Professional categories must use specific tools to speak to the target audience. Let’s see which are the best performing ones for promotion, in the context of digital marketing for architects.
Acquiring customers, emerging in their own sector, is vital for professional firms, which to do so must follow precise ethical and non-ethical rules . Furthermore, every professional acts in an area that requires diversified promotion strategies . These are the premises to keep in mind to identify the best practices of digital marketing for architects and architectural firms.
Marketing for architects: the keywords
Knowing the context in which we operate is fundamental for the success of the investment of a digital marketing plan . The boundaries between success and failure are blurred and the stakes that delimit them, in this case, are:
Deontology : since 2012, Italian architects have been able to promote themselves without infringing the ethical rules and in particular article 36, which specifies that ” information advertising is allowed by any means […]”. Provided that such advertising is functional to the object, truthful and correct, is not equivocal, deceptive or derogatory and does not violate professional secrecy.
Specialization : standing out and making a name for yourself means, above all, identifying a market niche. A specialized qualification is a business card that must be shown when intercepting a selected audience . If you are a landscape architect, trying to communicate with those looking for an interior architect is a waste of time for you and your contact. Conversely speaking with competence of your sector, will have an important attraction for the potential client who is looking for the ” best architect to renovate the house “, or ” architect advice to design the garden ” and not ” the best architect in the world “. Here is a case in which the “ less is more”Works perfectly!
Integrated communication : learning to use the different digital tools is also decisive for the success of the marketing plan for architects. The personal or studio blog, for example, serves not only to make the professional philosophy known, but also to inform interested customers about new trends, regulatory updates, guides and practical advice etc. Facebook and Instagram, on the other hand, allow branding, attracting the public to their services with a one-to-one communication.
Marketing for architects: how to make it work?
After understanding the key concepts that distinguish the marketing plan for a professional studio from that for a company, it’s time to try your hand at practice. If four tips on how to do it seem few to you, you will find that to implement them correctly you will need time and advice / collaboration from other professionals.
1.Optimize your blog with SEO : you can have the most sought-after specialization of the moment and offer the best content in the sector on the site, but if users do not find you, it will be completely useless for your business. By identifying the keywords to index the contents of the site, you will increase the chances that users interested in that topic will find them on the organic results page of Google, or another search engine.
2.Use social for architects : Facebook for the age group of users (over 30 years) and Instagram (for medium type published, photos) are on paper the two social networks to present in a structured way. Such as? By publishing regularly and following a precise editorial plan, which reflects the professional philosophy and at the same time gives the possibility to measure the engagement rate, to select the successful posts that can act as a ‘flywheel’ to a possible paid promotion with ads .
3.Take care of the contents : content marketing serves to stand out for quality and professionalism. On the web, people are very often looking for a solution to their problems, or ideas for their needs. If you offer neglected and trivial answers, you will lose all credibility in the eyes of potential customers. On the other hand, if users will value your content – video, audio, photos, practical guides etc. – you will offer them the first valid reason to trust you and to choose you among the competitors , also improving your online reputation.
4.Take advantage of referral marketing for architects : a network of references that works favors the choice of those looking for an authoritatively recommended and positively reviewed service. Here are some valid reasons not to underestimate referral marketing for architects and professionals: it makes the brand grow through the reports of already acquired customers; implements word of mouth that is not casual, but manageable in favor of the business; creates a team of partners useful for customer expansion.