Prepared for AIA Kentucky. Membership Growth.
We studied how Kentucky architects join.
Here is what the research shows.
Two goals sit at the center of this work. First, and primarily, convert new architect members across the Commonwealth. Second, raise public awareness of the value architects bring to the places Kentuckians live and work every day.
What the research makes clear
AIA Kentucky already earns its members. The problem is not the value. The problem is that the front door does not tell the story.
aiaky.org is a strong information site. It is not a conversion site. Today the join button hands a prospect straight to national aia.org, with no Kentucky-specific value story, no pricing clarity, and no way to capture the lead. The relationship leaves the state before it ever begins.
This reading comes from category research and a close review of aiaky.org and the national aia.org join flow. This is an analysis of the public experience, not a survey of members.
Interest is created in Kentucky. The signup, the pricing, and the pitch all happen somewhere else.
- No Kentucky-specific reason to join, above the national pitch.
- No pricing clarity, so perceived cost wins the argument.
- No lead capture, so AIA KY cannot follow up or nurture.
Sheet B / Deliverable 1
The recommendation.
A two-track strategy.
One track wins members now. The other makes the letters "AIA" mean something to the public, and feeds the first.
B2B membership conversion
- Newly licensed KY architects. Licensure lists are public and addressable.
- Emerging professionals and recent UK College of Design graduates. A free Associate year is zero friction.
- Lapsed and unaffiliated licensed architects. A reason to come back.
- Firm principals. Group enrollment for firms of ten or more.
- LinkedIn, targeted by title and geography on architects and firms across Kentucky.
- Email nurture to licensure and mailing lists.
- Retargeting for everyone who visits and does not join.
- A live presence at continuing education events.
- Lead with the free new graduate Associate membership.
- Then the 50 percent or better prorated new-member discount, with fifteen months for the price of twelve.
- Concrete, urgent, financial. Every ad answers "what do I get, and what does it cost."
Everything drives to one conversion-built landing page, with lead capture before the aia.org handoff. AIA Kentucky owns the relationship, even when the join completes nationally.
Mass awareness
A campaign platform: "Architecture is everywhere you live." Spotlight recognizable Kentucky places, distilleries, schools, downtowns, and the Kentucky architects behind them.
- Short video and social series.
- Earned media across Kentucky outlets.
- Out-of-home in Louisville and Lexington.
This track feeds Track 1. When "AIA" means something to the public, it means more to a prospect and to that prospect's clients.
Who and what
competes for a
membership dollar
Kentucky architects can turn to lower-cost national alternatives (SARA, the Association of Licensed Architects), affinity organizations (NOMA, CSI, USGBC), and, the largest competitor of all, inertia and perceived cost.
The counter is Kentucky-specific value: advocacy in Frankfort, the local network, continuing education, and the AIA designation itself. One line carries it:
AIA Kentucky is the only organization that advocates for Kentucky architects in Frankfort.
How we would measure it
Framework, not forecast. Targets set jointly.
Volume by tier and by audience, the top-line goal.
Spend against joins, so every channel earns its place.
Visitors to captured leads, then leads to completed joins.
Recall and reach for the awareness track, measured pre and post.
Deliverable 2. Conversion-driven membership landing page.
One page built to convert, in the AIA Kentucky brand.
This is where the branding changes. Every ad and email points here. The page carries the AIA red brand, states the Kentucky value plainly, shows the price and the offer, and captures the lead before the handoff to aia.org.
Kentucky architecture, one headline, and a "Join AIA Kentucky" button that stays with the reader on scroll.
Advocacy, continuing education and the CE transcript, the AIA designation, the Kentucky network and annual convention, and member discounts.
Fifty percent or better with prorated dues. A free first Associate year for new graduates.
735+ members, a 90 percent renewal rate, and a Kentucky member testimonial. Testimonial marked as placeholder until sourced.
Architect, Associate, New Graduate, or Allied, each routed to the right offer.
Name, email, license status, firm. AIA KY keeps the lead, then the reader continues to the aia.org join flow.
Sheet D / Deliverable 3
Campaign creative,
in the AIA Kentucky brand.
Three concepts. Two convert. One builds pride of place. Every headline is short, on brand, and specific.
The letters after your name should work as hard as you do.
Advocacy in Frankfort, continuing education, and the AIA designation. Membership that earns its keep.
New graduate variant
Just graduated from a Kentucky design program? Your first Associate year is free.
Sheet E / Close
Ready when you are.
The natural next step is a session in our Listening Lounge, the discovery process where we ask the questions and let AIA Kentucky do the talking. We built this concept to fit your 2027 planning cycle, so there is time to do it right.
Marketing, Creative, Production, Digital, and Advertising and Media, under one roof, with real depth in nonprofit, healthcare, and B2B.
Where listening is not a lost art.
1205 E. Washington St., Ste. 120Louisville, KY 40206 502.657.5140 digital@vimarc.com vimarc.com Open the landing page concept