Whitepaper

How to Sell
to Architects

Architects use the internet to book vacations,

find restaurants and buy shoes. They want to shop
for architectural products the same way.

How to Sell to Architects

Trying to get architects to specify

your building products? Try treating
them like normal people.
Architects use the internet to book vacations, find restaurants
and buy shoes; they use crowd-sourced opinions on sites like Yelp,
TripAdvisor and Amazon. So why cant they shop for architectural
products the same way?
What Is Endorsement Marketing?
Endorsement Marketing lets brands leverage their
best customers as a stamp of approval. You allow
these customers to market products for you. In this
paper, well discuss how to apply this concept to
architecture and design (A&D) marketing, and how
to leverage endorsements to drive sales leads.

You Know It Works: The Ellen Effect

There is a reason why brands pay influencers
and celebrities to endorse their products:
Because it works. Think of Ellen DeGeneres
Samsung plug at the 2014 Oscars. After Ellen took
her famous selfie, Samsung sales skyrocketed and
the company estimated the stunt was worth
$1 billion. The best kind of endorsements are
unpaid, spontaneous endorsements that happen
when an influencer celebrates your product.
There is huge power wrapped up with thought
leaders and influencers. The same is true in the
world of architecture.
2

This is the reality: When architects are ready to specify a product, nearly 75% of them1
say they turn to the web over magazines or trade shows to seek out what they need.
72% Google
71% Brand Websites / Blogs
56% Favorite Industry Blogs
50% Trade Magazines
43% Preferred Social Communities
39% Trade Media Websites
29% Brand Social Media Channels
29% Trade Shows and Industry Events
22% Trade Media Emails
Results of IMRE/Architizer Survey, 6/9 6/13/14

1
2

Architizer and IMRE survey of 161 Architizer subscribers from 6/9/14 through 6/13/14.
http://info.maccabee.com/blog/was-ellen%E2%80%99s-oscar-selfie-worth-1-billion-to-samsung

How to Sell to Architects

Why It Works For Architecture and Design
Remember when we told you that architects are normal people? Of course they
can learn about new products through a variety of marketing channels like trade shows,
editorial placement and paid media, and professional resources like Continuing Education
Unit (CEU) credits. But most architects turn to a peer for product information before they
go to a manufacturer: According to a recent study, 64% of architects trust peers when
making a decision, versus 40% who trust brand websites alone. They just want to know
what their friends like!
3

An inspiring project is 12x more likely to

be shared than a white paper.
Over social media in the last 30 days...

72%
of architects shared

Architects tap into social channels to be

inspired, to learn or to be entertained.
Brands should market content that will make an
emotional connection with architects and evaluate
social media based on brand-building metrics,
not transactions.
Inspiration

Education

Content
Consumption

to Stay Informed

Project
Photos

66%

54%

6%

27%
7%
Frequently

30%
16%
Occasionally

Results of IMRE/Architizer Survey, 6/9 6/13/14

What does this mean for your brand?

By incorporating peer reviews and content from influencers like big-name architects,
product brands can add a new kind of credibility to their reputation, helping sway
specifications far into the future. Once a word-of-mouth reputation has been
established, demand grows and sales growth becomes exponential.
When planning and specifying, architects look at projects similar to their own for
inspirationso capturing them early in this process is key to making the most of your
Endorsement Marketing strategy.
3

Ibid.

41%
30%

of architects shared

White
Papers

Entertainment

29%
Rarely or Never

How to Sell to Architects

How to leverage your

Endorsement Marketing Strategy
Leveraging the valuable brand awareness created by the
A&D industrys big influencers will generate big results.
This process involves three steps:

1
Identify Your
Best Projects

2
Identify Your
Architect

3
Be Available

Brands marketing to architects should know

where their products have already been
specified, and which of these projects show the
product used in an exemplary way by a top-tier
architecture firm. Architizer.com makes this easy
by providing a platform for these noteworthy
projects all in one place.
Capitalizing on connections with the most
influential architects at that firm will make sure
your brand is mentioned when other architects
are looking at projects inspiration and asking
peers for recommendations.

Rather than inundating architects with

paid ads for products theyre not looking
for, generating a big demand through
word-of-mouth marketing ensures your
company is the first name mentioned when
the right project arises. Make sure the
architects who specify your product can
easily find information about your products
and get in touch with your company.
By doing so, your contact information will
be passed from architect to architect and
firm to firm.

How to Sell to Architects

Conclusion
Understanding how to apply the concept of Endorsement
Marketing to A&D brands is a huge step in generating sales
in a world that values peer recommendations over all else.
The next step is understanding more about the architects
specifying your products. Heres a hint: Theyre younger than
you think. Look for our next whitepaper Understanding the
Millennial Specifier to learn why its often the newest member
of the team making big decisions that could impact your
company for years to come.

Endorsement Marketing 101

Awesome Buildings

Designed by
Awesome Architects

Create
Awesome Sales

Architects Trust Architects

Use them to sell your product!

How to Sell to Architects

About Architizer
Architizer is the premier online destination for
design professionals to explore the worlds best
architecture and interiors, and discover the
products and people behind them. Launched in
2009, the site has rapidly become the worlds
largest platform for architecture and design.
Architizer also publishes a must-read blog
covering industry news, and honors the best
architecture, spaces, and products annually with
A+Awards program.

Military History Museum

Studio Daniel Libeskind
Specified Brands
FSB
BUCHELE
DYCKERHOFF
Dorma
FB-AUFZUEGE
FINETT
FLZ LAUTERBACH
GEZE
Grepel
HOBA

Hoesch Bausysteme
Hormann
Jansen
KEIM
Linder
Living Divani
MAXIT GROUP
MONDO
PERI
REESA

RIGIPS
SAELZER
Saint-Gobain
Tischlerei Nitsche
Tischlerei Poetschke GmbH
Timber
VEDAG
Vitra
Vola
Zumtobel Lighting GmbH

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