What Is Your Most Burning Question About Social Media?

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Posted on: 01-29-2010 by: Gail Doby

There is so much buzz about social media and social networking today, and there are many people who are offering classes and services to help you with it.  Are they legitimate?  Do they know what they are doing? Do they really understand what works for our industry?  How are they measuring success and is that success for you?

I’d love to hear what your questions are.  What would you like to know?  Please comment on the blog and let’s get a conversation started about this.

I’ll start with a baseline of information for you:

  • What is social media?
  • What does it mean to you as an interior designer?
  • How do you keep it from taking over your life?

Here is Wikipedia’s definition of Social Media:

“Social media is media designed to be disseminated through social interaction, created using highly accessible and scalable publishing techniques. Social media uses Internet and web-based technologies to transform broadcast media monologues (one to many) into social media dialogues (many to many). It supports the democratization of knowledge and information, transforming people from content consumers into content producers.”

Basically, social media is anything you or some other person creates and posts on any site like Facebook, LinkedIn, YouTube, your blog or a similar site.

Social networking implies conversation between individuals, and Decorati, Ava Living and Facebook would fall into that category.  If there is a forum, it is a social networking site.

A “wiki” is a site where anyone can offer comments, contribute content or edit other people’s posts (Wikipedia).  Google Wave is the latest combination medium that is a wiki, email and social networking combined.  Google Wave is still in beta testing and I’ve been trying it out.  There are still bugs to be worked out, and until it is available to everyone, it won’t be the standard for global communication.  Not loving it yet.

What does Social Media mean to you as an interior designer?

  • You can connect with prospects in your market area
  • You can share your design philosophy, great work and personality with the world (scary and exciting at the same time)
  • Media can become aware of you and contact you
  • You can enhance your relationship with your current clients
  • You can connect with referral partners
  • You can connect with resources
  • You can get leads for clients globally and locally
  • You can market yourself cost-effectively
  • You can find potential employees or even outsourcing companies
  • You can share information with other non-competitive designers

How do you keep social media from taking over your life?  You have to have a strategy for what you are doing and how it fits in your business and schedule.

I just completed certification with the International Social Media Association.  The program was extremely enlightening (the volume of information we learned was overwhelming).  However, information means nothing unless it is sifted and tailored to our industry and your business.

Many interior designers are using Twitter and Facebook, but they aren’t seeing results.  Why?  Would you like to know?

Social Media reminds me of the gold rush.  Everyone is claiming to be a social media expert, but it is the results that count.  Post away.  I’d love to hear what you have to say.

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About the Author

Gail DobyYou're not alone any more. If you're looking for advice, solutions, strategies and support to help you take your interior design business to the next level, Welcome Home! We're experienced interior designers, and we truly understand the challenges and pitfalls of your chosen profession. We're constantly researching, learning and simplifying the latest information from the overwhelming glut of noise on the Internet to save you time and money. You'll learn practical techniques from innovative marketing experts and consultants that will help you transform your business and your mindset so you can achieve your dreams. We're different than other Interior Design Colleges - we offer interior design classes specifically tailored to your interior design career goals and needs. Let us know how we can help and feel free to email us with any questions and suggestions you might have. |Interior Design Business Success Mentor | Social Media Consultant to the Architecture & Design CommunityView all posts by Gail Doby

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  • http://www.lakelifestyledesigns.com/ Lori Sylvester

    Many interior designers are using Twitter and Facebook, but they aren’t seeing results. Why? Would you like to know?

    Yes I would like to know that and…
    My most burning questions is: How to use Facebook to get new clients, and is that even possible? I am a shop at home decorator and I don't sell any product or services on line. So, is it reasonable to think that I can get new clients using social media, or will it only be useful for networking with other designers and education?

  • http://www.designsuccessu.com Gail Doby

    Hi Lori, there are many reasons designers aren't seeing results and I'll share a few of the biggest culprits: inconsistent effort, not following people in your metro area with specific job titles that you would like to work with, not joining groups that appeal to the potential clients, being spammy by promoting products or services too much, not creating a personality that appeals to others and engaging in conversations, hanging out in the wrong spot and posting to groups that don't appeal to potential clients, not posting pictures and interesting information. Those are a few of the major reasons. You can certainly get clients online. You can search by your city area on both Facebook and Twitter. Look for groups that might include people that are in your target demographic. Social media really requires consistency and effort to engage with people. It's a slow process at first. Even I find it frustrating sometimes that our audience mostly lurks. I think that many are fearful of engaging, and some are just not using social media very frequently. It really is important to have a strategy for using it to grow your business. We're planning to do a preview call this month about the Big 5 of social media. We'll keep you posted on the blog. Thanks for answering my question.

  • http://www.devanedesign.com/ Chantal Devane

    I'm blown away that you advise designers not to bother with a web site in your recent Ideas Issue. I still believe that is my number one driving source on-line. Most of my clients don't even know what Twitter is or how to access a blog. Can you please expand on this thought?

  • http://www.designsuccessu.com Gail Doby

    I'm so glad that sparked some interest. Here's why I say it. First of all, DSU's website is a blog. There isn't anything we can't do with a blog that a website can do for us. Second, Google and all search engines rank fresh content higher than content from static sites that tend to be updated every year or two. Third, it takes a webmaster to create a site for most people, and it takes months to plan the look and content for the site. Many designers would be better off spending less money and just getting their company featured online as quickly as possible. Most prospects are looking online before they pick up the phone to call you, so if you as a designer do not have a web presence, you might miss a valuable opportunity to do work with that searcher. Last year, the statistic according to David Bassett-Parkins with Ava Living, was that 25% of designers had a website. That means that 75% aren't even online. Even if that statistic has improved, most of your competitors are way behind. Fourth, a blog with your keywords in the URL, and search engine optimized posts and pages will be found before your static website. Fifth, if you have a website, make sure your webmaster attaches the blog to the website so your static site gets the benefit of the fresh content boost. Your clients will become more aware of Twitter because many news stations are using it to keep in touch with viewers and even get the latest news from people that aren't in the media. News of Michael Jackson's death, for example, were on Twitter before many news stations had the story. Same with some of the natural disasters. Also, keep in mind that most consumers have a cell phone, and your website or blog should be mobile ready. Twitter is certainly a crazy phenomenon. I've been on it for nearly two years, and at first, I didn't understand the power of it. I do now. The global connections with our community and with the media have resulted in members, revenue and media coverage. The speed with which the Internet and the tools are changing our lives is unprecedented. The key is to pick a few and learn the strategies that allow you to get a return on your time invested. I heard from another colleague today who respectfully disagreed about websites, and that is OK. My personal philosophy is to do what works for you. If it's working, that is great. If not, social media offers many incredible opportunities to broaden your brand reach. You can now work globally with the tools and resources that are available. We do, and it is great fun.

  • http://twitter.com/SE_Install SouthEast Installs

    I own an installation business here in Greenville, SC.

    I work with a number of interior designers, home stagers, and even directly with homeowners. I have all manner of Social Media that I am trying to maximize benefit from. A Facebook page for myself and for my business, A Twitter account for myself and for my business. I just started a blog for my business. And I have an actual website for my company. Oh yeah, I've also got a LinkedIn account.

    Not trying to toot my own horn, but I have designed and developed all of these things myself. I had to. I don't have any employees and I didn't want to pay someone to do it – especially since I have the skills and knowledge to handle it myself.

    It may sound convoluted but I've got it set up so that when I post on my blog, it posts to the wall of my Facebook page and the wall of my Facebook page posts to my Twitter feed. And after reading one of your suggestions to someone else below, I tweaked my website so that instead of a scrolling sampler of my portfolio on the homepage, I've replaced that with an RSS feed from my blog.

    And let's not forget about my free business listings on Google Maps, Yahoo Maps, Hotfrog, and Merchant Circle.

    Even though I have all of this social media content that I'm trying to utilize I have to say to this point, I have probably gotten more business from #1 word-of-mouth (which will always be best) #2 my website #3 my Google Maps listing.

    I have created a respectable number of “fans” on my company's Facebook page and I have even been able to connect with a couple of interior designers in my area that have a personal profile on Facebook and that has resulted in a handful of jobs but in my opinion, no amount of social media content can replace a good recommendation from a friend, colleague, or satisfied customer.

    Best example of that in my experience is this: I had contacted a local designer (through Facebook) about doing work for them. Met with them face to face one day. Seemed to go well but I never heard back from them.

    Seven months later, a building contractor I know was doing work for this same designer and he recommended she talk with me about installations. A couple days later, another friend of mine who owns a furniture moving business was working for this same designer and he too suggested she contact me. Now keep in mind these guys do not know each other and I did not ask them to promote my services. She called me up and I re-introduced myself and it has become a very beneficial relationship for both of us.

    But if there is anyway that I can enhance my utilization of the various social media outlets, I'm open to suggestions.

  • http://www.designsuccessu.com Gail Doby

    Congratulations on doing all of the social media steps yourself. It is a big job, and most importantly, it never ends. There are many other things you can do to make it work better for you. Keep in mind that designers are just getting their feet wet with social media, so you are on the bleeding edge of marketing on the web. Personal connections and referrals are the best clients anyway, so this is just another means of getting connected to the people you want to do business with. You are way ahead of other installers, so hopefully you'll see rewards for your efforts. I took a look at your sites. Do you have a mailing list? If not, I'd suggest you get one through Constant Contact or aWeber, and create an FBML Welcome page on your Facebook fan page. Offer a 10 Tips to Trouble-Free Window Treatment Installations or 10 Tips to Increasing Your Profits With Motorized Window Treatments when your designers sign up on your mailing list. Send a helpful newsletter each month, and perhaps a coupon for a free measure for new designers. On your Facebook and Twitter, definitely continue including links to your installations. Make a list of the designers you'd like to connect with and write some short tweets about them. What happens for many new people on social media is that they talk about their businesses, and not what other people care about…themselves. Make sure you comment on other designer's pages and make personal connections. You could also try a tweet-up with designers…talk about increasing their profits with motorized window treatments. Help them with ideas to make more money. I see you have Starr Miller and Wanda Horton on your fan list (also members of DSU) and they could make some recommendations for how you could connect with other designers in the area. Both of them are well-connected. Everything you do is about relationships whether online or offline. It takes time to get to know people online. We've worked hard at it and we now have global connections, and we've been meeting as many people as we can when we travel (that we've met online). Try to do the same in your area. Connect with your local media, too. Make sure you post frequently, and have a blogging schedule of at least once a week. Educate your designers so you become a resource for them. This is about consistency and focus on how you can help your designers. I am guessing you're connecting with the workrooms, too? Would anyone else like to offer some suggestions, too? I could go on and on, but this will keep you busy! Thanks for posting!

  • http://www.designsuccessu.com Gail Doby

    Hi Chantal, you can do a local search for Twitter users in your area. http://www.search.twitter.com. That's one way. You can also search by keyword…for instance – CEO. It's hard to believe most people haven't heard of Twitter since the news stations and many businesses are now mentioning it on their broadcasts. Each time you post on Twitter, be sure to use your keywords like interior designer in your city. Each tweet is indexed on Google. You're more likely to be found online by doing a tweet vs. a static website. It's also important to attach your blog to your website so you get the boost in Google for fresh content. Facebook fan pages are also indexed in Google. Those are great tools for building your web presence.

  • http://www.designsuccessu.com Gail Doby

    Hi Lori, it's more than just being on these sites. You need a strategy. You can target ads on Facebook…it is a fabulous and inexpensive tool to drive traffic to your Facebook fan page or offsite to your blog or website. We use them, and we've seen our traffic increase. Then you can interact and entertain or educate on your site. That's how you build relationships with the lurkers that could turn into future business. Twitter is terrific for driving traffic to Facebook or your blog or website. You have to get a list built of people in your area. Use http://www.search.Twitter.com. I'll be sharing more tips very soon.

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