Architects’ Usage Of Social Media Is Booming, Making Some Channels Ever More Lucrative For Manufacturers

To stay up to date with developments and innovations in building design and construction, architects can use many sources of information. Social media were never the most popular information channel among architects, but usage rose from a third to well over half of architects during the pandemic. The Q1 2023 results showed that usage had continued to grow.

The Q1 2023 and Q1 2025 European Architectural Barometer findings below show how professional purposes, platforms, countries and age groups differ. Percentages for different platform groups and respondent bases should not be treated as a like-for-like time series.

Professional social media use in Q1 2023

For years, social media were only used by a relatively small share of architects that only grew marginally. But then the pandemic hit, and as certain direct ways of exchanging information were hampered by restrictions, social media usage was boosted. Within a year of pandemic, the share of architects using both personal and business social media networks professionally rose from a third to more than half.

That growth has continued in the post-pandemic world. The Q1 2023 measurements of USP Marketing Consultancy’s European Architectural Barometer show that a whopping 77% of architects report to use social media for professional purposes. Per week, architects from all eight measured countries together spend an average of two and a half hours on social media.

Professional purposes differ

The 2023 findings show that social media channels are attractive for manufacturers of construction materials to reach out to architects. To use them effectively, however, more insight is needed, as the social media platforms architects use are as various as the professional purposes they use them for.

Starting with the latter, 42% of social media using architects report that they use social media to promote their own business. About a third says to be using social media for networking and communication with customers, colleagues as well as with manufacturers. Third in the list of purposes architects use social media for is informing themselves on the latest news, trends and developments in their market.

Visibility and networking in Q1 2025

Architects aren’t chasing content. They’re being pragmatic about social media – a quarter of them use it for networking and a close 24% use it for promoting their business (most notably the UK and the Netherlands). Showcasing their work, tracking innovation or getting their peers’ opinion? That’s not the main draw at all.

The 2023 figure of 42% refers specifically to architects who used social media. The 2025 overview does not state the same base for its purpose percentages, so these figures should not be used to calculate a change.

Finer details determine effectiveness of marketing through social media

Looking at the share of architects using social media in the 2023 research and the purposes they are using those channels for, it is clear that social media are increasingly useful and lucrative for manufacturers to reach out and get in touch with architects who specify the materials they produce. The trick is to know which social media channels or platforms to use.

Of all social media, business networks like LinkedIn or Xing are the most popular among architects, with 46% of all architects using them often or sometimes. When looking only at architects that say to use it often, LinkedIn (16%) is beaten by Instagram, which 17% of architects say to use often for professional purposes.

Frequent professional use in Q1 2023.

These figures are averages of architects from all eight countries together, however. Looking at specific countries, both total usage of social media and the popularity of platforms among architects differs vastly. To give an example, nearly three quarters of Dutch architects use LinkedIn, whereas only a quarter of German architects says to do the same.

Messaging leads in Q1 2025

In 2025, the most used form of professional social media among architects is instant messaging. Platforms like WhatsApp and Telegram are used by 63% overall, with 41% of architects reporting daily usage. Usage is highest in Spain (94%), Italy (85%) and the UK (64%), while Germany continues to show the lowest engagement through all digital channels – a consistent trend across past surveys.

LinkedIn has regional strongholds

A total 39% of architects use professional networking platforms – like LinkedIn and Xing – with more open networking cultures peaking in the Netherlands, UK and Spain. Poland and Belgium, on the other hand, show far lower usage on these platforms, 22% and 33% respectively.

Facebook use differs by country

Facebook is used the most in Spain ( 70%), but a cross-country breakdown shows shy water-treading, ranging from a Dutch 17% to a Polish 39%.

Generational divide still strong

Architects under 45 are far more digitally inclined. They use social media more regularly, turning to it for news sources and market trends, favoring digital tools overall – they read manufacturer brochures more often, make greater use of manufacturer representatives, and regularly visit architectural platforms and online calculation tools.

In contrast, professionals 45+ tend to favor traditional formats and personal networks: they are more likely to rely on colleagues and peers for information, prefer printed media, turn to magazines for the latest updates, and rely more heavily on email newsletters. At trade shows, they focus on learning about new product offerings and expect manufacturer websites to provide detailed technical documentation.

This example shows that to effectively target architects through social media in your area of operation, a more detailed overview of their media usage and orientation behaviour per country is needed. For that we refer you to USP Marketing Consultancy’s European Architectural Barometer.