There are over 152,775 architects employed in the United States. With such intense competition, it’s more vital than ever to stand out and deliver outstanding work.

How do you market yourself? Aside from distributing business cards and word of mouth, do you have other marketing channels? More importantly, are you taking advantage of digital technology to sell your services and bring in more business?

In today’s business landscape, leveraging one’s online presence is essential. Doing so can help you highlight your services, attract potential clients, and close deals.

Join Plus Render as we explore the benefits of marketing for architects, with tips on the best technologies you can use to promote your services. 

The Importance of Developing a Strong Online Presence

Architects who want to remain competitive must look beyond branding. While it certainly helps establish one’s professional identity, it does little to expand one’s reach. 

The solution? Having a strong online presence. Here are some benefits of having a credible and unmistakable online presence.

• It helps position you as a thought leader in architecture.
• You can showcase what makes your services unique and stand out from the crowd. 
• An online presence is the perfect place to show off your past work and mention your ambitions for the future.
• As long as your website is optimized, you can generate organic traffic. You’ll be selling your services 24/7 to anyone who accesses your site.

It may take a lot of work, especially in the beginning, but once you have an online presence, it will be easier to advertise your services and gather quality leads.

Tried-and-Tested Strategies for Marketing for Architects 

By now, we’ve established that you need an online presence. So, how exactly do you go about it? What steps do you need to take? Take a look at these five tactics.

1. Focus on Your Client Demand Pyramid 

Many marketing resources will tell you to focus on your target market and zero in on their needs but this isn’t necessarily the best technique for architectural services. 

At any given time, only a very small percentage of your target audience is ready to hire a specialist immediately. Instead of creating content for them, target the “information gathering group” instead. These individuals are at the early stages of the marketing funnel. 

By using content marketing, you can position yourself as a thought leader in your niche and build trust, allowing them to move to the end of the sales funnel. Use the client demand pyramid to nudge them along and address their needs at various stages. 

2. Harness the Power of Social Media 

Seventy-seven percent of architects use social media for professional purposes. On average, they spend 1 out of every 6 minutes on their professional profiles. It’s a great tool that can help you engage with your community, build your brand, promote projects, and collaborate with other professionals.

So, if you’re looking for a cost-effective way to market your creativity and listen to what people have to say about your services, get those social media profiles set up. 

Some popular platforms to consider are:

• Facebook – helps you reach a larger audience
• Instagram – showcase your work visually and increase your visibility
• LinkedIn –  for connecting with peers and engaging in discussions
• TikTok – for sharing short videos and animations about your projects
• Pinterest – to organize your ideas and get those creative juices flowing

Options abound. But don’t spread yourself too thin as you also have to post content regularly and interact with other users. Focus on one or two platforms to start and choose platforms where you can have meaningful interactions that bring you closer to your goals. 

3. Leverage Email Marketing 

Email marketing has an ROI of $36 for every dollar spent, making it one of the most valuable tools for architects who are looking to grow their clientele and keep in touch with clients. You can keep yourself top of mind and establish yourself as an authoritative expert with engaging, informative articles like:

• How-to guides 
• An inside look at design processes 
• List-based content 
• Trending architectural technology and innovations

Regardless of the topics you select, remember that people receive 100 to 120 emails a day. If you want the recipient to open and read your emails, make sure your content adds value to the reader. At the same time, keep them crisp and easy to digest while limiting the number of emails you send.

4. Improve Your Visibility with SEO

Search engine optimization (SEO) rules. With good SEO, even someone with less experience can rank high on search engines and become visible. Getting to the first page of search engine results pages (SERPs) is a worthy endeavor since only 0.63% of people click on the second page.

So, what can you do to improve your visibility?

Aside from choosing the right keywords in your content, it’s a great idea to make content mobile-responsive, use external links, and diversify your landing pages.

5. Optimize Your Website 

You can get down to business with social media, email, and other text-based marketing methods when you’re online—but a website? That remains functional 24/7.

It’s the ultimate marketing tool which is why top players always use it.

If you want to showcase your work to potential clients, create a mobile-responsive, page-turning website that showcases your portfolio like this one. It should interest and excite visitors and be compelling enough to make them choose your services over your rivals. You can showcase what you offer and sell your ideas, even without advertising. 

Use a call to action and ensure that your site loads quickly. Don’t forget to track your performance metrics to make better decisions about what’s working and what needs improving.

Innovative Techniques for Presenting Projects

The following tools are unique to architects. With dossiers, renders, and 3D virtual tours, you can make your architectural practice shine and become more memorable to potential clients. Let’s explore what they are and how they can help you.

Dossiers 

Buying a home takes a lot of research. People dig into the history of the place, the reputation of the builder, the amenities and transportation in the area, and even reassess their budgets to see if they can afford a listing.

By arming them with a property dossier, you can help them invest with confidence. A dossier is a comprehensive document that provides prospects access to all the relevant information about a property. This often includes floor plans, the square footage of the area, the type of property title, and—of course—top-quality photos. 

The only drawback?

It doesn’t enable immersive viewing. But you can make up for it with creative visualization materials like renders and virtual tours. 

Renders

This has to be one of our favorite technologies. 3D renders are photorealistic images or videos that bring a property to life. They’re a serious upgrade from 2D models as users can easily appreciate the space, layout, and design. Anyone can use them. 

If they’re professionally done, they can appeal to your clients and show them your design’s special features. From big overarching design benefits to the smallest detail, you can communicate all elements of design through renders. 

Plus, renders are easy to share on websites and social media channels. They enable quick edits and extreme customizations while helping you build an attention-grabbing portfolio. 

Because of its many advantages, the visualization and 3D rendering market is expected to be worth US$ 7.43 billion in 2028.

3D Virtual Tours 

Virtual tours are the future of architectural design. They can also ensure your future in this dynamic industry. If you want to establish yourself as a forward-thinking professional, use virtual reality technology to create interactive and immersive models that allow users to explore and interact with the space as if they were there. This gives them a better understanding of the proposed design. Hence, they’re guaranteed to set you apart from the masses. 

Why You Need Digital Media To Stand Out

The human brain processes images 60,000 times faster than text since it doesn’t have to decode information for it to make sense. If you want to showcase your expertise and experience while conveying architectural details, illustrate your mind-boggling ideas and videos with eye-catching, life-like images, videos, and animations. 

When you consider that 97% of people use the internet to look for homes while 83% prefer to see pictures of properties online, digital media is a must. 

Here’s an example to illustrate this point. Let’s say you’re designing a Mediterranean-style home. To appeal to potential homeowners who are looking for a quieter and more laid-back lifestyle, you can sell them on the details. Show off those ornate arches and red clay tiles with their old-world charm. Demonstrate the beauty of stucco finishes as they reflect the sunlight. For good measure, you could even throw in some wrought iron accents.

In a nutshell, you’re showing your audience your competencies instead of telling them which is always more compelling.

The Future of Digital Media and Marketing

As we step into the future, what innovative trends can we expect in the next few years?

Augmented Reality

Augmented reality (AR) combines the real world with the digital. Like fully simulated environments, it encourages interaction and engagement. AR in architecture can be used in marketing.

Building Information Modeling

Building information modeling or BIM refers to a workflow. It entails the creation of models to plan, design, construct, and manage buildings and infrastructure. It can arm workforces with essential information that can help them identify issues and avoid construction hazards while ensuring that timelines are met.

Fortify Your Online Presence With Plus Render 

Plus Render is a 3D visualization studio that can help you create renders and virtual tours. Our expert team employs artists and technical experts who produce realistic, immersive, and engaging environments that amplify your online presence. 

Whether you specialize in industrial, commercial, or residential designs, we can help you showcase your work and expertise. Employ effective marketing for architects by booking a call with Plus Render today.