The interior design industry is highly competitive. According to 2024 data from IBISWorld, there are 148,436 interior designs in the US, and the industry is growing. Therefore, designers need to do whatever they can to stand out, showcase their unique value, and build authority both online and offline. How can you do that? There are many ways, but one of the most effective ways for businesses to expand their reach online is content marketing!
Understanding Content Marketing
Content marketing is exactly what it sounds like. It is a marketing effort that is based around creating, optimizing, and sharing content. More specifically, you want to create content that is relevant to your ideal client, provides value to them, and will help retain those clients.
Content marketing can take many forms. We’ll go into more detail later, but a few quick examples are:
- Blogs and articles
- Videos and podcasts
- Social media posts
- Email campaigns
- Case studies and testimonials
- Collaborations
- Whitepapers and PDFs
This type of marketing effort is a long game. You likely won’t land a new client just from one article. Rather, your content provides touch points, or distinct interactions between the prospect and your brand. It is commonly quoted that an average of 7 touch points are required to make a sale, but the truth is that this number can vary from 1 to 50 depending on the product and the industry. Interior design is a high-ticket purchase, so your clients may require more touches and a longer nurturing time.
Why does content marketing work?
The goal of content marketing is not to make a direct sale. Rather it is designed to provide your audience with knowledge and resources. Doing this builds trust and credibility, making you an authority on a subject that people can count on for quality information. Creating content can also help your online discoverability through search engine optimization.
Defining Your Audience
The most important step when planning your content marketing strategy is understanding who your audience is and what they care about. Many of the questions you should ask yourself will be answered in your ideal client profiles. You should create these personas before venturing into content marketing.
Based on your personas, you can identify pain points, needs, and desires that your audience has, and address them in your content. “If you build it, they will come” does not always apply to content marketing. You need to make the content compelling and valuable. It should address your audience precisely, and offer unique advice, rather than being cookie-cutter.
You’ll also want to understand where your ideal clients like to consume content. In the modern age, this essentially means what websites or apps do they spend their time on? This could be Instagram, LinkedIn, YouTube, or any number of other platforms. If you’ve already started working on your social media content, you may have already defined what your preferred platforms are.
The Best Content Types for Interior Designers
Interior designers are highly visual, so certain types of content will work better than others.
Blogging
Blogging is practically a mandatory type of content. This is because it’s the best way to use content to increase your search engine optimization. In short, search engines will be able to analyze your website and read the content on it, then determine how relevant it is for people searching for certain search terms or phrases.
There are many different topics that your blog could cover, and the ideal topics will depend on your goals, your products and services, and your unique value proposition. Some ideas are covering design trends, showcasing your projects, creating how-to guides for decoration one’s own home, and even client success stories. Be aware of how certain types of content will attract different people. How-do content may perform very well, but it will attract a more generic audience that may not be your ideal client. By contrast, a project showcase will have a very limited audience, but will be very meaningful and relevant to that audience.
Photos and Videos
Interior design is highly visual, so photos and videos will likely be very relevant content for your business. Instagram, Pinterest, and Houzz can host project photos that showcase your design aesthetic. Video can be even more versatile, and be hosted on platforms like Instagram, TikTok, or YouTube. Consider uploading walkthroughs of homes you’ve worked on as well as behind-the-scenes content. If you’re comfortable presenting, you can repurpose some of your blogs and articles into video scripts, and create longer informational videos. A compelling video series can garner you a large audience if you are consistent with it.
Social Media
Some designers love engaging on social media. If you’re one of those people, dive into it! Photos and videos are perfect content for social media, and you can share your blog. Instagram Reels and TikTok are ideal for short-form off-the-cuff videos, like a quick review of a design trend or an analysis of a famous home. This kind of content has the potential to go viral and spread beyond your core audience. Even though these views won’t contribute directly to your business, building awareness can put you on the right person’s screen at the right time.
Email campaigns are a component of content marketing, though it’s specifically targeted to your list of email subscribers. Use your email newsletters to share existing content like videos or blogs, but also to share exclusive tips and offers that only your email subscribers can access.
Building and nurturing an email list is a whole other topic, but when it comes to content you’ll want to offer high-quality and valuable content that makes your audience excited to receive your emails.
Testimonials and Case Studies
Testimonials and case studies showcase success stories from satisfied clients. This can come in the form of videos or text, depending on how you acquired your testimonial or want to present it. This kind of content shows other potential clients how you have worked with clients in the past and what you did well. You can also write a longer case study that covers the experience in detail and addresses several key points that you’d like new clients to know about.
Collaborations
Collaborating on content can be incredibly helpful for awareness, search engine optimization, and networking. And this works in both directions! You can reach out to industry blogs and publications to inquire about submitting posts for them, and if you’re lucky maybe they will allow you to include a link back to your website. If so, this can help your search engine optimization, as it helps to build a network of links and provide context to searches. Appearing as a guest on podcasts also allows you to promote your business while educating or informing a new audience.
Be open to others who want to appear on your blog or podcast. Sharing their experience and knowledge is valuable to your own audience, and can expose their clients to your work.
Developing a Content Calendar
The most difficult part of content isn’t making it; it’s making it consistently! The best way to hold yourself accountable is to make a plan and develop a content calendar. Here are a few steps to take to creating a content plan:
- Brainstorm a list of content ideas and topics
- Decide how often you want to post, and when
- Create content in batches rather than waiting until the last minute
- Schedule content across multiple platforms
- Repurpose old content if you’re struggling to develop new ideas
- Update old content if information changes
Conclusion
Content marketing is a long-term strategy, and you won’t see results overnight. But with consistency, authenticity, and a dedication to providing value, you can create trust and establish a loyal client base. If your content is effective enough, you could make sales in your sleep!
So start small with an amount of content that you can manage, track what’s working and what’s not, and refine your strategy over time to become a content powerhouse!