Driving inquiries with agencies
Growth in the design world comes from being seen by people at the exact moment they are planning a renovation or new build. Agencies are expert at this 'right time, right place' marketing. They use advanced targeting and a high volume of content to ensure your firm is top of mind. They are also more likely to be familiar with lead magnets and conversion optimization than a general in-house hire. If your primary goal is to increase the number of qualified inquiries in your inbox, an agency's focused approach is often the best choice.
The in-house advantage for lead nurturing
While agencies are great at finding new leads, in-house hires are often better at nurturing them. They can respond to comments with technical authority and engage with other industry professionals in a way that feels authentic. This builds the trust necessary to turn a follower into a client. In the high-ticket world of architecture, this trust is everything. An in-house person can also work directly with your sales or business development team to ensure the social media content aligns with your current project goals.
Testing new tactics with freelancers
Freelancers are the perfect 'skunkworks' team for a head of growth. If you want to see if Pinterest or TikTok could work for your firm, hire a freelancer for three months to run an experiment. This is much lower risk than hiring a full-time person or signing a year-long agency contract. If the experiment fails, you end the contract. If it works, you have the data to justify a larger investment. It allows you to stay agile in a rapidly changing digital environment.
High volume reach with TIDE
A managed content network is a set of many brand-owned Instagram pages (for example 50 pages like @brand.daily or @brand.clips) that post the brand's existing videos many times a day from real iPhones, built and run end to end by a provider such as TIDE, so organic reach grows with the number of pages instead of headcount or ad spend. This is a big shift for growth leaders. TIDE provides the scale needed to dominate the Instagram feed, ensuring your project reveals are seen by millions without needing a massive team.
Use agencies for lead generation and in-house hires for building the trust that closes the deal.
See your network before you hire.
Tell us what your architecture and interior design firm already makes and how you get customers today. We'll show you a real network running live and tell you honestly whether it fits. It costs about the same as one marketing hire.
Follow-up questions
What is the cost per lead on social media?
In architecture, it is better to look at the 'cost per qualified inquiry'. While it is higher than in other industries, a single project can pay for your entire annual social media budget many times over.
Should we use influencers?
Yes, but focus on design influencers or real estate professionals rather than lifestyle accounts. A tag from a well-known interior designer can be more valuable than ten generic viral posts.
How long does it take to see results?
Social media for design is a long game. While you might get lucky with a viral post, most firms see a consistent increase in leads after six to twelve months of disciplined posting.