Best Digital Marketing Practices For Architects
In the wake of COVID-19 and with a possible recession looming, the building industry, in particular, has had an uneven experience depending on what part of the industry you’re in. Some areas are really feeling the hit, while others are just as busy—if not more so—as before 2020. In response to a survey of 287 architecture firm leaders, two-thirds said projects had stopped or slowed significantly. Ninety-four percent also said they expected decreases in revenue. Now, after nearly two years of existing with a “new normal”, many AEC firms are profitable and meeting or exceeding revenue goals. However, there are many firms struggling to find enough work to stay afloat. What has been your experience?
Many small firms have been negatively impacted by recent events, with firm owners unsure of what they can do to not just survive but thrive in this difficult time. And many other small firms are incredibly busy and focusing on just keeping up with the workload. However, even for busy studios, lingers the question of what will the pipeline look like a few months down the road. It might seem counterintuitive at first, but one of the best things small firm architects can do right now is to focus on marketing.
Listed below are some of the best marketing practices small architecture firms should be using in periods of uncertainty that sets them up for long-term success.
Prioritize Marketing Your Design Firm
You may think that it’s best to put marketing on the back-burner for now, especially if you are swamped with design work. In reality, though, it’s essential that you continue with your firm’s marketing efforts. Marketing strategy isn’t just about attracting your ideal projects and lead generation, it’s also for attracting ideal talent.
Many skilled architects are looking for work right now so if you have the project work available and your financials are good, consider hiring. If your firm is in a precarious position from a lack of steady work right now, it is even more imperative that you up your marketing game to bring in work and improve cash flow.
Here are some simple steps you can take to start spreading the word about the value of your services and attracting people excited about what you have to offer:
Update Your Website
Now is as good a time as any to update your architecture firm's website and improve the user experience for those who are visiting it. The better your website runs, the faster it is, and the easier it is to navigate, the more likely people are to spend time on your website and determine if your firm aligns with their needs and values.
If you haven’t recently updated your website design or website content, then you should consider a content audit. A content audit will report on the usability of your site and how well your website messaging aligns with your brand. This report will also highlight opportunities for improving underperforming content (blog posts, landing pages, and other web pages) and show opportunities to better convey your firm’s value to your ideal client type.
Interested in learning more about how a content audit will help you win more projects? Book a free consultation call to discuss.
Focus on SEO
Search engine optimization (or SEO for short) helps your website to show up in people’s organic search engine results. The better your SEO, the higher your site will rank and the more likely people are to click on it. SEO is an important part of a successful marketing strategy.
Start optimizing the content (text and images) by using the right keywords and making sure it’s easy to read (break your text up into short paragraphs, use clear headings, etc). If your website is built using WordPress, then consider using an SEO plug-in such as YoastSEO or Rank Math to help you optimize your website.
No matter what structure your firm’s website is built on (custom code, Squarespace, Wordpress, etc), a good place to start is with an SEO audit. You can do this for free by using the HOPEWORKSDESIGN SEO audit tool. This free report will give you an overview of how well your website is optimized for ranking well in organic search results. It will also give you a list of recommendations on how to improve your website.
If you need a more in-depth look into your website’s SEO, with detailed steps on how to improve your site and how to dovetail optimization priorities with your marketing goals, then you need a comprehensive SEO audit. Contact me to learn more about comprehensive SEO audits.
Improve Your Online Portfolio
Has it been a while since you’ve added to new work to your site? Regularly updating your website is one of the many ranking factors search engines take into consideration, so if you have some projects that can be uploaded to your website, then add those pages!
Alternatives To Professional Project Photos
You don’t need to wait for professional photography of completed projects before adding new content to your project pages. If you’re in this situation, rethink how you can communicate the work you do or would like to do if you don’t yet have completed projects to show.
In the absence of professional photography, can you take some simple yet striking shots yourself using your smartphone or a DSLR camera? Do you know of a photography student looking for paid work that can take some photos for you? Also think about using renderings, drawings, and digital sketches as placeholders until you have photos available. These types of images work well for “on the boards” or “in-process” project pages. Since people will know that projects on these types of pages are yet to be completed, they will not expect slick and sexy professional shots.
Why You Need To Edit Your Project Pages
Do you have too many images in your portfolio? Yes, there is such a thing as too many images! I see this sometimes on websites of architecture and interior design firms that have been established for decades. I also see too many project photos being used in individual project pages. Even if you’re meticulous about keeping your image file sizes small, having hundreds of images can slow down your page load speed. Not only is this an important SEO factor, but it also creates a bad user experience. You solve this issue by ruthlessly editing your projects, especially which of the older projects you keep on your firm’s website. And try not to have more than 10 images per project page…very few people will take the time to click or scroll through 30 images of a single project.
It’s a good practice to review what projects you’re showcasing on your firm’s website and consider which ones are still serving your firm well. Which projects are the most viewed? And are those project types the ones you want your firm known for? A tool such as Google Analytics will give you hard data on this; it’ll show you which projects are most popular and if people tend to contact you or visit other parts of your website after seeing these projects. Data is crucial when making decisions about your website and how well it’s performing.
Create More Content
The more quality content there is on your website, the better your search engine results will be. Please note that this DOES NOT mean you need pages and pages of content! Think quality over quantity. Quality content is key and what is beneficial to your audience. Frequency and consistency of adding this quality content to your site is also important. It’s ok to update a couple times per quarter if you’re consistently doing this.
Add Compelling Text To Your Project Pages
Do you use text on your project pages? While it’s common for architects and interior designers to avoid using much text (or any at all) on project pages, I encourage you to do so. There are ways to work with text so that it’s less obtrusive and works with your project page layout: for example, you can hide and reveal text or put it above or on the side of your photo gallery/slideshow.
The advantages of having project page text are not only about providing project information to your prospects. You should treat this text as a storytelling moment; write about the project in a compelling way and also extend your firm’s branding by showing why your design solution was the right choice for your client. Think of it as a mini case study.
Another advantage of having project page text is the SEO value. Project pages are ideal places to place the keywords and phrases that help to optimize your website. However, if you’re absolutely set on not having any text on your project pages then at the very least make sure your project images are properly optimized and find other ways to add content to your site such as maintaining a blog.
Consistently Update Your Blog
Having a blog is a great way to add more content to your firm’s website. You can regularly create blog posts and videos talking about the latest design trends, provide educational information, and share stories of your firm’s successes. It’s much easier to regularly update your site with blog posts each month than it is to only rely on adding project pages as fresh website content. Blogging provides value to your prospective clients and well as provides SEO value.
Need help with coming up with blogging ideas? Hate writing but want to benefit from having a blog on your website? I can help. Book a free consultation call to discuss.
Level Up Your Social Media Game
Right now, more people are spending more time online than ever before, so you ought to meet them where they are. Share your blog posts and videos on your social media pages, give people behind-the-scenes looks into your current projects, and showcase the work you’ve done in the past to pique people’s interest.
Even if people aren’t looking for an architect right now, it’s still good for them to see your work. That way, when they are ready to hire an architect, they’ll be more likely to think of you and your design firm. The only caveat to social media posting right now is to be sure your posts are sensitive to how your audience feels. It’s more critical than ever that your posts are in alignment with what’s happening in the world. This doesn’t mean you shouldn’t show your work or promote your services, it simply means you should be mindful of your tone and how your posts are being received and adjust as needed. Beautiful images are a great escape for many people so sharing your work and inspirations definitely has its place.
Pivot Your Architecture Firm Services
Living through a pandemic has required all kinds of businesses to pivot their services and get creative about their offerings. They’ve had to adapt and respond to changes in demand in order to survive. This is also a smart action to take to help protect your firm from the effects of a recession.
Consider pivoting and offering different types of services or appealing to a different target market. Remember, these changes don’t have to be permanent. They are a means to an end to help you keep the lights on and ensure that you have a firm to return to later. Keep in mind, too, that it’s easier to offer your existing clients new services than it is to try and find new clients. Think about what your clients need right now and consider how you can help them.
When thinking of attracting new clients right now, think about what THEY think is most valuable to them right now. How can you provide that for them? If you have lots of inquiries but no one is moving forward with a contract, consider productizing your services so you can offer something valuable but with a lower commitment for the client. It’s less of a leap for your prospective client and your firm gets paid for your time. Some examples of this would be consulting services or breaking down your design process into smaller engagements (sell a defined pre-design service).
Move Forward with the Correct Mindset
It makes sense if you’re feeling less-than-positive right now. The world has been turned upside down, the future is uncertain and lots of people are struggling.
It’s imperative that you move forward with the correct mindset, though. Having a positive outlook and being flexible will serve you and your design firm in a far greater way than being pessimistic and assuming the worst.
Now, more than ever, it’s easy to feel overwhelmed when it comes to running an architecture firm. This is especially true if you’re a solo practitioner or if your firm is a small partnership. The good news, though, is that there are still steps you can take that will help you feel more confident in your firm’s ability to not simply stay afloat but thrive no matter what the economy is doing.
Keep the marketing practices listed above in mind as you assess your current approach and look for ways to fine-tune it. You can book a free consultation, too, to learn some specific strategies you can use for marketing your design firm.