Marketing For Architects and Interior Designers: 6 Ways Copywriting Can Set You Apart From Your Competition

As a residential architect or interior designer you’re working with clients for an extended period of time on a high-ticket item that they are personally invested in — their home. Since your website may very well be the first place your client interacts with your company, you want it to be an excellent representation of your firm’s work and serve as a beacon for your ideal client. If they’re coming to you as a referral, you want to reinforce the details of the glowing recommendation that got them there in the first place. Gorgeous, high-quality pictures are a great start, but engaging copy is essential for a well-rounded website and a cohesive client experience. 

Here are six ways great copy can help you take your website to the next level: 

Website Copy That Sounds Like You 

The number one request I get from clients is for help defining their voice. Many of the architects and designers that I work with know what they want to say, but when they write it themselves it doesn’t quite work. They know it can be better, but they don’t know how. 

I like to compare it to hearing your voice on an answering machine — it’s your words, and it’s technically your voice, but it doesn’t sound like you. A great copywriter can help with that by defining your voice and distilling your messaging. 

A copywriter who knows the industry is an added bonus; they’re already familiar with industry terms and phrases and can incorporate them in ways that feel organic rather than shoe-horned in.

Marketing Without Sounding “Salesy” 

In some people’s minds, marketing copy gets lumped in with the hard sell. When it comes to your own website, you can be as overt or discreet with your “pitch” as you want. 

That being said, there are ways to write website copy that converts (hint: think in terms of benefits) and an experienced marketing copywriter can help you incorporate those devices without feeling inauthentic or pushy. 

When it comes to marketing for architects and interior designers, a great copywriter will take into account the level of investment these clients are preparing to make. I love helping clients figure out exactly how to tell prospects that they understand their needs and care about their home project in words that will resonate and get them to reach out.

Set the Tone — and the Expectations

When a prospective client visits your website, it’s an opportunity to pre-screen them. Use your words wisely to let them know whether or not they are the type of client you like to work with. You can lay out how you work, set expectations — yours and theirs — and use words that will set the tone for your working relationship before they book a consultation.. A well-written website will also discourage those who wouldn’t be a good match from ever reaching out in the first place, saving you time and energy. 

Get Your Projects Discovered Using SEO

Having worked with SEO-pros and clients to execute organic SEO content strategies, I’ve seen firsthand the incredible impact this can have on a business. In fact, staying up on the SEO tools and trends has become a bit of a hobby of mine. 

My training allows me to take what I call an SEO-informed approach to copywriting. I think about where your prospect is at in their journey, what their mindset might be, what page they might enter your site on (it’s not always going to be your homepage!), how they might navigate within your site once they are there (and how we can encourage them to stay awhile), along with a variety of other considerations. 

Google favors websites that strike a balance between being keyword-rich and sounding like they were written by a human. The words on your page and on the back end of your website — page title tags, meta descriptions, and URL slugs — all stand to increase the odds of your website being found organically. (Need help from an SEO pro? Check out Meg Casebolt of Love @ First Search — tell her Kim said ‘hi!’)

Paint a Picture Using Popular Search Terms

As an architect or designer, some of your most-requested features may not show up well in pictures and could go unnoticed to the untrained eye. Project descriptions and case studies are a great opportunity to call out these details — think hidden storage, copper gutters, radiant floor heating, smart doors — and potentially earn SEO points in the process.

Repurposing Content: Get More Bang for Your Buck

I work really hard on the copy I write for my clients and I am honored when they ask if it’s okay to reuse that content somewhere else. A wise creative director used to tell me all the time, “don’t reinvent the wheel.” I encourage you to heed the same advice.  Take the copy from your website and use it for social media posts and bios, networking materials, online profiles, wherever it makes sense. 

Still wondering if working with a copywriter is right for you? Click here to schedule a consultation. I look forward to hearing from you!