9 Interior Designer Marketing Tips & Ideas

Most interior design firms don’t use their website and email marketing to their advantage.

While most businesses focus on Social Media (where people hang out and are not really looking to make big decisions), most interior designers neglect to use their website and email marketing effectively.

Here are strategies to start utilizing the best tools you have to convert curious leads into clients.

1 | Identify your ideal type of client

You likely know this already, but if you haven’t done it already, write out your ideal client, based on your best previous clients. For instance, their typical age, gender, city/state, their interests, married or single, kids or no kids, residential or commercial. If residential, what type of residential? Single story? Apartment? Get as detailed as possible. If you’ve had 3 or 4 similar client that match each other, then write ALL of your marketing as if you were speaking directly to them.

2 | Identify your most popular, highest-margin, favorite service

The interior designer’s demise is when she or he picks too many services or angles to business. In order to scale and grow, you must identify which single, number 1 service is your top service. Whether it is e-design, design concepts, design/build. Once you identify your number 1 top service, develop a step-by-step process that can work for every single project you do. And for an interior design project, this can often be hundreds or thousands of steps. Can you imagine trying to scale a business with 3 different primary services, each which has it’s own one hundred-step process? You’ll never grow. Identify your best seller, and focus on a single core service.

3 | Clearly convey your primary service and primary client on your marketing

If Instagram is your #1 marketing method, always speak to your ideal target client as if you were speaking to just 1 person. This way, your ideal clientele will gravitate towards you specifically, because you speak their language! Then, focus on the 1 thing you do really well, and continue it through all your marketing, all the way to your website.

4 | Lead people directly to your website with a clear Call To Action

Start developing a website which actually engages your target clientele. This means you collect information from them in unique ways. Don’t just expect people to fill out a simple Contact form. Instead, gain their interest through the following methods:

  • A PDF download or your pricing, services, of process

  • A free project quesitonnaire

  • A free “style quiz” or something interactive

  • A free phone consultation

  • “Ask the designer” free Q&A interactions, interview or podcast

Anything which is going to engage and interest people from your Instagram or other social media marketing to drive people to your website and take action by filling out their email address

5 | Capture their email and follow up regularly

While you have Instagram or other social media marketing, people become more serious clients once they are on your email address list. People are frivolous about making their social media accounts public. But their email address is a little more private. If they give it to you on their website, you’ve started to capture a real potential lead. Follow up with email marketing at least once per week for as long as it takes to convert them to a lead.

6 | Initiate a clear process to start services with you

Once you’ve made a path for clientele to follow from social media, to your website, to your email marketing, the lead has engaged with you in numerous ways, and they are going to start feeling more comfortable with you from afar. Using a podcast, audio recordings, and video recordings will then allow you to become more familiar to your potential clients. You can then start the “Le't’s get started with your interior design project” technique and Call them to a sale. Use words like this:

  • Request a quote

  • Request a proposal

  • Schedule a design consultation

  • Schedule an in-studio meeting

  • Schedule a meeting at your project location

  • Request an estimate

Or any other wording that makes sense for your business. At this point, get ready to follow up a few more times to ensure the lead has all their questions answered. This can often take 1 to 10 more times of engagement, so follow through once a lead comes in.

8 | Deliver and follow through

Marketing doesn’t stop there. You must make sure the client is super happy with the process you go through. Develop a clear project process that takes your client through a step-by-step journey that is clear. Remember that you are focusing on a primary service with hundreds of checklist items you know very, very well. So perfect every detail and ensure that you delivery is amazing.

9 | Go above and beyond

When the project is almost complete, do something a little extra and above-and-beyond so your clients are thrilled. Interior Design is the perfect industry to wow people, because they’re going to tell EVERYONE about their home or design project. So if you wow your clients, you’ll have a marketing agent for life after this process is over. This part to marketing is crucial. Stay in touch with your clients will beyond the end of the project to add value, such as how to take care of their new space, or ideas for how to make the most of their finished project. Don’t overlook the power of following all the way through and beyond way past the finished line.

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How to build an effective interior design website

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