There are growing rumors of a deep shortage of construction materials going on and the associated talk of major delays in project completions as a result. This sucks, because completed projects and their attendant documentation in the form of photographs, video and texts are a crucial part of the architecture firm's marketing plan.
While it does suck that you can't promote your latest and greatest projects in the usual fashion, there are many things a design firm can do to make up for the lack of projects needing to be documented.
Here is a short list of those things, even if there are no projects available to photograph:
• Revamp you marketing copy and positioning. Now is a good time to take stock of what your firm is good at, where it makes money and what your clients are actually buying from you to revise your firm's positioning (chances are, it needs work anyway) and hire a copywriter who can turn your superpowers into super-copy that will nudge your prospects in the right direction. While it won't sell your services on its own, it will make a good impression that will allow you to lead the sales conversation in your favour, by enabling you to unequivocally demonstrate your expertise and attract better prospects. Stay tuned for our upcoming podcast with Bryon McCartney to learn more about building a better website.
• Re-shoot old projects, especially the ones that have changed since completion and make sure your photographs demonstrate how well your buildings age and adapt to the users' needs.
• Get writing. Start seriously considering writing a blog about what you do and think in term of what your prospects' google searches are. Do your best to answer these hypothetical prospects' questions from a position of expertise. Avoid as much as possible internally-focused pieces like awards earned, promotions and other self-centred announcements. The brutal truth is that no one cares about these. Your prospect care about your ability to solve their most intractable problems.
• Create some video content about past projects or your firm's specialty. Get client testimonials on film and have a video editor splice that with some footage of a relevant project. The power of third-party endorsement is tremendous and too often ignored in this industry.
• Get interviewed on popular podcasts. The caveat? Don't go on podcasts that other architects listen to, do your research and find out where your prospects hang out and get on these podcasts. Bonus points if you start your own podcast.
• Tackle that marketing to-do list that been hanging over your desk for too long. Pick the easiest task to start with and build some momentum from there.
If your inability to photograph your finished projects is due to your clients being overly zealous with the access of empty buildings, stay tuned for upcoming piece on that particular issue.
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Hat tip to Tracy Ho for the original idea.