Deb Mitchell Writing

design, well written.

interior design

Should You be Offering E-Design Services Right Now?

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Have you been seeing all the articles, blog posts, and podcasts about pivoting to e-design services in the midst of this quarantine crisis?

Everyone’s talking about whether or not to make this change and, if you do, exactly how do you package and price your new offer?

But there’s something crucial about all of this that I’m not hearing anyone say:

Changing from full-service design offerings to e-design services is not a pivot – it’s a full-blown turn in another direction.

And if we’re talking about finding a way to serve clients when you can’t work with them in person, I think there’s more than one option.

When we think of e-design, we usually think of moodboards, paint samples, and links to retail products, right? There’s absolutely nothing wrong with that, but if you want to offer it (even temporarily) it’s important to recognize that e-design is essentially a DIY approach with a professional planning component.

This means two major changes for you if you’ve been doing primarily full-service projects:

You won’t be sourcing and selling products to the client and you’ll need to market to a very different client type.

That doesn’t sound like a pivot to me. It sounds like a very big turn in a very different direction.

A pivot would be morphing your full-service design process to include client meetings and design presentations over Zoom, and doing all you can to eliminate or minimize site visits (if at all possible, shifting any that are absolutely necessary to post-quarantine).

Of course, this has its own set of challenges, not the least of which are factory shutdowns and the resulting delivery slowdowns to come. But the bonus is that in finding a way to make these changes now, you’re also creating a process you can use going forward for clients who actually live out of your area without needing to charge them a boatload of travel fees.

That said, it’s entirely possible that offering e-design services could be the right thing for you to do. And I certainly don’t want to minimize the fact that if you’re considering it, it’s because you’re worried about paying your bills. However, I think it’s important that every designer approaches it like the major business decision it is and not just as a minor pivot.

I think there are 3 questions you need to explore in order to make this decision in the most strategic and informed manner possible.

1. Exactly who are the clients that are willing and eager to purchase e-design services from you?

Again, e-design means the client will be doing the implementation and as such, they’ll be limited to retail products. It’s probably fair to guess that most clients who would be interested in full-service design if we weren’t in a pandemic will feel like that’s a downgrade to some degree from the service and products they’d truly want to invest in.

It’s also probably fair to guess that many of those clients will want to wait until they can “do it right” instead of spending even a relatively small amount of money and a good deal of their time on an e-design that they’ll ultimately view as a stop-gap compromise.

Even if this clientele does purchase an e-design package out of sheer desperation, you risk them seeing the work you do for them as just that – a less-than-ideal desperate measure.

Unless you’re confident that you can truly knock these clients’ socks off with the process and results of your e-design service, you really need to market it to a very different kind of client – a client for whom you can be their design hero despite e-design’s inherent limitations.

2. How will you reach these clients with your marketing?

Really, this is the same as reaching any client type – and it’s not always easy.

Of course, you need to “go where they are” online in terms of the social media platforms they tend to use. But you also need to know how to talk to them – what to say and how to say it so they’ll pay attention.

When I write my clients’ website copy, I develop an entire messaging strategy around the interior design clients they’re trying to reach. I create a brand voice that will resonate with them and use language they’ll understand. I put a heavier emphasis on content that addresses their concerns and speaks to their own value system when it comes to their home and its design. And I pull forward my client’s differentiators – the aspects of their character, their personality, the service experience and results they deliver. Anything that’s unique about the designer that I know will matter to their clients and that will catch their attention as they search for the right designer for them.

Can you make these changes to your messaging in order to offer e-design? Absolutely! But be sure to approach those changes with this different client type in mind.

3. What could you be inadvertently communicating about your business by offering this totally new (and as established above, totally different) service at this moment in time?

Offering e-design may be in alignment with what you already offer, especially if you have a fairly lengthy list of services and are flexible about the project sizes you take.

But if you’ve been focusing on full-service design, popping up with an e-design service right now can send a message you don’t want to be sending.

If you’re not careful, instead of saying, “Hey, I really want to be able to help people who normally wouldn’t hire a designer but are now trapped full time in spaces that aren’t functional and that they don’t find beautiful and they don’t know what to do about it,” your e-design offer will scream, “Fire sale!”

Even if you are feeling (understandably) anxious about money right now, you want to keep that anxiety out of the equation in the offers you provide and how you market them. In part, you chose interior design because you love to serve people.

Take a beat before you throw out an e-design service. Do whatever you need to do in terms of mindset and moving out of a place of desperation and into a place of service. Then and only then, make any pivots or big turns that will allow you to give others what they need from you in this moment.

And if you do decide e-design is the way to go for your business right now, please be cautious about how you communicate it. Position yourself to serve clients who will enjoy the DIY aspect of that service and craft your process to give them great value while still charging what your design expertise is worth.

If you want to talk this (or anything else about your business) over with me, I’ve reserved space in my schedule for a handful of free 30-minute calls for the next 2 weeks. You can grab one here.

If you’d like help creating website copy and other messaging that speaks to the right clients for your service offerings, I’d love to chat. You can reach out to me right here.

What the Heck is Going On Between Houzz and Designers?

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I have a secret. A secret that I’ve tried to kept hidden for years, but… I can’t do it anymore! I need to admit it!

I… wanted to be a magazine advice columnist!

Nah, just kidding. But reading those reader dillemas can be a lot of fun. While columnists are answering specific questions sent in by their readers, the advice they give usually ends up being pretty universal. I’ve often thought about this when responding to personal messages from some of my clients. They want some advice, and I can’t help but think of how useful that advice could be to everyone I work with, as well as designers I’ve never met.

So, having deleted the name of the person who sent me the message, I guess it’s time for the very first installment of “Ask Deb!”

 

Hi Deb,

I recently read your blog about working with Houzz and how you don’t need to be a premium member to get the benefits. There was some great advice in there, but there is something that I wanted to get your take on.

My Houzz profile is currently pretty barebones. I’ve been hesitant to post any new work to it, as I recently discovered that they have been taking user-generated content and using it without the designer’s permission. For example, they have been tagging photos in products without telling the user who posted them, essentially advertising using someone else’s work. Often, they even tag the trade-only and custom items used in designers’ photos with lower quality retail items!

I’ve recently redecorated my own home and was planning to post some photos of it to Houzz, but because of this news, I’ve reconsidered. I’ve heard lots of people in the interior design industry say that posting a profile to Houzz is just selling out and that nothing ever comes from it. But, believe it or not, I just received a lead from my Houzz profile. So… I’m a bit conflicted.

I would love to hear your thoughts about this. It seems like there are a ton of advantages of using Houzz, but is it worth losing control of my content? What do you think?

All my best,

Between a Rock and a Houzz Place 

 

Hello BARAAHP!

Yeah, I’m not going to lie. This is a tough one.

For those reading who haven’t heard about this and want a full primer on the issue, Editor-at-Large covered it in this article.

As a designer, your work is so incredibly valuable to you. It’s not just your creation; it’s the custom deliverable you created exclusively for your paying clients, as well. This is why I can understand your frustration and hesitation about how Houzz might use your images for their own benefit. If someone took my writing and used it without my permission, I would be furious as well. And even worse, if they used my writing to advertise their own writing products as alternatives to my services, I’d be beside myself!

But there is another way to look at it. First and foremost, I always try to think about things from your client’s perspective. The average Houzz user (your homeowner potential clients) likely know nothing about the nastiness that’s been brewing between Houzz and designers. They are there for one reason only: to find a designer to hire. These users want three things from Houzz: to see designers in their area, to see their work, and to read their reviews. Not having a Houzz profile will keep your work away from these prospective clients.

Even worse, if these kinds of users stumble upon your website and are impressed by your work, they might wonder why you aren’t on Houzz. Are you not currently working/not taking new design jobs? Why are all of the other designers on Houzz, but not you? These questions can be deadly to an interior designer looking for new work.

For most designers, Houzz probably isn’t as much about getting leads as it is about being everywhere online. That kind of exposure legitimizes you to clients. If you’re missing a Twitter, Facebook, or Houzz page, that can set off some alarms you’d rather remain un-rung!

Everyone’s situation is different, but I wonder how much it ultimately would cost you in terms of Houzz ripping you off / tagging your pics with inferior products. Beyond the overall anger from designers for having their industry in some ways compromised – it seems to me that the real problems are when custom furnishings designs are ripped off. I think most of the designers who’ve been in this situation either have a product line or are trying to get one. In other words, they’re not just trying to get paying design work – they’re at a stage where they’re adding different revenue streams to their business model. Which is completely fine and legit, but is it what you’re trying to do right now? Or are you just trying to get found online consistently by great prospects who see you as an expert?

Something I’ve seen from smart and savvy designers who I respect is that they remain on Houzz, but don’t necessarily post their very latest work there. They readily post showhouse work but hold back on client projects for a few years (if they post them at all). I would guess that’s largely based on who the client is and if they would they care or not if products get tagged in images of their homes.

So for you, maybe posting your own new house would be a great way to get current work up there without having to worry about what your clients think. And just a touch more advice about how to manage the issue, you may want to change your service area in your Houzz profile to your new home state ASAP. Houzz supposedly hides product tags when a homeowner in your area is looking at your profile, so that might be a way to have your cake and eat it too!

All my best,

Deb

Well, that was fun! I hope it helped both you and my awesome client (love you, BARAAHP, ha!). What questions do you have about marketing, writing, or communicating about your interior design biz? Email me and I’ll answer them personally! If you’re ready to talk about getting some copywriting or content creation help, you can schedule a call with me today. Can’t wait to hear from you!

 

My Favorite Interior Design, Marketing, Business + Copywriting Podcasts

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Podcasts are taking over the world.

It seems like everyone and their BFF has a podcast these days, doesn’t it?! For a lot of people, they’ve taken the place of talk radio and audiobooks. For me, podcasts are a great way to multitask. I can run errands while I’m absorbing great information through a podcast to help me grow my copywriting business (and if I’m lucky, get a few belly laughs in along the way!) I listen to podcasts while I’m working out, while I’m driving, while I’m cooking – even while I’m drying my hair! And though I tend to hop around from podcast to podcast, I do have some perennial favorites that I return to over and over again.

  1. A Well-Designed Business with Luann Nigara

If you’re involved in the interior design world, then you’ve probably already heard of Luann. She’s a big name in the design world and her podcast reflects her stature. Every episode features other huge names in design, as well as business, marketing, and financial experts to help designers move their businesses forward. On a personal level, everyone I know who’s met Luann says she’s a true delight, so I love listening to her all the more!

IG: @luannnigara (not to be confused with @countessluann, ha!)

  1. Hot Copy Podcast

Hot Copy Podcast is a podcast (wait for it!) about copywriting, hosted by Australians Kate Toon and Belinda Weaver. You’d think that with the subject matter, it would be super boring, but it’s not. Even barring the truly fantastic advice about copywriting and other marketing, it’s well worth a listen. These ladies are hilarious! Plus, they really know their stuff when it comes to copywriting, SEO, and business in general. It can be a little “inside baseball” for non-copywriters, but you may find a few episodes you will get something out of if you’re planning on creating content for your website.

IG: #hotcopypodcast  @katetoon of the @recipeforseosuccess and Belinda Weaver of @copywritematters

  1. Problogger Podcast

Darren Rowse of Problogger is pretty much the OG of content marketing. He really knows his stuff, people. Just about the only problem I can think of with this podcast is that it’s almost 300 episodes! When you reach that number, it can be intimidating to figure out where to jump in. But that’s why I’m here! If you’re looking for a fantastic gateway into the Problogger Podcast, listen to Episode 277: 31 Days to Build a Better Blog. It’s fan-flipping-tastic!

IG: @darrenrowse

  1. The Chaise Lounge with Nick May

While Nick May isn’t an interior designer, his podcast certainly speaks to his passion about it! His smooth-as-silk voice is just the beginning of this podcast’s merit as he interviews and hosts a bevy of design industry influencers to ask them a range of questions, from deep dives to fun conversation-starters. By listening, you will not only get insights into what drives some of the premier interior designers in the world, but also learn about tools that will help you push your own business forward.

IG: @thechaiselounge

PS, look for panel discussions hosted by Nick at High Point Market. They’re incredible!

  1. The Copywriter Club

Unlike most of the other podcasts on this list, The Copywriter Club isn’t necessarily applicable to interior designers looking to up their DIY marketing game. Instead, it’s focused on copywriting as a whole and how it can impact and draw in customers. If you’ve ever been curious about how professional copywriters approach building your website and writing your marketing copy, just listen to a few episodes of TCC. It might give you a better insight into exactly what kind of online content you want to offer your clients – or even what to look for in a copywriter if you’re thinking of hiring out your copy and content writing.

IG: @thecopywriterclub

  1. The Get Paid Podcast with Claire Pelletreau

Being an online business owner isn’t easy. If your interior design business is primarily online, then you know firsthand the challenges that digital entrepreneurs can face. Claire has met those challenges and channeled them into her podcast. Aimed at online business owners, it puts a spotlight on what it takes to build and operate an online business. I highly recommend it, even for those who have brick and mortar locations (because, after all, EVERYTHING is online nowadays!)

IG: @clairepells

Random Podcasts

Ok, I know you’re here for interior design marketing advice and brilliant copywriting, but… I can’t help but share some of these non-interior design-related podcasts that I’m just crazy about! (This is a no judgment zone, right???!)

My Favorite Murder

True crime podcasts are huge! Comedy podcasts are huge! So why not mix the two into one true crime comedy podcast!? Because that’s weird, you say? Yeah, I know, but this podcast somehow manages to be totally respect of the topic and to be funny at the same time. Plus, the two incredibly relatable hosts have built a multi-million dollar empire out of their weird little podcast. Pretty amazing, right?!

Two Judgey Girls

One of the most popular genres of podcasts is “two guys talking” about pop culture. Well, the heck with that; I want to hear “two girls talking!” And that’s precisely what you get with Two Judgey Girls podcast (if you got the Countess Luann reference above, this is for you!).

Pink Shade

Reality TV is one of those guilty pleasures that everyone watches, but no one will admit to liking. Not Erin! In Pink Shade, she gets to talk about all of the terrible reality TV shows she’s addicted to. I highly recommend it! And, ahem, I’m not addicted to those terrible shows too. No way! Not me… cough, cough.

Podcasts are quickly becoming the go-to content for many interior designers looking to learn more about digital marketing. Of course, a great podcast needs to be combined with an equally great website with interesting, engaging interior design content that will draw in listeners and clients. If you want to get started building a new interior design website that exemplifies you and your business, please contact me today!

Can You Fit All of Your Personality, Creativity, and Vision Into a Website? See how we did exactly that for Janelle Photopoulos of Blakely Interior Design!

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The short answer is yes…

But it’s not easy.

You already know your website should be a reflection of who you are and the values you and your company represent. The second someone clicks on the link to your site, they should be able to know the type of company you are without even reading a single word of copy. You want to hook them right off the top with your visuals – not just your project photography, but your logo, colors, fonts and brand patterns, plus how it’s all laid out on your site’s pages.

But that’s just one layer of how you want them to experience your brand on your site. From there, you need copy that fills out the picture of what you’re all about – what services you offer, what you value when it comes to design and what it’s really like to work with you.

And most importantly (you may not know this already), they need to see themselves in your copy.

That’s right. I said “see themselves.”

Because while your project images represent something aspirational for them (how they want their homes to look and feel), your copy needs to tell them you see them, understand them and care about them just as they are. It needs to communicate in a voice that will appeal to them; to reassure them that they really are in the right place.

But that’s waaaayyy easier said than done.

Let’s be honest, there are a lot of mediocre interior design websites out there. Which doesn’t actually mean those designers haven’t put their time, effort and even their hard earned cash into trying to get a great site. How many times have you heard designers tell horror stories about how their website projects took 6 months or longer, drained their time and energy, frustrated them like crazy and yet they STILL ended up with “just OK” results?!

It doesn’t have to be that way. It SHOULDN’T be that way. You really can get an amazing website that represents you in all the right ways and appeals to your ideal clients.

I’ve recently finished working on a website for a client who knew she needed branding, a website and copy that would properly introduce her design firm to potential clients. Her name is Janelle Photopoulos, and working with her on her site was such a pleasure. I’m not even going to pretend to hide how excited I am about this project! My collaborative partner, brand designer Katie Saunders of Pop & Grey and I, worked hard on this project and we’re both thrilled that it turned out to be everything we hoped it would be and more. I believe it truly offers a fantastic experience of Janelle’s vibrant personality, passion for her clients and skill as an interior designer.

What I got from working with you went far beyond the physical logo or website. You created a feeling around our company’s brand. The tagline you came up with along with the entire new brand and website will have MASSIVE impact on the direction of my business. It was a great experience!

Janelle Photopoulos

The Key Question

From the start, the key question for Janelle’s project was, how could Katie and I take her vibrant personality, boundless creativity, and huge vision for her business and make it all tangible on a website? How can we make the 2D visuals and words on the screen make her site’s visitors feel as loved and inspired as they will when they eventually meet Janelle and her team in person?

The First Step

As is always the case for these projects, the first thing we wanted to do was get to know Janelle better. We had her fill out our project questionnaire, then we spent time with her on video conference. It’s important that we not only hear the tone of our clients’ voices, but also see their facial expressions and demeanor as we talk with them, and even add to the picture with how they dress and what their office environment is like. This adds so much to our understanding of who they really are and what their clients experience when working with them.

Here, Janelle absolutely excelled. This is a person who knows how to make a first impression! From the very first moment we met her, we could instantly feel her warmth and energy. It was clear she doesn’t just give lip service to her work. She and her entire team throw themselves into everything they do. They truly care about their clients and pour their hearts into making every project completely unique and an overwhelmingly positive experience for the client.

Rather than simply sit there and speak with us during our first meeting, Janelle completely delighted us by picking up her laptop and taking us on a visual tour of her incredible office in North Kingstown, Rhode Island. We were able to see not only the creative, collaborative space she built for her team, but also how she surrounds herself with bold colors and patterns on a daily basis (oh, that incredible hand-painted agate wall!). This sent us a big message about what inspires and energizes her. More importantly, it filled out the picture for us of the experience Janelle creates for her clients, making them feel inspired and energized, too!

The Design

Ultimately, that first meeting planted the seeds for the colorful brand and “Live Vibrantly” marketing message we created for Janelle.

Katie and I worked closely with her to nail down her brand’s visuals and language. The idea was (as it is with all our clients) to not only reflect Janelle’s preferences, but to run those preferences together with information about her ideal clients through the filter of our marketing expertise to generate a distilled representation of her company in website form.

Even though may seem counterintuitive to interior designers, it’s important not to get lost in “style over substance” when it comes to your website. So for Janelle, we wanted to make sure we crafted content that would be as meaningful as possible for her ideal clients. I crafted copy to match her fabulous images, pulling forward our message about what it’s like to work with Blakely using carefully curated language and a strategically defined tone of voice.

With Janelle’s creative output, it wasn’t difficult to put all the pieces of her site (her new branding, her copy and her images) together beautifully. You can tell from one quick look at the stunning photographs of her work what kind of results you’re in for when you come to Janelle for interior design help. There are tons of examples of the projects she’s worked on, including shots of her own design studio that I spoke about above (honestly, check them out, it is SUCH a cool space!).

Janelle’s entire process is highly collaborative, so we also wanted to shine a spotlight on Janelle’s entire team. On her Our Team page, you can see group shots of everyone together, as well as matching headshots for each team member. There is also lots of engaging copy written about each person to make sure that visitors can get to know more about who will be working on their projects, and to give anyone thinking of applying to work at Blakely an idea of what the team is all about.

In the end, we gave Janelle something that she loves and is proud to have represent her. It not only speaks volumes about Janelle herself, but also allows her clients to see themselves in her brand and copy, making them say, “I need Blakely!” And of course, our SEO help will give her a nice boost to help them find her in the first place.

I really want to stress that Janelle’s positive experience working with us is what we strive for with every single one of our clients. We’ve built our streamlined, efficient processes around making that happen every time. When you need a new site build from the ground up, we’re here to help you best represent your brand online with exceptional copy and beautiful branding. Contact us today and we can get started building an interior design website that says, “You!” but also makes your ideal clients say, “You get me. I’m in!”

Finding Original Interior Design Blog Ideas in the Strangest Place

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There is a question that drives all writers nuts, whether they be novelists, journalists, or copywriters:

“Where do you get your ideas?”

It’s not an easy question to answer, mostly because the average writer has no clue where they get their ideas. They just happen! But as a copywriter creating content for my clients, I don’t have the luxury of waiting around until a brilliant idea suddenly strikes. I need to come up with compelling, engaging material for my clients regularly, no matter how “stuck” I might be in coming up with topics.

As a copywriter focused on design, I usually think of the questions non-designers like me have about interior design to come up with ideas and shape the content I create for my clients. But if you’re a designer blogging for your business and trying to come up with original ideas for blogs, you might be stuck staring at a blank page for hours, with no decent ideas to be had. Sure, you could go to other interior design blogs and “borrow” a topic from there, but that leads to the same old ideas being recycled over and over again. Who wants to read that?!

But lucky for you, I have an idea that might solve your problem. Rather than going to other blogs to find ideas, why not look at educational events? There are TONS of educational events focused on interior designers, many of them with seminars and talks featuring famous speakers at the top of the field. As an interior designer, I’m sure you’ve attended one or two (or 1,000!) of these conferences in the past.

What Does This Have to Do With Blog Ideas?

Simple. You only need to take a look at the topics covered in the educational events at these conferences and let the seminar and speaking inspire your blog topics!

Now, I’m not saying copy the topics word-for-word, as that would be plagiarism. But allowing these ideas to inspire you? That’s fair game!

Let’s take a look at some of the educational events focused at interior designers at HighPoint Market and see how they can be used to create some great copy:

Blog Ideas

At the last Market, there was an event called “Arts in the Garden.” It focused on economic development, environmental improvements to urban spaces, public art, and historic preservation. While your interior design business might not focus on any of these, the central idea has some merit. How about writing a blog all about how art plays a part in the design of your property? Art doesn’t need to be paintings or sculptures. It could be the way that bushes are shaped or the way a garden is planted. From this one simple idea, you can come up with several blog topics!

Another event at that Market was, “Make Your Online Store Just as Inviting as Your Showroom.” Now here is an event that I would love to attend (Have you seen some of the terrible interior design websites out there? Yuck!) Let’s explore this idea and some of the blog topics you could get out of it. What if you spun that topic into what your homeowner readers and design hounds would be interested in, like “Make Your Powder Room Just as Inviting as Your Foyer”? Or fill in the blanks with whatever works for you, “Make Your ______ Just as ______ as Your _______.” Now seriously, don’t make this weird! I’m, of course, talking about spaces and aspects of design in the home – get your mind out of the gutter, ha!

Let’s just do one more, “Luxury & the Evolution of Luxury Panel Discussion.” Super interesting topic and one that can be spun off into dozens of different blogs posts. What makes an item luxurious or not? Which luxury items are best to splurge on? How much luxury is too much and makes your home feel like a museum? How can you find luxury items on a budget? There’s a whole month worth of blog topics right there!

Have Fun!

I know how challenging coming up with blog ideas can be. Heck, sometimes it’s even more difficult than writing the blogs themselves! But when you have a springboard like these event topics to spark ideas, you can let your imagination go and come up with ideas that no one else will be writing about. And with catchy titles and intriguing topics, you’ll get those readers flocking to your blog. Give it a shot!

And, of course, if you need some help planning your editorial calendar (or you want someone else to write your blogs for you), I’m always here to help!

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