Like any businessperson facing stiff competition, designers and architects need to promote their work and expertise if they want to satisfy ever-more-demanding clients. Unlike other industries, traditional advertising is rarely a good option, so it takes some creativity to get your name and work out there. But it can be tough to create a coherent, effective marketing plan when communication tools, the web and social media are so fast-changing. Here are our picks for the 5 essential marketing tools for design and architecture professionals.

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1. Social media

The first communication/marketing tool is one that’s easy for anyone to access: social media. Billions of people around the world use these platforms for information and entertainment. Social media can be used as an affordable (even free) tool for sharing your latest work and more. They also put you in direct contact with clients, prospects and the media.

It’s important to tailor your content to the platform. Instagram and Pinterest are ideal for sharing beautiful images of your latest work, or even of your inspirations. Facebook and Twitter can be useful for informing your network of your project’s progress, starting discussions or sharing good news: a competition won, an award received or an article published. LinkedIn is fertile ground for B2B activities; among other things, you can use it to share company news or start a discussion with your fellow professionals.

Stand out. Sharing original content will help you educate others, increase client loyalty, build a community and demonstrate your expertise.

2. Media exposure

One of the most effective marketing tools for designers and architects is still media coverage or exposure. Alongside winning awards, it’s the very best way to impress clients, attract new prospects and position your company as an important industry player.

An article in an influential publication is objective recognition from a credible source, because your project has been noticed and featured by an expert who is recognized by both the industry and the public. That means you benefit from the publication’s reputation and audience, and raise your profile in the process. Specialist publications and mass media are both important channels for showing your projects to a readership that can be hard to reach by other means.

Media relations, including distribution through a newswire like v2com, is an efficient path to publication. There are also some complementary ways to reach the media. Above all, it’s important to plan your media strategy based on your particular needs and resources. We’ll go into detail on this topic in a future post. Stay tuned!

3. Entering competitions

Entering competitions is one of the preferred methods for designers and architects to make their work known. An award is recognition from industry experts. There are hundreds of competitions around the world, so it’s important to choose the ones you enter based on their solid reputation and relevance for your strategy.

Competitions help winners get attention locally, nationally and internationally. They lead to peer recognition, and they’re a seal of quality and credibility in the eyes of existing and potential clients. In other words, this is an essential marketing and promotion tool for designers and architects.

v2com is a proud partner of some of the world’s best design and architecture competitions. See our partners list which includes some excellent competitions you should consider entering.

4. Serve on a jury

After building your experience and reputation to a certain level, it could be smart to participate in competitions not as a competitor, but as a juror. This positions you as a major player, and results in collective validation of your work by your industry peers. By taking on this role, you are saying that you are an expert who can deliver a legitimate, credible judgment on others’ design and architecture work. This is yet another kind of exposure that boosts your firm’s reputation among potential clients.

5. Participate in conferences, exhibitions and trade shows

Participating in conferences, exhibitions and trade shows as a speaker, exhibitor or even simply as a visitor is another way to position your firm as an industry leader and an active member of the design and architecture community. It’s an opportunity to share your work and expertise, and to generate business leads through networking.

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There are several other ways to promote your work and increase your visibility. In our opinion, the five tools we’ve discussed here are not only effective but essential business development solutions for designers and architects. Depending on your needs and resources, it’s important to choose the tools that fit your strategy best.

In our view, two tools stand apart and should be prioritized when promoting designers and architects, regardless of the size of their firm: competitions and media exposure. Both are highly effective ways to receive credible recognition from reputed outside experts. Some potential clients who already like your work will be persuaded by your awards and prestigious publications, whether local or international.

Keep on promoting!

For more information about our services or the 5 marketing tools discussed in this post, please contact Julie Payette jpayette@v2com-newswire.com.

By Pénélope Fortin

A design graduate with a passion for communications, Pénélope Fortin has been in charge of media relations for designers and architects for the last seven years. A creative, detail-oriented professional, she is in contact with media around the world and loves developing innovative media strategies for her clients.