As an architect, how do you market the services mentioned on your website?
If you have been following me for a while, you already know that I am all about having a clear offer on your website.
Now, the most frequently asked question I get is how to market that offer.
The answer depends on the type of offer, and whom you are targeting.
Let’s break it down.
How to come up with the right offer
If you are an architect who fits in the most stereotypical description, you are probably getting most of your business through referrals and you are taking pretty much any offers that come in.
However, through years of experience, you figured out that you shine in one or two particular things and you also enjoy them the most.
So you want to do more of those!
Now you are wondering if there is a way to attract more clients who want those particular things instead of a bunch of clients who want all sorts of different things.
This is where it is essential to test and figure out offer-market fit, especially, if your service offer is location-dependent.
Are there enough people potentially wanting your particular service in that particular area?
If not, what would be the alternative? Would you be willing to serve a larger area (and potentially travel), or would you want to find a twist on your offer so that it becomes location-independent?
You have to figure out answers to those questions and a lot of it is just trial and error.
How to market your offer
Back to the main question: How do you market the offer?
Marketing your offer means putting it in front of as many eyeballs as possible.
There are 4 main strategies to get started (Hormozi takes credit).
#1: 1 to 1 warm outreach
#2: 1 to 1 cold outreach
#3: Post free content
#4: run paid ads.
1 to 1 warm outreach
#1 basically means that you would reach out to your existing network – including your former (or existing) clients, and former colleagues and let them know that this is a new service you are offering now and ask, would not they know JUST one person who might need help with this.
You can also reach out to a lost lead, or ask your favorite client for a referral. Especially, if the work you did for them is exactly what your offer is all about now!
1 to 1 cold outreach
#2 is all about personally reaching out to people who don’t know you yet.
In the case of an architect, this mainly means either reaching out to other service providers (HVAC, Structural engineers…) who serve your ideal clients,
OR reach out to other architecture firms who might not take some of the leads coming their way. I think it’s also fair to offer them a referral % if you end up getting a client from them!
1 to many warm outreach: free content!
#3 free content! this is where a lot of you get confused. You think that you share pretty pictures and nice renders and that’s the free content.
Well, no.
You actually need to be planting goodwill seeds by being extremely helpful upfront to your clients.
Share your experience, and tips, and make it a habit to solve one particular problem with each post. Be specific.
1 to many cold outreach: paid ads
#4 Paid ads: they work the best when paired with free high-quality organic content. Why?
Because if you run ads, the person seeing your ad will come and check out your profile. You need to make sure that it keeps up with their expectations.
All good, but where exactly does a professionally designed website fit in the picture?
All those above-mentioned strategies will help you get more leads.
Converting leads to paying customers
Having lots of leads is essential but they still need to be converted into paying customers.
This can happen only in two ways (as far as I have seen): through a conversation or a landing page.
In both cases, the point is to answer all potential clients’ questions and see if your offer is a great fit for their needs.
While conversations (call or in-person) are the most effective, a strategically designed landing page can do a lot of heavy lifting for you and in many cases, will help you filter out leads who are not a great fit before wasting time on pointless back-and-forth conversations.
If you want me to help you design a strategic landing page to help leads gain clarity about your offer and eventually become customers, fill in the contact form and I’ll get back to you within 2 days!
