IPQMEDIA
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Marketing for architecture firms

How to marketyour architecture firm.

Most architecture firms don't have marketing. They have referrals. Here's how to fix that, with a budget or without one.

Path 1You have a budgetPath 2You have no money
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Arseniy with Iman Gadzhi
Me with Iman Gadzhi
Before we start Why listen to me

We've made our clients $10M+.

I run IPQMEDIA. We get architecture firms new clients, and they only pay us when the consultation actually shows up. Here's what it looks like for some of the firms we work with.

$10M+made for our clients
26active clients right now
Our clients, in their own words
$60M

project from one lead.

Eric · KDA Architecture
$150K+

in fees from one project.

Ben
$1.5M

project, and it's down to just me.

Pil Sun · Free Agent Design
$450K

in fees from one project.

Yawar · YS Architecture
"No time-wasters."

Every lead was genuine.

Ted · Design Plan Build
1.7x

cheaper leads, first sale close.

Laura · Go Plans
$1.5M+

in fees from our leads.

Steve · DOTec
2 projects

that never would've come to me.

Mike · Dwelling Design
Part 01 Why market

Referrals are not a marketing plan.

01 Feast or famine

Busy, then dead. Then busy again.

Most firms rely on referrals. They slow down, and it's outside your control. Even with a really strong referral program, it's not fully in your control.

New projects, month by month, on referrals only
SlammedCricketsYou don't pick which
02 The cap

Referrals always hit a ceiling.

Doesn't matter what revenue level you're at, sooner or later you hit it. The 1% that grow forever on referrals have been around for 50 years. You don't have to wait 50 years. To scale, you have to own the methods that put you in front of cold traffic and turn it warm.

Revenue over time
99%of firms hit the cap on referrals alone
1%grow forever on referrals, after 50 years in business
03 You get to choose

Pick your projects. Don't wait for them.

With marketing you decide the project type, the budget and the area. On referrals you take whatever shows up.

Referrals

Whatever comes inWhatever budgetWhenever

Marketing

Your project typeYour minimum budgetYour area
04 The referral gap

Most of your market doesn't know an architect.

A lot of people planning a project don't know an architect at all, so nobody ever refers them to you. That's the market you never see.

People planning a project near you (illustration)
Know an architect, can be referredDon't know one, nobody refers them
05 Planning an exit

One channel is a risk for any buyer.

If you ever want to sell the firm, a buyer looks at where the work comes from. One channel is incredibly risky. When that one channel is referrals, it's a weak-ass channel.

What a buyer sees
Referrals 100% of the work
Paid ads none
YouTube and content none
Search none
Buyer's verdictHigh risk
SABCDF
Every marketing method for architects, rankedThe full tier list, from referrals to Meta ads to direct mail
See the tier list →
Part 02 The knee-jerk

Why buying leads keeps you broke.

06 The first move

More money. More sales. So, buy leads.

That's the knee-jerk. Most people do it because they're lazy: they don't want to learn a new skill set or how to properly market their own firm. Those platforms market their own brand, win the client for themselves, then resell that client to you.

I want more money
↓
I need more sales
↓
I need more leads
↓
"Let's just buy some leads"
AngiHouzzLead aggregators
07 Why bought leads are worse

They never asked for you. And they shop your price.

You don't want to compete on price. You want premium work for people with budgets.

?They never contacted youThey don't know you, so when you call they're surprised. They don't care about you.
⇉Same lead, sold to your competitionYou're one of several firms calling the same person.
↓You get lowballedYou end up cutting your price to win the work.
Part 03 How to market

Two paths. Pick yours.

Path 1

You have a budget.

Paid ads for fast results, content for long-term results. Run both.

Go to path 1 ↓
Path 2

You have no money.

Your network, your old clients, proper referral incentives. Then reinvest everything.

Go to path 2 ↓
Path 1 You have a budget

Paid ads plus content. Unbeatable.

08 The combination

One gets you fast results. One gets you the long game.

I've tested a lot of marketing methods with architects. Paid ads plus content is my go-to. Every other business is doing it. Architects are refusing to, so you'll be ahead.

Fast

Paid ads

Facebook, Google, LinkedIn, doesn't matter. Run some kind of paid ads. Once you crack them, you never go back.

Long term

Content

Slower, and absolutely worth it. It makes your ads cheaper and your leads better.

09 Paid ads, high level

Volume first. Quality later.

Start with lead forms. Once your first leads come in, switch to a landing page for higher quality. You'll probably waste the first couple thousand dollars, and it's never a waste: that's what you pay to learn. And creative is 90% of the result.

FormsTo start
Landing pageOnce it works
90%Is the creative
Now

Volume

Lead forms. Lots of leads, lots of reps on the phone. You learn how cold leads talk.

Leads
Reps
Later

Quality

A landing page. Fewer leads, better ones, once you know the process.

Leads
Lead quality
10 After they reach out

Make them feel like a referral.

It's a big purchase. So you imitate the organic sales process: educate them between reaching out and talking to you, then call them, then book the real consultation.

See our thank you page ↗
1Thank you page videosBreak down the most common concerns clients have about working with you. Make sure they watch.
2Value-dense emailsEducate them before they talk to you, sent by the stage they're at.
3The educational callYou call them first. Explain the process, qualify them.
4The consultationOnly now: the proper consultation, a.k.a. the sales call.
11 YouTube

The highest quality leads you'll ever get.

In any business, YouTube is always worth it. On its own you probably won't see results for at least six months, so set that expectation. But your organic presence strengthens your paid ads: cheaper results, better leads.

6+ monthsOn its own
1-2 hoursWatched before the call
S
Cheaper ads. Organic makes paid work better.
Better leads. They already know you.
They binge before the call. Imagine closing someone who watched two hours of you.
12 What to post

At least two videos a week.

Ask Claude for video ideas. Write down the most common concerns your clients have, you've run your firm long enough to know them. Then make a video around each one.

💬One video per concernEvery objection a client has before hiring you.
🧭Your processWhat working with you actually looks like.
📁Case studiesReal projects, what you did, how it turned out.
🎥In-person client walkthroughsHow you helped them, how they feel about their home, walk the space. It's a visual industry.
13 Short form

Shorts find you. Long videos sell you.

Reels, TikTok and Shorts are great, Instagram is popping right now. The simple way is to send them straight to your application page. The better way: every short points to your YouTube, so the long videos sell them before you even talk.

📱Short formThey find you
ReelsTikTokShorts
→
▶YouTubeThey binge and get sold
→
✓ApplyThey reach out already warm
14 Put together

Both in parallel. Results in month one.

With a good enough budget and YouTube started, you're very likely to see results within the first month. If it's your first time running ads it may take a little longer. Still absolutely worth it.

$100-200A day on adsGood enough budget
+
2YouTube videos a weekRunning in the background
The budget How much to spend

The 5-10% rule is bullshit.

15 The old rule

Rules written 20 years ago won't get you to $1M.

A lot of people think they shouldn't spend more than 5 or 10% on marketing, because that's what they were taught. If you make $100K a year and want $1M, that leaves you $10K a year. That's not enough to do anything.

10% of $100K$10KA year. Not enough to do anything.
The real rule2 : 1Spend as long as every dollar in brings two or more back.
16 Keep raising

Crack the equation. It turns into an ATM.

CAC to lifetime gross profit: what you spend to win a client vs the lifetime gross profit they bring in. At 2:1 or more, keep raising ad spend. Spend $5K, get a project worth $10-20K in profit: double your budget, triple it if you can. Only stop when something breaks. Fix it, keep raising.

$5-10KCost per client, some of our clients
$50-100KIn fees per project
Monthly ad spend
$5K
$10K
$15K
Fix
$25K
WorksDoubleRaiseBreaksKeep going
17 What to measure

Three layers. Start at the top.

If layer one makes sense financially, don't even look at the other two. Only go a layer deeper when the one above is broken.

1
MoneyMoney in vs money out · CAC : lifetime gross profit
only if layer 1 is broken
2
The funnelCost per lead · per booked consultation · per showed consultation
only if layer 2 is broken
3
Media buyingCTR · CPC · CPM
Path 2 No budget

Eat what you kill. Then reinvest it all.

18 Fast cash

Start with who you know.

Hit up your referral network, then your old clients and old prospects, and come up with some kind of offer. Skip completely cold outreach: for residential it won't work, and even for commercial it's not the best way.

Your referral network Do
Old clients and current clients Do
Previous leads and old prospects Do
Cold email Might be worth trying
Cold calling Skip
19 Referral incentives

$1,000 to win $80,000?

I ask firms about their referral system. "I pay $500 or $1,000 for each person who recommends me." Then I ask what an average project is worth over the span of working with them. And how much they'd be open to spend to get that back. You have to properly incentivize people.

$1,000What they pay per referral today
$80,000What that client is worth over the span of working with them
$10-20KWhat some say they'd happily spend to get $80,000 back
20 Reinvest

Projects come in. Buy ads, not toys.

It's slower and it's not scalable, but at the beginning you eat what you kill. Do content regardless: it's free, start yesterday. And as soon as projects come in, put the cash into paid ads.

Better tools Not yet
An office Not yet
Fancy publications Not yet
Content, from day one Free
Paid ads Every dollar
Pay per result

Want high-end projects
on a pay-per-result basis?

We run the ads, call every lead and book the good ones on your calendar. You pay only for consultations that actually show up.

See if we're a fit for you →