Digital Marketing Strategies Essential for Interior Designers Today

The term “marketing” includes all efforts to attract new clients. In the past, this involved purchasing ads in newspapers and magazines, creating billboards, and mailing print ads directly to homes. These methods were effective twenty years ago, but as the Internet has evolved, so has marketing.

If you haven’t begun using the Internet to market your business, now is the perfect time to start. But how does it differ from traditional methods?

Speed
Traditional marketers spend weeks preparing a campaign before it reaches their target audience. Creating physical marketing materials is time-consuming and costly, often requiring approval from multiple people before proceeding.

With the Internet, marketing can be instantaneous. While elements like websites may take several weeks to create and launch, once they are live, they are always accessible (as long as they are done correctly – check out our website design tips for interior designers if needed). Potential clients can find and contact you within seconds using search engines, and they can also obtain information about you from various other sites.
Usefulness
With a traditional marketing campaign, your goal is to interrupt whatever a potential client is doing with information about your business. You may not like to see it that way, but consider this: do people pick up magazines hoping to see your ad? Do they rush to their mailboxes eagerly anticipating your promotional material? Probably not.

Digital marketing, on the other hand, allows potential clients to come to you. When users search for “interior designers,” they are actively looking for an interior designer. This approach provides a much more welcome introduction to your business.
Longevity
Most traditional marketing materials are disposable. People throw away magazines and flyers, and the image of your billboard is likely forgotten by the time they get home. Digital marketing, however, is different.

A successful digital marketing strategy helps you build relationships with potential clients over time. If they subscribe to your email list, regularly read your blog, or follow you on social media, they’ll become familiar with your business. While they may not contact you immediately, your company name will be top of mind when they’re ready to make a purchase.
Audience
With 87% of Americans having Internet access, it’s reasonable to assume your target audience is online. Traditional marketing channels often reach only a small segment of the market, while a website is accessible to anyone globally.

This larger audience provides more leads and significantly boosts brand awareness. Additionally, with various targeting options for your ads, it’s much easier to ensure that the right people are discovering your business.
Analytics
With traditional marketing, it’s challenging to pinpoint the source of your leads. If you run TV, radio, and newspaper ads simultaneously, the only way to know which is effective is to ask customers directly.
Higher ROI
Depending on the traditional advertising methods you choose, you could be spending thousands of dollars to attract new customers. While this investment can be worthwhile if effective, print ads and cold calls typically yield much lower return on investment (ROI) compared to digital marketing.

That said, digital marketing isn’t necessarily inexpensive. A solid strategy might cost a few thousand dollars a month. However, when executed effectively, it can generate enough business to justify the expense. Plus, with the ease of analytics, measuring the impact and calculating your ROI becomes straightforward.