How To Communicate the Value of an Architect I speak with or communicate online with small firm architects almost every day. I want to know with what members of our small firm community are struggling, so that we at EntreArchitect might develop resources to help you build a better business. I send an email to every new subscriber at our free weekly newsletter, EntreArchitect Report and ask the question, “With what do you struggle the most?” One of the most popular responses to my inquiry … [Read more...]
Emotional Marketing for Architects: House or Home?
This post is my contribution to an international blog series called #ArchiTalks. Each month, dozens of architect bloggers from around the world publish a post on a specific topic simultaneously on the same date. Scroll to the bottom for links to posts written by all of my #ArchiTalks friends. Emotional Marketing for Architects Our prospective clients learn with their heads, but decide with their hearts. After years of research and gathering information, often when a client chooses to … [Read more...]
4 Simple Marketing Strategies of SALA Architects
Marketing Strategies for Residential Architects This past week, I had the great opportunity to join the co-founder of SALA Architects, Dale Mulfinger, FAIA over at EntreArchitect Podcast. It was a fantastic discussion about how SALA was founded and the journey to where Dale finds himself today as a principal at the firm, a teacher and an author of several books published by Taunton Press. If you haven’t yet listened to the episode, you can subscribe to the podcast at iTunes or listen directly … [Read more...]
Your Story is the Key to Your Success
This is a guest post written by architect Jeff Echols, the founder of echoEngagement, an Indianapolis-based brand storytelling firm. Jeff is s a Storyteller, a Networker; a Connector. He crafts engaging stories for businesses, individuals and organizations around their unique passion, purpose and value. There’s a statistic that gets thrown around from time to time in professional services industries like architecture. It says that 80% of new commissions come from repeat clients and … [Read more...]
How To Become Known as an Architect
It is an often repeated rule that people buy from those whom they “know, like and trust”. That phrase is easy to remember and sounds great as a tweet, but what does that really mean? How do we do that? How might we connect with more people and become better known? How is it possible to be more “likeable”? How do we build real trust with those whom we seek to serve? How To Become Known as an Architect In order to know more people and to have more people know us, we need to … [Read more...]
Establish a Target Market for Success as a Small Firm Architect
Leverage The Power To Say, "No!" When Annmarie and I launched Fivecat Studio more than 15 years ago we had no projects, no clients and no money. We were two young architects seeking the freedom of our own firm. A friend helped start us off with our first project; a new local restaurant named Meetinghouse located in Bedford, New York. Meetinghouse led to other local projects and soon we were in business. I wrote a 3-part blog series a couple years back sharing the full story of how Annmarie … [Read more...]
How To Get Published as a Small Firm Architect
Every architect has a dream of having their work published in books and magazines. For some it’s a right of passage – a testament to hard work and years of focus. For others, its a marketing strategy. Publication is a form of social proof indicating that our designs are worthy of our prospective clients’ attention. The process of having our work published is one of those secrets architects learn with maturity. The puzzle is solved piece by piece until the full picture is visible. There’s no … [Read more...]
How to Use an Email Newsletter to Acquire More Leads for an Architecture Firm
Years before launching EntreArchitect, I published a quarterly newsletter for my own residential architecture firm, Fivecat Studio. Without much effort, I acquired hundreds of subscribers through links on a few social media profiles. The newsletter was part of my marketing plan and every few months I half-heartedly scrambled to send something out. Even without the appropriate focus, we benefited directly with a few new projects and some positive quarterly buzz in the local press. I can only … [Read more...]
21 Rules of Online Marketing for Residential Architects
Each of our prospects come to us with a story in the minds. It's their understanding of who we are as architects and a definition of what we do. That story may have been placed their by friends or family or from experiences as a child. Its likely, at some level, that story was placed there by HGTV. The story of who we are already exists. Marketing is the process of replacing that story, which is often inaccurate or just plain wrong, with your story. As small firm residential architects, the … [Read more...]
5 Fundamentals To Learn Before Launching Your Own Architecture Firm
When Annmarie and I launched Fivecat Studio, we were “young and dumb”. We were optimistic and enthusiastic, but we didn’t know what we didn’t know. We were 29 years old, had a dream of starting our own firm and jumped. I always knew I would own my own firm. I’m a born entrepreneur. What I did not know though, was how hard business would be. Blessed with friends who needed architectural services for their new restaurant, we signed a contract and thought we were on our way. We thought that was … [Read more...]
How To Market Your Residential Architecture Firm
This is a guest post by Enoch Sears from Business of Architecture. Marketing a residential architecture firm is perhaps different than marketing any other kind of professional service or product in the world. It isn't like we're selling the latest widget or a used car. Selling architectural services is all about relationships. And yet residential architects have a challenging situation when finding new clients: we rarely know who may be thinking about remodeling or building a new … [Read more...]
20 Tips To Help Architects Build a Better Newsletter
Years before launching Entrepreneur Architect, I published a quarterly newsletter for my own residential architecture firm, Fivecat Studio. Without much effort, I acquired hundreds of subscribers through links on a few social media profiles. The newsletter was part of my marketing plan and every few months I half-heartedly scrambled to send something out. Even without the appropriate focus, we benefited directly with a few new projects and some positive quarterly buzz in the local press. I … [Read more...]