At my recent Business of Decorating Masterclass we had three marketing and branding specialists join the panel discussion. One of the most common topics to come up was around Instagram and how to make it work better for business. We all use it for collating inspiration and ideas but using it for business comes with a whole new set of rules.
I asked my publicist and marketing guru Alicia Penhorwood from Harper Collective Management to answer a few key questions about how to make instagram work better for you and your business.
Instagram for Interior Designers
- Is Instagram still a powerful tool to convert followers into clients?
The beauty of Instagram is that you can build connections with your dream clients and create a thriving platform to promote your brand without a huge investment. It’s also one of the first places a client will look at when thinking about working with you. This means that if your Instagram isn’t on it’s A-game that client might keep scrolling to find someone who is more aligned with them.Â
When it comes to converting clients on Instagram it’s a fine line between selling and adding value. You want to be enriching your followers lives more than you’re trying to sell to them. Otherwise it’s like trying to watch your favourite TV show with half an hour of ads in between.
A great place to start is to map out your content calendar for the month. If you’re wanting to book more initial design consultations, then you might look at incorporating a few posts around projects you’re working on. You could also show how you helped bring the clients vision to life from the first initial consultation to the end result. Then drop in a mention of having limited spaces available for initial consultations for the month and guide people on how to book.Â
- What do you see are the main benefits of using Instagram stories?
We can all relate to sitting on Instagram and just watching Instagram stories. This means that if you’re not using them, you’re missing out on a piece of the pie.Â
Instagram stories is the perfect way to welcome your audience behind the scenes and give them a glimpse into the process that goes into creating people’s dream homes. They also let you keep in touch with your audience without worrying about thinking of the perfect caption or maintaining a beautifully colour coordinated Instagram grid. Think of Instagram stories as a way to connect on a deeper level with your audience and maintain a relationship with them in between posts.Â
- Should I make sure the images I’m posting are really polished or can I share some behind the scenes stuff?
This depends on how you want to reflect your brand to your dream clients. Usually I would recommend keeping your Instagram grid filled with high-quality, polished images and then using your Instagram stories for those fun behind-the-scenes. However, if your brand is all about keeping it real, then 100% share that post of your overflowing candle collection. (Because you can never have too many candles right?). Remember to make sure all of your content is aligned with your content pillars, branding and marketing goals.Â
- Where do you see video assisting interior designers in building their following on Instagram?
Incorporating video into your content is such a beautiful way to connect with people more than you could through an image and copy. Especially for Interior Designers this is a really exciting way to bring potential clients into your projects and communicate to them exactly who you are and why you’re perfect for them in a way that is going to captivate their attention.Â
To keep it simple, we all follow Instagram accounts that inspire us in some way. So, when mapping out your video content think about your audience and what they would love to see.Â
You might like to incorporate styling how-tos or walk people through the design process that goes into making over a client’s master bedroom or share a day in life which shows off a bit of your personality.Â
- How often should I be posting?
There is so much pressure around how often people should be posting on social media that it takes the fun out of it. Start by asking how often you have time in your week to really dedicate yourself to crafting a post that takes your audience into consideration and gives you the time to respond to their comments. That way you are making sure you’re feeling inspired and connected to the essence of your brand when posting,
If that’s every three days then perfect, let’s start with that!Â
I’m a big believer that your vibe attracts your tribe. So, if you’re just putting out content for the sake of it, then people are going to sense that through your posts.Â
Instead if you’re organised, sharing thoughtful content and dedicated to really showing up for your audience then you’re going to build a buzzing community and attract the right types of people to your brand.Â
Quality over quantity wins every time and if you’re able to work out a social media strategy that fits in with your lifestyle and allows you to deliver consistent quality content then you’re nailing it!
If you’d like to speak to Alicia about the services she offers for interior designers click here. You can also follow her on Instagram here.
What are some of your favourite instagram tricks?!
Emma x