-By Alyson Pitarre

Spiro Kostof, the great architectural historian, once said, “Architecture is a social act and the material theater of human activity.” So is it really such a stretch for architecture firms to integrate social media into their existing public relations and marketing programs?

By now, LinkedIn is considered a legitimate networking and recruiting tool for A/D firms, while Facebook has gained more traction in the last year. And let’s not forget Twitter. Haunted by a name that’s hard to take seriously and hyped up by Ashton Kutcher and other celebutantes, Twitter is often dismissed in the A/D industry. Case in point: my public relations firm recently put out an informal poll to a few of our most valued architecture clients, asking them about Twitter. We received answers ranging from the non-committal—“I tried it for a while, but didn’t dig it”—to the humorous—“I’m over 50—what do you think?” (Am I the only one who relishes  the irony that their answers were less than 140 characters each?)

Misconceptions, fear, and frustration abound with Twitter, but firms can strategically integrate social media into their existing PR programs to: “A) get more business, B) be more visible in the design community, and C) meet and network with people who need architectural services,” as Jason Wagner (@threefourteen) of Oculus Inc. noted in his AIA white paper called “10 Tips for Using Twitter to Support Your Practice.” Since Wagner covers many of the Twitter how-tos in his article, here are five reasons why architectural firms should take the platform seriously from a public relations point of view (in 140 characters or less):

1.    Twitter provides firms with a social media platform that establishes authority.

Authority is “the power to influence others, especially because of one’s recognized knowledge about something.” Many PR firms already work closely with architectural firms’ thought leaders, or “authorities,” to generate articles, blogs, speaking presentations, and other content that establish the firm’s expertise in a particular field. Whether an A/D firm has thought leaders in LEED 3.0, affordable residential design, or alternative delivery methods, 140-character tweets can link back to online articles, white papers, or blogs posted from outside sources. Because tweets happen in real-time, Twitter is the fastest and most efficient way to distribute short yet valuable pieces of information to a network. Su Butcher (@SuButcher), a UK-based architect and founder of Architect Twitter League, discovered the power of Twitter in a relatively short amount of time. She opened a Twitter account in September 2008 and already has more than 3,000 followers. The debut of her blog, www.justpractising.com, quickly followed and has grown to 1,000 visitors every month.

“Twitter is the main source of traffic, though many of the other sources are also linked,” she said.  “Either Twitter conversations with my network spark blog posts, or I share blog posts with my network… and they pass it on. Or both!”

2.    Twitter allows firms to share their history and important milestones.

Large and medium-sized firms are probably already in the habit of putting out press releases about milestones, such as new hires, industry awards, and project completions. Why not tweet about it too?  Firms can also link to online press about their projects through Twitter. And if a firm’s network happens to include a few tech-savvy trade journalists, Twitter conversations may also inspire a future story, as Butcher has experienced.

“Within one month of actively tweeting, one of our news items about GreenGauge Homes was online in a major construction journal, doubling traffic to our Web site,” Butcher wrote in a guest blog for Business on Twitter.

3.    A firm that tweets together stays together.

Among all of the social media platforms, Twitter is perhaps the quickest way to connect with like-minded individuals inside and outside the office. Although recruiting may not be numero uno on the agenda for most firms this year, it’s still important to network and build internal camaraderie among staff.

4.    Listening and participating in Twitter conversations may lead to potential clients, suppliers, or future collaborators.

The new rules of PR 2.0 are literally rewriting—and in real-time—how firms market themselves to stay competitive. Authors Brian Solis and Deirdre Breakenridge are the founding parents of “P.R 2.0,” which essentially reinvents PR around two-way conversations with traditional and new influencers. Twitter gives architectural firms a rare opportunity to listen and directly interact with their network of followers—which is essentially “putting the ‘public’ back in public relations” as Solis and Breakenridge would say. As a result of Twitter conversations, Butcher has connected with consultants, new suppliers, collaborators, and potential commissions.

5.    Twitter makes it possible to measure a new kind of ROI. 

No, not that ROI. When it comes to Twitter, the “I” of “ROI” is influence—not investment. Influence is a function of the individual’s or organization’s “social currency” (i.e. their credibility, value, and contribution of ideas within their network). So the measurement of social media ROI is not primarily based on traditional metrics, but instead it relies on a number of key elements to derive success from influence. Many new analytics are available to help firms track social capital, velocity, reach, the amount of “replies” or “retweets,” and even the amount of click-throughs on links. (The question is: Do architects see this kind of information as valuable?)

As a PR professional, I often hear: “Why Should I be on Twitter?” It’s a legitimate question that needs to be answered with proper research (i.e., are your clients on Twitter?) and strategy. Twitter is not a one-size-fits-all for every A/D firm, and it is certainly not for the commitment-phobic. 

However, for those firms that do see opportunity in social media, the numbers are difficult to ignore. Twitter boasts more than 75 million members and is projected to reach 100 million by the end of 2010. As of today, 1,018 Twitter users are registered under "architecture," according to wefollow.com, a Twitter directory. Butcher’s Architects Twitter League is teetering on the brink of 400 members. At some point, some A/D firms may need to start asking, “What is the cost of not being on Twitter?”

Alyson Pitarre (@APRchick) is a senior account executive at The Hoyt Organization, a public relations firm in Los Angeles.

If you are interested in venturing into Twitterland, the Architects Twitter League and the Twitter Roll for the AIA National Convention in San Francisco are excellent places to find architects who tweet.