Interior Designer Marketing Tips: Are You Struggling to Find New Clients? [INFOGRAPHIC]

It’s no secret that most designers go through periods where they struggle to build their client base. While we’ve shared many interior designer marketing tips in the past at this blog, it’s always helpful to know why you might be having trouble finding new clients – and, you do not have to think it’s all your fault!In a recent article at DesignersToday.com, we discover that cost and lack of need are the two biggest barriers to hiring a designer among all generations, according to exclusive research from Furniture Today.Of course, this information is not exactly surprising; yet there is a huge value to be found in understanding more clearly what the data have to say about the demographics involved. It’s equally valuable to understand precisely where today’s consumers are willing to invest in interior design services.Interior Design Client DemographicsAccording to the research, consumers are much more likely to consider working with a designer for complete room overhauls, while preferring to tackle redecorating projects themselves.

• A complete kitchen renovation is the home project for which consumers are most likely to consider using a designer, with Millennials most likely at 54%, significantly more than Generation X at 45% and slightly more than Baby Boomers at 52%.
• Overall, the cost is the strongest deterrent for Generation X, at 79%, slightly ahead of Millennials at 78% and Baby Boomers at 76%. Lack of need, at 65%, is a bigger barrier for Baby Boomers than both Millennials (62%) and Generation X (57%).
• However, not all barriers to hiring a designer stem from perceived negative aspects of the designer experience, with 57% to 62% of all demographics declaring they simply prefer designing themselves.

For more, check out the infographic below.Economics of Interior Design BusinessYet, despite these somewhat depressing numbers, all is not lost. The interior design industry generates a significant amount of revenue each year across the US. In fact, based on the most recent data we could find, the total annual economic impact (direct, indirect, and induced) of the interior design sector in the United States was estimated to be $96.3 billion in 2016, which can support 522,400 jobs annually.

• Total revenue for the interior design sector is estimated to be $49.0 billion, generating nearly 200,000 jobs annually.
• The interior design sector generates an additional $47.3 billion in ripple effects each year, supporting 323,136 more jobs in the country in annually.
• Among the total, 110,141 workers were employed directly in interior design industries, and the rest were interior design workers in supporting industries. (IIDA.org)

Needless to say, as the economy continues to improve, and the housing market continues to grow, the future looks bright for the savvy designer who can target their market accurately and offer the services sought by each client demographic.Looking for more interior designer marketing tips, new design trends, and design product ideas? Get in touch with TD Fall today.

Grow Your Interior Design Business – Survey Your Audience

In a previous post about analyzing your market, we offered some general guidance about market research that could help you grow your interior design business. Today, we’d like to add a tip that will help you further: Survey your audience.In the world of online marketing, building an email list is considered one of the most powerful tools you have at your disposal for engaging with prospects and clients. What many of the online marketing “experts” neglect to mention is that your list can also be an incredibly valuable resource for developing important marketing information.The feedback you receive from your list may be the most valuable source you have at your disposal because you already know they’re interested in you and your business – they told you that by opting-in to your list.Survey Your Email ListWhether you have a big audience or a teeny tiny audience doesn't matter. What does matter is that you need to be sending out questions to get to know your audience better. And, since your email list is something of a captive audience, they’re an excellent resource for marketing information.Using the information they share with you in response to your surveys will enable you to create more products and services that your audience wants. This will not only increase your sales, but it will also help you to build a stronger social media following and increase traffic to your website. These are very good things!You may have heard that surveying your audience is something that you should be doing but, it’s very likely you are not, and it is tragic if you are not continually surveying your audience on a quarterly basis.We recommend putting this activity into your calendar where, perhaps once a quarter, you get an automatic alert that notifies you that it’s again time to send out a survey to your list.Survey Questions for Your ListA time-tested practice would be to limit your quarterly survey to about five questions. Why just five? You want to respect people's time, and they are going to answer it out of the goodness of their hearts.For example, you might send an email to your list saying something like:“Hey, I’m at this place in my business where I'm wanting to make sure that I'm on target and I'm giving you the best value that I can. So, I have five quick questions for you, and it would mean the world to me if you could take a minute and answer them for me.”One of the questions on your survey should always be:“What's your number-one most burning question when it comes to working with an interior designer?”Of course, you may have a more specific category that is your most burning question for your audience but, you get the idea.You can ask them about anything that matters to you: leather vs. cloth furniture, rugs vs. carpeting, draperies vs. blinds, mass-produced vs. hand-finished products, etc.Whatever you choose to ask about, that is always a must on your surveys because you'll start to find patterns among the answers you receive, illuminating the most common questions people are asking. Once you know what matters most to them, you can begin to shift your marketing to meet that need.Use the remaining questions in your survey to follow-up on that subject, perhaps with questions they might ask themselves – if only they knew what to ask. After all, you’re the expert, so ask the questions an expert would ask.BONUS TIP: Use these surveys to help you create content for your blog, tip videos, and social media too. Frankly, the more people who see you addressing the issues that matter most to your audience, the larger that audience will grow. This will boost your reputation, both online and offline, increase website traffic, expand your list, and increase inquiries from potential clients.That’s a win/win for everyone!Again, your goal is to find out what matters to your audience, without your personal or professional biases leading you in a direction that may not profit you.Looking for more new design trends, marketing tips, and ideas? Get in touch with TD Fall today.