5 places to show up so your ideal client can find you online

Did you catch our blog post a few weeks ago about the 3 things you can do right now to connect with your ideal client online? This is the second in that series, and we’re going to show you 5 places you can show up, share your services, and talk to your ideal client online.

Using social media is a great way to get the word about your business out there! It gives you the opportunity to showcase your talents and skills, share valuable and helpful information, and develop your brand online. 

Here are 5 separate social media platforms you can utilize in your business today!

1. Facebook: On Facebook, you will find photos, videos, and other forms of free content. You can also find specialized facebook groups. Posts can be much longer on this platform than they can on others. 

2. Instagram:  You have endless opportunities for marketing on this platform. You can share photos, videos, trainings, and other forms of free content. You can also communicate with your potential clients in direct messages. 

3. Twitter: This is a great place to share short-form content. Nothing too long or complicated! Short and sweet. 

4. Pinterest: Pinterest is not a social media platform, but it’s a great place to share freebies and other fun visually stimulating and valuable content.

5. Google My Business: This is also not a social media platform. It’s really a place where your potential clients can read reviews, check your portfolio and other things like that. 

Now, I know you’re probably feeling pretty overwhelmed with this list! But don’t worry, you don’t have to implement all of these at once. Just start with one or two, and as you build up your free content, you can start sending out content to the other platforms as well.

Need help creating content and getting it out to the world via social media? Contact us today. 

Now offering Edesign Services!

Now that we are all quarantined from the outside world and spending more time than ever in our homes, we all want to be in a beautiful space. E-design will become more popular than ever as interior designers find creative ways to continue to work with clients and clients desire to make their quarantine spaces more attractive. Let’s be honest, spending time in a beautifully designed space is much better for the soul especially during times like these.

Marketing your e-design service should be an easy sell at the moment. Sign up for my weekly e-mail at www.elitedesignassistants.com and I’ll send you a FREE client/prospect email you can send to your current clients, prospects and email subscriber list regarding your e-design service.

Need more information on e-design for your own business? Here you go!

How does e-design work? (This is a very high-level overview of the process.)

1.       Offer your clients/prospects an intro call and/or zoom meeting to see what their needs are and review your e-design packages. Be sure to explain that in e-design everything is done remotely, so it will not include on-site visits, installation, construction, etc.

2.       Once they choose to work with you, email them your LOA (you may need to adjust this for e-design services) and once it’s received email them a modified version of the questionnaire you normally would in your business. Ask them to include inspiration photos as well as pictures and measurements of the space they want you to design.

3.       Let the designing begin. You can create concept boards, 3d renders and a shopping list for your clients. The shopping list can include links to your affiliate sites for self-ordering or you can offer trade options that you’ll place orders for them as you normally would.

4.       Send your clients the package (concept board, render, shopping list) along with instructions on how to order products and install the design.

5.       Once they’ve implemented your design, ask them to provide after photos so you can use them in your before/after portfolio for e-design. I know a lot of e-designers struggle with getting the after photos so maybe offer some sort of incentive to get those. 😊

6.       Send them a thank you and let them know you’re happy to help them again in another space.

Pricing – Just like in regular design, pricing is very different for all e-designers. Many of them offer a variety of packages. Some ideas of pricing and options I’ve seen are as follows:

1.       Full design per room includes concept board, floor plan, paint palette, shopping list, render, written instructions for installation and a 60 day follow up. Priced anywhere from $700 - $1,000.

2.       Design per room includes everything above EXCEPT render. Priced anywhere from $500 - $650.

3.       Refresh per room – this would be refreshing what they have and styling it, you could still offer a small shopping list of items. Priced anywhere from $300 - $450.

4.       You can also offer online consultations, furniture layouts or shoppable boards for specific styles.

There are definitely options for you during this time to still do what you love. There are a lot of resources now on e-design. You can try the Facebook Group called edesign Tribe as a great place to start. Many groups are doing special live training on e-design during this time.

As always, please let me know what you need as I’m happy to help!

XX, Danae

3 Things you didn't know you could hire Elite Design Assistants for...

We’ve had a few requests lately for tasks that are not typical interior designer tasks, so we wanted to share them here for you so that you know all the possibilities for things you can outsource. Now, now... we know….you’re super woman! But you don’t have to do it all. We want you to have more time to focus on the things that matter...your clients and your design work!

One great thing about working with us is that when you contact us, you’ll be paired with the perfect design assistant for you and YOUR needs. Just consider us Design Assistant matchmakers!

If you’ve ever considered hiring an Elite Design Assistant to take care of any of your design tasks, you probably haven’t thought of these 3 things….

1. SEO (Search Engine Optimization): for your website. Squarespace, wordpress, etc. The purpose of SEO is to increase the quantity and quality of inbound traffic to your website. It is beneficial to both the consumer and business because it connects searchers with content that is most relevant to them. Now, In English, it will bring more ideal clients to your website. 

2. Systems set up:  Helping you to get all your systems set up so that you can operate your interior design business in the best and most efficient way possible. This could be anything and everything from client contracts to installation and project maintenance.

3. Vendor management: including the site, SideDoor. This could involve a variety of things like tracking shipments, custom furniture builds, item & sample deliveries. We will function as your middle man. 

As a designer and small business owner, we know that you are wearing pretty much every hat. Accountant, stylist, writer, website designer, head of marketing, rendering artist…..

But that doesn’t have to be the case. We are here to help!

Have a request for a specific task in your business that you’re not sure we offer? Just email us at
danae@elitedesignassistants.com or call us at 515.309.2838.

Does email marketing actually work to find interior design clients?

This is a common question in many fields today. Does email marketing actually bring in clients? According to optinmonster.com, “59% of respondents say marketing emails influence their purchase decisions and 80% of business professionals believe that email marketing increases customer retention.” 

Many think this isn’t possible with how much social media has grown over the years. If the contents of the email are interesting to the recipient, it is indeed a great marketing tactic. But if you can’t hold the attention of your reader, then you won’t be able to make sales.

Here are a few tips for creating emails that your email subscribers will enjoy!

1. Consistency: Show up in their inbox at least once per week. If your schedule only allows for twice a month, start there and work your way up. Do your best to keep things consistent so that your audience knows when to expect to hear from you!

2. Establish yourself as the expert: The best way to do this is to send your ideal client the info that they need. Share actionable steps or tips for reaching whatever their goal is. What are the things they need the most help with? What are the most frequently asked questions that your clients ask you about.

3. Give value: Give as much value as you can in each email. Share your greatest tips & tricks so that they can take actionable steps in their home NOW. 

4. Ask for the sale: Give them an opportunity to buy from you. Decide what you want your clients to do next and then make it easy for them. For example, you could write your email about the best way to hang curtains. Then offer up a freebie or low level offer like, “my 5 favorite sources for curtains” and mention it at the end of the email. Another example would be to send them an email about the 5 Steps to a remodel that runs on time and without problems, then mention that they can book a consultation with you at the end to help review their renovation plan. 

Email marketing can be overwhelming. If you’re not sure what emails to send to your clients, we have a full library of email templates we’ve created for you. Just edit the content as you see fit and send to your subscribers. 

You can find the templates in our shop!

The 5 most popular outsourced tasks that an elite design assistant can handle for you

Running an interior design business is no walk in the park. You wear so many hats and end up juggling all of the work...including those pesky tasks you hate!

As a busy designer, you should be focusing on creating content, networking and building relationships, and planning new growth strategies.

Many clients come to us because they’re feeling overwhelmed with all that they need to accomplish in a given day while balancing all of their clients. So we wanted to make you a list of the tasks that you may be doing in your business that we could take off your plate!

These are the 5 most common things that designers hire us for:

1. Administrative tasks. This could be a variety of things but mainly procurement like placing orders, tracking shipments and dealing with vendor.

2. 3D Renderings

3. CAD drafting

4. Sourcing. This is a very common task that designers decide to outsource. Finding the perfect furniture piece, fabric, etc.

5. Blog writing/social media management

The great thing about Elite Design Assistants is that our assistants are actually designers or have design experience themselves, making it easier for them to complete even the most intimate designer tasks like sourcing and writing blog posts.

We match virtual design assistants with designers based on a variety of skillsets, talents, personality and software knowledge. So if you need an assistant to create 3d renders and you aren't choosy on the software, we got you. If you need someone to create 3d renders specifically in Chief Architect or 2020 or Revit or SketchUp or another program, we got you.

If you need administrative help specifically in Ivy or MyDoma or Studio Designer or other, we got you. Let us know what you need and we will find the virtual design assistant to match your specific needs.

If you have a task that’s really weighing you down, respond to this email and we’ll get you setup with your personal design assistant. We’re here to help!

Have a Happy New Year!

3 things you can do right now to connect with your ideal client online

I’m sure you’ve heard it before! You have to connect with your ideal client through your marketing if you want to not only call in clients but to have those clients be the best fit for you and the services you offer.

Because who wants to work with clients who just don’t feel quite aligned?! Nobody….

Clients are more likely to purchase from you if you are talking specifically to them in your marketing and tailoring things to their needs. 

The problem is, it’s hard to know what to do to actually form that necessary connection. So we decided to leave you our top 3 tips for doing just that!

1. Know who they are and talk directly to them in every post. This will require sitting down and deciding exactly who this person is. Give them a name, a profession, an income, interests, a favorite wine, a style preference, etc. Go as deep as you can and really get specific with their hobbies, interests, and anything else you can think of.

2. Solve a problem for them. Pick a couple pain points that your ideal client has and show them a project where you solved a similar problem. This is a great way to position yourself as the expert.

3. Be you. Do you have anything in common with this client? People are more likely to hire people that they know, like and trust. And sharing more of who you are allows them to do that! Maybe you both like to drink wine and you share your top favorite kind or do a quick and easy boomerang of you drinking a glass at the completion of a project.

Remember to dive deep into who your ideal client is. If you’re talking to everybody in your marketing, you are actually talking to nobody. 

Bonus tip: Don’t be afraid to create polarizing content. This will eliminate those clients that are not a good fit and invite in the ones who are. 

Happy Holidays from everyone at EDA!

Need help creating content that will connect you with your ideal client? Reply to this email to inquire about our services. 

Services you can start offering in your interior design business in 2021

It's always wise to offer multiple ways that your clients can work with you. The best way to do this is to create a value ladder, with services in all different price points. I suggest choosing at least one service in each price point, low, mid, and high. 

Not only does this widen your reach on who you can work with but when someone buys a lower ticket offer, they are then more likely to purchase a higher-ticket offer from you when the time comes. They'll know, like, and trust you after their first buy and they will have no hesitation about moving forward with more work with you.

Here are a few ideas for low, mid, and high ticket offers that you can create now and start selling in 2021!

Paint Color Palette (low): This is a popular one! You can do pre-made palettes that your clients can purchase or you can offer color consultations that are priced a little higher and are customized for their particular space. Either way, this is a great first offer that shows your client that you are the interior design expert that they need in their lives.

Ask a designer (mid) : Another popular term for this is "designer on call". This term means that the client is taking more of a DIY approach but you will be guiding them along the way. This typically does not include deliverables of any kind beyond design advice and/or confirming that the client is on the right path.  This can work a couple different ways. Some designers choose to let clients buy a set # of hours for a specific price that they can use over a period of time and some designers require their clients to purchase weekly or monthly packages.

Turn-key and/or custom curation (high): This is a service that the majority of interior designers offer in their business and is usually placed at the top of the value ladder. This would involve working on an entire room or home, product curation/design and project management. This is a great way to make a profit on custom designer items and bring more money into your design business. 

Whatever services you decide to offer, make sure that they are aligned with what your ideal client is looking for and market it in places where they are hanging out online!

Need help to create a value-ladder for your business? We can help. Contact us today to get paired with the perfect elite design assistant for your needs. 

Virtual Render Tours

Hand rendering is one of the most amazing skills in the interior design industry. Since I can’t draw, I’m super envious of those who can. A beautifully framed hand render can make a great client gift after the end of a project but for the time it takes someone to hand render … it’s become a lost art.

Technology has offered a much more efficient and cost effective way for interior designers to share their vision of a space with their clients. Remember when 2d renders became a big deal and then 3d? Now we’re on to photorealistic renders that often make it difficult to tell if a space is an actual photograph or or a render. As technology continues to improve so does the way in which interior designers deliver their vision to their clients.

Today, more interior designers are doing virtual render tours where their clients can take a virtual tour through a rendered space. I starting writing this article last week as I meant to send it last Wednesday, since I procrastinated Forbes has since come out with an article about virtual only showcase homes. You can read that article here .

Mentioned in the article is the Seasonal Living Interactive Luxury Designer Showcase that is making it’s debut online December 3, 2020. There are no fees to tour the virtual house and you may recognize many of the 11 designers and 15 corporate sponsors supporting the idea of an online-only event. To learn more about this event click here.

To register for the Seasonal Living Interactive Luxury Designer Showcase click here.

COVID has made touring spaces a bit more difficult and so the interior design industry has had to pivot, pivot, pivot! Designers and vendors are now creating virtual rooms where clients can not only tour a space but they can also click on objects for purchase. There are even virtual tours of buildings and spaces that don’t even exist in reality.

Render artists have become so advanced that they are creating entire virtual cities and towns.

If you are interested in learning more about creating virtual render tours for your business, I’ve come across the 3D viewer app by Chief Architect that seems to be the most popular among designers creating virtual tours at this time.

As always, please feel free to let me know if you need anything!

Have a great rest of your week,

Danae

Take Your Design Business to the Next Level

As you know, I’m here to share with you the helpful tips, tricks and information I learn in the interior design industry that will help you succeed in running the most fulfilling and profitable business possible. Today, I want to share with you a business I came across that’s goal is to improve the interior design industry one design firm at a time.

The Interior Design Standard, created by East Coast interior designer Sandra Funk (House of Funk), is making a huge impact on a number of interior designer’s businesses across the country.

Why is this program making such an impact? Because the Interior Design Standard is House of Funk’s business structure. That’s right! The program includes a variety of modules with templates, processes, tools and tech for designers to implement the structure into their own businesses. Within each module are videos explaining the ‘why’ behind Funk’s processes, with her personal experiences and lessons learned weaved in.  

The program is delivered in a friendly digital format. Designers receive lifetime access, live virtual community events and access to the ultimate design community: the Standard Inner Circle. “Our mantra is ‘Rise, Designers, Rise’. By helping one designer at a time, we hope to see the entire design industry improve,” says Funk.

The Standard inner circle members average 11 years in business. "It's incredible to watch this group of entrepreneurs, ranging from brand new to the industry to 40-year veterans, making the choice to intentionally improve their businesses. It is an honor to know each and every one of them," says Funk.

This program is perfect for any designer who needs organized processes, wants to learn more about how a thriving and successful design practice does it and wants to bring the joy and passion back into their business.

Highlights of the Standard include:

-          The design fee calculator - finally a formula that removes the fear of flat fees

-          The design agreement that both clients and designers love

-          The exact process that each interior design project follows, from the first potential client contact to completing photo worthy projects

-          Access to the Standard Inner Circle, a community of designers improving their businesses together via a private Facebook group and community Zoom calls facilitated by Sandra

Enrollment only happens twice per year and the next enrollment period is in May 2021. If you are interested you can sign up for updates at https://houseoffunk.com/trade. I will also send another email about the Standard in May as a reminder in case you are interested in the program.

As always, please feel free to reach out if you have questions!

I hope you have a wonderful day! Danae

Unique Design Niches

Interior designers come in all shapes and sizes and I’m sure many you know, like yourself, may specialize in kitchen and bath or whole home. But what other niches are out there? The most recent niche to emerge is what I call the quarantine niche. Designers are designing homes with more recreational and entertaining space, more separation and sanitation and more comfort for those quarantined at home either alone or with other family members.

I thought it would be fun just to research other design niches that we often don’t think about on a day-to-day basis and this is what I found.

Aviation design – There are interior designers who specialize in private jet design. This type of design is very challenging and extreme as you must be great with working with small spaces and working with all the codes that aircraft interior design entails.

Yacht design – Although you could be working with more space than a private jet, this type of design is still challenging and requires knowledge of naval architecture and marine engineering.

Airstream design – The other day I came across an interior designer on Instagram who specialized in Airstream interior design. Again, another change in our economy was the number of people who purchased RVs this spring and summer. Some of them have great bones but need an interior designer to create the luxurious and comfortable environment the owner wants.

She Shed design – There are people who specialize in She Sheds, Man Caves, Playhouses and all sorts of rooms away from the home type structures. There are so many interesting options when it comes to this type of design.

Limo design – Yes, there are people who design the interiors of limousines! I didn’t realize it until I did the research how crazy and luxurious limos can get. There are some that have narrow pools in them.

What other fun design niches can you come up with?