%20(1).png)
Do prospects just not get what’s unique about your interior design business?
Are you struggling to explain what you actually do?
Maybe you feel like word of mouth just isn’t enough anymore...
If this all sounds a little too familiar, it’s time to up your game and start building brand trust online.
When people know and trust your brand, it’s easier to convert them into paying clients, and eventually loyal, repeat customers that refer you to their friends and family.
So how do you create that gut feeling of trust in your business from your clients? In this blog post, we’re going to show you how to transform your brand, get your voice heard, and build your strategy for a killer brand that people can’t ignore.
Being a business owner can be difficult, and even at the best of times, there’s a never-ending list of things to get done, people to keep happy, and spaces to design. During busy workdays, it can be hard to find the time to reflect on your company and focus on your vision for the future.
However, to stand out from the competition, and get the brand awareness you need to succeed, it’s crucial to know what makes your home design business unique. You need to figure out what your USP (unique selling point) is.
Get started by jotting down everything your company is good at, what you do better than your competitors, and what makes you special.
Use these questions for inspiration and dig a bit deeper (saying you have twenty years of experience just isn’t enough anymore, you need something more):
Once you’ve figured out exactly what makes you so irresistible to your target audience, it’s time to start working on transforming your brand to reflect just that.
Having a clearly defined brand story is an incredibly useful tool to build trust. Your clients want to know the person/people coming into their homes to redesign their space. They want to get a glimpse behind the curtain and see who you are (and why you do what you do).
Sell your prospects on your dedication to your art with an engaging, persuasive compelling brand story. Show how you came to work in interior design, why you love your job, and what you hope to help your clients achieve.
Be careful to not just list your degrees and certifications, but create a bio that shows your unique brand. Share interesting facts about you and your business, problems you are passionate about solving, and your inspiration and purpose.
Writing an effective brand story is a delicate balance of your experience and passions, wrapped around how that makes your clients’ projects successful.
Your website should be a combination of a 24/7 salesperson, a customer service expert, and an online headquarters that shows off your latest and greatest projects. A website should be your hardest-working employee.
To help fulfill those roles, your website copywriting needs to communicate what you do best, who you do it for, and why you’re the best choice. It’s the perfect way to make use of that great brand story you’ve created. Just like on a phone call or a face-to-face conversation, you want to get a unified brand identity and voice across your online presence - your website is preparing your future clients on what it’s like to work with you.
You have seconds to reel them in - lose the jargon! Anyone and everyone should be able to understand what you do by reading the top part of your home page.
To quick test your content, ask a friend who knows nothing about interior design to have a look. Quiz them about what they learned about you from just reading your home page. You might be surprised by what comes up!
Once you’ve got the home page ready to impress, make sure the rest of your site also provides valuable content that positions you as an expert. And don’t forget important information like your location and the areas you serve.
Just like your clients hire a professional to do their interior design, consider getting a professional photographer to take photos of you and your work. Then show off your beautifully photographed work with a professionally designed website that reflects the quality of your work. It’s all part of building trust in your brand!
Ensure your website’s design is set up for a great user experience. Your website visitors expect a simple navigation on your site, set up with an easy-to-understand page hierarchy that naturally guides them to the most important elements.
Most online browsing happens on mobile devices now, which means that your website is more likely to be opened on a phone than a laptop. A trusted brand uses responsive design that is compatible with all devices.
If your website doesn’t deliver on the basics of an expected website browsing experience, it’s going to reflect poorly on your company - and all that hard work you’ve put into your writing and design is wasted.
This is probably one of the most obvious things to include in your trust-building brand strategy. Awards and certifications send a strong signal that you know what you’re doing and that you’re so amazing at it, you were recognized for it.
Other achievements you should include in this section of your website (and social media profiles) are partnerships, sponsorships, associations that you’re currently a member of, and how you’re helping the community with donations or volunteer work.
Another great way to give your interior design brand a boost is to show off what your happy clients say about you. Testimonials and online reviews are the online equivalents of word-of-mouth and referrals. They should have a front-page presence on your website.
This is your chance to shine. Proof points to showcase include how many clients you’ve had, how many times you’ve been published in an interior design magazine, or how often you’ve spoken at industry events. The result is an impressive online shop window with sparkling proof of how great your unique interior design brand is.
Your paid advertising campaigns should be an extension of the trust you’re building on your website. As part of your strategy, the messaging in your ads should align with your brand voice and goals. If this isn’t coordinated, it can be jarring, and you risk losing that invaluable faith in your services that you worked so hard on.
Showing that you’re reliable by replying to inquiries quickly is an essential way to build trust for your business. Automate your ad follow-ups for a fast response time and make sure it’s easy for prospects to have a conversation with you - include an online calendar on your landing page.
The ad itself should be a valuable offer that helps prospects take the next step and communicates how they will benefit from your offer.
Establishing trust in your brand takes time. Be prepared to invest some time (and money) into transforming your brand into the go-to expert for your area. All of the points we’ve covered so far lead to getting potential clients into your sales funnel.
Once they’re in your pipeline, schedule multiple interactions along the sales funnel. Clients don’t like to be kept in the dark, so let them know what’s happening at every step of their buying journey. This is where you can show that you’re reliable by making sure you follow up on what you promise.
Now they’re ready to buy, it’s always good to go into sales pitches well prepared. Create a professional sales presentation that shares examples of your work to showcase the great results you’ve achieved for your clients before. Then show your potential new clients how you can apply your expertise to their individual problem and how you can solve it.
We hope you find these tips on crafting a trustworthy brand useful for taking the plunge into transforming your brand.
At first glance, this might look like a long to-do list, but getting your messaging right and using all the available resources to increase trust online is how you can build a solid foundation for future success.
Ready to attract more of the clients you want to work with and turn them into loyal, repeat customers? Get help with your brand transformation and book a free consultation with us today.
