Maximizing Instagram for Interior Designers: Strategies for Engagement and Growth

Different industries lend themselves to different kinds of social media marketing. Instagram is a highly visual medium, so logically, it’s one of the best forms of social media for interior designers.

However, if you want to get the most out of Instagram, you need to have a clear strategy — it’s not enough to just periodically post a photo and leave it at that. Here’s a look at some proven strategies for marketing on Instagram.

Know Your Target Market

This might seem like an obvious piece of advice, but plenty of business owners get so excited about advertising that they forget to determine what audience they want to target. It’s a mistake that can lead to lost revenue and decreased business.

Different types of ads appeal to different audiences. You could have the best ad in the world for one audience, but if you put it in front of the wrong people, you aren’t going to get any business from it.

Here’s an example. Let’s say your primary focus is providing quality design services to people on a budget. Naturally, you’d want your posts to reflect this, so you make sure that your posts and their captions emphasize the affordability of your services.

If you then aim your posts at a budget-minded audience, you might end up with a handful of new leads. However, if you instead target wealthy owners of luxury homes, you’re not likely to see any return on your effort, time, and money spent.

It’s also important to determine whether your target audience uses Instagram. Here are a few valuable stats to help you decide whether you should promote your business on Instagram or focus on another platform:

• Instagram is the preferred social media platform of people 16-34 year olds
• About 85% of Instagram users are younger than 45
• Only 2.6% of Instagram users are over 65
• Instagram is the world’s second-favorite social media platform
• The average Instagram post engagement rate is about 0.60%

Of course, if you aren’t sure, you can always start an Instagram campaign and see how well it goes. Google Analytics and the analytics that come with Instagram business accounts can help. You can also calculate your engagement rate for the campaign.

Use a Business Profile

You might already have a personal Instagram account. If you do, you might wonder whether you should open up a business profile or simply use your personal one for your business.

In almost every case, it’s better to use a business Instagram account for your interior design business — even if you’re an independent contractor. Business accounts come with specific insights that can help you see what strategies are working and adjust accordingly. Here are some highlights:

• Accounts Reached: How many unique accounts have seen your content (plus a demographic breakdown of viewers)
• Accounts Engaged: How many unique accounts have liked, commented, or otherwise interacted with your content, plus a demographic breakdown
• Total Followers: Total number of followers and how many you’ve gained or lost
• Follower Insights: Including age range, top follower locations, and the times they’re most active on the platform
• Video Plays: How many times a given video has been played
• Content Interactions: Likes, shares, comments, replies, and other interactions with your posts

Insights aren’t the only reason you should choose a business account. Branding is a critical part of building a business, and creating a business Instagram is a great way to start creating a recognizable brand.

Make Use of Different Kinds of Content

Many people know Instagram as the app where you post photos. However, since its inception, Instagram has expanded the types of content you can post. If you want to maximize engagement, you should consider some of each type of content:

Photos/Videos

Instagram started as an app where you could post a single photo at a time. You can still do this! If you have multiple photos from a specific project, you might consider uploading them as a “carousel” post — a post that lets the user scroll through up to 10 photos. If you’d rather post a video, you can post one instead of a photo.

Reels

Wondering how to get interior design clients? Posting Instagram reels might help. A reel is a short video similar to the ones posted on the newer social media platform TikTok. Generally, they are geared toward people who don’t already follow you. With an engaging reel, you might manage to get several new followers!

Stories

Stories are photos and videos that disappear after 24 hours. Usually, they’re used as a way to connect with your existing followers.

Engage Your Audience

Instagram isn’t only about showing off your work. It’s also about connecting with your audience — that’s how you build an audience base while generating new leads.

Engaging your audience isn’t rocket science. Often, all it takes is engaging in meaningful dialogue in the comments section. You don’t have to spend all day replying to user comments, but make it a habit to engage regularly. A few thoughtful, meaningful replies will have a much greater impact than countless shallow ones.

Don’t limit your engagement to the comment sections of your own posts, though! Social media can be a great place to join the broader design conversation. Make sure to regularly interact with other design-related accounts — it can be an effective way to meet collaborators and connections.

Another way to engage is to use hashtags. They might seem like meaningless additions at the end of posts, but they’re a great way for others to discover you. For instance, imagine you live in Detroit, and you hashtag one of your posts with “#detroitdesign.” An Instagram user sees another design account using #detroitdesign, so they click on the hashtag. That takes them to a page of posts that also used #detroitdesign, so they might discover your account in the process.

To maximize your reach, use a variety of hashtags. Some general ones (like #interiordesign) are good to have, but you should also consider more niche-specific (#moderninteriors) and location-based hashtags like the one mentioned above.

Collaborate With Other Brands

Instagram might not seem like a platform for collaboration. However, if you connect with other brands in interior design or adjacent fields, collaborative posts have the potential to expand both of your audiences.

For example, imagine that you’ve been eyeing a local artist’s prints. You follow them on Instagram and then message them asking if they would be interested in collaborating. You design an interior using some of their art, post a photo shoot of the project, and tag them. The artist can then post photos of the same shoot, tagging you.

With this interior design marketing strategy, the artist’s followers will be introduced to a designer who likely suits their aesthetic sensibilities. Likewise, your followers will be introduced to an artist whose work might go nicely in their spaces.

If possible, try to collaborate with established accounts. The greater the other business’s reach, the greater your chance of expanding your audience.

In a similar vein, you may be able to supplement your earnings with income from affiliate marketing. This is when you post a link to a given company’s products or services. If someone clicks your link and makes a purchase, you earn a small commission.

Specialized Marketing for Interior Designers

Traditional marketing firms know marketing, but they don’t know your industry. To successfully promote your brand, you need to combine industry experience with marketing know-how. Unless you already have a solid marketing background, it can be difficult to master social media marketing while successfully running and growing your business.

Behind the Design is proud to offer a solution — we now provide marketing services for interior designers and architects. With us, you don’t have to choose between design expertise and marketing knowledge. We’ll craft a customized marketing plan specifically for your industry. If you want to learn more or want to get started today, don’t hesitate to get in touch with us!