Defining your marketing mix

Your marketing mix describes how you will achieve your marketing objectives. Your
choices will determine: how you will make the target market aware of your product;
how you will persuade customers within that target market to purchase it; how you
will build customer loyalty; and whether you will achieve the projected return on
sales. Your strategies here also determine how you will position your product in the
market relative to your competitors’ products. The most effective mixes reflect the
classic “four Ps” of marketing: product, price, place (distribution), and promotion.
Here is a breakdown:

• Product and/or service: Describe your product or service’s form, functionality,

special features, and architecture. How does it uniquely meet your target market’s
needs? What is your intellectual property, and how are you protecting it? What is your
product development plan?

• Price: At what price point will you offer your service? How will you established
your fee, or will it be tiered or variable depending on client's profile and project? It’s
extremely difficult to guess how much people will pay for something, but a business
plan must demonstrate that you have carefully considered your new startup's scheme
to putting value of your professional fee. Your professional fee depend on two factors:
first, the price sensitivity of your market and the market’s perceived value of your
service, and second, your total costs and required profit margin. Bear in mind that you
may be able to adjust professional fees to the needs of individual market segments or
match high prices with unique service features.

• Place (Office Location): How will your provide service? What distribution channels
will you use? How will you decide to locate your office? These decisions depend on
the type of service, the costs of distribution, and customers’ needs or demands. 

You do not need premises to set up in practice. Many architects’ firms have been
started at home, and many have remained there. Others have attempted to establish
virtual practices with no premises at all. This is neither desirable nor possible for most
firms who will want and need to find a suitable property to set up shop in. Before, this
would have been a studio space with good daylighting and plenty of space for
drawing boards. Today, with most work being done at the computer or desk, you are
more likely to be competing for space with other office-based businesses.
 • Promotion: How will you communicate with consumers and make them aware of
your architectural? Depending on your available resources and your target audience,
you’ll need to select the right mix of approaches. Will you use word of mouth?
(Satisfied customers singing your praises are a cheap, effective promotion, but
unpredictable and difficult to control—especially if the message turns negative.) Will
you opt for traditional promotions? (These might include relatively low-cost ways to
reach a large number of customers via coupons, samples, and demonstrations.) Do
public relations activities make the most sense? (These pricier tactics range from
individual sales calls to mass telemarketing and broadcast e-mailing.) How will you
utilize social media? It may be saturated and difficult to navigate, but the payoff is a
strong brand image and brand loyalty.

By effectively managing these four elements of the marketing mix, businesses can
create a strong and effective marketing strategy that meets the needs of their target
customers and helps them achieve their business goals.

 Existing Stay in touch with your existing clients and contacts. Word of mouth and personal
contacts recommendation remains the most effective means of getting work. 
Without a website you do not exist, at least in most people's eyes. Clients will
 Website check it both before and after meeting you. As with other forms of advertising it
needs to be legal. decent. honest and truthful, even if creatively so. 
Practice and personnel profiles on sites such as Facebook and Linkedln will help
Online presence establish your presence and can help to tell a positive and accessible story about
your practice.
If you've got something interesting to say, then carveout an identity on your own
Social media blog. Twitter other social networks. Post images of your projects, influences and
experiences on sites like Tumblr, Pinterest or Flickr.
Keep information up to date. Your UAP chapter may also produce and distribute
UAP
lists of local practices.
Architecture
Volunteer on projects with and for your local chapter. Get involved.
Centers
Literature Have at least a printed sheet publicizing your practice to hand out or send out.
Networking Go to events and meet people, including colleagues and potential clients.
Make contact with journalists, submit regular press releases and news stories, write
Press and media
letters, articles, etc.
Exhibitions Participate in exhibitions and architectural marketing events.
Organise activities as part of events such as Architecture Week. Open your practice
 Events
for public visits and get your buildings included in events such as Open House.
 Groups and Become active in local groups and activities. whether connected with architecture
clubs  and design or not.
Product and/or Service: Our architectural firm specializes in custom home designs,
renovations, and commercial buildings. Our team of experienced architects and designers
works closely with clients to create personalized designs that meet their specific needs and
preferences. We use the latest design software and technology to bring our designs to life,
providing 3D renderings and virtual walkthroughs to give clients a realistic sense of their
project.

Price: Our pricing strategy is based on the complexity of the project and the estimated time
and resources required to complete it. We offer tiered pricing options for our services,
ranging from basic designs to full-scale project management. Our fees are competitive with
other firms in our market, and we aim to provide value to our clients through exceptional
design and project management.

Place (Office Location): We provide our services both in-person and remotely, depending
on the client's needs and preferences. We have a physical office location in a central area of
town, which clients can visit for consultations and meetings. However, we also offer virtual
meetings and consultations for clients who prefer to work remotely. Our distribution channels
include referrals from satisfied clients, advertising in local home and design magazines, and
social media marketing.

Promotion: We use a mix of traditional and digital marketing tactics to promote our services.
Our website showcases our portfolio of past projects and features testimonials from satisfied
clients. We also utilize social media platforms such as Instagram and Facebook to share our
latest projects and connect with potential clients. In addition, we attend home and design
shows and network with local real estate agents and builders to generate leads and build
relationships. Finally, we offer promotions and discounts to repeat clients and referrals to
incentivize loyalty and word-of-mouth marketing.