Suppose you run an architectural visualization startup or perhaps a CAD drafting company with less than ten employees doing all the work, which actually makes you part of the majority of architectural firms anywhere in the world. You’re trying to stand out from the crowd and attract new potential clients, just like what the big-name businesses do on a daily basis. One distinction between you and your competitors is that they have a substantial fund to initiate large-scale marketing campaigns and the ability to hire numerous people to take on more projects.
On the other hand, small business owners in the industry are having a hard time affording and spending their limited budget on proper social media outreach due to the growing competition in the architectural business landscape. The good thing is that you can still play aggressively in your social media marketing without going over budget. People actually still care more about quality content than influencers spamming their feed every couple of hours every day, and social media has been pretty much image-driven for as long as we can remember.
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Benefits of of architectural visualization services for startups
All these turn out to be quite a relief for architectural startups with limited expenditures, as they develop more effective marketing strategies that actually offer high return on investment. Unless you’ve gone completely off-grid for the last decade or so, it’s impossible not to notice how the marketing landscape in the architectural industry has become all about 3D visualizations, both static and animated. And it’s not just in the architectural world; nearly all companies in every product category, from children’s toys and smart home appliances to premium jewelry and medical device design firms.
Companies use three-dimensional visualizations to promote their designs. Photorealistic architectural renderings present a pleasing visual experience with details like lifelike textures, backgrounds, furniture pieces, furnishings, decorations, the property exterior, nearby streets, and sometimes human figures. Best of all, renderings are done entirely on computers, and there doesn’t need to be an actual building in the first place.
One of the main points of architectural visualization is to bring ideas to life with the power of 3D modeling designers and rendering. Everything is virtual, but it can be as lifelike as you want it to be. Architects and designers can turn to virtual imagery to illustrate projects and showcase their capabilities in an attempt to win clients. But, of course, it does so much more than that.
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Photorealistic visualization represents your firm
It’s safe to say that a marketing campaign has a better chance of gaining market traction when your firm has a strong reputation for standing behind every claim. At the same time, every firm can build a good reputation through effective marketing efforts. Well-made photorealistic visualizations tell the world that you excel at what you do. All the 3D modelings and renderings should represent what your architectural firm stands for: quality aesthetics, functional designs, emotional touches, eco-friendly approach, minimum waste, efficient build, or any combination of those.
Thanks to the user-friendliness of social websites nowadays, you have all the space and tools you need to outline how the 3D visualization is made in a step-by-step process. The idea behind this one-phase-at-a-time format is to validate that the visualization is indeed yours and not just some random rendering you picked from somewhere else.
Using multiple images for a single post and a series of five to six individual uploads that show work-in-progress post format offers insight into your skills and expertise as the project develops from a simple concept to full-blown photorealistic rendering services. Apart from this, you might want to include the basic information that may give the public an overview, such as specifications, hypothetical cost, estimated construction time, and possible expansions is among those things which can help retain viewers’ attention.
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Demonstrate versatility
It’s true that finished rendered buildings look great in your portfolio. As a matter of fact, plenty of architectural firms do the same as part of their marketing strategy. There is no limit to the visualizations they use, even if some it has a little variety between the buildings, as long as it is usable as an ad promotion. Despite using dozens of exterior renderings on your websites or social media, there will come to a point where it will become monotonous.
It doesn’t really matter that you use a different facade design, style, color combination, background elements, and viewing angle in every image–they never delve into any specific architectural element. While those visualizations do have some variety to an extent, potential clients want to see if you’re versatile enough to handle more specific projects. Let’s say a client is not exactly sure if he wants to use metal shingles or a built-up option for the roofing and hardwood or stone material for the flooring.
You can’t make the decision for the client, or the architects in charge of the project for that matter, but as the architectural visualization designer you can create a side-by-side comparison using all the aforementioned materials. Now that both the architects and the clients can see how each design is supposed to look, they can make a better-informed decision about the matter. If you want to show a side-by-side comparison, it is useful to focus on specific and noticeable elements in the design. For example, you want to show the differences between premium and standard options for a bathroom renovation.
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You might want to focus the renovation rendering on the lighting element, tile floor sizes, tile colors, glass materials, and fixture placements. In that way, you’ll be able to show a different variety of your 3D renders while still helping the clients understand all the important distinctions. More importantly, you’ll be able to present your versatility in exterior rendering services, interior visualization, and home improvement modeling, to name a few.
Animated renderings for sophistication
Social media is the main key to your marketing effort. Animated rendering can also be a tool for increased social media engagement. Facebook and Instagram were used in its early times to only share selfies, lunches, cat images, and random graffiti. They still do, but things have gone a long way since then. Images still account for a major portion of social media today, but you can’t really overstate the rise of video content all across the Internet.
Animated architectural visualization, especially in 1080p60 resolution or higher, is not cheap for the right reasons. It’s much more difficult to create, more time-consuming, and more hardware-demanding than the static type. A lifelike animated rendering is a testament to your level of sophistication. Keep in mind that architects and designers out there are always on the search for 3D visualization firms/professionals who can bring their complex ideas (although the ideas might still be at the concept stage) to life.
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They want skillful 3D modelers and render artists to transform otherwise rough sketches into realistic imagery using state-of-the-art technologies. This goes without saying that their usual choices are well-known firms with strong online presence. However, popularity isn’t always a sign of sophistication and competence. No one says that architectural services startups can’t be as skillful and sophisticated as their more popular counterparts.
Social media is loaded with 3D design firms trying to market themselves as the best in the business. To say that no one has posted any architectural video rendering to social media might be wishful thinking, but at least you stand a good chance of setting yourself apart from most of the competitors by presenting smooth, quality animated visualizations in respectable resolutions.
Join and win contests
Don’t forget that architectural forums and 3D assets marketplaces can be categorized as social media as well. They offer user-generated content, provide interactivity features, use public profiles, and open the doors to widening your networks and connections. In fact, some of the most serious clients frequent forums and marketplaces more than they do Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and YouTube. Also, most forums reward their most helpful or active members with badges, stars, or any other rating mechanisms. Maintaining a good presence in those places is a good way to enhance your marketing campaign.
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Being active alone isn’t enough, however. Make sure to post only helpful content and high-quality visualizations to propel your reputation. You might want to consider joining architectural visualization contests in several different forums and marketplaces as well. An open contest is an excellent way to showcase your abilities and make your work known among fellow modelers and render artists, as well as architects and the public at large.
Many startups and even individual 3D architectural rendering freelancers take the opportunity to deliver their best work and hopefully attract a few more clients on the way. As a bonus, a contest allows you to gauge the competitors’ quality and grow more confidence in the professional landscape of the business. As for the chance of winning, you’ll just have to swallow the hard truth that you can’t possibly win unless you’re the best of the bunch.
Most contests attract hundreds, if not thousands, of participants, and everybody is guaranteed a fair competition. Think of it as an opportunity to prove that you’re not just another firm in an ocean of startups in the architectural industry but a pre-eminent firm to be reckoned with, a new company with bold visions and brave ideas for everybody to consider seriously.
Turn to CAD Crowd to boost your effort
3D visualization is one of the most effective methods to spread the word about your goods and services, whether you’re running a small architectural services firm or a company tasked with managing a marketing campaign of some sort. Here at CAD Crowd, you can find thousands of professional and experienced render artists and 3D modelers to boost your marketing effort with realistic visualizations. You can be certain that CAD Crowd is ready to answer all your inquiries and send a free quote anytime.
