Targeted marketing

Is your marketing message what your clients want to hear?  Are you telling them things they want to know? Or are you just pushing information about yourselves?  Is your website a catalogue of buildings? Is your marketing activity targeted - or is it a scatter-gun effect? 

First you need to 'segment' your market - group potential clients who have shared interests or values: this might be by industry sector (retail, office, residential), or by client type (private-domestic, commercial developer, public sector) or geographical location (local to your office, regional UK, international).  Then 'profile' that group - identify who they are and research the issues they share.

My clients are architects - so I make sure that all my marketing material includes a sexy image of a building:

This usually grabs their attention. It does not have to be a building, and it is not always appropriate to be promoting a particular architect, but images work well for my target clients.  For my Christmas cards, I have commissioned a range of colourful kitsch Christmas images:

As I write my Christmas message in my cards, I am now thinking through what issues are most affecting architects at the moment - and what service might they need in the New Year?  I am taking the RIBA Business Benchmarking report as my starting point, and know that 60% of architects practices do not have a business plan.  So my marketing message will be about planning for future success, and perhaps reminding people about the courses I run in central London.  I always feel the start of the year is a good time to review business and adjust objectives for the coming 12 months.

Please contact me info@klmori.com if you would like more information.

"I believe no one is ever 'un-cheered' by a Christmas card"

When it comes to direct marketing, I think the humble Christmas card is the very powerful.  In the nicest possible way, you can remind former clients and contacts that you exist.  You can update them about your news, gently inform them about what kind of architectural projects you like to do and let them know any important news such as change of address, new directors, or awards won ...

November is when you need to start planning your campaign - many printers offer 'early bird' rates - and it takes time to collate all the names and addresses.  For architects, it's also an opportunity to demonstrate your design talents.  If the card is beautiful enough, the recipient will keep it on display and other people will ask to have a look at it.

• In an age of increasing digital media, I recommend printing real cards on beautiful paper.  
• In a recessionary economy, I recommend sending double the amount of cards.  
• In November, I recommend getting ready to post your cards in early December.