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If an Architectural practice is a business, lead generation should be an important concern and an integral part of the business strategy. How do you generate interest in others about what you are offering? How do you get Leads as an Architect?
Almost every business functions around the process of Lead Generation, Discovery, Lead Qualification, and Conversion. In a recent article, we talked about understanding architectural practice as a business; and a significant part of the journey is getting business, through leads. But how do we do that when our ?offer? is a service and an extremely personal one at that?
Like my other topics, I sincerely feel the need for more conversations around architect lead generation tips as well. The following is a non-exhaustive list of learnings gained through working in an architectural startup over the last couple of years, to which I hope you will share your views!
1. Realise Your ‘USP’
The first step to approaching the public is understanding what you have to offer. Architecture and Design is an extremely specific, personalised service that usually provides bespoke solutions to individuals. Despite that, the process or approach of an architect or designer often has part of their personality imbibed into it, a common link or language that ties the outputs together.
More often than not, this common link in an architect?s design is something unique, making the outcome distinct from others. As an architect, realise what differentiates your services from others? maybe it is your knack for materials, your approach to understanding the client requirements, your spatial design skills, or perhaps a strong visual language. A good differentiator plays a key role in explaining your value to the client.
2. Understand Your Audience: Advertise, But Also Engage
Actively documenting and talking about your work on your website and social media is a mammoth task in itself. And yet, simply putting it out there is not enough. You need to engage with your audience as much as possible.
Architecture is about understanding the requirements of people and creating something that suits them, and to do that one requires a good understanding of people. Posting your work on social media is necessary for them to know about you, but you also need to know more about the people who are interested or intrigued by your work.
One of the good marketing strategies for architects is to ask for and encourage reviews and comments on your work, and respond to the ones you get thus creating a conversation around it. Never forget people?s views are not absolute, but individual perspectives you can choose to adhere to or ignore.
3. Target Audience Outside Architecture
As architects, we are often surrounded by a large gathering of fellow architects and designers, so much so that we even forget how the ?other half? lives. As a result, our way of expression and language is often enriched with architectural jargon which also reflects when we talk about our work.
Be conscious of the way you present your work, and to whom. Talking about architectural design in a room full of architects is easy, try achieving the same fate in your society community hall.
Remember? it is unlikely that your next client is going to be an architect.
Practice simplifying your descriptions and captions, and engage with people to refine them as per their understanding. In this journey, you are more likely to find ways to attract architecture clients. Even check with your visual depictions? is the message clear? Is the observer able to understand all important aspects of your design through it?
4. Critics, Feedback and Testimonials
That brings us to another integral aspect of understanding your work better as well as getting more opportunities? feedback and testimonials. There is nothing stronger to gain trust in a service than the word of someone who has utilised that service.
It may be a small interaction or an entire design-and-build project, encourage your audience or client to share their experience about it. You can use that feedback as testimonials (with the client/contact?s consent, of course) and referrals, and learn and improve your service based on it.
From ‘Design Lead’ to Generating Leads
If running an architectural practice is a service business, lead generation should be on top of your list of ?architect business development ideas?. And yet, for some reason, Architects refuse to prioritise talking about their work or actively look for potential clients.
The existing projects are important, of course, but equally important is to ensure a continuous revenue stream for your architectural practice. Good lead-generation practices will ensure that even if not many people avail of your service, they are at least aware of it. As a collective, these efforts will also contribute to creating awareness around the value and benefits of architecture as a service, an aspect lacking in the minds of today?s society.
What do you think? What are other ways we can ensure finding clients for architecture projects while working on one?