Newbie Interior Designer, here’s how to find your first clients!

Deciding to start your own business was already a big step! Congratulations! We’re so excited to have you as an official interior designer! 

Now, you’re probably wondering how to actually get your first clients… 

And we’re here to help!

Today we are sharing 4 tips to help you get those contracts signed! A mix of online and in-person actions to get the best results! 

1. Start networking in your industry

To meet new clients you don’t always need to talk to… clients! Make sure to meet other interior designers, architects, builders, contractors. Get your name out in the industry. Learn from them and their experience and create relationships with them! 

You will feel less alone and more supported and they will soon become a source of recommendations for new clients!

Getting to know more established professionals will open doors for you because these people also work with other interior designers. So what if that was you that was helping them on their next big project? Or they may run into the opposite problem of you and have too many clients and requests. In that case, they’ll be more than happy to send them to you! 

Go to networking events in your industry, start a conversation on social media or over email, talk to them about a project they’ve done and that you really appreciated, offer them to get coffee, remember their birthday… This will go a long way!

What you first may have seen as your competition will actually become your support system.

2. Give back to the community

When you start your business you may have more time than money. Well, let’s enjoy that because it will quickly turn around! While you have time, offer it back to your community and get your name out there in the meantime! 

Look into your local community and learn about the events, galas, and charities they are organizing throughout the year. This could be done by a private school for example. 

Reach out to them and offer to give a gift certificate as an auction item. Think of a gift or amount that will make a good impression and that people will actually be excited to get! 

You’ll get your name mentioned during the event in front of everyone, you’ll participate in a good cause, the lucky winner will get to experience your service and might turn into a paying customer, and next time someone needs an interior designer your name will be remembered! 

To create the best results and to not burn out from this, make sure to get involved in groups that represent your ideal clients. That way you’ll get your name out to potential customers.

3. Build your social media

We couldn’t not mention social media! These platforms help you be in front of your potential customers while building relationships with them and show them what you do and how you do it! 

Start with one or two platforms to really invest in. We recommend Pinterest and Instagram as they are highly visual social media and will help share your portfolio, show off your previous work, show before and after effects, etc.

What if you don’t have much work to show yet? If you’re getting started it’s normal your portfolio isn’t that big. But I’m sure you have personal projects you’ll be able to showcase, or share inspirations from other designs you like (make sure to always credit the designer!) and explain why you like it and what you would do in that case. That will help you to dress a picture for your potential customers of what you like to work on.

To learn more about which social media platforms we recommend to use as an interior designer and how to best use them, click here. 

4. Start a blog

Have a blog section on your website and start blogging! Blogs are essential to improving your SEO which means they help you get traffic to your site and help your niche find you! They also help you build credibility, trust within your audience and showcase your expertise! 

Make sure to really understand your audience, their struggles, their desires, their needs. And offer solutions! 

Learn more about why it’s important to have a clear target market in our blog here. 

Build a calendar to help you stay consistent and make sure to share these blogs on all your social media, too!

Get started on the right foot. We’re experts in marketing and public relations for interior designers and we’d love to help!

Click here to schedule a Complimentary Brand Consultation.

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