Maintaining a balance between esthetics and functionality are concepts easily understood by interior designers, but they may lack the specific knowledge needed to achieve that balance in online marketing.
2. When many
people hear
the words
“interior
design”
the image that comes to mind is of lush cushions,
stylish armchairs and exotic Bric-à-brac. Things
purchased on Hollywood Road in Hong Kong and
spacious flats in Sai Kung reported in the Sunday
paper magazine “lifestyle” section.
3. That is not what comes
to my mind when I hear
the words.
In the early part of my career I, when I
was still the teenage “computer
consultant” that started it all off, I had the
great pleasure to work for several interior
design companies.
4. My memories
are of
Gantt charts for project planning printed on gigantic sheets
of paper (of A1 or even A0 size) by huge pen plotters. Of
“specifications books” with a thousand pages detailing
every different material in a design. Many with pieces of
fabric, or even tile, wood or stone stuck to the pages. And
project managers wearing hard hats when going “on-site”
to supervise construction of their latest design.
5. Interior design
at this scale
meant
room layouts for 5-star hotel towers, shopping
malls and whole apartment complexes.
6. This experience
gave me a great
backgrounder
when I worked closely with interior
designers for large office renovations and
relocations later in my career as a project
manager. Professional interior design
companies certainly know about
cushions, armchairs and Cloisonné objets
d’art sitting on reclaimed teak wood
tables.
7. However, their expertise is
just as much about
combining that aesthetic
sense with hardcore project
management, budgeting and
implementation skills.
Knowing how long a container-load of Steelcase office
furniture is going to take to ship to HK is as important as
knowing where to source a distressed rosewood cabin
trunk.
8. What their expertise may not
include, however, is how online
marketing has impacted their
business
and the way their customer’s buying cycle
has changed with the replacement of
“word of mouth” with social media, and
how targeting and Search Engines have
changed what advertising means today.
9. Online marketing has
become a crucial
aspect for growing
business and
expanding customer
base.
And that particularly true for interior
designers. The whole of the marketing
mix is important but with online activity
increasing, digital marketing has become
a core component for businesses across
the world, not just Hong Kong.
10. But it is an aspect
that many interior
designers are
struggling with
and it could be costing them business.
11. But why? • Stop for a moment and consider. When you want a
service today, think about how you seek a professional
that will meet your requirements. Online searching is
the first stop on most purchasing journeys.
12. When it comes to interior design, the
digital world holds a huge amount of
potential for design companies.
People interested in selecting a design firm will do online
research as part of their due-diligence before selecting a
vendor, even when working from a recommendation or
prior experience.
13. If a company is
failing to build up
an online
presence as an
interior designer
they could be
losing lucrative
opportunities.
It shouldn’t be an afterthought but a key part of a
business strategy just as with any other type of
marketing and promotion.
14. What is the problem with
interior designers and digital
marketing?
15. Despite it
being a
fundamental
part of the
business
world today
interior designers seem to struggle with
embedding online marketing into their
operations.
16. Part of the
problem
stems from
how they
work.
While interior designers certainly understand
the concept that things need to be functional
as well as aesthetically pleasing, there is a
problem that what is “functional” for online
marketing is a lot less obvious than what look
goods.
The upshot of this is that they may end up
selecting online marketing options that only
look good, as they obviously have more than
an average ability to understand the visual
design. But can’t necessarily tell when a
website design contains the key ingredients to
be functional from an SEO and digital
marketing perspective.
17. Words, and
how they are
presented
technically
is still many times more important than graphical design
when it comes to being an internet marketing success.
18. When you picture your
current or dream website,
for instance, you might be
envisaging a design that’s
slick, looks fantastic and
instantly catches the eye.
Often this will mean using Adobe Flash technology for
animations, video and layout. But these are deadly from an
online marketing perspective. The whole Flash technology,
which seemed so promising 10 years ago, is now truly
poison and discouraged by everybody from Apple (who
always hated it) to Google and Microsoft. But the tech was
still popular with the more graphic oriented web designers
just two or three years ago and so many recent websites
are still stuck with this antiquated system. Our survey of
HK Interior Design websites showed that a full 12% are still
using Adobe Flash.
19. Customers that have your direct
website will be able to access all the
information they need but for
prospects simply searching the web
for an interior designer
it may be difficult for such companies to
be found. People use online searching for
convenience and you need to bear this in
mind – they will choose the interior
designer that is simple to connect with
and meets their needs. Even if a company
is a perfect match for the job, they won’t
necessarily win the contract if the
customer finds them hard to connect to
or doubts their ability to be up-to-date
technically.
20. So, to secure more business and receive
enquires from eager prospects
a company needs to blend
interior design skills with
some carefully crafted
content that captures the
essence of the business.
For someone who is focused
on aesthetics, it can be a
challenge to balance the
two aspects but if you really
want to take a business to
the next level it is a must.
21. Many designers don’t
realize that their
outdated websites are
shooting themselves
in the foot.
With the ever-popular Google Chrome browser now
refusing to display Flash in some situations, these websites
become worse than useless. Not only are the hard to find,
but when a potential customer does arrive at the website
they are sure to be unimpressed by the fact that even the
website won’t display correctly.
22. How to boost your
interior design
marketing efforts
So, now that you understand the
importance of online marketing, what
steps should a company be taking?
Making the company website and digital
presence more effective does not have
to be a complicated process, in fact,
there are some simple steps that can be
done for an instant boost.
23. And a simple and direct strategy for the long term can ensure
that additional developments support and reinforce rather
than damage the online reputation of the company.
24. These five key steps could be just
what you need to get started with
your new online marketing
approach.
25. 1. Understand
the power of
words on your
website
• This is a common area that many interior
designers fall down on. Eager to show off their
design skills and stunning projects, websites may
be Flash-based, or even if using proper HTML5
they may have little written content compared to
the visuals. But did you know that in order to be
successful on Google your webpages needs more
written words? Hundreds of words per page at
least, and case studies or extended articles of
thousands of words are now preferred. Without
those vital words, the website will never be
found, and then it won’t create customers
regardless of how well or not it represents the
company design ethos. If company website is
currently image-focused to the detriment of
textual content then now is the time to think
about how you can update it in line with ranking
requirements of search engines.
26. 2. Make SEO
part of your
online
presence
• SEO, or search engine optimisation, is the strategy for
generating more traffic to your website. It encompasses
many different areas but again words are vital. If you
haven’t already researched a vocabulary list used by
your customer then, this should be one of your first
tasks. Without being too tied down to “keywords” you
do need to know how your customers describe things,
which very often is not how you may refer to things
internally. It is this customer vocabulary that needs to go
onto your website so that Google will show your website
to your potential customers. Subscribe to a monthly SEO
service in HK so that your SEO efforts don’t stop but
keep going regularly and are tied to how businesses
work locally in Hong Kong.
27. 3. Be mobile but don’t
neglect office PCs
• People used to connect to the internet via
desktop PCs only but those days are over.
With powerful smartphones, consumers
expect to be able to source information
when it is convenient for them, even when
they are on the go. If company website has
not considered mobile traffic and is
unusable to these customers, they will
quickly find a different interior designer’s
website that they can easily navigate. Your
website being mobile responsive plays a
role in search engine rankings too. At the
same time most corporate buying decisions
happen in offices, on desktops, so working
well on both mobile and office PCs is
essential.
28. 4. Use social
media
effectively
• Did you know that almost eight in ten people in Hong
Kong use social media to connect? If the company is not
engaging with your customers through these platforms
and connecting them to your website, the company is
missing a huge potential. Social media is a great way to
drum up interest in your business, share your latest
projects, and establish a relationship with customers and
prospects alike. Remember to create a balance between
the written content you share and the visual. Videos and
images are far more likely to be shared by your
followers, so don’t underestimate their power. Social is
the new “word of mouth” and can be the biggest refer of
real new customers.
29. 5. Use online
directories
If you think directories have become outdated, think again
– they have simply moved online. From small businesses to
established global giants, adding your details to these
directories, including Google My Business, and 852.com, is
an important step that could see enquires soar.
30. 6. Enlist the
support of a
professional –
Design and marketing are two very different aspects to get
your head around. Working closely with a professional that
both understands your industry and how to achieve
marketing results, can really propel your business to new
heights.
31. When your interior design
company needs some assistance
with Digital Marketing talk to me
about your needs.
I’ll be delighted to work once again with
designers, and will gladly lead you
through the constantly changing world of
online marketing and onto digital
marketing success.
32. Originally published as part of our blog series on internet
marketing as https://www.wlmedia.hk/why-interior-
designers-struggle-with-online-marketing/
33. WL Media HK
Internet Marketing Service for
Hong Kong Companies
Website: www.wlmedia.com
Blog: www.wlmedia.hk
Email: contact@wlmedia.com
Phone: +852 2981 5083
