Let’s ask a different question before we tackle why your interior design firm needs a website to achieve success. Does your interior design firm need an online presence? If you want more clients, then yes. If you want your business to succeed beyond the next 5 years, then yes again. Even before COVID, UK online shopping had tripled in 10 years. And this trend suggested half of our goods and services will be bought online by the end of this decade. Post-pandemic we could reach this milestone as early as 2025.
Why You Need a Website for Interior Design Success
Can’t we build an online presence using social media instead? At the beginning of 2021, there were 4.4billion internet users. By far the most popular social media platform, Facebook, has 60% fewer active users than the internet. Instagram, the go-to platform for interior designers, has less than half again. Similarly, Pinterest has 65% fewer active users than Instagram. The numbers alone suggest a website is more likely to win greater numbers of clients for your interior design firm.
It’s Not Just the Numbers
And it’s not just the number of users that suggest your interior design practice should have a website.
There’re other reasons too:
- Your clients expect it. We’re reaching the point where not having a website is a black mark. A missing website raises doubts in your clients’ minds. Even for more forgiving clients, a website provides credibility and professionalism.
- You’re in control. Everything stays exactly where it is. That’s to say, your subject matter doesn’t move due to Facebook’s constant tinkering. In the same vein, your beautiful portfolio images won’t disappear because your Insta hashtag is now banned.
- A website makes your life easier. A reason why for those ‘who are too busy for more clients’. Do you want to answer the phone solely to tell someone about your opening hours? Automation of processes such as consultation bookings and transactions can be achieved through your website. And this life easier for you. And your clients.
- People can find you. A website allows for integration with Google Maps. Your clients can walk from their front door to yours, without ever looking up from their beloved mobile phone. Increasingly, even local shopping starts with a Google search.
The Reasons Why Not are Nonsense
In summary, too difficult and too expensive. I’m not a web designer, nor will I ever be. Just like many interior designers, I’ve built my own websites (plural). Getting an understanding of the website building blocks is straightforward. And website packages such as Wix make it easy to build and maintain a website. Also, you have the technical ability. You’ve mastered AutoCad, SketchUp and 3D rendering. Trust me, you got this.
You can register, build and maintain a professional-looking website for less than £10 per month. And I strongly advise that you do. Because you’ll know the right questions to ask if you hire a professional web designer in the future. It’s also worth knowing that you can register, build and maintain an amateur website for free. I don’t suggest you market your interior design firm using it. But free websites are great for practice.
Why You Need a Website for Interior Design Business Success
For your design firm to appear professional, to have credibility, you need a website. To control your own content, to help clients find you, you need a website. If you want life to be a bit easier, you need a website. Moreover, to attract more clients and have a successful practice in 5 years, you very much need a website.
Finally, let’s dispel the myths. A website doesn’t have to be complex. Nor cost the earth. You can build and maintain a professional-looking website with little effort and for even less cost. In next month’s Business Success Blog, Build Your Own Interior Design Website, you’ll discover how. Make sure you don’t miss out. And sign up for the YourCoachApproach Business Success Blog.
Do You Want Your Interior Design Business’ Digital Marketing to be a Success?
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