The marketing strategy is in place for forming relationships, procuring prospective work and recruitment. The information we present within it will largely affect the public’s portrayal of our practice. Furthemore, marketing will allow us to build relationships and inform potential clients and the general public.
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When starting out, our marketing strategy evolved around affordable (low cost) but effective (reaching out to a wide audience) methods, such as having a strong social media presence and a well-functioning website. This was due to the practice starting out with only three members with the pressure of keeping costs to a minimum. As the practice evolves in the foreseeable future, new marketing strategies will arise. Pulling them all together into a cohesive marketing strategy is going to be fundamental.
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Website.
By conducting some research, we realised that having a modern, well-laid out website is key to attracting future clientele. This allows visitors to gain an insight into the firm’s ethos and specialisms.
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Social Media.
To provide a more extensive online presence, we set up different social media accounts, such as instagram, facebook and twitter. This will help promote our news and projects to all our clients and the wider architectural community. These accounts would be updated on a weekly basis to let the public engage with our practice and our current work.
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Networking.
By attending events such as RIBA Lectures and CPDs, we are representing our firm within the wider architectural community. Furthermore, we are updating and educating our staff members on current architectural and construction trends, this will ensure we are working towards the highest level of standards.
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University Engagement.
Tom, one of our directors, is a university tutor who uses his practical knowledge to teach undergraduate students. This exposure allows us to promote our work to the younger audience and helps to reduce our recruitment cost. Tom will headhunt talent to ensure that our practice hires only the very best for the future.
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Press.
Through winning a bid, studio.SPACE became well-known around the proposed site area and our work is often approached by the press. This is an opportunity to promote our projects and design ideologies across the entire architectural sector.
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Competitions.
At studio.SPACE, we aim to enter a competition every quarter to allow us to think at a conceptual level as a whole practice. So far, this has worked in favour of us with our recent successful bid for a new housing scheme in Maidenhead. In addition, these conceptual projects are more likely to attract attention within the press.
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Exhibitions.
Studio.SPACE, in order to promote their ideas and innovative solutions to the wider audience, will partake in exhibitions. These exhibitions will enable us to reach out to professionals and people outside of the architectural field. At the exhibition, the practice will promote fun and experimental architecture to attract people’s interest. Since this is an event, all the costs are expected to be provided by the exhibition funders.
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Predominantly these strategies are free of charge. However, some may require travelling, set-up and maintenance costs. These costs will largely vary on a monthly basis and will be dependent on what events/strategies studio.SPACE will participate in. For example, as student graduation approaches marketing budget will increase. Studio.SPACE has allocated an annual marketing budget of £9,651 (2% of gross revenue) for an initial start-up year. In the second year, having established our practice, we will increase the annual marketing budget to 4% of gross revenue, with a focus on obtaining new projects.