Have you ever thought about putting an interior design portfolio together? If you’ve got an eye for tying together decor and function, it’s definitely crossed your mind before! Well, maybe it’s time to take the dream seriously? Now we’ve sailed into 2024, this could be the perfect time to prove your worth as an expert in interior design.
However, the main place you’re going to find customers is through the online world. You can put a portfolio website together and allow it to speak for you, but you’ll still need to consider the course of the customer journey. That means keeping their search intent in mind; it’s the number one way to build a relevant and reliable audience.
So, When people want to pay someone to decorate their home for them, what can you do to prove you’re better than anyone else they could reach out to?
Start a blog!
Who Do You Want to Help?
Defining your audience will help you to create content specifically for them. Don’t try to capture every kind of client in this net; you’re going to need to specialise in something and build out from there.
So, who do you want to help?
First time home owners? This kind of client is going to need a lot of help from someone like you. They’ve never owned their own home, have little experience with decorating a house in permanent colours, and won’t know the best brands to work with.
Or maybe you’d like to focus on those decorating a second home for the purposes of renting out? These are the people who need a shiny, dazzling edge to their decor. You’re going to have to bring your A-game for these kinds of clients, and your sense of professionalism should shine through in what you write.
And then there’s the subsection of retirees who are downsizing but still want a lovely looking home to live in. You’ll likely have a limited budget if you want to orientate yourself towards this niche, but the work can be a lot more rewarding. Make sure your passion for traditional styles and multipurpose decor is clear throughout your blog content.
Pick a Niche
In the world of interior design, everyone has their own niche. Sure, you might consider yourself a generalist who can draw up layouts and rough room orientations based on any style a client asks for, but it’s best to specify what you’re good at.
So, are you more of a Boho Chic person? Maybe you’ve got an eye for functional minimalist interior design? Perhaps the well loved Hygge and Scandinavian decors are what you really love? There’s always going to be one interior niche that got you into the field; choose it as your blog’s main topic to start building up your authority.
However, don’t let yourself think that this one niche is going to define your career either. It’s the main style you focus on, but you can dip in and out of various other styles and decor types as takes your fancy.
Write Up a Few Case Studies
Pictures can speak a thousand words. However, you should also write about your experience completing a client project from time to time as well. Before and after images make a world of difference when it comes to proving your talent and expertise within your niche, but you should let the reader know more.
Why? It can draw them into the world of interior design and shows off just how much time and energy you put into each and every project. As a client looking for an interior designer to help with a home renovation, intimate details about your process and the way you work is going to assure them they’re in the right place.
And this is something a lot of interior designers forget about. Your work isn’t just the physical effort you put into painting walls or creating your own wallpaper. It’s the report you post afterwards that grants your audience a glimpse into your mindset.
Follow EEAT When Creating Any Blog Content
You may have heard this acronym before, or this might be the first time you’ve come across it. Either way, it’s an important principle to keep in mind when creating content. No matter what you want to write, including your opinions on interior design and your specific decor style, EEAT will help you to rank higher on search engines.
You can check out a deep dive on Google’s EEAT guidelines for much more information, but the main thing to remember is that you need to write for real people. While EEAT isn’t a specific rule set in and of itself, it can help you to structure your posts and articles, as well as find the right links to help prove the points you’re making.
Think about using EEAT right now to refine the content you put out. Presenting the issues as answerable questions is the best way to make them actionable. Up first: who is the person behind the blog? Then, what are you trying to tell your readers? And why should they take your word for it? A.k.a., what makes you an expert?
No matter what you write, using these questions to guide your bank of content is a great way to stay on track for top rankings. It won’t guarantee them, but it’s a basic guiding principle that allows for passionate, well written content to get the attention it deserves.
Offer an Insight into Technique
You’re the expert. Why not let your readers know that from the off? Giving them an insight into proper design techniques, or your personally preferred style, is another way to build trust in your readership. The more you write from an educational angle, the more people will look to you for tips and tricks.
And don’t worry about giving your readers insider information that allows them to design their homes themselves. They can make good use of them, but they’re still just as likely to send you a service inquiry! After all, you’ve given them plenty of good advice already, and your content backlog has proved you’re a trustworthy interior designer.
Recommend Useful Products
As an interior designer with an idea to go professional one day, this kind of content is invaluable to your journey. If you have preferred products, resources, and tools to use when you’re doing over a home, make sure you share your recommendations with your audience.
Not only is this some of the most highly-clicked content on the whole web, but it also allows for an intuitive bit of affiliate marketing. If you’re looking to make money through your blog, popping an affiliate link on top of a product you were going to recommend anyway will generate a lot more clicks and shares into your pocket.
Want to Start an Interior Design Blog?
If you’re in the home decor and interior design niche, this could be a great next step for you. Even if you don’t want to start a business of your own, curating an online presence that showcases your skill and authority in this area can do wonders for your future!
From helping you to refine a hobby into a career, or simply allowing you to indulge in your favourite activity on a long term basis, a blog like this can really open doors. Get started with the tips above and let your personality and passion for creating a well designed home show through.
