Yes, you read correctly, we said The Ninja Turtles, okay. And, let’s be real clear here, we’re not talking about that new crap that was just released. This is straight up old school Ninja Turtles - the good stuff - but we’ll get to that in a minute. First a few words from our sponsors:
| Image source: turtlepedia.wikia.com |
As if architects didn’t already have enough on their plate, adding marketing to the mix can seem like a hassle in itself. This is where inbound marketing comes in to play. Inbound marketing is a more convenient way of marketing for both you and your clientele. Unlike old marketing strategies that shoved ads in your face against your will with things such as pop-ups and spam, inbound marketing only provides information useful to the client. There are four simple stages to this inbound marketing methodology, and awesomely enough, a Ninja Turtle that fits each stage. Just like the Ninja Turtles, each turtle on their own is important, but they can only kick ass effectively as a team! The same applies to the stages of inbound marketing. Are you ready to take control of your marketing? As an architect, you will need to create targeted content that solves the basic questions and needs of your desired audience. This might seem like a lot going on, but when you break it down things become much more clear. So without further delay, let the Ninja Turtles show you the guide to marketing for architects.
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In order to be practical marketing for architects, a heavy amount of research needs to be done. That's where we focus on the first stage. The first stage to the inbound marketing methodology is the attract stage. This is where you will draw in possible clients by giving them helpful information they are looking for. Anyone who knows anything about The Ninja Turtles is aware that Donatello is the brains of the operation. He perfectly represents this stage in that all the research is done here. Donatello never acts before he fully investigates all the possibilities to make the smartest choice. This is exactly where your prospective buyers are. They are researching. They are looking for answers. They are identifying their problems, and trying to find the best solution.
This is where you come in.
You and I both know you’re the perfect designer to work on their project, more so than anyone else, but do they? It is your job to present yourself in a way that shows you are the best architect to solve their dilemmas.
The goal of the attract stage is to constantly provide helpful information. Before you provide any information though, you must first figure out who your targeted audience is. Who is looking for this information? What kind of visitors do you want to attract? To figure this out you must create buyer personas, which is a semi-fictional representation of your ideal customers based on market research and real data about your existing customers. When creating your buyer persona(s), you will consider customer demographics, behavior patterns, motivations, and goals. Are they buyers? Are they other architects or firms? The more detailed you are, the better. All of this combined information will give you an idea of what your audience is looking for. Master Splinter would not just send the Ninja Turtles out on a mission without knowing what he is dealing with, and neither should you.
After identifying your audience, you need to start providing information. There are several tools to help present information in a fun, interactive way to reach out to visitors. One of the most effective inbound marketing tools to attract visitors is to start a blog. This is a quick and easy way to give out educational content that speaks to visitors and answers their questions. This is a place to write opinions, facts, and even include pictures, videos, and links to help give as much information as possible. Because the point of a blog is to frequently make posts, this is also a great way to keep people coming back to your site. If a visitor likes one post, they are more likely to return to read the rest.
Another way to attract visitors is by using social media. Through social media sharing, satisfied customers will be able to promote your services and include great recommendations. Also, make sure you or your firm’s name is appearing prominently in search engines. Most visitors’ initial action is to use a search engine when trying to answer their questions, and your firm must be one that pops up first. The way to make this happen is to analytically pick keywords, optimize your pages, and build links around the terms these visitors are searching for.
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Once you’ve attracted these visitors to your site, it’s time for the second stage of the inbound marketing methodology, which is the converting stage. Clearly, being the oldest Ninja Turtle brother, Leonardo has the most responsibility. Leonardo is appropriate for the convert stage in that this stage is perhaps where the most work needs done, and if anyone’s going to step up and take charge of the workload, it’s Leonardo. So far you have been giving out information, and attracting visitors to your site. Now it’s time to draw them in and convert them from visitors to leads; here is where you start to gather their contact information. Along with your blog, you can offer up other free sources of information such as eBook or various downloads. Then in exchange for those sources, visitors will leave their contact information, turning them from a visitor into a lead.
One way to invite this exchange of content would be to create calls-to-actions(CTA), which are links encouraging your visitors to DO something. This could include anything from a button to access your downloads, or a link to information on an upcoming event for your firm. Another tool to take advantage of is the use of landing pages, which is the page your CTA links/buttons lead to. This is also where your visitors will be able to fill in their information, and you or your firm can start conversing with them, ultimately turning them into a lead. This is also a place where you can include different forms or surveys to use for future marketing. Last, but not least, don’t forget whom you have been in contact with. It is important to keep track of leads you have converted in some sort of central database. This will not only help you keep in contact with your leads, but will help you and/or your firm enhance future marketing endeavors.
Related Post: The Real Reason Your Architecture Marketing Doesn't Work
| Image source: filmcaptures.com |
On to the closing stage! Now that you have all of your information out there, people are starting to come to your site, and you’re gaining new leads, it is finally time to turn those leads into customers. If you know the ninja turtles, you know Raphael is aggressive and doesn’t hesitate to make decisions. Sometimes he might act before thinking, but you have already educated your leads so they know what they’re getting into as they become customers. However, Raphael is all about the action, which is what this stage is about. The closing stage is where you turn leads into customers and finalize that relationship for future transactions. It would be a shame for all the hard work your firm has done to attract and convert visitors to not gain them as clients, so here’s a few tools to help secure that relationship. Remember that database you’re keeping all your contacts in? Well one tool to help close the deal would be lead scoring, which is a numerical way to keep track of which leads are more sales-ready than others. This is a efficient way to keep track of who is freshly converted vs. who has been frequently returning to your site and may be ready to enter the closing stage with your firm.
Another easy way to sway those leads who are hesitant to become clients would be to send them a series of emails providing more relevant content to their persona. This helps build trust between you and the lead; the more useful information you give them, the more likely they will become a client. You can also use marketing automation, which is looking at the information about a specific lead to decide what content would be most useful for them, and to send them a series of email based on your results. You can also take advantage of closed-loop reporting which is a way to decide which marketing efforts are successful in bringing in the most leads, as well as if your team is closing the best leads to customers. This is a great way to review your marketing history as well as use that information to optimize future relationships through the marketing stages.
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Every story needs a little comic relief, and that is exactly what Michelangelo’s role is. He is free spirited, and adventurous, and is always there to make his brothers laugh, even in the face of danger. He is the perfect persona for the delight stage of inbound marketing for architects. You are to the point where you have turned your leads into customers, business is going well, and you have closed your deals at last. Is that the end of the process? Of course not! The delight stage is where you need to focus on retaining the relationships you have built during your business transactions. This could lead to great recommendations to other possible clients, future transactions with old clients, and possibly even up selling to those you’ve already closed deals with. One way to delight older clients is by using social media to give real-time customer service, as well as fun sharable content. Another way is to keep smart calls-to-actions(CTA) available, which follow clients as their buyer personas change, and provide new content accordingly. If a client is pleased with your services, and you retain that relationship in a delightful way, they are more likely to return to your firm for more business transactions in the future.
Donatello, Leonardo, Raphael, and Michelangelo make up a pretty great crime fighting team, together there’s not a whole lot they can’t do! The same can be said for you and your inbound marketing strategy. Ok, you may not see yourself able to fight hardcore crime with crazy ninja turtle skills, fueled by a dozen pepperoni pizzas… However, you can attract some amazing clientele and build lasting relationships for you and your firm by following the four stages to inbound marketing for architects.