A business won’t become a leader in any industry if a customer can’t differentiate your company from the competition, so it is critical that a business is to build a strong brand. Knowing and reinforcing your brand will attract your ideal clients, and as your business grows, you will be on your way to establishing an iconic brand. This is true for any business, including interior design shops.

Want to learn how to build a strong brand? Join our webinar, “Branding for High Dollar Sales,” on Wednesday, Aug. 25 at 1 p.m. ET.

Here are 9 tips to building a strong brand:

1. Know who you are, what you offer, and remain true to those core tenants: Identify what makes you different from any other interior designer. Know what inspires you, what you enjoy doing and do well, and lean into those things, making them core to your offerings and your identity. 
2. Identify your differentiation as a luxury: What you offer should be distinct so that customers – particularly high-end customers willing to pay a premium – are attracted to a distinctive experience. "If you try to market to luxury clients without building trust and positioning your brand as the ‘go-to’, they will run from you,” says Jason Lockhart of Kitchen & Bath Marketing Solutions, who has published several articles on the topic of marketing for luxury interior design brands.
3. Pick the right logo: Your logo is critical. It should go on everything you send out as a firm, and it must remain consistent for a long time to build and maintain instant recognition, so consider it carefully. Give yourself the time and headspace to review multiple iterations along the way. And strongly consider hiring a graphic designer to do that work: As an interior designer, you are an expert on creating perfectly curated spaces, not summarizing a brand in an abbreviated visual symbol – that is their expertise.
4. Invest in your website: As Jason Lockhart says, “When customers visit your website, they should be able to recognize who you are, what are you offering and how they can buy it, and that all in just three seconds. If you're unable to design your portfolio for a three-second magic show, you'll lose your charm.”
5. Don’t forget your business card: Interior design is an industry where business cards are still often traded, acting as a token of your design aesthetic instead of merely a copy of your contact details. The style of your business card should indicate your interior design prowess, and the details matter, right down to the material it is printed on.
6. Curate your social media: Your social media sites are not afterthoughts; they will be the way that countless potential customers first learn about you. You should post regularly, and always within the context of your brand. Each social media platform offers different advantages for interior designers, so create customized content for each outlet.
7. Learn your audience: As you identify your distinctive attributes as an interior designer, you will begin acquiring followers that are interested in what you are putting out into the world. Study the people that are drawn to the brand you are defining and know what they spend and how they consume interior design services. If you’re not attracting clients and followers that fit the criteria you expected, do an honest evaluation of your differentiating factors (your value) and how you are expressing yourself.
8. Adhere to specific values: Brands are not solely defined by visuals. It can take longer for reputation to impact your brand, but it absolutely will — for better or worse. The way you behave as an individual and business owner is part of your brand. Your professionalism and trustworthiness are part of your brand. Define your values and standards, and work tirelessly to meet them.
9. Be consistent: You have identified your individuality, carefully curated your visual presence, and defined your values and standards. Now be consistent in your delivery. According to Johanna White of Designs by Jo Studio, “When it comes to branding, I have learned that what you believe matters, but what you do about what you believe matters even more.” Consistency is the only way to build the strength to endure the test of time. When clients and followers trust you will deliver what they expect from you, you will be well on your way to icon status.

To boil it down to its simplest form, the key to building an iconic brand lies in being authentic. If you are truly authentic, being consistent will come naturally. For an in-depth review of what you can do to differentiate your brand and capture the upside potential of your premium offering, register for the upcoming webinar, “Branding for High Dollar Sales” taking place on August 25, 2021 at 12:00pm EST and hosted by Jason Lockhart of Luxury Kitchen & Bath Marketing Solutions and Johanna White of Designs By Jo Studio.

For additional tips on how to build and grow a successful interior design business, stay tuned to the Design Manager Blog and follow us on Instagram @designmanager.

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