How to Grow Your Interior Design Business
Most of my interior design clients come to me with a business that has grown entirely on word of mouth. While this is a huge sign of their talent and professionalism, putting your eggs all in one “word of mouth” basket leaves you at risk for slow seasons or even complete dead seasons. It also typically means their growth is slower than their competitors who have an online presence.
If you run an interior design business and have been looking for creative ways to brand your company online and set it apart, I’m here to help you. Follow these branding tips to begin to see a difference in the number of clients that you book.
In a previous post I explored how an interior designer should establish their brand from the inside out. I walk you through how to niche your style and then attracting your your ideal client. Let’s dive deeper and explore some more ACTIONABLE steps to create a brand that stands out from the rest.
STOP SAYING YES TO EVERY INQUIRY
Believe it or not, your portfolio is a strong reflection of your brand. If you want to grow your interior design business, you need to LOVE the projects you are working on. You won't want to carry on in the interior design business if you aren't working on the kind of projects that inspire you. Your dream client is someone who requests the specific aspects of interior design that you enjoy the most. In order to attract that dream client in real life, you need to showcase your abilities in the interior design space. Thus, instead of taking on every project offer that comes your way, you should focus on only accepting the offers that truly get you excited:
By showing your potential customers what you're capable of you'll build trust and attract the right sorts of projects. That then becomes a virtuous circle and you become an expert in your field, the go-to company for people looking for what you specialize in. That's got to be more inspiring than a bit of this, that and everything else hasn't it?
This does mean that you might miss out on some money-making opportunities in the very beginning of your journey, but don't fret! The point of only accepting offers you are truly excited about is to build your portfolio into what you want it to be. This attracts more dream clients and feeds the cycle. Before you know it, you are only working on projects that truly make you want to jump out of bed in the morning.
VISUALLY LOOK THE PART.
Your logo and website are the storefront of your business. If you don’t put love and care into your digital presence, your potential clients won’t feel like you will put love and care into your work with them.
Visual branding is the process that one engages in when they lay out the distinct color palette and other features that will ultimately define their business. Here are a few of the aspects of visual branding that you need to spend some time on:
Color Palette
Brands are undoubtedly defined by the color palette that they use in their logos and general marketing efforts. When you think of some of the most famous brands in the world you also think of a particular color that is associated with them. This is done on purpose by brands all around the world. They want you to immediately connect their branding and logo with a particular color in your mind. You should do the same for your interior design business. Just make sure the color you select is neutral. You don't want to make too big of a splash or it may come off the wrong way.
Logo Design for Interior Designers -
From simple to complex, every brand has a logo. The logo should convey a message without using too many (or perhaps any) words. It is tricky to come up with the perfect logo, but it is worth investing in. You may even consider hiring someone to come up with some logo options for you so you can see what choices you have.
Website Design for Interior Designers
Every interior design brand needs a great website. This is not only the place where prospective customers can learn more about the services that you offer, but it is the place where they will hopefully book an appointment with you. Of course, this only happens if your website is laid out well and is visually appealing. Take some time to ensure that the first impression that a new visitor to your website is left with is a good one.
Branding and logo design for interior designers are important concepts, and it is best if you can work on these features before you ever launch your business.
You want to keep the messaging consistent across platforms, and that means focusing on getting these aspects of the business right before you ever start.
CONSIDER SUB-MARKS AND SUB-LOGOS FOR MORE FLEXIBILITY
Stamping your company logo and image everywhere that you possibly can seem ideal at first, but that isn't necessarily the case. You do want to get the word out about who you are and what you provide, but you don't want to do so in a way that might turn people off. Thus, you should consider alternative LOGOS or SUB-MARKS to use on various platforms throughout the Internet and the physical world as well.
Slight changes to your logo appearance and perhaps even the colors used may make sense for different platforms. It is amazing how different people respond to different types of logos, but there is no doubt that there are differences in how people react when seeing certain logos. If you want to appeal to as broad of a base of people as possible, you will make sure your logo appeals to the precise audience that you are reaching out to.
There is a lot of competition in the interior design space, and consumers have more choices than ever before. If you wish to remain competitive in the field, you will need to take decisive action to put yourself in the best position to win. The advice above is a great way to get started, and there is more where that came from. Please let us know how we can help your interior design business gain more traction. We are more than happy to work with you on a specific strategy that will work for you.
Want to talk about defining your interior design brand to attract your ideal clients and projects?