Elevate your architectural firm with proven marketing strategies to generate leads, drive conversions, and create brand awareness.
Updated October 2024
It’s impossible to overestimate the importance of your digital presence when it comes to operating a successful architecture firm. The vast majority of consumers consistently turn to the internet before purchasing goods and services. If you don't have a strong brand presence online - including a website, social media profiles, and effective presence on search - you are likely missing out on many business opportunities.
Customers are used to shopping online, researching services online, and building connections with the brands and companies they will buy from or they want to work with. This is true for clients looking for architectural services as well as consumer products. This is particularly true as it relates to services that are extremely important, high cost, and of which the end buyer has little experience.
People looking for architectural services most likely start by doing online research to understand what an architect does, what services may be right for their project, and to better understand the process and costs.
Your firm should have a strong presence, and be creating content that drives traffic, answers questions, and showcases the value that you can provide potential clients. But an online presence is only one part of a the full marketing equations. While digital marketing campaigns are important for your firm, don’t forget the power of running your own physical marketing efforts as well.
If your architecture firm needs to step up its lead generation and find new qualified leads, carefully consider the following guidelines.
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Think of your website as the hub of a bicycle wheel - the part that connects the wheel to the frame and gears that powers your bike. Your website is the same for your marketing strategy. It is the hub that connects all of your marketing materials to the operations of your firm.
In light of the central “hub” position that the official firm website plays in your overall online marketing plan, it should come as no surprise that website optimization is first on the list of the best ways to effectively market an architecture business online. However, just having a website it not enough. If you want to generate leads your website needs to be designed to attract the right clients, and encourage them to take action to become a sales opportunity.
First and foremost, make sure that your website is built to impress. This means that it must be both highly functional and intuitive to navigate because it’s often the first impression that your firm will make on a prospective client. Your website is an opportunity to put your best foot forward with an elegant, captivating, and aesthetically pleasing design that matches your unique capabilities and values. Enhance user experience by making sure your website is easily navigable, responsive, and quick to load. You also want to optimize for mobile, as more consumers are using mobile devices to access online content.
Not only does the website need to look great, have a good user experience and be responsive to different device types, it also has to have great content that is relevant to your ideal customer profile. There should be clear calls to actions on every page so visitors know how to navigate to the right information, and know what you would like them to do next. Content has to be relevant, and provide value. It can't just be a white walled gallery of pretty pictures. Your website should tell stories, provide case studies, answer questions, and help your clients build trust with your brand and team.
Project descriptions, your about page, and any news or blog section should be written from a clients point of view. It should highlight how your firm solves problems, creates value, and answer the questions clients have. Don't write about yourself, but rather tell stories about how you solved problems for your past clients and created value doing so. Talk less about what awards you received, and more about the outcomes your projects delivered for clients and users of your buildings.
To help your website gain visibility on search engines, work with a search engine optimization (SEO) professional to optimize your site for strategic keywords and obtain referral links from other reputable websites. If your firm has a physical presence, you should also implement local SEO practices such as optimizing a Google My Business profile and ensuring your name, address, and phone number are consistent across all online platforms.
Publishing valuable, original content that is helpful to your ideal clients can also improve your organic traffic and keep visitors engaged. An Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ) page is a great way to improve SEO, engage customers, and directly answer the most common questions you get from clients. This helps attract the right clients, provide value as they peruse your website, and builds trust as it sets you up as an expert. There's more on content strategies in the next section.
Beyond effective design, your architectural firm website must offer helpful and compelling quality content if you want to attract new clients, as well as cater to existing ones. Whether provided in written or audio-visual form, this content should provide essential information about what your clients care most about, what their questions and concerns are, what the design process will be like for them, plus some information about your firm itself, including services, benefits, and outcomes.
A blog can be an invaluable tool for marketing your architecture firm. A well-curated blog can showcase your firm's unique design philosophy, portfolio, and expertise, acting as a virtual storefront for potential clients. By posting about completed projects, design processes, industry trends, or architectural insights, a blog can demonstrate your firm's competencies and innovative approach.
A blog also offers an opportunity for SEO which can significantly improve your firm's online visibility. By incorporating relevant keywords, your blog can attract traffic from individuals searching for architectural services, effectively generating leads. Blogs also facilitate engagement and interaction, encouraging readers to share content on social media, thus expanding your reach. Also, regular blog posts can help establish your firm as an industry thought leader, which can enhance your reputation and credibility.
Another part of your content marketing should go into creating case studies. Case studies can be a great source of information for your services and provide positive word-of-mouth right on your own website. Interview clients that you know were satisfied with a project you did for them. Tailor your questions so that you’ll get a compelling story that you know your customers will want to read. Ask them how you solved their pain points. Make sure to ask permission for a few solid quotes as these can be great sources for potential customers.
A good website will also offer valuable information on common architectural questions, issues, principles, and trends. This type of information is best contained on a general FAQ page or in a comprehensive firm blog.
If you have one area of your marketing to improve upon, generating great valuable content would be where we recommend you spend your time.
Social media provides another excellent place to post helpful, interesting, and/or entertaining content for prospective and existing clients alike. Choose the appropriate social media platforms for your target audience, and use these platforms to both connect with new clients and stay connected to repeat clients. For architects, it probably means LinkedIn, and instagram.
In addition to providing valuable information, your social media pages should showcase the best of your architecture firm, as well as team members, key services, and completed projects. Share your company values, mission, and of course highlight how you have helped other clients create value. This is a great place to share case studies, any metrics that you have measured about the success of projects, and things like testimonials, quotes from users, or any other insights gained from your work.
Platforms such as Instagram and Pinterest are ideal for showcasing high-quality images and videos of architectural designs, completed projects, and behind-the-scenes content like sketches and working models, which can captivate audiences visually and create interest in the firm's work.
LinkedIn can be used to establish professional networks, share industry insights, build your thought leadership bonafides, and post job vacancies. While Facebook can facilitate interaction with clients and the general public. On all platforms, look beyond just your profile for ways to connect. Join groups, follow others, and most importantly, engage with content. It is called social media for a reason. Just posting is only half of what you need to maximize the benefits. Make sure to like and comment on other people's content to build connections, start conversations, and ultimately grow relationships.
Regular updates and postings keep the firm's work fresh in people's minds and can also showcase its growth and evolution. Aim to post at least a couple of times a week on each of your social media platforms. Engagement can be improved by encouraging followers to share content, leave reviews, and participate in discussions or Q&A sessions.
Your firm can also leverage social media marketing through advertising to target specific audiences based on location, demographics, and interests. Using social media analytics, your firm can gain valuable insights into user behavior and preferences, enabling you to refine your marketing strategy and content to better engage your audience and attract potential clients to your architecture services.
The key to success is consistency. While social media is a prime driver of online activity, it requires constant updates and regular posting in order to be truly effective.
Beyond your official website and social media pages, you can stay in touch with your client base through marketing emails like e-newsletters, and with targeted online advertisements on google or social media.
Consider publishing a regular newsletter that keeps clients updated on various developments within your architecture firm and the industry in general. By sending this newsletter as an email, you’ll ensure that your name remains at the forefront of your clients’ minds.
But don't just start a newsletter for the sake of it. Be intentional, and design the newsletter to provide long-term value for your clients, while being manageable to execute for your firm. Make this something that you can do consistently. This is more important than the frequency. For example, a solid, thoughtful quarterly newsletter will be more effective than a weekly newsletter that doesn't have high quality content that your ideal customers want to read.
Like your website, make your newsletter a client focused publication. Share articles, and news that your clients will find valuable. Case studies are great, updates on news that affects your client's project types, and other information like this is valuable. Just sharing latest updates about your firm and awards is not what your customers care about. Think about what they would want to read and put that in your newsletters.
Not sure where to start? Look at the newsletters you receive in your inbox and which ones do you actually read? What is it about that content that interests you and prevents you from clicking the unsubscribe button? Use those as precedents for how you will design and generate the content for your firm's newsletter.
Personalized targeted emails can significantly increase conversion rates, turning prospects into clients and providing valuable, quality content in these emails. Quality content such as expert insights and tips, can position your firm as a thought leader in the architecture industry.
Plus with newsletters, you own the list of emails. This is a stark contrast from social media where the platforms own the network, and the algorithms control who sees your posts. When these algorithms change, or refocus attention on different accounts you can see a huge drop in engagement and exposure. This is a big risk compared to having a list of names and emails of people who are interested in your work that you own on your firm's database.
Online ads can play a strong part when it comes to getting more out of your email marketing. Online ads allow firms to capture email addresses of prospective clients by linking to a landing page with a lead magnet. This should be the goal of any ad campaign. It isn't about just showing up on people's social feeds or in a google search. It should be about driving people to take an action that gives you contact information that you can then use to retarget that customer and turn them into an opportunity.
An online advertising campaign is a great way to connect with an audience of key prospective clients. Using platforms like Google Ads or promoted posts on LinkedIn allows your firm to target specific demographics, locations, and even behaviors, ensuring that ads reach the most relevant audience.
Remarketing strategies, where ads are targeted at individuals who have already visited your architecture firm's website or interacted with its content, can significantly improve conversion rates.
Combining these two strategies—personal, direct communication via email marketing and broad, targeted reach via online ads—can greatly enhance your architecture firm's online marketing strategy.
Despite the digital age, there are still numerous effective physical marketing strategies that architects like yourself can use to market your firm. These are also areas that can really set you apart from your competition as more and more companies rely solely on digital communication.
Networking is one of the most beneficial tactics, allowing you to build relationships with potential clients and industry professionals. This can involve attending architecture industry conferences, local business events, and community gatherings. Look up organizations where you ideal clients spend their time. Places like the Urban Land Institute (ULI) or industry specific organizations and conferences can be more effective than looking at architecture industry events.
Sponsoring or participating in local events or industry trade shows is an excellent way to gain visibility. Better yet, look for opportunities to speak at events or run workshops, positioning your firm and your team as thought leaders and experts in your field. Being a keynote speaker or leading a breakout session can be great at driving exposure and client leads. These are also much more effective than being on a panel, so look for ways to be the sole speaker rather than sharing the stage.
Creating high-quality, tangible marketing materials like brochures, business cards, or even physical portfolios can leave a lasting impression and serve as a constant reminder of your firm's services. Physical cards, or unique gifts that you send to your clients and prospect lists can be a great way to stay connected, build relationships, and stand out from your competition.
Collaborating with related businesses such as interior designers, construction companies, or real estate agents can also lead to referrals. Look to your network for opportunities to cross promote, or combine resources to run larger marketing campaigns together.
Finally, considering a physical advertisement or traditional media ads in strategically chosen locations or print publications that target the firm's demographic can also be effective. While a digital marketing strategy and new technologies are important, traditional marketing methods still have their place and can complement digital strategies. Places like sponsorship on NPR or local radio stations and newspapers can still reach a large audience and often shows your support for your local community.
At BQE Software, we have a long history of service to architecture firms, and offer a comprehensive firm management platform that is specifically designed to meet the unique needs of architects, including supporting their operations. If you’re ready to take your knowledge of marketing strategies even further, we invite you to view our webinar, “Marketing Essentials: Creating Growth & Predictable Revenue” webinar hosted by Douglas Teiger, FAIA.
As the Director of Content & Community at BQE, Lucas Gray researches and writes about best practices for Architecture and Engineering firms. He also fosters community across the AEC industries. The content and community interaction focuses on providing business advice derived from his wealth of experience in architectural design, firm operations, and business consulting. Lucas's background includes co-founding Propel Studio Architecture in Portland, Oregon in 2013. He led the firm’s operations, focusing on business development, marketing, team management, financial management, and design direction. Specializing in addressing housing issues, Lucas has designed over 50 Accessory Dwelling Units (ADUs), various infill housing developments, and custom homes. He has worked internationally in Shanghai, Bangkok, and Berlin, on a wide range of large-scale design projects as well as community engagement processes. After working in the Architecture profession for about 20 years, Lucas transitioned into business consulting for A&E firms as part of CVG. Here he worked with small growing A&E businesses, helping guide them to improved operations and profitability. Passionate about the built environment, urban planning, transit, and public art, Lucas also writes about these topics on his blog and creates abstract art in his spare time.
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