Why do Architects Rely on Referrals? (And why they shouldn't)
Updated: Mar 22
Lately, I have had a lot of conversations with architects about marketing, and the different marketing tools they use. To my surprise, many of them told me that they don't do any effort toward digital marketing. None.
As a marketing professional that sounded surprising to me and it led to me having many questions. Do they even have a website? Do people not visit their website at all? Why is it that digital marketing isn't important? How do they get clients? And I found my answer. Referrals.
Interview with Architect Anna Sulikowska.
Architects love their referrals. And it's no surprise, most of the architects I talked to told me that their only source of clients are referrals. They don't need to do any marketing efforts when their calendars are booked for months just by having their old clients recommend them so much. But does that mean digital marketing isn't needed?
Relying on referrals alone as your source of clients is not a sustainable business model. Leads coming through referrals need nurturing, even before they contact you. That can be done through a well-made and engaging website, and social media.
85% of people who are looking for an architect through referrals still visit their website. That means only 15% of people blindly trust a referral. Even if it is from someone they know and trust.
The last thing you want is people questioning the quality of your work based on bad social media or website. And just having a functional and up-to-date website isn't enough, audiences online need to feel engaged and at the same time get information about your work. One of the best ways to achieve both is through videos and interactive content, such as interactive 3D visualizations. Interactive visualizations are a great way to engage audiences online because they allow the user to walk through the design and see it from their perspective, when and wherever.
Try an interactive visualization yourself here!
To drive more, and the right leads, you need to make sure that your online presence is up-to-date. Even if people find out about you through a referral in the offline world, they will still visit your website before making any decisions. That means it's critical for your site to be functioning properly with engaging content so that visitors don't go elsewhere. Interactive content such as 3D visualization allows prospects to get an idea of how their space could look like when finished and what is included in the design process.
Want to know more about how to engage audiences online or to ensure you're attracting the right kind of clients to you? Send me a message!
Eeva Kavenius
Marketing Specialist
Prefixa Inc.