The interior design industry is getting more and more competitive. Just like any business, you have to work on gaining and keeping clients to get the business going. For freelance designers like you who don’t have a whole team to do the marketing and promoting tasks for them, there’s a place where you can gain more clients for virtually zero charges — social media.
But what can you do to let people know about your brand and what you have to offer them? Here are ways to take advantage of the vast audience of social media platforms.
Live stream a Q&A session
Live streaming is a great way to connect with future and existing clients. It humanizes your brand and makes you seem more approachable. Remember, when you’re going to design a home, office, or business establishment, clients need to be able to trust you before letting you into their spaces and sharing their wants and needs.
You can use social media platforms like Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram to live stream a Question and Answer session. But why a Q&A session? With this type of concept, you’re able to encourage your audience to participate while showcasing your knowledge and skills when it comes to interior design.
Once you come up with a schedule for live streaming, post it online ahead of time. This way, it will have enough time to reach a wider audience and those interested would be able to clear their schedule to watch you and ask their questions.
Prepare everything you need for your live stream. Place books, magazines, your portfolio, sample photographs, a color swatch, and other helpful resources to help you answer questions about interior design. Make sure you dress the part and that you introduce yourself before starting the session. During the live session, flash your contact information on the screen or pin it in the comments section. This will make it easier for potential clients to take note of it.
Share your design process
A design process is important in order to establish realistic expectations, deliverables, and deadlines. But you don’t have to wait for a client to request it before making one. You can record your design process on your own using an online video editor.
Create a behind-the-scenes video of how you work to give your followers a glimpse of your skills and expertise. This will also reassure potential clients that if they choose to work with you, they already know how the process goes.
How-to videos are also great for promoting your business. But choose what you share wisely. Keep private the special talents and techniques that make you stand out from other designers. Mention it to raise awareness but don’t get too detailed about it.
Another way to share your design process is by creating an infographic of your workflow. It can be the traditional image type or you can animate it to make it more interesting. Use layman terms to help viewers understand it. Remember, not all clients are aware of design-related terms and expressions.
To get people to notice your design process posts, come up with a catchy title or a hook. But be cautious about using clickbait captions. Although they greatly induce curiosity among users, they’re often vague and could generate wrong expectations. Instead, be clear and give a bit of a summary of what your post entails.
Ever wondered how interior design works? Here’s a brief look at the creative process and how design projects get from step One all the way to step Done.
Offer a free consultation
People love freebies and you could use that to your advantage. As an interior designer, the best freebie you can give is a consultation. It’s not something new but the way you offer it could help yield better results.
Before offering a free consultation, give your audience a reason to want to take you up on that offer. Post a successful project you worked on previously and show before and after photos of the home or office you designed.
Another way is to create a contest where you can invite viewers to share a photo of the worst room or space in their home or office. The owners of the five worst will get a free consultation as a prize.
How you word your freebie will play a huge role in boosting engagement to your post and page. Instead of sticking to the boring “Book a free consultation now†line, make your offer more specific. Not only will it sound more credible, but it will also give your audience an idea of what they can gain or expect from having a free session with an expert.
Using the same examples above, show before and after photos of your previous projects. Add a short description of the project and provide a summary of what has been done to improve the space. You may even mention what the client wanted in the first place. This is a great way for potential clients to see how good you’re at following instructions or considering what customers want. Then say something like:
Book a free 30-minute consultation now. Let’s talk about your dream project and map out a design plan that works for you and your lifestyle.
Or
Get a free consultation and learn how to improve your space to better suit your needs. We’ll even share a Tips Sheet for choosing the right color and materials for home decor and furniture that works best for you.
Being clear and targeting a specific time and plan will give the audience an impression that you can address their design dilemmas while setting their expectations of what’s going to happen during the consultation and how long will it take.
Post quick tips through Instagram and TikTok
Instagram and TikTok may not be the first social media platforms to come to mind when you’re looking to gain more clients but you’d be surprised at how visual posts can help you find potential clients.
On Instagram, share interior design tips using images and videos. For photographs, add captions on the photo itself or in the description field and make sure to use trending and relevant hashtags. For reels and stories, you can either add subtitles to explain your design tips or add a voiceover.
On TikTok, you can share quick tips by following challenges and incorporating interior design into them. You could also create a design-focused channel where you can share design hacks, tips, cheaper alternatives to expensive home decor, or simply explain, in the simplest way possible, certain terms, acronyms, or expressions used in the interior design world.
Make sure to check the comments on your posts. There will be questions and suggestions from interested viewers and, if you address them in your future posts, the more likely that users will want to follow you. Going viral, or at least popular enough to get a number of followers, can help make people see you as a reliable and knowledgeable interior design expert. And when that happens, you will be a go-to person for people who are seeking design services.
Grow your network
As they say, no man is an island. Don’t sit around and wait for people to connect with you. Grow your network by connecting with people and accounts that are in the same industry as you are. Find groups or communities that focus on home decor, home design, renovation, construction, and related services.
Once you’ve added and connected with such accounts, be active and responsive. Some groups encourage members to post about home and office design-related problems, queries, or questions. If it’s something you can address, comment on the post and share your insight.
Although it seems like you’re doing it for free, people will remember you and check you out. Some may even blatantly ask how much you charge for interior design services. So, be on the lookout for tags, comments, and posts directed at you and be there for them.
Conclusion
Social media is a powerful tool for business owners. It provides a great platform for professionals to connect with their target audience, no matter where they’re in the world. Use your creativity and work to use social media by sharing videos and other valuable content that will help users gain insight into what you can offer.
Connect with local businesses, share your portfolio, and collaborate with people or companies that are in an industry relative to interior design. With just a few clicks, you would be able to reach potential clients while you’re in front of your laptop or through your mobile device. How easy and convenient is that?
It’s highly recommended that interior designers create social media accounts to establish an online presence. In a world where digital technology has become an essential part of our daily lives, you should be accessible online. There may be a hundred or a thousand other designers like you out there, but with the right social media marketing tools and strategies, gaining clients should be fun and fruitful.
