What is architecture marketing, and do you need some in your practice?

Philip Stejskal Architecture’s Marmion Street project won the Marshall Clifton Award for Residential Architecture in 2021, and scored the cover of Green magazine. Photography by Bo Wong.

What do you think of when you hear the words Architecture Marketing?

Does it conjure up visions of used-car sales people and late-night info-mercials where a free set of steak knives is just the start of the slimy spiel?

Or do you think about featuring on the cover of magazines your clients read; winning awards for your projects; and being featured in newspaper articles about the best new sustainable buildings.

(Hint: the projects and architects featured in the images in this blog article are all clients of Sounds Like Design’s marketing courses and consulting services.)

In conversations with architects about how to market their practice and what kinds of messaging and channels they should use to appeal to new customers, I often note a disconnect between the tenets of modern marketing – which is all about building awareness of your product and service, and connecting with your future customers or clients – and what architects perceive as the function of marketing their practice.

So I thought it would be useful to define what I believe Architecture Marketing is – and isn’t – given that I’m providing one-on-one consulting and CPD courses on this topic.

I put together these four pairs of statements as a starting point:

One

Architecture Marketing is all of the activities you undertake and the content that you produce that helps to attract new clients and generate new projects for your architecture business. Ideally, it’s deliberate and intentional to help you bring in more of the enjoyable and profitable work that you like, so that you can continue to have deliver positive impacts for your clients, the community and the planet.

Architecture Marketing is NOT designed to keep your peers and the profession up to date with your latest happenings and musings. It is NOT the architectural equivalent of keeping up with the Joneses.

Two

Philip Stejskal ARchitecture’s McDonald Road House was one of just two houses in The Guardian’s list of the most sustainable homes in 2021.
Photography by Bo Wong.

Architecture Marketing is an essential part of your business plan. It’s closely integrated with the kind of practice you want to run (or work for!) and your overall business strategy and goals.

Architecture Marketing should NOT be random or poorly defined. Because there is no point in you marketing to small-scale, low-budget home renovators who don’t understand the value of good design, if you want to attract high-end homeowners who are prepared to invest in quality over quantity, for example.

Three

The Loft House by Light House Architecture + Science was the second house in The Guardian’s list.
Photography by Ben Wrigley.

Architecture Marketing is focussed on two key outcomes – the first is raising awareness of your practice and the services you offer, the types of clients you serve, and the sectors where you have specific and highly valuable expertise.

Architecture Marketing is NOT about focusing solely on raising awareness of your practice. Some architecture practices concentrate their efforts on building their profile profile and reputation on social media, in publications and through awards, but they have little or focus on the second key outcome of marketing... which is...

Four

Refresh* Design’s Baker Boys Beach House featured on the cover of Green magazine.
Photography by Christopher Frederick Jones.

Architecture Marketing is all about generating new clients and projects, because they are the lifeblood of your practice. In marketing-speak this is called lead generation, and it involves moving people through a deliberate and defined customer journey to transform punters into prospects. prospects into clients, and clients into raving fans of your practice, who will spread the word about how great you are, and why their friends, family and colleagues should also use your services.

Architecture Marketing is NOT about ignoring the power of sales and conversion, because that’s where clients are made. Fantastic brand awareness and a stellar reputation is worth next-to-nothing if your ideal clients don’t see your practice as being approachable and offering a solution to their problems. You’ll remain in the “aspirational” or “out-of-reach” category, and the new projects will flow to your competitors instead.

So what do you think? Are any of these statements news to you? Have I left out any key considerations? Has this blog post changed your view of Architecture Marketing? Drop a comment below…

And if you want to learn how to apply this knowledge in your practice - to start creating a pipeline of new clients and projects that you'll enjoy and profit from - take our CPD Course for architects. Architecture Marketing 360. It's a three week, online CPD Course (worth 6 Formal points) and it’s available as a self-guided online program. You can find out more and enrol here.