Advice on how to win more clients

If you’re an architect looking for ideas to help market your business in a more constructive way, read my top 10 tips below.

• Get links from complementary businesses

Getting incoming links from other relevant industry websites can have a two-fold benefit; you will get increased levels of traffic to your website and these links will help improve your search engine rankings.

• Create an online portfolio

As the saying goes “a picture paints a thousand words” and when people visit an architect’s website they will expect to see a portfolio of their previous projects. When creating your online portfolio make sure it looks professional as poor quality photographs will do you more harm than good. If for example you’ve designed a stunning new house, you should take panoramic shots of the building as well as any landscaping and driveways you’ve worked on too.

• Check what your competitors are doing online

We’re not suggesting you spend all your time analysing competitor websites but it’s a good idea to have a look maybe once a month online to see what strategies other architects in your area are employing. For example one of your rivals may have started a pay per click campaign or moved onto the first page of Google for a particular keyword you’re also targeting.

• Take a long term online marketing strategy

If you’ve just launched a website for your business and want people to notice you, then pay per click advertising is a good idea to generate instant awareness. However, you should run this in conjunction with a search engine optimisation campaign which will bring you a better return on your investment over the longer term.

• Always ask how customers found you

If you have a contact form on your website it’s a good idea to have a drop-down box asking how people found you i.e. via Google, word of mouth, magazine advert etc. You should also ask people who enquire over the phone where they found your details as not everyone who found you online will send an email or complete your contact form.

• Get published on industry websites

Approaching architecture industry websites to ask if they need a regular contributor is a good idea and will bring you more visitors to your website as well as credibility and maybe even a high value backlink to your website.

• Add an “Ask the Architect” section to your website

If people can interact with you via your website they’re much more likely to remember you, especially if you were able to help them out with free advice. Having an “Ask the Architect” section on your website can help bring in more visitors and let you demonstrate your professional expertise.

• Get yourself on LinkedIn

Filling out a professional profile on LinkedIn for your business and the individuals within it can be a great way to network online, join groups with like-minded architects and generate enquiries and new business.

• Exploit opportunities in the local press

If you’re working on an unusual project or have formed an alliance with another local business it’s always worthwhile contacting the local press to see if they’re interested in covering your news. Depending on the publication you may also get your story featured online as well as the local paper.

• Keep your branding consistent

Keeping your branding consistent is another way to market yourself properly as an architect. Your website, email newsletters, business stationery, company vehicles etc should all have consistent and recognisable branding so that people can easily identify your business whenever they see any of your marketing materials.

This entry was posted on Thursday, January 27th, 2011 at 8:30 am and is filed under Industry Specific Tips. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.