing Material (social, web, collateral)”, both of which were cited by only 10% of survey respondents. Referrals are critical, but most architects don’t place enough emphasis on this channel.
Image: AIA Graphics
2. Email
The purpose of an email list and regular newsletters (monthly, bi-monthly – even quarterly is better than nothing!) is to nurture prospective clients and to build trust and connection with them.
Prospective clients might become aware of your practice years before they are ready to start working with an architect, so email helps to build connections and trust over the long haul. Then, when they are ready to commence, they already trust you, and feel comfortable to contact you and potentially engage you.
CTA: Every time your email newsletter lands in a potential client’s inbox, it represents another chance to remind them you are still available, still working on projects just like theirs, and still growing your knowledge and expertise to help them solve their problems.
So every Email newsletter you send should invite prospective clients who are getting ready to start a project to get in touch with you – with links to your phone number or website contact form – to discuss their upcoming project.
3. Social Media
The primary purpose of social media is to raise awareness about your practice and services, in a way that is informative, educational and entertaining.
CTA: The secondary purpose of Social Media – and this part is often not well understood by architects – is to invite followers to visit your Website, and subscribe to your Email list.
4. Publishing
The purpose of publishing your projects and/or thought leader ideas in print magazines, newspapers and online is to raise awareness, enhance your authority, and obtain social proof.
Like Awards, Publishing is a great way to extend your influence and reach, and build buzz in the market-place. Getting Published or winning an Award both confer social proof, because an editor or jury has selected your project from hundreds or thousands of hopefuls and wannabes to feature or hold up as an exemplar.
CTA: Like Awards, your Publishing opportunities should help you attract new followers to your Social Media platforms, encourage people to visit your Website and also subscribe to your Email list.
5. Awards
The purpose of awards is to raise awareness, amplify your position as an expert, and obtain external validation (aka social proof) for your projects and services. Your awards entries should speak to jurors, the media and future clients, and they should enhance your reputation, elevate your expertise around a particular typology or sector, and ultimately add cache and desirability to your offering.
Doing well in awards – whether you are shortlisted, win a commendation or take home a major prize – can deliver added benefits, such as media coverage and contributing to buzz about your practice in the market-place.
CTA: Your awards entries should help to attract new followers to your Social Media platforms, and encourage them to visit your Website and subscribe to your Email list.
6. Website
The purpose of your website is to succinctly explain what you do, which sectors or clients you serve, and why you’re the best fit for the type of projects and clients that you want to win more of.
Attention spans are short – just 8 seconds on average, when people arrive via Google search or from Social Media – so you have to convey all of this important information on your Home page, and ensure that it appeals directly to your ideal prospective clients.
Websites that aren’t clear about who they serve and what they offer turn prospective clients away (short attention spans!).
And there is so much choice now – and so many viable alternatives to your architecture practice – that your prospects may never return. So it’s no longer sufficient to showcase glossy photos with little or no text; or tricky graphics that might impress other architects, but that actually repel your prospective clients.
CTA: The secondary purpose of Websites – and again this is not well understood by architects – is to invite and encourage people to join your Email list (scroll back up to the Email section for an explanation of why).
Bringing them all together
The point of business development and marketing strategies and tools is actually very simple: they are designed to transform strangers into followers, followers into subscribers, subscribers into prospective clients, prospective clients into actual clients, and clients into ambassadors and repeat clients.
Think about where your current new clients and business come from.
Which channel is the most effective currently in your practice when it comes to generating new inquiries, initial meetings, and then new projects?
Probably not Social Media, or Awards, or even Publishing, right?
If your architecture practice is like most others, you probably get most of your new inquiries and projects from Referrals.
(Remember that figure in the Institute’s Client Insights report? Your anecdotal sense that Referrals are very important is now backed up by evidence).
So Referrals is the number one channel to focus on (apart from your Website, which has to be optimised in order for the entire marketing system to work effectively).
And you can find out how to enhance your Referrals channel in this article.
Ready to find out more about Sounds Like Design’s services?
I offer three services to architects, ranging from 1-hour Zoom Acupuncture Sessions to the three- month Review + Reset consulting package.
If you’d like a short, sharp injection of expertise – to talk about any business development or marketing issues you’re grappling with – you can book an Acupuncture Session here. You can choose the topics we discuss, and tap into my knowledge, experience and connections to access insights that are customised for your practice.
If you’re interested in a CPD course on Business Development and Marketing designed specifically for architects, you can take Architecture Marketing 360. You can purchase the self-guided program and start right away, here.
If you’re interested in working with me directly, you can find details about Review + Reset here. (I have a waitlist for new Review + Reset clients, and that’s what I aim to help you achieve for your architecture business, too).
Lastly, if you have any questions about this blog post, or any of my services, please click here to email me. I’m always happy to hear from architects who want to improve the way they communicate their value to future clients.