Without a doubt, the social distancing and self-isolation we have been forced to endure since last year has changed the role of social media dramatically. In order to keep us connected, informed and entertained, we have been drawn to social platforms in an unprecedented way. For that reason, companies also found connecting through different social media channels the best way to keep in touch with their customers, and even build better connections with them. They were also able to offer a better understanding of the mood of their brand thanks to the deeper interactions social networks can offer.

Within the Architecture & Design field, as it is a very image-driven industry, the most popular social media channels are Facebook, Instagram and Pinterest. Professionals in this area spend an important part of their time on these platforms seeking inspiration, or with the objective of discovering new products and materials. But, what are the main differences between these three platforms? Should your company decide to focus on one of them over the others? Or are they complementary? Let’s take a look at the different characteristics and features they offer.

1. Facebook

Since Facebook is the oldest of the three platforms, it also has the largest user base. Its demographic is very diverse and almost everyone has an account, so it is highly probable that your company will find its target audience there.

It is a very multifaceted platform in which users – your potential customers – can discover new brands while navigating the News Feed, researching them through their specific Facebook Pages and receiving ads. It is very complete in terms of the different features it offers for business, such as Messenger to provide clients support or even generate leads, Facebook Groups to engage even better with your specific community, Ad campaigns that you can run in a targeted manner and Facebook Marketplace, where you can sell your products and get reviews from your clients.

How are architects and designers using it?

Besides sharing images from their last holidays and pictures of their kids and pets, Architects and Designers also use Facebook to keep updated with news on the Industry. Since Facebook is a good platform for sharing links from other media, professionals tend to publish content that’s relevant for them such as projects that serve as inspiration or news about innovative materials and products. Of course, all of this content needs to be properly accompanied by attractive images that will be displayed as a visual preview of the post. The more appealing the preview image is, the more chances the post has to be shared or recommended by other users.

Facebook is still one of the strongest social media channels! Benefit from it's enormous reach with your chosen targeting.

2. Instagram

Instagram has become one of the most important platforms for businesses in recent years, and with the recent Instagram Shop feature, brands can now showcase their product catalogue. But despite its recent e-commerce leanings, Instagram is, first and foremost, a visual platform, which brands use as a medium to tell their stories through imagery and video content. It also has different layers in which you can interact with your audience, including Instagram Stories, feed posts, IGTV and Instagram Reels, where you can also post the visual aspect of your brand.

An important aspect to highlight about Instagram is the existence of the ‘influencer concept’ which gives your brand the opportunity to partner with relevant voices from your Industry in order to drive interest back to your products.

How do architects and designers use it?

Since it’s an image-driven platform, Instagram is super-successful among architects and designers who see it as a good way to promote their own work, keep up-to-date on what other professionals are doing, and also about what the Industry has to offer in terms of new products and materials.

If the Facebook News Feed consists of content that your friends have been sharing or interacting with, the Instagram Feed can be more customised according to your own interests, as you get to follow not only accounts but also hashtags. If you’re an interior designer specialising in lighting, you can follow both hashtags #interiordesign and #lighting to see the most popular posts related to those topics displayed on your feed.

In terms of the interaction with each post, Instagram adds a fourth dimension to the like-comment-share triad with a new bookmark button that allows you to save posts you might want to review in the future. You can also make different collections with titles, as for example ‘Lighting Ideas‘ to facilitate the search afterwards. Why is this important to brands? Because the more saves a post gets, the more likely Instagram is to move that post higher up in the feed.

The Instagram community loves aesthetic and creative photos of good design. Direct your visual content at your chosen target markets.

3. Pinterest

Pinterest is a social platform that offers tremendous branding and content marketing potential. Its visual bookmarking and discovery engine makes it a perfect tool to showcase products, drive traffic to your website and generate leads or retail sales. That's why more and more companies are starting to use Pinterest for Business.

How are architects and designers using it?

Through Pinterest, Architects and Designers find inspiration and ideas using a visually focused search engine. Every time a professional finds an idea of interest they can mark it with a pin which can also link back to a website where the user can find more information about your brand and similar products.

Pinterest is the ideal tool for being found on social media consistently and generating buying impulses over the long term. There’s also the chance to increase your brand’s exposure and visibility, reaching new audience groups with push campaigns, such as the one Architonic offers consisting of an exclusive Guestboard dedicated to your brand.

Over the course of two months, you will have the chance to promote 20 of your carefully selected, top products to Architonics’ audience of more than 400,000 architects and designers. At the end of the second month, your pins will be repinned to designated Boards on Architonics’ Pinterest page, where they will stay and be discoverable indefinitely. Additionally, your five best-performing pins will be boosted to an audience of your choice with a chosen objective.

Learn more about Pinterest Guestboard

It is important for every company that their brand have a social media presence, but it is even more important to work with strategic partners who already have a large number of followers, in order to showcase your products in front of a larger audience, to build a bigger and stronger community, and drive traffic to your website.

Architonic has almost 2 million followers across all social media channels. Our community of architects, designers and builders allows you to maximise your brand's reach, engage with relevant people and achieve your social media goals.

© Architonic