As a business owner, you need to market your Interior Design business to find more clients!
Ways I tried to market my interior design business
Recently, I’ve been reflecting on some of the things I’ve tried over the years. Like the time I convinced my (now) husband to go leafleting with me.
I honestly can’t think of many things worse than going door to door shoving leaflets through letter boxes. The fact that I got my husband to help me do this just shows what a keeper he is. Way back in the mists of time, when I started my first interior design company, I decided I needed to find more clients.
It’s fair to say that social media is not what it is today. And, I can’t believe I’m saying this, but I didn’t have a website. I’d decided that, much cheaper than placing an ad in a magazine, the way to get the word out was to design some fancy leaflets and post them through potential clients doors.
I can’t remember the number of leaflets we printed off. I can’t remember the number of hours we trudged around my neighbourhood, posting flyers through the doors of people I didn’t know, hoping they needed an enthusiastic, newly qualified interior designer.
The number I DO remember though, very clearly, is how many sparkly, new clients I got as a result of this marketing effort. Zero, zilch, nada, none. No nibbles or enquiries, no calls nor expressions of interest. There was no client work from a huge investment in time (plus design and printing costs).
Of course, it’s likely that the next logical step for anyone receiving a leaflet would be to check out my website – and I didn’t have one at the time. Marketing fail.
Do you have a strategy?
It demonstrates that marketing your interior design business needs to be a thought-out plan. Not an isolated action – or throwing spaghetti at the wall – but an ongoing plan with a goal and a purpose. Ideally your strategy will be aimed at your ideal clients (not just the houses you can reach by foot).
As an interior designer, marketing might be right outside of your comfort zone, but if you are running your own business, it’s essential. Here are my tips to make your marketing more ‘hit’ than ‘miss’.
7 tips to improve the marketing of your Interior Design business and find more clients:
1. Do research
You’re not going to get your marketing mix right all the time. The key is to figure out where your target market is hanging out and focus your attention there.
I didn’t do enough research about the homes where I dropped the fliers, or provide a suitable next step (like the ability to check out my work on my website).
2. Have a plan
I had the naïve belief that, because I was so excited about my new profession and my ability to change peoples’ lives by designing their homes, complete strangers would be excited too and sign up after seeing my flyer. Nope.
Consider the services you are offering, how to market your Interior Design business to find more clients, attract your ideal clients and the best methods to do this.
3. What’s your jam?
You need to find not just what works for you in terms of developing a pipeline of interested potential clients, but also an activity that you enjoy. This is because marketing takes time and effort (and money), and you need to be able to keep going for the long-term.
Leafleting didn’t work for me, it was a decidedly miserable activity, but that doesn’t mean that leaflets won’t bring you clients. Especially if you have children who might do the dreaded foot work for you. Find what works for you.
I wouldn’t suggest you commit to blogging if you don’t like writing as it will make your life a misery. If you have commitments that make getting out of the house early difficult, or you don’t like speaking in public, then morning business networking is not for you.
4. Keep it fresh
Be open to things changing over time, especially as you develop your business or launch new service offerings. The same approach to market your Interior Design business to find more clients might not work for each of your design packages.
Keep your eyes open to new opportunities. Being a small business means there’s no red tape or lengthy procedures so if you see a new way of finding clients – jump in!
5. Eggs in your basket
Don’t put all your eggs in one marketing basket. The problem, if you rely on just one marketing method, is that if it dries up, your pipeline of work can literally disappear overnight.
If Instagram goes down or changes the algorithm it can put you in an awkward spot. Or if you rely on all of your leads from a builder/developer and they retire,then what? Definitely, whatever else you do, have a website.
6. Patience & perseverance
It used to be said that a potential client needed ‘7 touches’ before they would consider a purchase. Now, with the ‘noise’ of social media, it is much higher.
Maybe those flyers did count as one touch? Perhaps they weren’t just scooped up and thrown in the bin? Who knows. For an industry like interior design, you’ll rarely get a new client from one touch (the exception being if that one touch is a personal recommendation from someone your potential client trusts).
Marketing requires on-going, consistent effort. Be prepared to dig in for the long haul. That doesn’t mean persevering with a marketing activity that clearly isn’t working, but be honest about whether you have given it enough time and effort to see results.
7. Data is magical
Track where your leads are coming from. Where have your existing clients come from? Is it the sort of work you want more of? How much money did you make on the work? It’s not just about the number of leads, it’s the quality too.
If this is an area where you need help then the Sales Lab programme is for you! No more guesswork or time wasted marketing in the wrong places.
When it comes to market your Interior Design business to find more clients, make sure you understand what is going on in your business. Know how much time and money you are investing in any marketing activity, and the resulting clients you are working with.
The data you gather about your marketing, like the return on marketing investment (ROMI) can absolutely drive your business to the next level, stop the feast and famine, and find you more of the work you love.
More Resources:
If you want to find more clients and build a steady stream of work, then you might be interested in this article on Referral Marketing or How to get repeat clients or Networking for Success
A few ways I can help, depending on what you need right now:
I’m Lisa Honiball, Business Coach & Mentor. I provide calm business guidance to established Interior Designers.
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