Okay, first of all, I'd like to make this clear: I love architecture. That said, most architecture marketing styles are... less than totally effective, and that's coming from a group of people whose entire business involves creative design! Let's spice things up a little with some marketing ideas that will really make an impact.
Idea #1: Pick a Niche
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| Image by Flickr user 準建築人手札網站 Forgemin |
"We will say we can work on all sorts of projects so we appeal to all different kinds of people!" This is one of the most common misconceptions from startup companies. Unfortunately, you really don't have the luxury of providing all services to all customers and being the "expert" in all fields. You could be a kickass architect, great at virtually anything you touch. Your team is phenomenal. Great! However, to a group of investors, developers, etc., they don't have the pleasure of knowing this ahead of time. Sure you may be able to produce awesome work in virtually any field. But if I'm getting ready to drop hundreds of thousands (or millions) of dollars on a sustainable mixed-use development, the last thing I want to do is hire an "everything to everyone" firm. I want to know the firm I select, or the firm I'm requesting proposals from, are focused on this specific kind of project and are not jsut looking to pad their portfolio with a "vast" array of different projects.
Advances in technology and design have all but required specialization - and your customers know it. On the other hand, by focusing on a narrow and specific niche, you can work to reach customers from further away that are looking for high-quality design services.
A good way to start this is by examining your current offerings. For example, do any of the specific design services you provide serve as the majority of your income? If so, you've already found your specialty - and if not, then it's time to start narrowing things down. Having a commitment to a specific niche turns you from a generalist firm into a true master of the field - and that's what your customers will be looking for.
Fortunately, reaching this point is easy. Start by reducing the visibility of your other services and allocating more space to your primary niche - your examples should focus on your specialty, your website keywords should be redone, and you may need to rethink your advertising locations. It may take some time to completely convert your business, but it really is just a matter of rearranging what you already have and adding in a few new sections.
Idea #2: Blog Daily
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| Image by Flickr user Phil Manker |
The internet literally runs on the adage "Content is King"... though "Quality Content" is a little more accurate once you begin diving into things. However, here are some more pieces of information. Larger websites attract more leads, especially if their pages can serve as landing pages that direct people to your services. How do you get more pages? That, too, is a surprisingly simple task - you blog each and every day. Every entry in a blog can serve as something to draw people in when they're looking through search engines, and the average company will see a 126% increase in the number of leads they get if they maintain an active blog.
As an example of our own architecture marketing firm - we took an entire month off of blogging while we restrategized and reorganized our brand to look at where we were headed. Our visitor and lead numbers dropped immensely. However, When we started blogging daily once again, we saw an increase of over 395% right out of the gate of visitors to our blog. IT WORKS.
Of course, there are only so many things to talk about, so you shouldn't produce all of the content yourself. Instead, get your staff involved and try to rotate through them - this will provide a variety of tones and perspectives for the blog, making it easier for others to find and read.
Good topics for architecture firms include details of previous jobs you've done, changes in the industry, analysis posts about popular destinations, and how-to articles that teach potential customers how to perform basic work on their own... and note when they should call in a professional. You can even write a series of posts on paying for the work, demonstrating that your customers will be able to afford your services.
Idea #3: Publish eBooks
eBooks are like an advanced form of blog - they include valuable, professional-level content that you're going to distribute for months or years to come, and you're probably going to link people to them at the end of most of your blog posts. The key to success with this idea is your promotion: you want as many people as possible reading your eBook, and more importantly, you want to know who they are. This is a trade - your expertise for their contact information, ideally including their name, email address, and company.
Once you have their contact information, you can encourage them to sign up for a newsletter, contact you with any questions, or read other eBooks that you're publishing. Your ultimate goal is to be the first thing that pops into their mind when they think of getting any sort of design work done - within your specialty niche, of course, because your eBooks will also be promoting you as an expert instead of a generalist.
Don't restrict yourself to online advertising, either - trade shows and networking events are great places to promote your eBook, and you can even use your own smartphone or tablet to access the landing page if customers can't do it on their own. Ease of access is critical - QR codes work best when you're not using your own device, with short URLs taking second place.
One Last Thing
As a startup, you have one major advantage that other firms don't - no history. That sounds like something dragging you down at first, but it also means that you still have time to make a different impression on people. Being flexible is critical for your survival as a company, and right now is a good time to start.
