Emma Gibbons
How does an architect think?
Unless you undergo seven years of intensive training, it's hard to understand fully.
Marketing to Architects is a challenge because of this. Their persona is complex - technical, analytical, and creative. Drawn to self-expression but restrained by regulations and limitations.
Also, architects are exacting and have high standards for their suppliers. They are constantly under time pressure, and the easier you can make their life, the better.
Understanding their point of view is crucial to marketing to them.
Marketing for architects can be tricky if their key values are not considered in every piece of content you put out.
An architect’s experience is different to the rest of the supply chain, so your marketing needs to consider this.
Due to constraints in the construction world, an architect might seem regimented in the way they work; however, this needs to be unpacked further.
Let’s delve into the persona of an architect, their main goals when working, and how you can use this to you can align your marketing to their ambitions and ways of working.
Defining An Architect In 2023
With an innate ability to blend artistry, engineering, and vision, these creative minds shape the spaces we live.
Their passion for design, dedication to functionality, and pursuit of perfection are the building blocks that construct our surroundings, both physically and emotionally.
Both physically and emotionally.
Architects are driven by the way structures make us feel so much so that many architects attempt to break the strict rules of traditional design.
In fact, it could be argued that architects are forced to suppress their creativity due to constraints in the construction industry, such as material shortages and budgets.
They work in the tension between creativity and commerciality.
The role and personality of an architect are complex, so, how do you market to them?
Firmness, Commodity, and Delight
“Firmitas, utilitas, venustas.”
Difficult to spell, but even harder to achieve.
The Roman architect Marcus Vitruvius Pollio described the need for architecture to be well-built, useful by serving a purpose, and beautiful to look at.
Challenging, right?
This goal is at the heart of all architectural work.
Achieve firmness (efficient build quality), commodity (sufficient planning), and delight (beauty in building).
If you want to be successful in marketing to an architect, make sure you’re producing content that benefits them in relation to at least one of these goals.
Breaking into what truly motivates an architect is the key to successful marketing.
Tapping Into The Creative Mind WHEN MARKETING TO ARCHITECTS
Ok, so we know that “delight” is the element of an architect’s aims that differentiates them from other supply chain members.
So, how do we tap into this?
Turning imaginative visions into tangible reality is no simple task. Architects face the dual challenge of navigating constraints while harnessing the power of visualisation to bring their concepts to life.
Your content needs to assist architects in aiming towards achieving their creative goals. Put emphasis on colour, on exciting structures, on inspiration.
Creating content that taps into their design vision is the best way to grab an architect’s attention and inspire them to specify your product or service.
Simplifying The Supply Chain
Architects are “driven by different motivations, profound ideas and a design ethos.”
In the construction industry, this isn’t always possible to fully realise.
Although Building Information Modelling (BIM) has emerged as a powerful collaborative platform, enabling architects, engineers, and contractors to work seamlessly together, there are still many challenges that architects face day-to-day.
- Time Constraints
- Budget Limitations
- Client Expectations
- Project Management
These are just 4 major challenges architects face during their projects.
You have hit the jackpot if your content addresses and aims to aid one or more of these challenges.
Making your content beneficial to the architect is the best way to not only show your understanding of their persona, but to get them to read and appreciate your work.
Using Persona To Successfully Market To Architects
Once you can see a project from the view of an architect, your marketing will draw their attention.
In a world full of those marketing to sell products, make sure to create content that speaks to their specific needs.
Speak to their need for the perfect marriage of build quality, sufficient planning, and beauty.
While balancing artistic expression with technical expertise, architects need content that helps to advise, assist, and inspire.
ABOUT INSYNTH
At Insynth, we deliver a predictable flow of leads, customers, and specifications for building product brands through our inbound marketing approach, which has proven to connect with a technically demanding audience.
The latest marketing techniques, such as construction inbound marketing, help building product companies to grow sustainability.
As the only HubSpot-certified agency to major in construction marketing.
We have a proven formula of bringing a variety of functionalities together, including CRM Implementation, Web Design, SEO, and Content Marketing, to achieve your ultimate aim: Growing your business and gaining new specifiers and customers.
Book A Free Consultation Today to discover more.