Share what you know with millions of people
Focus is the best place to turn what you know into remarkable content
0
Where should Service oriented businesses focus marketing efforts?
It is hard to decide between Social Media (Twitter, Facebook, etc), Hard Media (magazines, newspapers), mass E-mailings, or promotional cards to groups of people. Or all of the above.
Specifically Architectural Design as a service is challenging to market. Obviously it begins with getting your name distributed, but what is the best strategy for a small firm?
Events
- Dos and Don'ts of Small Business Marketing May 29 @ 11 am PT
- Lead Nurturing 202: The Next Generation May 31 @ 11 am PT
- The Tricks to Paid Media June 6 @ 11 am PT
- Display Advertising for Brand Awareness June 20 @ 11 am PT
3 Answers
David
I'd strongly recommend focusing your energies on continuing to build your marketplace authority. Service based firms (especially arch. design firms) tend to be pigeon holed by consumers. The typical buyer will look at your and your competitors and have a hard time distinguishing one from the other (until they sit down with you or see your portfolio).
But what is it going to take to get them to even sit down or take a look at you?
Authority. You must be perceived as an authority in your area.
A few quick tips:
1) Online - Post rich content on your website and/or blog and keep it fresh. Set a goal to have a minimum of 500 content-rich articles in your area of expertise sitting on your site within 3 years. The search engines know that online searchers want information first, so they will move relevant, content-rich sites higher up in search results. The search engines are a form of "authority" for you. Consider talking with an SEO expert if needed. I'd be glad to point you to a couple of vetted ones if need be.
As it relates to social media, don't use it as a promotional tool but as a way to distribute and announce your latest content. Also, use social media to share relevant content from your marketplace (important news/developments) with your friends and followers. Over time, they will begin to see you as a "clearinghouse" of authoritative content in the area of Arch. Design.
2) Offline - Hard media only works effectively when tied to editorial content. So spend any ad dollars you have set aside with a media outlet that is willing to give you editorial coverage as an add on for your investment. That adds authority to your brand as readers/viewers are exposed to the editorial article plus your strategically placed ad.
Direct mail has a role in every marketing plan assuming that you have a targeted list to promote to. Always test small, get a consistent result and then look to roll out on a larger scale.
Gigs - Going along with the concept of building authority, find ways to get yourself out in the marketplace speaking more (I'm sure you're already doing some). Anytime you speak, have it captured on video and post samples of it on youtube. Then announce it on your website (and through twitter, fb etc). The more the marketplace sees you as an authority, the more the phone will ring and the higher the barrier to entry for your competitors.
Hope that helps.
Joe...
Focus on a particular market niche and use all the methods you have mentioned in a very targeted strategy relative to your available time and money resources. Pick an area where you have proven results or expertise.
You are better off devoting all your resources marketing to a particular narrowly audience. By being focused you can accomplish enough impressions to achieve results.
If you blow your budget making just one or two impressions to a larger audience your time and money will be wasted.
I have to disagree with you, Peter!
A market niche for an architect is a dead-end. The more diverse his projects are, the more his solutions will be more creative. As a mater of fact, all major architectural firms have very diversified portfolios with many works, small or large as well. What is more important, the large architectural firms are companies built mostly by one man. Just having more and more projects made them grow.
I agree with Joe regarding his "authority" approach. If the Internet is the media, then the information is the one that makes the difference. I have to be circumspect regarding the 500 articles anyway. This means it would be about 2 daily and I see a very small probability to produce valuable articles for the potential clients.
Let's be realistic about: a potential client will read just a few of your articles and it is not important how many articles is he going to read, but what the effect of those article would be. To get a killer effect you must reveal an amazing information about his needs. 2 daily? I don't think so!
Answer This Question