Marketing for Architects: 7 Low- or No-Cost Ways

to Elevate Your Small Firm

BY TAZ KHATRI ARCHITECTURE - DEC 9 2015 

The overwhelming majority of architecture firms in the United States are small
businesses, with 26 percent being sole practitioners, almost three-quarters having two
to 49 employees, and 3 percent having 50 or more employees.
Most small architecture firms don’t have huge budgets or a large enough staff to dedicate to
marketing, so they have to be smart and strategic in how they spread the word and bring in
new work. But it’s doable—and sometimes even free. Here are seven ways to make
marketing for architects successful on a small-business budget.

1. Don’t Underestimate Social Media for Architect

Marketing.
Social media is a strategy that most architects have been slow in adopting, even though it
can net real clients. “Social media isn’t a fad,” said architect Jody Brown in his
conversation with the AIA. “It is the place where the public is talking about their lives.
Architects should be interested in joining that conversation.”
Lionel Scharly of Scharly Designer Studio has had great success with architecture
marketing through Houzz. “About six months ago, I was contacted by a developer directly
through the website who asked me to be a part of a $2 million contract for a luxury home in
Florida,” he says. “I’ve been on Houzz since it started about four years ago, and it’s starting
to get really interesting.”
Mark R. LePage of EntreArchitect and Fivecat Studio Architecture also recommends
residential architects develop and optimize free profiles with Houzz. In addition, he
suggests using Facebook—but not just a page for your business. Start a Facebook Group
because it “allows firms to be more creative, and it sends notifications to people’s personal
profiles, alerting them to new content you post,” he says.
2. Build Trust in Your Brand.
If there’s one thing you should invest your limited architect-marketing budget in, make it
your website, which is a major component of your brand. But make sure to design it with
your clients in mind. “Most architects’ websites are designed for other architects, but they
don’t always tell their story to clients,” LePage says. “Clients come with their own built-in
story about architects, and it is your job to replace that story with your own.”

Everything you do becomes part of your brand—not only your website, social-media
presence, and elevator pitch but also the clothes you wear, the car you drive, and the way
you present your office.

According to the U.S. Small Business Association, branding “is about the sum total of the
experiences customers have with your business. This includes the visual elements of your
business, but it also includes what you do, how you do it, what your customer interactions
are like, [and] the type of information you share in your marketing and on social media; all
these elements help establish the trust and credibility of your business.”
3. Speaking of That Elevator Pitch …
Networking is all about planting seeds, and the best way to plant a seed is to tell people
what you do, from your hairdresser to the barista at your favorite coffee shop to your dry
cleaner. You never know which seed will sprout and lead to a future client, either directly
or through acquaintances and connections. That means getting good at telling people what
you do.

M&R Marketing Group says the key is to be real and authentic when talking about your
company and services or products: “As you seek to identify and tell your story, above all,
be relational. Relationships are the vehicle for all of life’s endeavors, including your
business interactions. We believe you should crave and cultivate them.”

4. Get Prospects to Opt In.

One of the most effective low-cost online architect-marketing tools is sending out a regular
email newsletter to your client base and interested prospects. A regular newsletter keeps
you top of mind when someone in your circle may need an architect, and it increases the
chances that a prospect will contact you instead of someone else.

“Find ways to get the emails of potential clients, either through in-person interactions or
through an email signup form on your website,” LePage says. “And on a regular basis,
reach out to them, providing information that is of value to them and, at the same time,
telling them who you are and what you do.”

5. Stay at the Forefront of Technology in Architectural

Marketing.
Many small-business architects have been slow to adopt new technology, so learning 3D-
visualization and -modeling tools can give your firm an edge over others. “With
Autodesk Revit, we can make great renderings and even produce animations, making for
very impressive and innovative presentations to clients,” Scharly says.
Using 3D-visualization tools isn’t just great for getting the job; it helps manage your
client’s expectations along the way. “Being able to convey what you’re working on almost
instantly is the biggest advantage of the BIM process,” says Geoffrey Tears of Mohle
Design. “No longer do we have to wait for the space plan to be completely done for
multiple floors to know what this building is going to cost or look like.”
6. Become Involved in the Community.
Online marketing strategies aren’t the only low-cost ways to market your small firm. An
offline, in-person strategy is to get involved in community groups. “Pick a group that is in
alignment with your target market,” LePage says. “It can either be your target market, or it
can connect you with people in your target market.” For example, LePage and his Fivecat
Studio partner (and wife) Annmarie McCarthy joined the SPCA in Westchester County,
New York, which has been a great vehicle to meet potential veterinary-clinic clients or just
animal lovers who want to remodel or build new homes.
7. Keep Current Clients Happy.
The best way to get new clients is to keep your existing clients happy, because word of
mouth remains the most powerful marketing tool for architects. And the best way to keep
your existing clients happy is to manage their expectations and deliver on what you
promise. “When your clients are happy with you, they like to talk about you,” LePage says.
Doing a good job with your existing projects is the best way to market yourself because the
most credible and effective recommendation you can get is through a satisfied client. In
other words, even when you’re designing, you’re marketing. So make it count.

9 Ways to Find More Business for Your Architecture

Firm
Courtesy of Shutterstock / © Tetiana Yurchenko
Managing your own architecture firm is hard, and while pretty much every architect starts
with a strong idea of the type of firm they want to be, without constant care it can be easy
to get sucked into doing jobs you need to do to keep the lights turned on, rather than the
jobs you wanted to do from the start. In this article, originally published
by  Archipreneur as "9 Creative Business Development Strategies For Architects and
Designers," Sabrina Wirth explores the ways you can not only keep work coming in, but
make sure it is the right type of work too.
Whether you’re a large architecture firm or a small, boutique design studio, everyone needs
a plan for generating new business. The prospect of working on RFPs (Request For
Proposals) and RFQs (Request For Qualifications) to win a place on the shortlist, however,
is daunting and something very few people look forward to.

Fortunately, it’s not the only path to attracting new projects. In fact, the most effective
business development strategies involve more time spent on proactive relationship-building
(before the project is made public), and less time on responding to RFPs and RFQs, which
are available to anyone.

Below are 9 strategies that can help you define a good business development approach to
get you ahead of the competition and win more clients and projects:

1. Identify the ideal project, and then work backwards

What are the ideal projects for your firm? Who are the people who can lead you to them?
Do some research into their social environments and find ways to meet them there. The best
projects or partnerships occur through direct commissions via a personal contact. Make the
personal connection by networking in the same places that your ideal client spends time in.
If you haven’t already, start thinking of everyone in your rolodex as a potential client,
collaborator, or lead to new information; it may just be that the person who may lead you to
the next job is someone you already know.

2. Export your design as portable, and shareable objects

Several companies design books that showcase their projects. Rather than make the book
simply a portfolio, make the book a design object itself. Your design philosophy should be
manifested in any tangible object (books, business cards, etc) your company produces, so
that whenever you meet a potential client, you can offer them a small sample of what
makes your firm so great. Follow up with well-designed emails, and be sure that your
website is clear and easy to understand. The worst is for a client to be turned off by a slow
or complicated website.

3. Follow up
Always make sure to have business cards on hand, and after you receive a handful of
business cards at networking events, be sure to enter them into your email list and stay in
contact through periodic, personal emails. If you want to send out occasional updates with a
mass mailing service like Mailchimp or Constant Contact, be sure to ask if they’d like to be
included in the mailing list.

4. Turn your firm into a brand

Become an expert in a specific area of design. Determine the expertise available in the
office, and the kind of projects your firm would like to be known for. Perhaps it’s
environmental (like SITE and HOK) or urban design (Gehl Studio), master plans,
residential, cultural, or civic. There needs to be something that potential clients can
associate with your firm’s name. If you want to be more of a generalist, and be known for
creative solutions and high quality design, then make “process” and “philosophy” your
brand (like Grimshaw). To be able to successfully promote and market your firm, you have
to be able to provide something that’s unique to only your firm that you can use to brand
yourself.
5. Create brand ambassadors at your company
Create a company culture that reflects your firm as approachable and fun to work with.
Make sure there is fluid communication within the office so that when architects are
traveling, they are comfortable discussing information about the firm, spreading the
company’s vision, and creating new business contacts.

6. Organize an open lecture series at your firm

Organize an open lecture series at your firm where you can invite anyone to your office and
provide an opportunity to introduce your firm to a new audience. Better yet, make the
lectures have nothing to do with architecture, but about something your firm believes in.
This will make your firm more approachable and will also show a different facet to the
practice.

7. Book as many speaking opportunities as possible

You never know who is in the audience, and it’s a great way of reaching multitudes of
people at the same time. At a school, you may find that you’ve attracted more students who
want to work for you, but you may also catch the attention of a developer who is teaching a
class at that school who may want to speak with you about a potential opportunity.

8. Grow your online presence

More so than booking lectures, it’s one of the best ways to reach large audiences and catch
the attention of many potential clients around the world at the same time. Think about
maintaining a blog on your website to publish frequent updates and also use Instagram and
Twitter to boost your online presence. Instagram especially is quick and visual, so
architects can “seduce” clients with beautiful images that relate to their design aesthetic
without having to spend so much time; the ROI (Return on Investment) on that is better
than on any other platform, because it reaches so many people without much effort. With
Twitter, you can retweet articles about your firm, drive people to your blog, or post updates
and images as well.
9. Network with colleagues
Other firms and industry professionals are great resources for staying on top of trends and
new developments. Rather than considering other firms as competition, consider them as
potential partners on future projects; the combined, complementary expertise from each
firm can only help to strengthen a business proposal. Additionally, keeping good relations
with other firms may also lead to information about new projects that you might not have
known about before.

Generating new business opportunities involves both marketing and communications, but
most of all it involves nurturing relationships. As long as you can continue networking
effectively and keep your contacts talking about you, then your firm will most likely pop up
during conversations about new projects. And as long as your name continues to pop up,
and you proactively pursue new information, the more likely it is that you will be included
in shortlists and be receiving direct commissions.

Win More Architecture Projects Starting Right Now

 Ever get frustrated when someone else is hired for the project, even though
you knowthat you are the best person for the job? Today, I'll show you how
to immediately begin to win more architecture projects with very little effort.
You can increase your likelihood of success through a simple change in
mindset and communication.
You are about to learn how to win projects in the first 9 seconds by using my
secret FAB Benefit-Busting selling strategy (even when you are up against a
larger or more experienced firm).

Ready for a breakthrough? Okay, picture this.

Imagine trying to sell your product or services in a foreign land where no one
speaks your language.

No matter what you say, the people just do not understand.

Luckily, a good Samaritan comes along and saves your business by

teaching you the local language.

Armed with your new language abilities, people suddenly understand you.
They are excited and motivated to buy from you.

But How Does This Apply To Selling Architecture?

When it comes to the ability to win more architecture projects consistently,
it's necessary to understand that selling architecture services means that
you must be fluent in two languages.
These languages are:

 Client language
 Architect language
All architects think they speak ‘client’ language, yet only a handful actually
do.

Those who are able to understand and speak client language always win
architecture projects consistently and get to work on projects they love,
regardless of experience.
The difference between those who easily sell and those who struggle is
that the ones who sell understand the importance of using the right
language.
While most architects don't even realize that they can't speak ‘client', the
poor client is still trying to understand what ‘concept drawings’ are.
 Features vs. Benefits
Most architects try to sell their services based on what we call FEATURES.
You assume that potential clients understand the value of virtual reality, 3D
models, concept drawings and CAD (or BIM). This is a very costly (and
incorrect) assumption.
I have been coaching architects on marketing strategy for years … and I still
don’t completely understand what you do.

Architecture is overly complex and confusing and there is a lot of detail. It's
dangerous to assume that the average person will have in-depth knowledge
of the architecture field because, trust me, they don't. You won't win over a
potential client by detailing the ‘features' you provide when they have no clue
what those features really are.

People buy on emotion

Allow me to provide you an example of what I'm getting at.

My wife, Julia, wanted a new Toyota Highlander 4WD. Julia gave her
requirements to our friend, Andy, who knows a lot about cars. Here are the
features she was looking for.

 4-wheel drive
 Less than 3 years old
 Under $40,000
 7 seats
Andy took her list of wants and actually found a car that met every one of
Julia's feature requirements. In fact, what Andy found was
probably better than what Julia thought she wanted.
When Julia got a look at her ‘perfect' vehicle, however, she immediately
said, “No. That car is maroon.”

People buy on emotion … and justify with logic.

The color maroon did not make Julia feel good, even though the vehicle
offered every single feature she was looking for.

Logic just got BUSTED by the emotion of color.

Speak the client's language

Do you think that hiring an architect is much different? It's not.
 When trying to win a project, here is common architect language:
 25 years experience
 XYZ qualifications in BIM ZIM and WIM
 15 projects similar to yours
 Concept drawings, working drawings, construction documentation
Here is what the client is thinking:

 He/she seems very serious … might get angry with me if I ask for
clarification.
 I have no idea what he/she is talking about.
 I wonder what he/she charges per hour.
 When will this be over?
When I explained this concept to the architects who joined us for a live
training recently, they were admittedly skeptical. Within half an hour,
however, they had been converted to understanding the necessity of being
fluent speakers of client language.

Emotion-based language moves people

These architects could feel the power achieved simply by speaking in a
client-centered way. Suddenly, everyone was talking more persuasively and
felt comfortable in ‘selling' their ability to win more architecture projects using
this method.

Logical speaking has its place … in the back seat.

In the front seat is the same language used by the most powerful influencers
throughout history, such as JFK, Winston Churchill, Martin Luther King and
Muhammad Ali.

Language can move nations and inspire people to great things. It can even
help you to get that dream project.

So how do you win more architecture

projects consistently? By speaking your
client's language!
Okay, so here is the FAB Formula secret.
Repeat after me. ‘People buy on emotion … and justify with logic’.

F stands for FEATURES and a feature is about what the service or product
is.
A stands for ADVANTAGES and this is what a service does.
B stands for BENEFITS and this is how your service can emotionally impact
your client's life.
Features are logical.

Benefits are emotional.

You'll win more architecture projects by identifying and speaking

your client's emotional language.

Feature, Advantage, Benefit

Feature: This car has an airbag safety system.
Advantage: Which means in the event of a severe accident the system will
automatically deploy a cushioning system for the occupant.
Benefit: This airbag will SAVE YOUR LIFE!
Did you get that?

Which statement is the ‘money shot’, airbag or save your life?

The following is an architecture example to help you better understand.

Feature: My firm uses BIM, which is a process that begins with creating
intelligent 3D design.
Client: “Yaaaaaaawn – sorry about that, I suddenly felt sleepy!”

Advantage: This helps you make more informed decisions earlier.

Client: “Interesting – had a late night last night …”

Benefit: BIM-ran projects turn project sponsors, like you, into heroes. My

last client got promoted because his BIM run project turned out so well.
Client “What? Promotion? How?”

Winston Churchill did not say the following sentence, but he could have. It is
literal and honest and almost exactly what the plan was, but it
wasn't effective to reach his goal.
“We will use 30,000 soldiers, 1,000 aircraft and 123 ships out to fight the
Germans until we win or lose – at that point we will reassess the situation.”
(logical)

Instead, Churchill tailored his speech to his ‘target audience' and said the
following, instead:

“We shall fight them on the beaches. We shall fight them on the landing
grounds. We shall fight them in the air … and in a thousand years from now,
they will look back and say that this was their finest hour.” (emotional)

How do you want to feel?

Again, people buy on emotion and justify with logic.

Kevin Roberts, the global head of Saatchi and Saatchi advertising agency,
said this. “The whole of advertising has got it wrong. They are asking ‘What
do you want?’ instead of asking ‘How do you want to feel?’”

It makes a difference.

Here is one final example for my architects.

Architect A is talking to a potential client and outlines his training, his

experience and his work examples – hoping to win the job. The meeting
finishes after 60 minutes. Architect A is seemingly the best person for the
job.

Architect B walks in and looks the wife in the eye and asks her, “Have you
ever walked into an amazing, beautiful home and say to yourself, ‘I love the
feel of this place and I would love to wake up here every day?’”

The architect pauses for an answer.

The wife smiles and nods, clearly remembering exactly how it felt to walk
into that home. As a matter of fact, she called an architect specifically
because she's looking to recapture that exact feeling with her own home.

The architect then says, I “want to design a house for you that makes you
feel that way, every day … for the rest of your life.”

Win that battle

The battle between the architects was over after 9 seconds because
Architect B understood the difference between a FEATURE (logic) and a
BENEFIT (emotional).
Win more architecture projects by using emotion-based language with your
potential clients. I'd love to hear how well it works for you!

Use Good Office Management to Control

Chaos in Your Small Business
Good Office Management Is Good for Your Bottom
Line
•••
BY SUSAN WARD
 
Updated October 29, 2018

Disorganization and confusion are irritating but they’re also just plain bad
for business. Think of it as a formula if you like: chaos increasing equals profits
decreasing. The answer? Good office management. Here's how you can use good
office management to control chaos in your small business:

1. Establish office management routines and stick to them.

Routine tasks need routine procedures if you want to stay organized and keep
things running smoothly. Set up routines for handling paperwork and office
systems. For example, if possible, every piece of paper that comes into your office
should be handled once, acted upon, and filed - not haphazardly piled on a desk.
Similarly, digital communications such as emails should be prioritized and acted
upon immediately if possible or flagged for future action.

Office systems, including desktops, laptops, file servers, multifunction printers and

mobile devices, will need both administration and emergency procedures. When
the system crashes or a computer-related piece of equipment fails, good office
management demands that everyone in your office needs to know who to call and
what not to do (such as try to fix the problem themselves which normally creates
worse issues). Learn How to Protect Your Critical Business Data.

2. Set up clearly delineated responsibilities.

Good office management depends on people knowing who is responsible for what
– it’s people who are accountable who get things done.

What would happen, for example, if the purchasing for your small business was
done by whoever whenever? Would you be able to find printer paper when you
needed it? Putting one person in charge of ordering all equipment and supplies
solves the problem and keeps things running smoothly. Have employees email the
designated person any requests for supplies, or post a handwritten list in a
conspicuous place where people can add what they need.

It’s the same with (computer) systems administration. You need to have one
person responsible for the security of your computer systems and keeping track of
things such as accounts, passwords, and software. Using cloud-based systems for
office applications, accounting software and data storage is an ideal solution for
small businesses, but you still need to have a trusted person assigned to perform
administrative tasks such as adding/deleting users, assigning permissions, etc. for
your office to run smoothly.

3. Keep records - and keep your business records updated.

Keeping records sounds like the easiest part of good office management – until
you consider the need to keep those records both accessible and updated. So
make updating records an office routine. When you get a new customer or client,
for instance, it only takes a moment to enter him into your contacts database. Then
it will only take another moment or two to update the record after you’ve spoken to
him on the phone.

(Note, too, that most jurisdictions have Privacy Acts that regulate the handling of
customer information.)

4. Take a walk through your office and have a sit.

Is your office an example of space management or space mismanagement?

When you walk through the office, do you have to detour around obstacles or run
the risk of tripping over something?

When you sit down at a desk could you actually work comfortably there? Are things
logically arranged so that the things that you would use most at the desk are
closest to hand?

There are a lot of things crammed into offices nowadays, from printer
stands through filing cabinets. For good office management, you need to be sure
that all the things in the office are arranged for maximum efficiency and maximum
safety. The Basics of Small or Home Office Design provides tips for meeting the
power, lighting and ventilation needs of your office space to make it a safer, better
space to work.

5. Schedule the tedious work.

It’s too easy to put off things that you don’t like doing, and most business people
don't enjoy tasks such as filing, shipping and receiving, or bookkeeping - even
office managers. Unfortunately, an office, like a kitchen, won’t function well without
the chores being done.

If you are a small business owner who’s in the position of not being able to assign
whatever you view as boring or unpleasant work to someone else, force yourself to
get to it regularly by scheduling time each week for it. Take a morning or afternoon,
for example, and spend it making cold calls, returning non-priority email inquiries,
making social media postings, catching up on the accounting or updating the
records. Do this enough weeks and it will become a good office management habit.

6. Delegate and outsource.

In a perfect world, everyone would only be doing what he or she had time to do
and did well. As the world is not perfect, instead a lot of people are doing things
that they don’t have the time or talent to do well.

Delegating and outsourcing can not only improve your small business’s

office management but free you to focus on your talents as well, thereby improving
your bottom line. A part-time or Virtual Assistant may be able to handle many of
your office or administrative tasks. For more on delegating, see Decide to
Delegate.

7. Make business planning a priority.

Many small business owners spend their days acting and reacting and then
wonder why they seem to be spinning their wheels. Business planning is an
important component of good office management and needs to be part of your
regular office management routine.

Successful small business owners spend time every week on business planning,

and many use daily business planning sessions as a tool for goal setting and
growth.

This business planning guide is a great primer for getting your business planning
efforts underway; it lays out a business planning framework for your small business
and provides resources on everything from writing a vision statement through the
rules for setting business goals.