Getting the word out for your interior design business isn’t always easy. Every year there are more and more designers getting out there, looking for jobs. So have you ever thought how to stand out from the crowd? To make yourself known for being different from others? Why should anyone hire you and not someone else?
Marketing plays a huge role in having a thriving business. Whoever markets themselves best will most likely have more paying clients. So let’s take a look at some different ways you can market yourself as an interior designer and create a booming business.
Build A Portfolio
This is the first step. The one where you’ll build upon. Creating a portfolio is important because it gives you something to show your clients. Make it as varied as possible. Pour your creative ideas, style and taste into it. And make sure it’s a well-balanced portfolio. You want it to be good looking and detailed enough. Don’t let someone else make it, because it will not represent your image good enough. And you want clients to pick you for your unique ways of doing something.
Just having a portfolio isn’t enough, of course. Be sure to put it out there, to let people have a taste of what you can achieve.
Use Social Media
When you’ve built your portfolio, it’s time to get it out there. One of the ways to do that is by using social media. This gives you the opportunity to be ever present and stay top of mind. There are a lot of really creative ways in which you can use social media. You can use posts to show off projects, videos to give some more insight in your ways. And don’t be scared to let people see the behind the scenes! This will create connections, build trust and put a face on your brand. People don’t hire someone who they’ve never seen before.
Print Your Portfolio
As an interior designer you can make good use of word of mouth. If you’ve done a project for a client, let them leave a review and ask them to send anyone they know looking for a designer to you. If you’ve done a great job, you’re very likely to get more clients this way.
But to make it even more easier for word of mouth to travel, print out a booklet of your portfolio and share with clients where you’ve already finished a project, or send them out to prospects. Give people the opportunity to get them delivered for free on your website. Even though you might have your portfolio online, lots of people like to have a piece of paper in hand to go through. When leaving them with former customers they’ll be able to show off your work to others for free! Think about the exposure this will give you.
Collaborate With Others
Working with someone else is always a great experience. You can learn from each other and benefit from each others’ network. It gives you an easy way to get more projects and a bigger variety in the work you’ll get. So ask others to join you in your new ventures and in turn get invited to do some amazing work with them. You’ll see that working in a team comes with it’s perks too: get new insight, learn to see things differently and broaden your network.
Join A Design Contest
Showing off awards is an easy way to win over people to invest in your services. People tend to view someone with awards as someone who’s serious about their business. It creates a trust factor and will grow your credibility.
But you don’t necessarily have to win a contest to get the advantages. Simply joining and doing your best will give you exposure too. It might be that you’re not the winner, but get special mention. Plus, you’ll be able to make decent connections in the interior design world. And those might just get you your next project!
Work Together With An Influencer
If you’re active on social media, it might be a great idea to get in touch with an influencer. You can make a few suggestions on how you can offer your services in return for more exposure. Make sure to pick an influencer that fits with your ideal customer demographic. There are a couple of rules to take into account when contacting an influencer for a collaboration. Make sure to Google before taking the plunge to make sure you’ll have a great working relationship!
From having a portfolio, printing your own booklet to joining a contest or working with an influencer, these are all great and unique ways to market yourself as an interior designer. Make sure to try at least one of these tips to see the amazing results they can give your business!
