How do you begin with promotions? This is the first question that strikes anybody who is looking to grow their businesses.
From offline meets to online presence, several fields need to be touched upon for successful promotion. You have LinkedIn, Facebook, Pinterest, and Instagram, to name a few forums which are buzzing with businesses trying to make their place. A good website and ample networking are also essential.
But you will have to know how to use these forums and the approaches to be taken to build your online and offline presence. This will require some amount of strategic thinking, and we are here to help you out with just that.
So, grab a cup of coffee and dive in!
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Tips To Promote Architectural Design Businesses
We have listed down the top tips that you will need to follow while promoting and networking. Read on to know all about them.
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Deciding The Target Audience
When you are trying to promote architectural design businesses, you should know that deciding the target audience is key. Your audience will be limited considering that the clientele base is specific, and hence it could be a challenging affair. But it is the first goal to begin with for any brand.
So, you need to decide on what exactly you are offering to clients and what the niche is. Once you are confident about it, it is time to look for the audience and target them specifically during a promotion.
A good example would be if you are focused on the corporate sector and design office spaces, your target group will be emerging businesses and larger brands looking to relocate. On the other hand, if you are in the luxury sector and design dream homes for clients, your focus will be higher income groups.
Once you are sure about your niche, it is time to step into their shoes. See how the audience operates and which firm they would want to hire. Also, do in-depth research about your competitors and their moves. They could inspire you with some new ideas.
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Taking Over Social Media
Today, if you plan to be a successful business, it is essential that you make a mark on social media. This might not help a lot in lead generation, and we will agree to that, but it will help build brand recall and help maintain credibility and an online presence.
Since you are dealing with visual art, Pinterest and Instagram are going to be the perfect places to begin. Use content, images, and designs that people will find attractive, and make sure that you post consistently. You can also share design videos on Youtube. Whatever be the content, make sure that it is interesting.
The key to becoming popular on social media is to post regularly, and you can talk about exciting developments in the sector and newer technologies that are coming up. Keep your target audience in mind while you are deciding the content as it needs to be directed towards this group.
You can also get in touch with relevant influencers and other businesses to collaborate, and this increases your social media presence further. Get in touch with older clients and share stories of your work with them. That could also be part of interesting content.
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Designing Your Website
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A good website can take your business a long way. Today, with the digital world-dominating over all spheres, your digital presence has to be spick and span. This includes social media as well as an excellent website.
Since it is an architectural firm, you need to have a well-structured website with sample images of previous work and digital 2D and 3D renderings of how you visualize projects. This has to be geared towards your potential clients and has to be able to appeal to them.
Ensure that the website is a reflection of everything that you have to offer. There has to be a good balance between excellent pieces of work and information provided that your audience will need to know.
Also, make sure to use good SEO (Search Engine Optimization) so that you remain present and visible to your target audience. You can do this yourself, or ask a consultant to help out.
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Getting Specialists On Board
Every firm in this specific field needs to work with specialists and contractors to ensure that projects run smoothly. There are specific areas and materials that might be needed, and the firm may not have specialists in the house.
In such a case, it is best to hire one who will help you out. For example, if your project requires using cutting edge sliding windows installed, you will need to contact a glazing specialist. This person will help in installing and choosing the right item needed.
Here, you are not only helping clients get their dream spaces, but you are collaborating with other businesses. This will help you grow in the long run and will build connections. You can also end up partnering with one of the other firms, and that is going to be a great achievement for your business. Also, this is an excellent way to widen your client base and reach out to more people.
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Networking
Networking is essential for all kinds of businesses and is a must for architectural firms too. It would be best if you built your social presence online and offline. LinkedIn is a good place to begin where you can connect with people and businesses around the globe. The interaction will lead to newer opportunities and partnerships which could pay dividends in the long run.
There are other ways to build your network too. For instance, you can create a mailing list and send a newsletter every week or month. This helps in brand recall as well as keeps you in touch with clients or potential ones.
Coming to offline networking, you can get in touch with people belonging to the same industry through trade fairs, events, conferences, and social meetups. When you are visiting such an event, do not try to promote your brand upfront. Instead, focus on trying to build a good connection with people you know can help out in the future.
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Innovations
An architectural firm can reach great heights if they are able to fill a gap. It is important to recognize where the gap lies in the market and then fill it up with new innovations. This is going to be the key to success. You can partner with academic institutions and begin research to create newer and more advanced, cutting-edge technologies.
Remember, you will have to be pushing boundaries in order to grow. Innovations will help you capitalize and earn more profits for the company. This is also going to be a great way to promote your business.
You will have to be very active and seek out all the opportunities that could promote growth and put you up on various platforms. A cutting edge innovation from your brand could be the highlight of the next top architecture magazine if you do it right. And that would mean a lot of promotion that you are not paying for directly.
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Press And Media Coverage
Becoming the talk of the town is not going to be an easy process, but you can aim to work on it from day 1. Get in touch with local newspapers, local and national magazines, and digital forums. It is best to reach out to relevant websites and digital news channels that focus on designs and architecture. Developing a good relationship with these forums will provide you a lot of leverage.
If you are working on an interesting project which involves cutting-edge new technologies, then it is time to let the world know about it. Tell the newspapers and magazines about any interesting work that you are doing, and they will be willing to put it up in their papers.
Publication houses and reporters usually favor those companies which set up press releases and events where the media is invited to. This makes their jobs easier, and you build connections too. So, invest in interesting events where you discuss these projects and maybe show people glimpses of new designs. Get an event agency to tag up with you and help you out in the process.
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Advertise Your Work
Being in the architecture field, you have a significant advantage over other industries. There is a lot of excellent past work to show, which could easily become your connection for advertising. Get in touch with your top clients and get permission regarding sharing the work that you did with them.
Then use this to capitalize and promote your brand. This will work out very well, mainly if you specialize in corporate buildings and spaces. These are significant structures out there that people from different walks of life are viewing. You could have someone providing business cards in the reception. That way, anybody who enters the building will know that it has been made by your company.
You could also use a signature on luxury properties that are out there to be sold. Your signature will be viewed by umpteen number of people and might provide you with new clients and leads in a short time.
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Building Public Presence
One of the best ways to build a public presence is by speaking at different events. When you are attending conferences and events offline, try to be one of the speakers. You can talk about any new developments in the area, advancements in technology, a specific niche, or about your experience in the industry so far.
Whatever be the topic, when you go up and represent a brand on the stage along with its successes, you are letting everybody in the audience know about it. A future client or a connection can be sitting there listening to you and may offer you a project right after.
Potential clients or business leads will appreciate you talking about your brand and discussing the new prospects of development in this sector. They are looking for newer innovations, and if you can promise them state of the art technologies, there are more chances that they would approach you soon.
If you are not a very good speaker, appoint one, or get someone from your staff to talk. They should be talented in the art of public speaking and should be able to engross the audience with their words.
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Involve Your Employees
Leading on from the previous point, employees are a part of your team and your brand. Involving them may actually lead your business to grow manifold in a short time. They may be able to help you out with promoting the brand and associated tasks.
Now, continuous promotion is essential for brand building, and you cannot be inconsistent with it. Imagine if you, along with the entire team, start doing it. You could be reaching out to a lot of people this way.
This will also help in building team spirit and loyalty among your team members. Train your staff members to be ambassadors of the company, and they should be able to speak on behalf of it. Use their special talents to grow your business further. If someone is very good at social media or can paint well, you can use their knowledge to leverage your business further.
But remember to not be overbearing while at it. Conduct team meetings and keep them up to date with anything new that is happening. Factor in all the new developments and clients that you have got so that they can talk about it with their peers outside the office. When your employees are discussing the successes of the firm with others in similar businesses, it will only help grow yours further.
Final Words
So, we are finally at the end of our discussion, and we know it can be a lot of information to take in. Give yourself a little break, and if needed, note down the points for future reference. A company does not grow in a day, but your positive efforts will help in the process.
Begin with press release distribution and organize events as soon as you can. This will get the wheels rolling, and the process started. You can start with your past projects and then go on to newer ideas with time.
We would stress on consistency as that is what will help promote your company the most. Keep working towards your goal, and you should be on the right track. With this, we will take our leave. Let us know if you have any further doubts in the comment section below.
Until next time!
