Social Media Strategy for Architects & Interior Designers

So, the question is - can architects and interior designers use this brilliant tool to their advantage?

The simple answer to this question is a yes –- you can use social media strategy to gain new clients, build your brand, drive sales of your services, and even get new clients!

Now let’s talk about the more nuanced answer. Leveraging social media to achieve desired goals is work, a lot of work!

You must dedicate some time and effort to building your social media image, engaging with your audience, come up with different creative ways to stay relevant in an overwhelming online space where everything is fighting for the attention of your potential clients.

Simply creating a social media page dedicated to your architecture or interior design firm is not enough. To get any tangible result, you will also need to work on the social media strategy for your interior design or architecture firm.

Your social media page cannot generate any leads if it doesn’t have a decent following in the first place.

So, before anything else, you need to establish a user base that respects your portfolio and considers you an expert in your field.

Let’s go step by step to help you formulate a social media strategy for your interior design or architecture firm.

The very first step of your strategy should be to develop a social media identity. And by that, we don’t just mean creating a handle with your firm’s name and logo.

Your social media identity is what separates you from everyone else. It is how you communicate with your followers and curate your content. It is, for all intents and purposes, the social media personality of your business.

Architects and interior designers actually have quite an advantage when it comes to creating a social media identity. Both fields are inherently visual in nature. Your portfolio showcases your style, your creative inspiration, and your skills as a professional.

However, your portfolio alone is not enough to create your unique identity. Every architect and interior designer who is confident in their portfolio will use it as their main selling point. If you are doing the same thing as everyone else, then you aren’t differentiating yourself from any of your competition!

Yes, use your portfolio whenever you can. But at the same time, also include text that is unique to your identity as an architect/interior designer.

Your text shouldn’t just talk about the location or background of your portfolio, rather, it should be creative, engaging, and should invoke a sense of personality that attracts users to your work. Use your portfolio as the basis of your page’s visual aesthetic, but use your captions and text to differentiate yourself from your peers.

Think of it this way – when a user sees two near-identical images, how do they identify the creators of the image? They read the caption! A caption identifies your work as your own, giving a sense of uniqueness that would be impossible to create with just a lone image.

The next part of developing an identity is to choose your tone of voice. Irrespective of your intentions, each piece of content you release online will affect your brand’s identity.

Be it videos, web stories, or written blogs, users will develop an opinion of your brand based on the quality of your content as well as the language that you have used in said content. So, before you even start posting any content, decide what your tone of voice is going to be.

Are you going to be formal and informative? Or do you prefer a more casual and friendly tone to present your content? It is best to choose a tone of voice and stick to it for all your online content.

Changing your tone of voice from one post to another can be quite jarring for your followers, and may hurt your overall brand identity.

There are so many social media platforms to choose from, and honestly, most of them can be used to create a viable social media presence. However, the platform that works best for you will largely depend on your tastes.

Choosing a platform is both a strategic and personalized decision. It is best to cultivate your social media presence on a platform that you are familiar with. Knowing the ins and outs of a social media platform’s UI and algorithm can help you generate a following quickly.

But what if you aren’t familiar with any platform? Simply choose the one that you like the most! Of course, your chosen platform should also have a user base that is large enough for lead conversions. Let’s go through some of the most popular options. Pick one that suits you and your preferred content style.

Instagram - One of the top picks for architects and interior designers, Instagram is inherently a visual social media platform. This gels well with architects and interior designers who have a personalized and extensive portfolio.

Facebook - Sill the largest social media platform, Facebook grants you access to a massive potential follower base who may be converted into leads. Both written and visual content works well on this platform.

Twitter - Twitter is for those who prefer short-form content with some visual flare. However, Twitter’s word limit is a detriment for anyone who prefers long-form blogs or highly informative posts.

LinkedIn - LinkedIn is a great networking platform for professionals from all fields. A wide variety of content can be posted on LinkedIn, and you will generate a following as long as your content is good.

Keep in mind that the primary focus of LinkedIn users is professional networking, so they may be less receptive to buying your architecture or interior design services.

However, at the same time, LinkedIn also holds a treasure trove of high-quality clients who are quite appreciative of exceptional architecture and interior design portfolios.

Be mindful that creating any social media page requires work and patience. You can choose to create a page on each social media platform if you want to, but you will also have to multiply your efforts accordingly to make each page successful.

If you have the bandwidth to run multiple social media accounts at once, then by all means, go ahead! But if you don’t, then it is preferable to stick to one platform and focus on growing that page as much as possible.

Decided on your tone of voice, online personality, and platform? Great! Now it’s time to start producing content.

Content creation is the bread and butter of all social media platforms. You need to decide the type of content you want to produce and set the goal of the content - brand awareness, educating the client, generating leads, or anything else.

The content you product can include:

This includes long-form blogs (like the one you’re reading right now) or shorter posts that focus on one single point.

As an architect or interior designer, your written content should be informative while also showcasing your philosophy when it comes to design.

Written content has the lowest barrier to entry… but that does not mean that it is easy! Poorly written blogs can easily tarnish your identity as an expert.

If you already have a copywriter for your website then consider asking them to produce your text-based social media content.

You should also focus on keywords related to your field of expertise. Finding the right keywords for your written content is as easy as a Google Search! And don’t forget to implement your chosen tone of voice in every piece of content you write.

Videos can either be short-form (Youtube Shorts and TikTok) or long-form. Good videos can work wonders for your social media platform.

However, videos have the highest barrier to entry when compared to other types of content. Your videos need to be informative, creative, and well-edited.

A poorly made video will simply not perform well, or it may even backfire and worsen your social media image.

Producing good videos, even short-form videos, requires time and effort that you may simply not have. So, this type of content is only recommended for those who have a passion for videography, or who have the budget to hire a videographer to assist with video production.

An image with a short snappy caption is the most popular form of content on social media. Plus, this type of content is ideal for architects and interior designers.

You can post a small snippet of your portfolio, and users who like your work will undoubtedly be attracted to your page. However, as we mentioned above, don’t depend on an image alone!

Use creative and engaging captions that differentiate your work from others. Use unique flares, repeating tag lines, or maybe pick a font that no other architect or interior designer is using.

The caption you use is just as important as the image, so ensure that your captions are well-thought-out and gripping.

Image-oriented content can also include infographics or memes (as long as it’s suitable for your tone of voice). However, as an architect or interior designer, you do need to make sure that all your images are of high quality.

You want to put your best foot forward with your images. An architect or interior designer’s portfolio is their strongest selling point, so make your images as attractive and clear as possible!

Do not expect a massive surge in engagement, views, or new leads from day one. Growing and maintaining a social media platform requires some dedication!

Make sure that your content is attractive, informative, and helpful to those who are interested in architecture/interior design. You need good content to attract new followers, and gaining followers is the first step to generating leads from your social media page.

Don’t be shy, use call-to-actions whenever appropriate. You want new clients and your followers want the services of a good architect or interior designer. Keep reminding your followers that you are open to working on new projects. Insert a link to your website in all your blogs, and share your contact details with potential leads as frequently as you can. Your potential future clients are out there, all they need is a way to contact you!

Once you find your following, it is also important to keep engaging with them. If someone comments on your post, don’t hesitate to respond!

Keep your social media inbox open, as some potential leads may prefer communicating on the platform itself. Once your following is big enough, you can even hold Q&A sessions or offer online consultations to your followers.

Whether you are an architect or interior designer, social media is a powerful tool that you can use to grow your brand and generate new leads.

As a closing note, do remember that social media marketing is a long-term process that requires constant management and engagement.

Don’t be discouraged if your page does not perform well from day one; and if your current strategy isn’t working at all, then you can consider reworking your page with a new online personality and tone of voice.

Most important of all, focus first on generating new followers and growing your brand’s image. When it comes to social media, results are oftentimes a by-product of online popularity.

Whether you are chasing a fresh brand image or new leads, it all comes down to nurturing and expanding your follower base.

Related Content - Social Media Marketing For Interior Designers - An Effective Guide.