SOCIAL MEDIA ZEITGEIST

Since graduating her undergraduate degree at Kingston, Gigi King has developed a hybrid practice between design and marketing, working with architectural studios in London and across the South West. What began as ad-hoc support for small practices has evolved into a deeper interest in strategy, communication, and how studios present themselves to the world. Here, she explores why marketing is often sidelined in architecture and why that needs to change.

Marketing is not a side quest. I don’t run my own architectural practice, but I work closely with many that do. What follows comes from watching the same patterns repeat across studios of very different sizes and ambitions. Not because architects don’t care about marketing, but because it is consistently misunderstood, under-resourced, or quietly sidelined. 

Marketing in architecture is often treated as either a gamble or an afterthought: a sporadic Instagram post, a last-minute awards entry, and a panicked website refresh when the pipeline looks thin. When it doesn’t immediately bring work in, it is written off as a dark art or a luxury. 

In reality, marketing for architectural practices is both simpler and harder than that. At its core, it is about being seen and heard by the right people. Not everyone. Not every client. The right ones. If a practice wants thoughtful private clients, its marketing should look very different from one chasing large developer-led schemes. you and I both know this. 

This is something architects rarely admit out loud: you shouldn’t take on every client. Not because it is elitist, but because the client–architect relationship is fundamental to good work. Compatibility, values, and expectations matter, and clients are rarely trained in how to choose the right architect for themselves. That places a responsibility on practices to be honest about who they are, what they are good at, and what kind of work they want to do.

Good marketing is not about volume. It is about clarity. 

This is where strategy comes in

Marketing is often imagined as a mysterious, invisible dartboard with a red bullseye somewhere on it: throw enough darts and you will hit something eventually. Architecture does not work like that. A marketing strategy creates the dartboard with a clearer bullseye, while execution is what allows you to aim with real precision. A strategy does not guarantee success, but it gives a practice something to aim at, bringing focus and clarity even when the target isn’t perfectly hit.

A proper strategy starts with an audit. What projects do you have? What stage are they at? Which ones actually represent the work you want more of? Which projects are useful for marketing, and when? Planning approval, completion, occupation, photography. Timing matters.

From there, strategy becomes a way of sequencing activity over time. It creates a calendar not just for the next few weeks, but for months and years. It considers what topics are relevant now, what will be relevant soon, and where a practice’s work genuinely contributes to wider conversations. It shapes when to push projects, when to write, when to submit for awards, and when to hold back. 

This kind of thinking requires architectural understanding. Someone who does not grasp how projects develop, how awards work, or how the architectural press operates will struggle to be effective. That is why many practices keep marketing in-house. 

But here’s the problem….

Too often, marketing and business development are allocated to architects whose primary skill lies in running jobs. Part 1s, Part 2s, or recently qualified architects are asked to “do the marketing” alongside live projects. Unsurprisingly, marketing becomes the thing that slips. Not because it is unimportant, but because deadlines, clients, and construction realities will always take priority. 

This is not a failing of junior architects. It is a structural problem in how many practices operate. Marketing requires protected time, consistency, and someone whose role is not constantly pulled elsewhere. Expecting junior staff to prioritise it over live projects is unrealistic and often unfair. Outsourcing can help. Writers, strategists, and social media managers bring skills many practices do not have in-house. They may cost more than assigning the task internally, but they also bring focus, accountability, and momentum.

What practices save by underpaying or misallocating marketing work is often lost through missed opportunities, poor targeting, or inconsistent visibility. 

Awards, too, deserve a more honest conversation. They are expensive, time-consuming, and do not always align with a practice’s values or goals. Before submitting, studios should ask whether an award genuinely adds value for the client, the project, and the practice, or whether it simply feeds an external validation loop. 

Marketing as part of practice, not apart from it 

All of this requires strategic thinking, architectural literacy, and leadership buy-in. Marketing is not a distraction from practice. It is part of how a studio defines itself, attracts the right clients, and builds a sustainable future. Treating it as a side quest does not make it disappear; it simply makes it ineffective. Architecture is already hard enough. Practices do not need more scattergun effort. They need clarity, intention, and the confidence to invest properly in how they present themselves to the world.

If you’re unsure where to start, you can speak to me, Gigi King, or to Beedier, where we collaborate with practices to define priorities and turn strategy into consistent action. Email: gigi@beedier.com