Blogging for Architects

Learning Objectives:
● learn technical tips and options
● explore content management
ideas
● implement promotional strategies
● understand legal and
professional guidelines

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Copyright © 2012 Building Content 1

The Good News & the Bad News:

“There Are No Rules to Blogging
for Architects”

The Bad News –
Architects are rule-followers
The Good News –
Architects are do-it-
yourselfers
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Historical Perspective
Marketing traditionally covers...
● business development
● network building
● public relations
● advertising
A blog does all of these and
gives you a marketing
advantage your Architectural
fore-bearers didn't have.


An Architectural practice derives
success from the quality of work
produced, but also by how well
connected its leadership is.
“Who do you know?”
Who would have known the genius
of Filippo Brunelleschi if not for the
patronage of the House of Medici?


In America, the profession was born
when Richard Morris Hunt and a
handful of gentlemen Architects
formed the AIA in 1857 as the first
professional association of
architects.
Marketing then was little more than
“hanging out ones shingle.” AIA Convention 1883

It was still a matter of “who do you
know?”


The era between the World Wars
produced The International Style (so
named in by a book and museum
exhibition in 1932).
Print media began to cover Architects
and Architecture in fashion and business
publications.
Fame could be earned through
exhibitions and competitions, but it was
still a matter of “who do you know?”


In the mid-sixties, “Mad Men”
advertising creatives were living it
up, promoting styles and shaping
purchasing patterns across the land.
Our Architectural fathers, while
serving some of the very same
clients, never thought to apply the AMC's Mad Men, Lionsgate Television.
Madison Avenue methods.
Architectural promotion was
understated and dignified, bound by
professional ethics.

The professional bond among
Architects was best represented in an
AIA fee structure book (fees based on
project type and scope).
The book and the practice of
establishing fees was determined to
be illegal by the US Department of
Justice – twice.
The fee structure books were banned
and copies destroyed. No one dared
take part of a design monopoly!

A Modern Perspective
(For comic effect, I intended to show
an image from Jody Brown's satirical
series, “If Architects Advertised” to
round out the Historic Perspective of
this presentation.)
If Architects Advertised
(I'll tell you why that image is not
here in a later slide about fair use
and copyright law...)


I began my blog to explore ways
for Architects to market online.
I thought about it a great deal and
firmly believed that;
“Architectural Blogging should
lead to - more Architecture.”
I've made it a point to learn what
leaders in our field say about this.
Here is an interesting range of
quotes...


"I consider this a creative outlet... I’m
pretty happy with how things have
gone."
Bob Borson, Life of an Architect

“The first step to making money at
anything is to believe you can.”
Brinn Miracle, Architangent


“Our feeling is that everyone in the
world is an architecture fan without
even knowing it”
Marc Kushner, Architizer

“We architect-bloggers are at the
garage-band stage.”
Cindy FrewenWuellner,
Urbanverse

Getting Started - Who Are You?
Blogs reflect their creators and can
be used effectively wherever you are
in the field of Architecture:
●
Student
●
Employment seeker
●
Solo or small firm leader
●
Large firm specialist
●
Department or agency
●
Fan

Getting Started - Know Your Purpose
Blogs can me used as an effective
tool for almost any purpose.
●
Display your work
●
Establish credibility
●
Raise awareness
●
Sell a product The Architect’s Dream, by Thomas Cole, 1840

●
Build community
●
Inform or instruct


Getting Started – Select a Name
The name of your blog needs to be
memorable, brandable and easy to
translate into a domain name. Try
NameBoy.com for name variations.
Establish your blog name with one
of these registries:
●
Dynadot.com
●
Gandi.net
●
NameCheap.com


Getting Started - Hosting Your Blog:
●
Integrated into your web site
●
Blogger or Weebly - free
●
Wordpress – free or paid
●
Community - Upworld.com
●
Your domain – subscription


Hosting and Setup - Sites
●
Wordpress signup at:
https://en.wordpress.com/signup
●
Hostgator
●
GoDaddy
●
BlueHost
●
Review the best at:
www.top10bestwebsitehosting.com


Hosting and Setup - Themes
Even though hosted elsewhere,
most bloggers use WordPress as
their blog platform.
●
WordPress themes – free
●
Elegant Themes
●
Headway Themes
●
WooThemes
●
WP Community & Support


Coaching and Resources
●
The Niche Blogger offers an
updated version of the course I
used to get started. For a small fee
it covers:
●
Picking a “niche”
●
Hosting
●
Content Affiliate Banner for The Niche Blogger

●
Monitizing
A full list of these references will be
posted on Building Content.

Online Marketing Concepts
The Information Economy
●
Alvin Toffler, The Third Wave, 1980
●
Information will be the currency
●
Site Conditions
●
Zoning and Code
●
Engineering Standards
●
Material Specifications
●
Schedule Constraints The Third Wave, by Alvin Toffler, 1980
●
Information Clearinghouse – to
Information Broker

●
“Freemium” Business Model
Offer free content to attract
potential clients. Have them
upgrade to premium content
●
Competition entries
●
Speculative sketches
●
Free or discounted services in
hopes for the big deal one day


●
Content is King – good content
will attract readers, more good
content will keep them.
●
Contract Documents - what we
draw and write - is our
professional.
●
Our Content leads to Architecture
●
Content versus Style
Add image here
●
Content in Composition


Managing your Content
●
Content Creation CONTENT
●
Your original ideas
●
SEO Value
CREATION
●
You are seen as a “Thought
Leader”
CONTENT
●
Content Curation
●
Stories you find CURATION
●
Link Value
●
You are seen as a “Subject
Matter Expert”

●
Content calendar (or editorial
calendar) is used in print media
to plan a publications issues over
the year
●
How often will you post content
●
Length, tone, subject matter, etc.
●
Conventions or events
●
Seasonal themes
●
Guest posts and collaboration

●
Content Formats – what will your
posts consist of?
●
Text only (news curation) CONTENT
●
Graphics only (portfolio) FORMATS
●
Audio – live or podcast, yours or
from other sources
●
Video – live or recorded, yours or
from other sources


Content Sources:
●
Google Alert
●
Zemanta
●
Dreamstime, iStock, etc


Copyright Issues
●
Public Domain
●
Fair Use
●
Creative Commons

Credit: Michael Porter at The Libraryman Blog


Case Study from this webinar:
●
Sought friend's approval
●
Sought website's approval
●
Prepared to “tripple-credit” the
image because it made a good
comic point.
●
then – the image wouldn't post!
Public Domain


Promoting Your Blog
Through Social networks
●
LinkedIn
●
Facebook / Fan Page
●
Twitter
●
Google+
●
Pinterest
●
YouTube


Promoting Your Blog
Through online communities
●
Architizer
●
ArchDaily
●
UPworld
●
Architectural Bloggers' Twibe


Blogging Strategies for Monetization
●
Advertising
●
Product sales
●
Affiliates
●
Info Products


The Future
Architectural Blogging is still in the
“garage band” stage, consistan
content and compelling storytelling
will engage and inform the culture -
where our clients are - in ever
increasing ways:
●
Entertainment
●
Instruction
●
Issues Advocacy


Thank you for your
attention. Contact me if
you have any specific
questions or concerns.

S. Collier Ward, AIA, LEED AP
Twitter: @collier1960
@BuildingContnet
E-mail:
collier1960@hotmail.com


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