It’s easy for people to trust you once they get to know you, but how do you get clients to say “yes” to your interior design services before you’ve even met?

In my work with interior designers, I know this is one of the biggest challenges they come up against. A client’s trust in you usually builds over time as your relationship grows and as positive interactions solidify their confidence in you. 

But when you’re marketing your design business, you’re really starting from a place of zero trust with each potential client. To even get the chance to start a working relationship with them, you need their trust. It’s a chicken and egg kind of proposition! 

So what’s the best way to begin earning the trust of strangers online? How do you get a “yes” before they actually know you? 

For me, that’s a three-pronged effort. You need to prove your credibility, show your unique personality, and speak directly to your ideal client’s needs for them to begin trusting you enough to hire you.

1. Prove your credibility (but don’t stop at ‘polished and professional’)

As an interior design copywriter, I’ve noticed that a lot of interior design websites get this wrong. They believe that if they have a beautiful website that gives them a polished and professional online presence, they can cross “building trust” off their marketing to-do list, and wait for the client inquiries to start rolling in. 

But I’m here to tell you it doesn’t quite work that way. I’ve worked with SO MANY designers with those exact kinds of sites that were getting them zero clients, and here’s why: While looking professional and polished is one important piece of establishing credibility, it only gets your brand so far.  

A polished, professional site may show that you’re a real designer, which is great; but your prospects need to know more. Simply meeting the most basic industry standards of professionalism isn’t enough for people to pick you over the next designer. 

So, yes, you need to show them that you’re a credible professional. That gives clients a baseline of trust. But your online presence should also convey what makes you stand out from your competition, and what that really means for your clients when you work together.  

Here’s the thing to remember when it comes to building trust as an interior designer–your clients aren’t only inviting you into their home; they’re actually entrusting it to you. Don’t they deserve to know more about you and how you’re going to give them a positive experience and an amazing outcome before they think about bringing you on?

To be clear, your potential clients not only need a clear understanding of what makes you YOU, but also how it would benefit them if you work together. 

It’s only then that they can make an informed decision on whether or not they trust you with their project. 

2. Show your unique personality 

Fun fact: Once upon a time, before I became a copywriter for interior designers, I used to help high school students write their college application essays. These local kids all came from similar backgrounds, and each one would tell me that they weren’t different; that they didn’t have a unique “story.” 

But after digging deep into who each kid actually was, I always found what made them unique. Interestingly, it wasn’t necessary for them to have a unique upbringing or any amazing story to help them stand out. It was usually their perspectives that made them unique. I came up with an interview process that pulled this info out of them. (If you’ve ever worked with or raised teenagers, you can imagine how hard that was haha!)

I didn’t know it at the time, but that planted the seeds of what’s now my signature service for interior designers, the Message LevelUp.*

Customization makes all the difference

Think of this whole process like the difference between buying a builder-grade track home vs. working with a designer, architect, and builder to create a fully custom home. You get the picture! It’s a no-brainer as to which is sure to fit you to a ‘t.’ 

Of course, you can get generic interior design messaging that sounds professional, but it’s not going to make you stand out and be memorable in the minds of your dream clients. 

People need an emotional connection to you through your online presence before trusting you and reaching out. They need to get a taste of who you are and what it’s like to work with you. Creating website messaging that’s customized to you, while speaking directly to your ideal client, is how we give them that experience and spark a connection.  

3. Speak directly to your ideal client’s needs

Wouldn’t it be nice if clients contacted you already knowing that–not only are you the real deal as far as professional designers go–but also that they love your personality, fully trust your creative decisions, and know beyond any shadow of a doubt that you’re worth every penny and more?!

This is what the power of knowing your ideal clients on a deep level can do. 

This is why in my Message LevelUp process, we dig deep to figure out the needs of your specific market, and what your ideal clients want from a designer. Then we show your value by talking about how you do that better than anyone.  

Hire a copywriter who specializes in the interior design niche

When I come across interior design website copy that’s been written by a web designer or a writer who doesn’t specialize in the design industry, I know it immediately.

They all tend to sound alike, even though they’re trying hard to make the designer sound unique. 

One reason for this is because web designers usually approach the task of writing your copy by asking you what makes you unique, and then creating web copy that relays your words verbatim. But unfortunately, that doesn’t take your ideal clients into account at all. 

I get it. They do it this way because it’s usually the easiest path to getting accurate information from their clients. That may work great if they’re writing copy for an accountant or an attorney, but the interior design industry is different. 

You need to remember that most web designers and writers are not marketing pros who are experts at differentiating you from your competition. They don’t know the nuances of the design industry so any copy they create for you is likely to be pretty generic no matter how you slice it. 

And if you’re thinking of writing your copy yourself, just know that it can be tough to create your own brand messaging, because you’re too close to your own business. I always say, “It’s like being inside the jar and trying to read the label.” You need a third party–someone who’s outside the jar and can clearly read the label for you. 

Specifically, you need an interior design copywriter who’s not inside your business, but who knows this industry like the back of their hand. 

Here’s what it looks like when I work with you as my client:

• I ask you questions to get everything about your design business out of your head.
• I sort through it all and run everything through my marketing filter. 
• I weave together messaging that not only accurately represents who you are, but also aligns with your clients and what they care about.

This process goes much deeper than just scratching the surface by asking you to describe yourself and your work. It leads us to messaging that’s completely custom-tailored to you and the clients you want to serve. Approaching your messaging this way means we can’t help but differentiate you and communicate your value! 

With this type of messaging, you craft an experience for your ideal clients. After reading your website copy, they feel like they really know you. But it’s not just a one-way connection. Your words make them feel seen, heard, and understood. So after checking out your site, they feel like you also know them. 

And a foundation of trust is formed. 

See how this powerful method goes beyond creating copy that’s simply polished and professional to work brand messaging magic as it lets your prospects get to know, like, and trust you?! Woohoo! That’s the stuff, baby!  

If this sounds like what you want for your interior design business’s website and marketing materials, contact me to chat about getting started with a Message LevelUp* session!  

*Level up your messaging

My Message LevelUp service includes a 2-hour deep-dive interview process, as well as a detailed written report of all my findings, called the Message LevelUp Roadmap. This service requires absolutely zero prep work from you as my client, so you get to kick back and talk about what lights you up, while I do all the detective work.

I created Message LevelUp because when copywriting for interior designers is done right, it’s not a one-size-fits-all product. And just like with the graduating seniors, I knew that my interior design clients would be best served with a process that gives me a 360° view of them and their business, so I can create elevated, tailor-made messaging that levels up their brand.  

During the process I ask lots of questions like:

• What’s working?
• What’s NOT working?
• What kind of clients are you attracting?
• What kind of clients are you actually WANTING to attract?
• What important lessons have you learned?
• What/who inspires you the most?

We go down rabbit trails and see where they lead. I’m looking for the differentiator that you don’t even know matters, but that I know is highly marketable.

So much of what you already do that makes you super valuable as an interior designer, is just automatic. You don’t even realize the brilliance you’re offering, because it’s so second nature; you’re simply following your gut instincts. I use my process to uncover these hidden gems, polish them up, and put them on display for your potential clients.