Interior Design Marketing Strategies: Balancing Creativity and Business Growth

As a creative professional, you know your personal brand is driven by artistic passion. But when it comes to crafting a savvy marketing strategy, it might seem like an entirely different process.

Plenty of interior designers are apprehensive about marketing themselves because marketing seems so different from design. But what they might not realize is that marketing can also be a highly creative endeavor, and they might be better at it than they think, too.

If you’re searching around with queries like, “How to promote my interior design business,” you’re not alone. Here’s a guide to bridging the gap between design and marketing to create a winning marketing strategy.

Master the Art of Storytelling

Every brand has its story. And if you’ve already created a website, you’ve probably written out at least a basic version of yours. Nevertheless, a solid brand narrative is more than just entertainment for your audience. It’s a way to stand out in a crowded market.

What you may not know, though, is that there are two separate types of stories that can help you market yourself. These include the following:

The Story of Your Brand or Business

Standing out from the competition requires your brand to be more than just a name on a website. Customers want to see the person behind the business, and that means sharing what inspired you to pursue interior design, the challenges you faced in doing so, the ways in which you overcame them, and your vision for the future.

Stories like these make you seem to be more credible. When you tell your brand story well, you’re practically bound to draw in new customers. And when it comes to hiring a creative professional, most people want to see that they’re working with someone who has a genuine creative passion.

The Story of Your Individual Projects

If you’re a relatively new designer, your most important projects may not be finished yet. In response, some designers will say that means you can’t feature them on your websites. But that’s a misconception.

Your audience wants to see your process. So when you can show a work in progress ( not just the before and after), you build credibility as a designer and humanize your business. And when potential customers feel like they know you, they might be more likely to choose you to complete a project for them.

Keep Your Visual Branding on Point

Visual branding is important regardless of the industry you’re in. But when you work in a highly visual field like interior design, that importance doubles down. Creating beautiful, high-quality visuals is one of the most critical steps to take if you want to grow your interior design business.

However, a good visual branding strategy involves more than just photos of your work. Here’s a list of things to keep in mind as you assess your existing visuals or create them for the first time:

• Your Website Layout: A beautiful website is important; if a potential client sees you can’t make a beautiful website, they might assume you can’t design a beautiful interior either.
• Your Work: Detailed, comprehensive visuals are vital; you might even consider letting website visitors take 3D tours of recent projects.
• Your Logo: A logo that shows off your design personality and ethos makes your brand more recognizable, especially across different social media platforms.
• Your Social Media: Your cover photo, profile photo, and posts should all meet your standards for striking visuals.

If you want, you can create these visual elements yourself. But if you prefer, you can also enlist professional help (and for a lower price than you may think). You can hire a freelancer to create a logo, work with a web designer, or even hire a professional photographer if you prefer.

Master Social Media

When you use certain social media platforms strategically, you can connect with your target audience, tap into your local design community, and forge partnerships with brands.

Most notably, when you make use of visual-oriented social media platforms, you can also showcase your portfolio of work. There are many different social media platforms to consider, but three that are particularly important for interior designers are Instagram, Pinterest, and Houzz.

Instagram

Instagram isn’t just a place for posting selfies. It’s one of the biggest visual-oriented platforms that lets you post photos and videos of your work. And when you include local, searchable hashtags in your posts (like #LAinteriordesign), users can easily discover your brand.

Instagram also offers another opportunity: partnering with influencers. If a design-related influencer promotes your brand, often in exchange for a discount or fee, you get greater exposure and more business traffic.

Pinterest

Pinterest is also visually oriented, though it’s primarily used to share or collect ideas for designs and other creative projects. If a user sees one of your posts and likes it, they can “pin” it to their board, share it, and comment on it.

Of course, there are countless interior designers on Pinterest, so to stand out, you need to ensure that you post unique content or approach interior design from a unique angle. If you want to further boost your reach, it might be worth it to pay for a few “promoted” pins. These reach more users, and they can help kickstart a strong following.

Houzz

Houzz shares some things in common with Pinterest, but it’s more industry-specific in comparison. It serves as both a community for designers, remodelers, and other professionals offering services to homeowners. But it’s also a place for homeowners to discover, connect with, and hire professionals.

If you’re active on Houzz and people like your photographs, you can earn Houzz “badges,” which are similar to the usual “Verified” checks you can get on other social media platforms. These can help you stand out and make you look more trustworthy to clients, but just like with Instagram and Pinterest, success on Houzz ultimately hinges on having excellent visuals.

Find the Magic in Email Marketing

Email marketing might not sound too exciting, but it’s a great way to keep clients (both current and potential) interested. When you build an email list, you open yet another channel to communicate with followers. Even those who don’t immediately need a designer might learn something or come to see you as a potential future choice.

With an email list, you can share a range of useful content, such as:

• Design tips
• Industry insights
• Design-related news
• Exclusive content
• Updates on current projects
• Unique insights into your process

An email marketing campaign might sound like a lot to keep up with. But when you make use of specific email marketing software, you can schedule emails, determine which will be sent to different segments of your audience, and even make use of pre-existing email campaign templates.

Leverage the Power of Networking and Partnerships

When you’re running your own design business, it can feel like you’re alone in a sea of competition. But the truth is that the industry is full of partnership opportunities, and these can benefit both your business and those you partner with.

That doesn’t mean you need to collaborate with direct competitors, of course. Maybe you know a local architect, and you each agree to create a blog post for the other’s blog. That will open up an opportunity for cross-promotion that may grow both of your audiences. And if you’re looking for marketing ideas, your collaborators may be able to offer some advice.

Discover the Power of Client Reviews and Testimonials

Our last bit of advice for the interior designer who’s scouring the web for “How to promote my interior design business” is that you shouldn’t discount the importance of reviews and client feedback. When most people are looking for a professional, they check out online reviews. If you already have positive client reviews, they’ll speak for themselves.

Still, it’s a good idea to also include some positive client feedback on your website. Consider asking satisfied clients for detailed testimonials as well. A longer, more specific review does more to build your credibility than a short and basic review.

Need Some Help With Digital Marketing Strategies?

Even when you take the time to master these interior design marketing strategies, you might find that it’s a challenge to stay on top of both your digital marketing and the day-to-day goings-on of your business.

Fortunately, Behind the Design is here to help. We started as an online community for interior designers and architects to network after college, and we’ve gradually expanded to include continuing education courses, business coaching, and digital marketing services for interior designers and architects. We can develop digital marketing strategies tailored to the needs of designers, helping your business reach new heights.

Whether you have questions, want to talk marketing ideas, or you’re ready to get started, get in touch with us today!