Struggling to figure out how to get more architecture projects? In a world of millions who are connected and seeing your competitor’s ads everyday, it seems and increasingly difficult challenge to stand out amongst the crowd. This is just not true, however. The growth of technology over the past couple decades has made it easier than ever to reach your target audience. With hard work and a whole lot of sincerity, it can be pretty simple actually. How, you may ask? I’ll let you in on a secret; learn from your competitors and they will teach you what not to do. Sure, they are professional and capable. Probably even successful. One thing that they lack, however, is a personality. Customers are looking for professionals who are personable. Simply put, they want a real person.
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When looking at your competitor’s website or ad, what do you see? A grey wall of text promising great work? Images of past work to showcase the firm’s ability? These are all things clients searching for a provider want, but what they are really looking for is a face to associate with. It is well known that customer’s hate believing that they are being sold. No one wants to feel as if they are being coerced out of their hard-earned money. Therefore, you must not only think of your business as selling to a client. Instead, go into sales meetings with potential clients with the attitude that you are there to help them get their needs met. That is exactly what clients want, a professional who is on their side; a partner who is committed to helping them. This approach is different than what they will get anywhere else and will earn the confidence and trust of your clients. Once this trust has been established, then, and only then, will they be open to seeing your sales presentation showcasing what you have to offer. It takes rapport to gain someone’s business, and that is exactly what the ideas in this post are geared to gaining.
After customer’s can put a face and name to those they know will be handling their needs, they will know they are in good hands. More importantly, they will know the face behind those hands. The best way to achieve this is to have employees showcase past projects they played a key role in. The benefit of this is two-fold; it reinforces the personable nature of your business, and gives examples of great work at the same time.
I talked about how customers are weary of being sold; this is true and has lead to two competing marketing thoughts: 1) that sales figures and accomplishments should not be made public for customers or potential clients, or 2) that successess should be touted with obnoxious zeal. Balance, of course, is the best answer here. While it is never a good idea to rub money made into other’s faces, customers do want to see that you have had success. This builds their confidence in your company. I know you aren't afraid to broadcast previous triumphs or awards won for other architecture projects you have worked on. Make sure you are also highlighting the reasons for your achievements, the creativity & innovation you brought to the project. Customers look for this; it is a sign of competence and dependability. Architecture firms who rely their past work are not realizing the full potential that is possible. They might be a bit too subtle wth their success, and this will only harm them in the long run. I'll say more about this in the next point.
The thoughts above lose a lot of their impact if clients have never even heard of you. Most of the opportunities for architecture projects will come through your website, or even through another individual or organization's website. Everyone is online these days, and the Internet is the first place they look when making a decision. It is imperative then, that your web presence be solid and up to date. In this day and age, where computers are found in almost every household, it is vital to have a clean and informative home on the web. If your site cannot be easily found or navigated, customers will have doubts about doing business with you and look elsewhere.
The website should communicate the approach we have been trying to achieve, that of a professional and personable company - one that takes its successes seriously. The points I made above can be reiterated here, as well. Blog about current projects you are working on, share great work an employee has done, and ask for feedback. These tactics will all land home the idea that your company is personable and dependable. Customers will sense this, and be more likely to want to do business with you.
As important as it is to a company to use the above practices for the purpose of marketing itself, it is equally important to make others want to get the word out about what you have to offer. Facebook posts, tweets from Twitter, images on Flickr and Pinterest. All of these mediums are shared across the world, bringing new technology and businesses into the public eye. Why not use this same medium for yourself? Customers who had a great experience will want to share that, and recommend you to their friends, families, and colleagues. Be sure to make it easy for them to do so by adding that capability to your site. Clients will be amongst the first to spread word of your excellent service through testimonials and updates throughout the course of the project. They will be excited about the work and share it across the web. Each time they do so, it has the possibility to reach millions. This a huge amount of marketing power.
Another excellent strategy for gaining attention is to have other prominent businesses and blogs do your marketing for you. Be proactive on their sites and join in on relevant discussions. By adding valuable thoughts and ideas to these discussions, you will build a reputation as an expert in your field. This will cause others to want to share your posts, and in doing so bring more good attention to you.
In conclusion, there is one major point that should be taken from this post: it is as important to market yourself as well as the work you provide. The people behind your business are your business. In order to get more architecture projects, it is important to bring yourself and your employees from behind the scenes to the forefront. Potential customers will appreciate this, and you will appreciate the increase in leads and sales you see as a direct result. It all boils down to a simple truth: customers are searching for someone like you, someone who is professional and personable, and continues to be both of those things until the project's end. That is how to get more architecture projects.