Market Segmentation for Architects and Architecture Firms

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Market Segmentation for Architects and Architecture Firms
A Market Segment sliced from the whole architecture market.

Market segmentation for architects involves identifying specific groups within the broader market of potential clients with similar needs or preferences. By tailoring marketing efforts to these segments, architects can more effectively meet client needs and grow their architecture firms.

Do you think it sounds complicated? Well, it’s not! It’s when you say: ”I want to design more office buildings!” This is a segmentation. Adjust your marketing plan to align with this goal. But…

… Architecture Market Segmentation is more important than that

Nothing can be more different from two potential clients who want to build an office building. One of them can be a successful business owner, the other one is a professional developer.

Both of them pursue their goals by building an office building, so they are nothing alike. One is growing his firm. He knows nothing of construction and architecture. He’s in IT. The other potential client is a company of engineers, economists, and project managers. They want to build a Class A office building for the annual yields.

So these two potential clients represent two different market segments. From the architects’ point of view, their projects are similar. But the message, the tone of voice, the image, and the services they provide must be different to win one of them’s projects. If your competition is low, maybe you can get both projects, just being there. But if 10 architecture companies compete against you, the odds are not looking fine.

What About a Finer Market Segmentation?

So, by continuing to slice this market segment even more, you are doing the right thing. You have to tell them different things. This means you have to prepare different marketing plans to get both of them.

Architecture market segment divided by client type
The office building projects’ market segment combines two types of clients. Architects must slice it more.

They have unrelated needs, distinct problems, and learning curves. You need to approach them differently and answer separate sets of questions. Guidance for one. Reassurance for the second one.

Your architectural design can serve them equally. But you should prepare two converging customer paths.

Architects have to operate precise market segmentation to ensure the effectiveness of their marketing, especially if the competition is high. In the next phases of their marketing plan, the quality of market targeting also depends on the accuracy of the segmentation.

I know! Those concepts might be somehow confusing. Aren’t they interchangeable? Don’t you target a market segment? Well, yes, but not undifferentiated.

Different Market Segments Targeting

Potential Client #1

  • IT Company Owner
  • Building the company’s headquarters
  • No architecture & construction experience
  • He makes the decisions.
  • He conducts his research.
  • Concerned about company image and building functionality.

Potential Client #2

  • Developer
  • Building as investment, looking for high annual yields.
  • Experienced & Professional
  • He doesn’t conduct research but keeps informed on industry trends and stats.
  • He makes the decisions based on the team’s research.
  • He delegates jobs to project managers.

Buyer Persona

We just basically start to create two buyer personas. A buyer persona is a marketing tool helping architects to visualize potential buyers, anticipate their needs, behaviors, concerns.

Although creating business personas is not mandatory, it is very useful. For instance, we can anticipate another market segmentation for some potential clients. Who are the persons that conduct the project research? Is that person also making decisions? Who decides? Also, who makes the recommendations for the decision maker?

All these questions can help you to understand a potential client’s inner behavior mechanics. The client #1 is not concerned about profitability. The other does, but he has a huge risk aversion.

Employees avoid responsibilities for the success of the project. They might recommend the bigger and safer architecture competitor, although you can provide a better job.

Slightly Different Market Segments Impact Architecture Firms Marketing Success

In your area, there are no such potential clients as our #1 imaginary client. Developers rule the game. But you keep telling them how talented you are and how innovative your architecture is. Do they care? No.

They only care about investment ROIs (Return On Investment), costs, cost controlling, market trends. If a better architecture would guaranty them a better income, you would grab their attention.

So your architecture firm’s marketing has to focus on their benefits. But you have leverage. One point is to actually get them better ROIs. The other is to educate their market to ask for innovative buildings. This is the case with sustainable buildings. Promoting them is a sure (but long) way to make developers inquire about sustainable design, sustainability costs, and its advantages. Conducting a content marketing focusing on this advantage would make you the expert and the market leader.

Be the Expert of Your Architecture Market Segment!

Being the expert, the employee of your potential customer won’t fear anymore to include you on top of the short list, as long as you are ready to provide insurance.

Architects should aim to be the best. But being the best is hard. But being the best in a specific market segment is an attainable goal. This is why market segmentation is crucial to your marketing strategy.


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By Octavian Ungureanu

Marketing for Architects helps worldwide architects and architecture firms to better promote their businesses, attract more and better clients, and get new, exciting projects.