Read time: 5 minutes
Being active online will get you noticed. Strengthening ties with existing clients – and being seen by new ones – is just the beginning.
A clever social media strategy will help raise your practice profile and position you as an expert in your field. The result? More leads and ultimately more work.
Posting regularly (as little as once a week) on social media doesn’t take a lot of time and can reap benefits for your practice.
Social media can also be deployed to drive traffic to your website — just one way to help your practice get recognised by online search engines, refer Acumen note Website design and best practice.
Page contents:
What type of social media is best for architects?
Prioritise the social media platform your clients and prospective clients use. For example, Instagram works well for architects specialising in the residential market. Here, you’re likely to capture the attention of homeowners/renovators. However, if you’re chasing commercial, education or health projects – you’re more likely to find those project procurers engaging in dialogues on LinkedIn.
Top platforms for architectural practices
The popularity of social media platforms tends to wax and wane. Currently, Instagram and LinkedIn are giving architects good results.
Ideal for architects and designers, Instagram is a dynamic visual platform. Opt to post either high-quality photography stills or video captures via ‘stories’ or ‘reels’. To generate the most traffic from Instagram to your website, use a link application like Linktree. Refer Acumen note Copyright and architectural photography for a guide to publishing photographs of architectural works.
Most people have a personal account on LinkedIn but, for your practice, set up a company page for business development activities. Here, assign an administrator to invite relevant contacts (ie clients, prospects, influencers and industry leaders) to follow your page.
Typically, the more comments/discussion you receive on posts, the more LinkedIn shows your content to users.
Some businesses choose to link their Instagram and Facebook accounts so content can be instantly posted across the two platforms. Facebook can also be a useful tool to help drive more traffic to your website.
YouTube
If you’re confident ‘on camera’ and have someone in-house with good camera skills, you may also like to consider creating and curating your own YouTube channel. To be successful, you’ll need significant time and resources to consistently produce high-quality content that attracts and retains an audience. Alternatively, you may opt for YouTube Shorts, which are similar to Instagram stories. TikTok may also be worth considering as an easy-to-use alternative.
Many consumers use Pinterest to create collections of their favourite things. House design is a popular collection category. The benefit of Pinterest is that it also increases your website ranking on search engines (if you share links to it on Pinterest).
If you’re new to social media, or haven’t posted for a while, focus on just one platform such as Instagram or LinkedIn.
Content
What is your practice known for? If it’s residential alterations and additions, then that is the key content that you should share. Don’t be afraid to include photos of yourself, on site at finished projects. If your client is in the photo with you, even better.
Humanising is not just for projects. It goes a long way to connecting your business to prospective clients. Do you have testimonials from clients? If so, share them on social media and link to your website where prospective clients can read more.
Other content ideas include:
- sketches, 3D models and plans
- before and after images (especially for alterations and additions)
- revisiting a past project
- photos of your favourite local buildings
- close-up shots of stand-out project details
- photos of you at work (on site or in the studio)
- inspirational buildings, journals or books
- ongoing learning (share your findings from research, events or conferences)
- examples of how your practice uses local knowledge and specific skills for the benefit of clients
- inviting staff members to post for a week about their work.
Images/video equipment:
- Drone images/video
- 360° Facebook photo
Optimising content
Test and learn
The benefit of social media is that you can see what works soon after you’ve posted. So, test and learn from what has resonated with your followers. Don’t be influenced by what’s trending online. Instead, highlight your competitive strengths.
Hashtags
Considered use of hashtags can expand your audience significantly. The most important to include are the geographical hashtags (down to the suburb level). Look at what hashtags similar businesses in your area are using. Other hashtags can be related to ideas, styles or particular elements of your designs.
Why is brand important for social media?
Mixed messages confuse people. Keep all your social media messaging on brand. Upload only those words and images that truly reflect your practice values and aesthetic. Ensure your social media team, in-house or externally, is adequately briefed on your brand. Discussions about the language and look of your digital footprint will help maintain consistent messaging. Refer Acumen note Brand creation and implementation.
DO |
DON'T |
Encourage two-way conversations and respond to comments in a timely manner |
Use technical jargon that could alienate or confuse your followers |
Comment on other social media accounts and, where appropriate, share other people’s posts |
Buy followers – genuine connections are the only followers you should seek |
Tag clients, consultants, photographers and ensure you appropriately credit any image that is not your own |
Share confidential or sensitive information
|
Extend your reach by identifying and deploying popular hashtags |
Be inconsistent in how frequently you post fresh content |
Be polite and mindful of social media etiquette |
Say or do anything online that you wouldn’t say or do offline |
Lindy Johnson, marketing specialist for architects and designers, kindly prepared the content of this note.
Disclaimer
This content is provided by the Australian Institute of Architects for reference purposes and as general guidance. It does not take into account specific circumstances and should not be relied on in that way. It is not legal, financial, insurance, or other advice and you should seek independent verification or advice before relying on this content in circumstances where loss or damage may result. The Institute endeavours to publish content that is accurate at the time it is published, but does not accept responsibility for content that may or has become inaccurate over time. Using this website and content is subject to the Acumen User Licence.