What’s the Best Place to Look for New Clients?

Original article posted at Business of Home by Haley Chouinard.

When you quiz designers about how they get new clients, “word of mouth” is a common refrain. It’s an industry based largely on repeat business and referrals—but that doesn’t mean you have to wait for the phone to ring (or inbox to ping). While those referrals are often enough to keep design firms busy for years, there’s no shortage of other means to drum up leads when there is a lull.

DOING IT FOR THE ’GRAM

Having a robust Instagram presence is just as crucial as having a website—while the social media platform may not have always been a crucial lead generator, many designers nowadays are landing their ideal clients with help from the app. “Everyone has a phone and most people have an Instagram account, so I look at it as having access to everyone in the world,” says New York–based designer Eneia White, who gets most of her new business from the platform. To keep the leads coming, she posts content targeting the type of client she hopes to attract. A recent example is a digital rendering of an office she designed with one of her dream clients, Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, in mind. “With hashtags and tagging—you never know who could find what you post,” says White. “I think it’s important to give people the chance to find you.”

HOUZZ ABOUT IT?

For many designers, their website and their Houzz profile are the first results a potential client will see in a Google search. “I know people in this industry often think Houzz is the devil, but it works for us,” says Pensacola, Florida–based designer Cheryl Kees Clendenon of In Detail Interiors. She recommends that designers work with a Houzz client success manager to optimize their profiles (a feature the site offers for a monthly fee of $59). “People think you can just set up your page and forget about it, but that’s just not true. You have to work at it,” says Kees Clendenon, who regularly uploads new pictures (with keywords and metadata in the image descriptions), responds to questions, asks clients to leave reviews, and contributes to forums on the site. Of the 24 leads she got from the platform in 2019, seven led to a project or at least a paid consultation; she estimates that more than $200,000 of her 2020 revenue will come from Houzz-generated sources.

PERSON-TO-PERSON

Networking with other industry professionals—whether designers, architects, builders, contractors and real estate agents—can be a crucial element of lead generation. When it comes time for those pros to offer a referral, you want it to be your name on their lips. If someone is working on a ground-up construction project, for example, and they ask their builder which local designer they should approach, what can you do now to ensure that you’re the person they recommend?

Liu has gotten three jobs based on references from a local real estate agent. “Relationships with people in the community have been instrumental in the success of our firm,” she says. She also developed relationships with several builders in Dallas; they now cross-reference each other when asked for recommendations. “I tell the client that it’s to their benefit if they hire someone I’ve worked with before because there’s a shorthand there already,” she says. “Because I’ve already worked with them, that builder may already know how I like something done. That can eliminate rounds of back-and-forth, which can save the client money and even shorten the timeline.”

Fairfax, Virginia–based designer DuVäl Reynolds of DuVäl Design has set up partnerships with local builders, too, but he has also tapped into a simple additional resource: other designers. “I’ve made a point of building relationships with designers who have bigger firms than I do,” he says. “Not only are they a great source of advice and mentorship, but if they get an inquiry that doesn’t meet their budget minimum but does meet mine, they can pass it along to me.”

GOOGLE IT

When it comes to having a strong web presence, Google can be a huge asset to a small business. The tech giant has a free tool called Google My Business, where companies can create business profiles and manage how they show up on both Google Search and Google Maps. Think your search results don’t matter? Think again. Reynolds once got a client who simply typed “interior designer” on Google Maps, found his firm and drove to the office. “They signed a contract with us a few days after that,” he says.

Google My Business has significantly boosted awareness of Kees Clendenon’s firm. “We have a retail store in addition to our studio, and the number of walk-ins—some of whom turn into clients—who find us on Google is huge,” she says. “I’m always surprised how many designers don’t know about this tool, because it’s so important to claim your listing!”

Optimizing your website so that it surfaces higher in a search is another key way to leverage Google, making your firm more visible than competitors in your area. While your website might seem like a passive way to get new work, most clients are starting their search for a designer from scratch (think: “Dallas interior designer”); a better ranking in Google’s search results will make it easier for them to find your portfolio.

COMMUNITY LIAISON

While it may not directly translate into instant leads, building a presence in your community is another key way to promote brand awareness. Before the pandemic, Kees Clendenon regularly hosted events at her retail store, often collaborating with other local businesses. “We even cleared out space and had a nearby yoga studio host a class here,” she says.

Above all, the best strategy is also a beloved decorating maxim: More is more. “A layered approach to marketing and growing your business is key,” says Kees Clendenon. “You can’t wait for business to come to you—you have to put yourself out there in as many ways as you can!”