Industry Focus: Tips for Marketing Your Interior Design Business

It’s a competitive world out there, what can you do to make your interior design business stand out? Maybe it’s hiring more staff so you can take on more or bigger projects. Or, it could be adding a service to your list of offerings. Perhaps it’s developing a more polished interior design brand.

Find ways to bring attention to your business.

Update your business cards and signature line

It may be a digital world, but don’t think for a second that your business card isn’t important.

First and foremost, make sure you have all of the info right. Are you NCIDQ, LEED, or PMP certified? Also don’t forget to list your professional memberships such as ASID or IIDA.

The best interior design business cards reflect your design style, so think outside the rectangle and show off your creativity, or work with a designer who ‘gets’ your style and personality.

So just toss that box of outdated business cards. Have some updated cards made and save money on printing by using a convenient online company like Moo.com.

Give your social media pages an update

Social media is something you need to keep current. It should talk about recent projects, inspirations, share testimonials and industry links. Make sure your channels reflect these topics with interesting graphics and a branded profile picture and cover image.

It may be obvious that you should be keeping the profiles on the sites your customers use up to date, but don’t forget about connecting with industry peers and networking with colleagues. Be sure to link back to your website or blog post, and we can’t say it enough – provide value! Think eBooks, infographics, helpful roundups or other content your audience would find useful.

Update your digital portfolio and website

At a minimum, make sure your company has an updated portfolio with recent projects. Work with a web designer and photographer to show off these works in the best light possible – most people want to see examples of your work before they spend their money on your services.

How many design websites have you visited and there were no portfolio images available to view? Or worse yet, out of date photos, or the last updated blog post was a few years ago. What kind of message does that send?

It’s hard from a client’s view to decide if a designer’s aesthetic and personality aligns with their own. Potential clients will pass you by if there’s little to look at, or what you show looks stale.

Give your website a facelift

Every good marketing plan should include a website refresh every couple of years. An outdated site is easy to spot – one that is non-responsive (does’t look good on phones) or has a bad flow of information – or maybe the navigation is clunky. It can be the kiss of death for interior designers, since your clientele probably expects a great experience when they work with you – starting at their first impression (your online presence). Be sure your website has these 5 basics:

1. Responsive design (resizes automatically to fit desktop, tablet and mobile screens)

2. An up-to-date, beautifully showcased portfolio

3. Simple, logical navigation

4. A great user experience with easy to understand content

5. Easy to find contact information

Refreshing your website is an opportunity to reinvent its appearance and improve its function. Is your site as search engine and user-friendly as it could be? Team up with a talented web designer, and create a plan. Just like we use blueprints, they’ll wireframe your design and can help you optimize it to help lead new clients in, rather than have them bounce away.