We finished this render a while ago, but never posted this. We did a total of 6 renders on this. The Architect was Amara Associates, LLC in West Hartford CT.
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How the marketing of an architectural firm differs from other professional services and the role of social media.
By Kelly Steckel
In 1972, restrictions were lifted on an architectural firm’s ability to market their services. To this day there still exists a limited amount of literature on the topic despite it being an essential need of an organization to generate business. One possible reason for this is that an architectural firm isn’t just providing a service like engineering or construction management, but a form of art – one that has the ability to transform our world and shape or re-shape the way we live. Walter Gropius once said, “Architecture begins where engineering ends”. I believe what he meant by that statement is similar to what David Koren was referring to in his book entitled “Architect’s Essentials of Marketing,” which he wrote in 2005 for the AIA. In it, he commented that though engineering and construction management are very closely related, that in marketing architecture “there is an opportunity to inspire and engage clients on a far deeper level than in engineering or construction or accounting or law” due to an architect’s artistic ability to compliment a client’s personal vision and inspire. Isn’t that now possible through social media?
Today we are swimming in the sea of Web 2.0 technologies, namely social media, which is comprised of wikis, widgets, blogs, micro blogs, chat, video sharing, and social networking, to name a few. McKinsey Quarterly has been conducting a study over the past four years to determine “How businesses are using Web 2.0: A McKinsey Global Survey” http://www.mckinseyquarterly.com/How_businesses_are_using_Web_20_A_McKinsey_Global_Survey_1913. Amongst a response group of approximately 1,700 executives of various industries, regions and functional areas, companies reported a steady increase in their adoption of Web 2.0 based applications to interact with their customers: 45% (2007), 49% (2008), 52% (2009) and 63% (2010).
The studies also revealed that blogs and social networks were responsible for a strengthened link between the companies and their customers, having doubled in usage. These technologies were found to provide not only an economical method of connecting to customers due to the fact that most are more or less free, but also enable a company to target and tailor their searches to specific customer groups, customizing their messages to that audience. The result of those said initiatives allow companies to strengthen the relationship they have with their customers and therefore develop a deeper understanding of the needs and wants of their target market.
Robert A.M. Stern was once quoted saying that “the dialogue between client and architect is about as intimate as any conversation you can have, because when you’re talking about building a house, you’re talking about dreams”. The correlation here is that whilst an architect can be categorized as an artist or a visionary, an architectural firm is a business which has historically acquired projects/clients based on the personal relationships that they have established with their clients, the dialogue that has been generated and the trust that has been built along the way. Social media technologies such as blogs and social networks have been revealed as being responsible for strengthening these very types of relationships due to the two-way dialog they allow for. If the point is for an architectural firm to engage clients at a deeper level, and social media can allow for this dialog to potentially form into a relationship, then it can be argued that architectural firms could certainly benefit from the use of social media marketing.
It goes without saying that the social media marketing strategy for an architectural firm should differ from B2C, B2B, and other professional services including engineering and construction management companies. It should allow for that vision and artist value to be communicated. By no means am I suggesting that this is an easy task. But in today’s marketing evolution, which is filled with a multitude of platforms available to engage your clients, both present and future, one cannot afford to be passive or silent. Architectural services may be different, but like all other businesses, can benefit from social media. What will determine success is how they do it, how it’s integrated into their overall marketing strategy and how its effectiveness is measured. This, and the value of each platform will commence in following blogs.
I made a quick video to show you how to customize your LinkedIn “company website” links. When you have more than 1 “company website” it can be confusing to your audience trying to view the different websites under your profile. Even if you only have 1 link, a custom link looks nicer.
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I thought you would be interested in the before and after. Let us know what you think!
Here are a few steps you should follow if your a business on Facebook
Optimize Your Landing Page
– We can set up a customized landing page to appear when someone lands on your page for
the first time. This is a great way to showcase specific products or services. We can set up
branding, email newsletter opt-ins, as well as links to your website.
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Fill Your Page With Valuable Content
– Pictures, Videos and wall comments are extremely valuable to a visitor on your Facebook
Wall. We’ll upload this type of content and get the page ready to begin receiving traffic.
Share the Page with Your Friends
– Whether you’ve got 5 friends or 500 friends on Facebook, the first place to start is by asking your own Facebook friends to “Like” your new business page.
Ask Close Friends to “Share” Your Page
– Ask some of your friends on Facebook that you feel would be willing to become a “minimarketer” for you to go to your page and click the “Share” link at the bottom of the left-hand side informational column on your page.
Run a Facebook Ad
– Facebook Ad’s can be very effective. We can pinpoint a demographic for you and begin
running ads asking people to “Like” your Facebook page. You’ll be surprised with millions of impressions while your Facebook page grows.
Push Content on a Weekly Basis
– The next step is to consistently feed new content to your page that people who have “Liked” your page will want to read, and even share. Getting people to “post” something on your wall, or “comment” on a picture or video is extremely valuable. When someone does something like this it instantly notifies all of their “friends” on facebook taking the process “viral”. It’s a great way to reach a large audience.
Promote Your Page Inside Your Business
– We can design signs, window clings and bag stuffers for you to display in your office or
business promoting your Facebook page to your clients and customers.
Display the Facebook Logo on EVERYTHING
– Email Signatures, your website, marketing collateral, advertising; EVERYTHING should display a Facebook logo to let people know you are on Facebook.
The Triple A Game of Successful Online Networking
The Triple A Game of Successful Online Networking
Active | Attractive | Alert
Active | Attractive | Alert
A recent article by this author about LinkedIn was first published as an email newsletter, then a blog post, a LinkedIn update with synced Tweet and finally a feature column in the statewide business newspaper of record. It raised a few eyebrows with the lead sentence: “If you’re in business and have decided to forego using LinkedIn, you might want to consider retirement soon.”
LinkedIn absolutely rules online business networking and it keeps getting better. The platform has slowly and steadily grown and added rich publishing features, apps, sophisticated connecting tools and lately its own value content. The communities of business focused user Groups have exploded over the last couple of years. Eclipsing 100 million active users in March of this year, it’s no wonder LinkedIn scorched the New York Stock Exchange with its IPO on May 19th. We’ll also touch on Twitter a little in this piece but that will be a topic for another article post.
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I launched my own business, thanks in part to the confidence gleaned from my LinkedIn network. And, my last job search a couple years ago required no traditional resume. My LinkedIn profile was all the potential employers needed and I’m certain it was a key factor in delivering 3 job offers out of 3 companies considered. Finding a job, connecting with trusted clients, vendors and business partners; these are some of the valuable gifts waiting for you on this colleague-connecting powerhouse.
So let’s look at the title-mentioned triple A’s of how to network successfully online.
Active
Active
First you must build a full and compelling Profile. This is your live resume not only for potential headhunters or employers who may have your dream job waiting, but also for potential clients and new, rich relationships. LinkedIn will prompt you to complete your profile and you should heed the prompts until you reach “100% completeness.” This is your chance to shine so don’t squander it!
Next you must work the network. Join Groups you’re interested in. Participate in the discussions with valuable content. Make new connections – reach out to people and invite them to connect using a personal note. Keep your profile fresh with regular updates – weekly or even daily. You’ve got to devote some time, effort and patience here or it won’t work for you.
Attractive
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Attractive
My crusade to convince everyone to include a picture on their LinkedIn profile won’t cease until we get to 99% compliance. Not having a profile picture is akin to vacating your seat at the conference room table or going to a networking event with a bag over your head. Here’s a fact: Behavioral science has proven that the human face is the most arresting image to the human eye. Without a picture, important eyes will scan right past your profile and may not even notice you in group lists. This is not about being a model; it’s about being a real person, that’s all.
Being attractive on LinkedIn is about showing how good you are at what you do and how much useful knowledge you have to offer your connections. Use LinkedIn apps like SlideShare, Box or Blog Link to share content-rich links and files including video. Keep that content fresh and dynamic. Stay on your value propositions and quality people will be attracted to doing business with you. Tie the Tweets by LinkedIn app to your account if you’re on Twitter and tweet selected LinkedIn updates – there’s even a built in URL shortener.
Alert
Alert
Here’s where you get proactive in studying what’s going on in your networking media. Twitter and LinkedIn combined are a treasure trove of news you can use as long as you filter who you follow based on your interests and business category. Pay attention daily to your Twitter feed and LinkedIn updates for what’s going on in your business networks. I’ve gained two clients in the last few weeks on LinkedIn just by paying attention, reaching out and responding in a timely fashion.
I recently followed some bread crumbs to a new client by seeing a competitor’s tweet while scanning my Twitter feed. He bragged about his category experience in a public reply (mistake) to a tweeted announcement made by a regional hospital. I was able to discern who the social media manager was, called him and he gladly put me in touch with the Marketing Director. My company and I were able to pitch and win some business while my competitor seemingly forgot all about it.
These are just a few examples of how business development is effectively and efficiently achieved using free online social/business networking tools. I hesitate to use the term “social media” to describe LinkedIn because, while there’s a social component involved, it isn’t about putting up playful posts about your backyard barbeque or afternoon at the ballpark. It’s about connecting for business. That said, business is people and finding the way to their hearts and minds is the key to success. An active, attractive and alert approach will help you gain more traction in this powerful communication space.
An active, attractive and alert approach
Here is a render we just finished for Structure Tech, Inc in Mansfield Mass. Tom told us today that he is “so pleased with your renders because everyone I run into that sees these images wants more information on the property. Having a high quality render makes it so easy to sell the job.”
We are planning on creating a step by step walk though on how we created this image. So check back soon!
See for yourself. Here is the render
We just received this today and I couldn’t be more pleased.
“It gives me great please to express my gratitude to Pixate for a job well done. In less than 24 hours they took our scheme and generated the first model and in a matter of 3 days the full rendered model was complete. It is worth noting that even though their office is located in another state, it felt as if they had an office locally. I was able to reach John on a dimes notice to discuss modifications through the process, and they worked tirelessly to get the job done.”
‐ Thompson|Edwards Architects, in collaboration with
Lawrence Chisholm & Associates
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