The Basics: Social Media Content Ideas for Builders and Architects
Welcome to our new series, The Basics, where we break down fundamental digital marketing strategies for builders and architects — the absolute must-do’s and bare essentials.
Builders and architects are part of a competitive market. There are thousands of other businesses in the same field, all who offer the same services. Relying solely on traditional lead generation methods like word-of-mouth and networking just isn’t enough anymore. To stand out, you need a strong digital presence. Enter social media.
Platforms like Instagram and TikTok have transformed the way businesses engage potential clients, offering the unprecedented opportunity to showcase expertise, build lasting relationships, and demonstrate the value of your work — all with an instantly accessible two-way channel to consumers.
Here are four basic, must-have social media content pillars that we’d put into action for any client in the building and design industries.
1. PORTFOLIO
The visual nature of architecture, interior design, and construction makes social media the ideal platform for showcasing your portfolio. This should be priority number one.
We call this aspirational content — or content that inspires your audience to envision their own success through your work. Your profile should be a digital lookbook, demonstrating the scope and caliber of what you can deliver, through high-quality images and videos of completed jobs. Within the content or in the captions, you can point out things like the design concepts evoked, challenges overcome, and innovative solutions you applied.
We tell all our clients; unless you have quality assets of your past projects, there’s really no point in advertising. That’s why we added content creation to our services.
A great example: Agushi's Instagram grid via @agushigroup
2. BEHIND THE SCENES
An increasingly saturated advertising landscape has led people to seek out authenticity and transparency more than ever. Giving glimpses into your design process, construction phases, and the team behind the results will humanise your brand and create trust, as well as offer educational value to your audience.
Some examples are:
Create big reveals by showing before and after transformations
Give progress updates
Compare sketches to the final product
Show a day in the life of one of your staff members
Show your product being manufactured
Feature team members & special moments at your office
Melbourne photographer Pier Carthew makes construction sites look beautiful
3. SOCIAL PROOF
Sales pitches can fall flat for a discerning consumer, so endorsements from other consumers or expertsare really important.
Asking past clients to supply a written quote, or investing in video testimonials can be a huge help in building credibility. You can develop these into long-form case studies— highlighting the story behind specific projects, with a focus on how you satisfied your client’s needs.
Any awards you’ve received or press features will also fall under this category. Consider investing some of your marketing efforts into getting external endorsements of your work from experts in the field.
In Addition studio posted this catchy snippet of a press write-up for one of their projects.
4. THOUGHT LEADERSHIP
‘Thought leadership’ refers to reinforcing your authority in your field, positioning yourself as someone people will turn to time and time again for valuable inspiration and insights. What does this look like? Share your opinion on industry trends, give out design inspiration, educate your followers on topics of interest to your products/services. This kind of content keeps followers sticking around for more, and can draw in a wider audience than standard advertising.
Some specific examples:
In or out — things you’re loving and things you’re not
5 ideas for… a specific design concept
Answer a FAQ — touch on on common questions & concerns about your products/services
Create a moodboard — an interesting way to express your design DNA
Insights shared by Fiona Lynch Office
To recap, the four basic content pillars for service providers in the construction and design industry are:
Curating your portfolio
Behind-the-scenes insights
Social proof
Thought leadership.
Whether you're a seasoned architect, a surfacing contractor, or a builder, it’s time to invest in content creation. While you don’t have to invest in each of the above equally, you should be putting together a team who can execute all of them to some degree.
Because the brands that make the biggest impact online? They’re the ones that show up consistently.