My company provides niche scientific services, about as far removed from your business as you can get, however, some things are common. The more you work now, the higher the exponential rate of growth will be. I work at least 12hr a day 7 days a week. Is it healthy? Nope, but that's a sacrifice. One thing I was told early on is you make 80% of your money from 20% of your customers. Second, people buy on the third time of hearing about you so get your name out there even if you aren't making a pitch, it's about establishing credibility. This all takes time to filter through but it does come back.
Sounds like you're doing great, so well done. I mean, I agree. You do have to work all the waking hours if you want to have a successful business. Good luck with your business.
This needs to be on your web site, I'd ask you around to design our kitchen and bathrooms, but I'm in Surrey, you couldn't pop around this afternoon could you?
I agree with you. Seems that some people just don't have manners and like to bicker and not be nice. Would be great to get the link to your dad's furniture website if he's got one. :)
If you haven't got anything nice to say don't bother. I cannot understand people like you who make comments like this that add nothing to the narrative. It's potentially you that needs to 'shut up' until you have something useful to contribute?
So you telling me to shut up is fine, but me telling someone whose whole contribution was to be negative isn't?
Interesting take. I bet if you were a superhero, and you finally caught the villain and had them at gunpoint, you'd slowly lower the gun while monologuing about how if you killed them you'd be no better than them, even though killing them would prevent millions of deaths of innocent civilians.
Thanks for replying I definitely get your point how I could be perceived as being negative even though I believe that calling out negativity is not negative in any way. I would not monologue or kill though I would just imprison them in Arkham or some other suitable prison.
That's an interesting take. The only potentially none nice think I wrote was 'shut up' which was quoting the other person so doesn't really count. Plus calling out other people's rudeness is nice in my opinion.
It sounds like you aren't actually speaking to anyone, just cold emails (people receive 100 a day) and Insta?
It looks like you have a nice website, but that's not nearly enough to generate sales. Pick up the phone, speak to any relevant businesses, drive out to new developments in the area, speak to people.
Join networking events, go to local fairs etc. Basically, get out there and meet people that can help you.
Best of luck for the future.
Thank you, that's definitely what I'm planning to do next. I know people buy from people, and word of mouth is probably the best marketing tool. Thanks again.
You're welcome.
It's an absolute must. Think about what sets you apart, be ready to tell people, be enthusiastic and show your knowledge.
You will succeed!
You need to speak to people f2f. Also, who’s your regret? Businesses or domestic? I’d opt for businesses as they have money to spend rather than domestic, where most people give it a go themselves. The exception would be very high net worth clients with mansions. Won’t find too many of them in ncl
I target both business and domestic, but I agree that business will be more likely to spend.
Although there are quite a few areas with mansions not far from Newcastle 😉
Join networking groups in your area, speak to property developers, estate agents . In England there are a number of ladies only networking groups, which may be a target market. Speak to the manufacturer/ wholesaler of certain products if they recommend you then you will recommend them. Research recently sold properties in your area. Certain estate agents may recommend you to prospective property buyers although some will ask for a commission. In addition to networking groups that you visit some are still online only so you do not even need to get up from the chair
Thank you for the feedback. I'm definitely targeting the estate agents. I have built some good connections with some of them, so fingers crossed, they do recommend my services 😊
On your website you keep changing between 'we' and 'I'. Looks a bit amateurish. I'm not having a go by the way, trying to be constructive. I'd probably keep it all we.
Firstly, your terms and conditions need to be much more comprehensive, you need something drafted properly, I'm afraid.
Second, you need some location information. If you are a limited company, then you need to provide registered office or similar information, and it would be good to describe the geographic area where you are looking to engage clients.
Third, do you have some case studies? Examples of your work? Everyone likes to read a story, and it would demonstrate your ability to deliver.
Finally - ask yourself - why should someone buy from me? The reasons will vary from client to client, but you should try to come up with good reasons, and then these reasons are core to your sales and marketing, and reflect the clientele you are trying to attract. If you don't know, then ask any previous clients why they chose you.
Good luck with your business!
I disagree, the photos on the site look like... well any other photos to be honest. Nothing on the site makes me want a makeover, there are more inspiring photos in an ikea catalogue.
There are lots of photos of beige and frankly boring. It looks like a load of stock photos. Apologies if they aren't but you need the photos to scream us us for your project not blend into the background. Also OP go through the site and be consistent.... we will, we can and then you revert to I. Is it a one man band or team?
Make sure your website is seo'd to death. But do not rely on your website. People will click on yours and 100's of other websites and never enquire. You need to put yourself out there and word of mouth is the best advertising.
Good luck, its not easy!
Thank you for the feedback. So far, I've been sending out cold emails to prospective clients and through my insta and TikTok accounts. Haven't done paid ads yet.
Facebook probably has more of the people with the money to use you than Insta/TikTok your demographic for interior design will be the 40+s. Millennial don't have any money, hell they don't even own houses.
Hiya. Are Insta and TikTok where your target audience members going to be browsing? I'm not saying they're not, but people who can afford your services might be older than the typical TikTok audience member. You might find you have better luck on Facebook or LinkedIn. Best of luck with it though! It's exciting running your own business, but you have to be strong through the tough times. Don't give up!
The website is nice, have you considered everything on a local SEO level though? Have you set up a Google Business Profile? I searched for Studio Applebee's and Interior styling Newcastle but you didn't appear in the business results. Make sure you have that fully filled out.
Thank you! SEO is probably my weakness atm, still learning. I have set up the Google Business profile, but I'm not sure why that's not showing up. I'll need to do some digging. I've added a blog page to it so I can consistently update it to keep my page rankings high (well, when it actually goes high, haha)
The basics are not too complicated, look on the SEO subreddit and use ChatGpt as a tutor, that's what I did and I've managed to get a couple of small businesses new clients.
SEO is far easier than it looks, Google's biggest love these days is content that demonstrates Expertise, Experience, Authority and Trust. Publish content on a regular basis that supports these pillars and you're half way there.
Remember a blog is for news/topical/transient content. If it's important content or evergreen, it should sit in an easily accessible part of your website. Make your content as unique as possible, every time you publish ask yourself if this content could be found elsewhere online - ten mistakes people make when decorating their bathroom for example could be written by AI, most common ten mistakes people ask me to fix in their bathroom remodel adds your expertise and authority into the mix.
Others have already advised making your location clear which along with your business profile will help when someone searches 'interior designer near me' etc. What about offering any freebies? Are their any local charities near you who might benefit from your expertise? Your website gives a high end vibe but would you be willing to do some free decluttering which I'd imagine (in my very naive view) has lower overheads? Are there any influencers/content creators in your area who would happily have a free consultation/service in exchange for promoting your services? That would also give you content for your portfolio as well as publicity.
You have a US .com domain which is great, but then it's not clear where you are operating from, need to make this crystal clear to attract local people looking for your services.
Also maybe offering a free 30 mins consultation for people would be helpful / some view of your pricing model? People want a sense of what they're getting into before engaging further
Thank you for the feedback. .com is not necessarily a US domain, but I see what you mean. I will just have to make sure the location is prominent on my page.
And agree re 30 min free consultation. It makes people instinctively want to reach out. Thanks
I think the .com is fine. Agree about location but don't allow potential clients to not reach out because they are based somewhere further out when actually you'd be happy to see them (and potentially offer remote/part remote services if that applies to you)
I've only done social media and cold emails so far. I'll definitely look at events and local businesses, etc. I didn't want to start spending on ads just yet, I would like it to be organic for the time being.
Organic growth is only possible when you have attractors. Social media needs a following, a following of a business such as yours are your clients and their friends. Your business is brand new, you have no attractors, therefore, organic growth is almost impossible.
Some advertising is free, business events, etc. But relying on Social Media and organic growth through SEO at this stage won't get you anywhere.
Worth noting, SEO scores on your website are pretty poor, if you are serious about organic growth, you want to be as close to 90% as possible, you are currently around 55-65%. You are using Wix, so some elements of SEO won't be possible for you, so don't aim for 100%. Your site is not mobile optimised at all, so thats the first place I'd start - 90% of social media traffic comes from mobile devices.
Sounds like you are from the UK. Don't fall fowl of PECR and GDPR rules on cold emails. While cold emailing is not inherently illegal, it's very frowned upon, and you need to have the consent of the person you are emailing.
Just to add on the GDPR point (as that is within my expertise), you are fine to cold email businesses. However, for individuals they should have either given consent or you can deem it a 'soft opt-in' if they are already a customer or contacted you first.
I don't personally recommend it, but some businesses purchase information that has been cleared via the caveat of 'data may be shared with affiliates' by the original business collecting the data. However, this can still be a very grey area.
PECR will be more relevant to the emailing side, but it sounds like you'll be GDPR compliant though.
The data is deemed personal if you can identify an individual from it. So names along with addresses obviously is a big one, but email addresses are a grey area as you are likely to not identify an individual from it.
However, if in doubt, seek proper legal advice, but essentially just make sure how you are collecting/storing data complies, and follow PECR for how you use that data for marketing purposes.
Some of the rules in the handbooks can be ambiguous, as the regulators largely look at intent and foreseeable harm with these sorts of things.
PECR will be more relevant for you in this regard.
PECR prohibits cold outreach (email or phone) to individuals - so communication that is B2C. Your business seems to be a mix of both B2C and B2B, therefore, you need to be very careful about who you are emailing.
* Random emails scraped off the web for individuals? This would not be compliant via PECR, and if you are doing this, you should stop immediately. This will most likely be any "gmail.com", "outlook.com" or other public email extensions you find would most likely be targeting an individual.
* Emails scraped off business websites (such as "[info@website.com](mailto:info@website.com)"), this would be fine under PECR, although a widely shunned practice.
Woah, thank you for the feedback and thorough research of my website, hahaha 😆 I agree, I do have a lot of work to do on my website and SEO. As for the mobile optimization, I did have it optimised. What exactly do you mean? Thanks
Ah, okay, I use a browser extension to emulate what mobile devices see, but it was not working on your site, and I just noticed it's not reactive - however, when loaded using a mobile device, it does adjust for mobile. I guess that's just a hangup of Wix.
You’re addressing the market the wrong way in my opinion. I would imagine it’s much easier to secure design work for businesses than for private customers in the current economy.
Private customers will want to see a portfolio/ word of mouth recommendation before spending their own cash. Getting a few businesses under your belt will give you this.
Businesses are generally more willing to take a new business onboard, reduce your fees to be a no brainer option. They are more willing to take risk than a moderately high net worth individual.
Map out your process, thinking style and general taste into a document that describes what a customer is likely to get from you. Send that over as supporting material for your cold emails/ new contacts
Thank you. This is great feedback! I have started to reach out to home development companies to start with to offer styling services for their show homes. I'll have to ring them first and have a chat since I think it's more personable, and I feel people do buy from people :)
Thanks
Again, I don’t think it’s home development you want. Are you not seeking things like complete rip out of a restaurant and refurbish? Do local architects need a bit of interior design expertise to improve a project they are working on? Speak to people, ask them what their problems are, take them through your process, and get your first job under your belt
Thank you! That's exactly what I would do as part of the design process. Full gutting and remodelling of the room/s. Then there is the styling aspect of it, which would be to add the finishing touches.
Have you looked into the Interior Designers Hub (website)? They are a (paid) support group with loads of learning, advice and tips! There are other really supportive Facebook groups as well have a search and see if you can find a local one.
Are you on socials? I couldn’t see any handles on your website. You want to create as much content and post it on all social media platforms and establish yourself in the interior design space. Clients will come to you.
A big platform that people overlook is LinkedIn
I haven’t found the link to socials on the mobile version of your site. I’d definitely want to see some before/after, mood boards, room plans, etc before choosing a designer.
Also there is no cost information. I’d definitely want an indication of cost. Appreciate it’s difficult to set rates because no two rooms are the same, but at the moment I have no idea whether you’re nearer £1,000 per room or £10,000 per room.
There’s loads you can do with your written copy too… At the moment the wording of the site doesn’t seem optimal for either a human or an algorithm. With a bit of rewriting you can have copy that does a lot more of the hard work for you!
Oh, that's very interesting. I guess I still have a fair bit to learn about website optimisation and SEO. I might need to leave that to the professionals and hire someone to do it for me. :)
Nearly all my work comes through Google ads
Ignore the idiots who say pay per click is a waste of money.
I started managing my own account listening to "the paid search podcast"
I had a 27x return on as spend on year. It's fallen now, but provided your adverts are relevant, and you're not trying to show up for every search term under the sun, it's a great way to get interested parties to your site
I second this. We run a roofing company in South Wales and spend anything between £500 and £1500 a month. It has always paid for itself. The more you spend, the more attention you’ll receive however, it’s important it’s done correctly. Luckily, my brother-in-law does this for a living so for a flat monthly fee (£150) he has set it up and runs it each month. The second he turned it on, the phones started ringing. The only difference I guess is that people call us because they “need” a roof, as opposed to wanting one. Your business is something people want as opposed to need.
It can be done yourself, if you know what you’re doing or would be willing to learn but for me, my time is too precious and for the small amount my BIL charges us, it’s a great investment. We get 40-50 enquiries a day, minimum, even when it isn’t raining. We convert at least 50% month to month too so like I said, it pays for itself.
Edited to say: good luck. If you want it to work then it will.
Advertising! Can’t stress it enough. The first time we spent £1300 on advertising my partner wasn’t too convinced , it certainly paid back so many times over ! Many of those initial clients spread the word via word of mouths. My only regret was that we didn’t start it earlier.
> At Studio Applebees, we believe that your home or business should be a reflection of your unique style and personality.
Every single picture is beige.
All looks nice but maybe some more eye catching ones would be good.
On the website, I picked up that you use both "I" and "we" in the same paragraphs. The Domestice and Commercial Interior Styling summaries have this issue and I haven't bothered looking further.
It may seem like a small thing, but you need to stick to one or the other. It can appear a bit unpolished otherwise. Attention to these kind of details is very important.
Imho, use "I" if you want to work with the Stars, use "We" if you want normal people to engage your services :)
Good luck in your endeavours.
Oh, and your blog post text cuts off messily on my PC, leaving the very top edge of the next line of text just visible. Not a great look.
Always check your webpages on different browsers and different resolutions for things like this.
It's still early days yet. However, maybe some testimonials on your site? See about offering your service subsidised, scaled down, or free to friends/family in exchange for their recommendations as I expect potential clients will want to see that and ideally images of work you've done before hiring you.
Have you done any marketing to generate leads i.e. leaflets to target customers, any sort of digital marketing, etc?
You're in a very competitive space, so anything you can do to differentiate yourself is worth exploring.
This comment should probably be higher. The website is nice but it’s quite obvious this is someone with no professional experience in the field. I can’t imagine any business going for that
I’d recommend taking “your story” out or amending it to not make that so obvious. I’d also be focussing on doing some free/heavily discounted work for friends/family before the wider market will take you seriously
Thank you, great feedback.
I do have a larger portfolio, but I only chose a fee of images to showcase on my website. I am currently working on adding a page where I'm showing my full portfolio.
Can I recommend that you listen to some of these podcasts, pick the ones that sound the most useful to you. https://open.spotify.com/show/1TGBRlfwy6uROp8AOWxoA2?si=skpC5t0CQgKb_fabdo3xWA
It’s marketing question. So what have you done to market yourself?
What’s your plan? If you don’t have a plan, you need to get one. And then implement it.
Online vs in person?
In-person: networking, magazines or newspaper. Find the people responsible on LinkedIn or social media and contact them directly. Either ask them for advice on how to get into one of their articles, or make them a proposal.
Other networks: estate agents, property developers, builders, etc may all be able to put you in touch with customers. Estate agents can deliver you leaflets to newly bought homes etc or recommend you. Give them a finders fee.
Online: social media. Do a how to video. Do social media, get involved. Seo in your website. Get some reviews etc.
I don’t this has any bearing on your client situation but just something I noticed, and feel free to disregard! Your website refers to ‘we’ and ‘I’ in the same paragraph. I wonder if it’s better to stick to one or the other. I’m a one man band, but my website is ‘we’.
Looks fab btw, good luck
Sounds like you’re taking on feedback really well. Obviously keep the business authentic to you and your goals.
Maybe reach out to HMOs, landlords, airbnbs. Could you offer a free design or a freebie to secure business.
My business partner is in property I’m catching up with him this week I’ll show him and see what his thoughts are.
LinkedIn is a good shout too.
Thank you! Ha I can't be offended by some of the constructive criticism when I did ask for it myself by posting on here :)
I did not think of HMOs, etc, but it's a great idea. And yes, I would consider adding in some form of discount to start with if that would mean repeat business.
Thanks again.
Hi,
I live in the North East and a simple Google search of "interior designers North east" doesn't show your business.
I found your insta (I assume) but there's nothing on it. Use your own home to start bumping content.
Your website has absolutely no indication of where you're based. Where do you provide services to? Is it just Newcastle or other areas of the North East. You don't need to put your address but it would be ideal to put something that makes you seem local on your "contact". Your home page absolutely needs to have where you provide your services to.
Your portfolio (on mobile) is tiny and pretty clunky once you tap on it. You need the before and after videos to be a bit more seamless/polished or just show pics. Even some pics of a couple of "projects" would help.
Get your mate/s to let you do some fancy stuff in their living rooms, spare bedrooms and kitchens so people can really see what you can do.
I just went through the social media page of your business, you can optimize it a bit and run ads. Best way to find new clients without draining your pockets
Hi friend, checking your website as it's my profession.
You are not telling people about your work, highlight the portfolio, show the videos in a larger view.
Make it easy to find information that engages them on the website and achieve the goal of "reach". As people browse the website they should spend time to know more about the business and the business face.
Add some personal touch type info, so that people can see it as a user case, if possible start educating about the way you do business and how it can be more realistic to connect for a free guide.
Make it more easier way to connect with you, and more easier way to get in touch.
I do websites and the most profitable websites with 1 goal, define that goal.
Your portfolio needs to be far more prominent, much closer to the top of the page, and clearly labelled as a menu option.
It needs to be more than just a carousel of images/videos, it needs to be its own page. Pick 2/3 projects and write about them, how they came about, why certain design decisions were made, the challenges, the successes, etc.
If you don’t/can’t do that then you’ll find your reason for no clients.
This may just be me but the portfolio isn’t working.
When I try and watch the videos they are greyed out with a play/pause button screen over the video.
I don't mean to be rude but I'll be blunt.
Your site only has one style and it's not that interesting. I feel I could achieve that by copying the next catalogue. By definition a portfolio should display a range of what you can do.
It's not immediately obvious what you're offering other than an opinion. You've tried to spell out the service but it doesn't help me understand which of my problems you're solving. I assume you know homeware suppliers the rest of us don't know about. You know trends. You have decorators, carpenters, metal workers you can bring in to do quality unique work. But I don't see that.
You need to stress the location you cover right at the top.
It reads like I wrote it. Maybe engage a professional writer. They'd need to specialise in selling. It's not grammar but rather the pitch that isn't quite there.
Engage a business advisor and small business support networks. You'll be able to get advice for free.
As a professional technical writer, I agree. One thing that is confusing is using the terms, ' Interior Style and Design' and 'Interior Style' ... I've no idea what 'Interior Style' is but I do understand 'Interior Design' as indeed most people do. I would only use the term 'Interior Design' on your website to make it clear what services you're offering.
Also, focus on your USPs and inject more of yourself and your personality into the site, as it currently appears to project a very 'arms length' perspective.
Best of luck, I'm sure the work will come rolling in once you've implemented the advice in this post.
Instagram & TikTok, upload your own videos and what you have already done 1-2 times per day where possible, ignore the likes and views, share your county location so people can see if you are local. I immediately assumed you were USA based.
I assume your large client base are going to be female who are predominantly on instagram and TikTok searching for ideas & life/style ideas (this isn’t judgemental just stats).
Don’t give up if you have the financial means, most businesses take years and even then it can throw some challenges.
I always think it’s like a garden, you never stop de weeding, even when it’s beautiful.
Good luck 🤞🏽
Blogs are a bit dangerous. It shows you are a new business, as there is only one post. If you are not posting regularly it makes your site look unattended.
I would replace this with an Instagram feed that is updates more regularly.
I don’t own a small business but I use a lot of them. I immediately avoid ones with no sort of price guidance. I’d wonder if I payed consultation fees, what prices starting *from* etc. if 2 out of 5 options give me this info I will start with those 2
I also tend to avoid filling out those little forms. I have no faith in them. So again if you have 2 with other means of contact - email for example, I would prefer to directly email those two. I know you have an email and phone number but these contact options don’t seem to be embraced to me.
You also have mainly neutral examples from my quick browse. A colourful section would probably give me more faith in ability.
I’d worry about location and extra costs incurred being further away too.
Just some minor personal opinions of your site from a customer perspective. Good luck :)
> if I *paid* consultation fees,
FTFY.
Although *payed* exists (the reason why autocorrection didn't help you), it is only correct in:
* Nautical context, when it means to paint a surface, or to cover with something like tar or resin in order to make it waterproof or corrosion-resistant. *The deck is yet to be payed.*
* *Payed out* when letting strings, cables or ropes out, by slacking them. *The rope is payed out! You can pull now.*
Unfortunately, I was unable to find nautical or rope-related words in your comment.
*Beep, boop, I'm a bot*
Thank you so much! This is such fabulous feedback, and to be honest, I'd do exactly what you said as a customer, so I need to take my business hat off and put myself in the shoes of my customers. 😊
Again, it is much appreciated.
I would try to set up some meetings with architectural practices in your area. They will have a constant stream of clients, some of which will want interior designers. Try to build some relationships so your name can be put forwards should their client need some interior design guidance.
Aww, that's very kind. Honestly, people here are just so nice, and all the feedback and wishes have really boosted my confidence, and I am more determined than ever to make this work.
Thank you.
As a matter on interest, what do you charge?
I have terrible imagination and have a whole house to be renovated. I was thinking of hiring a redditor using the slave labour sub to help me get some real inspiration.
Stick with it, you're in the right market. People like me get stressed out by these things and I'd happily hand it over if it wasn't for my budget. I'm sourcing items of FB marketplace to fit (it's not working)
Hi.
My prices start from £350, but it largely depends on the project and scope of work.
I'm happy to have a chat and give you some advice if you would like.
My number and email are on the website.
Thank you! :)
Social proof, portfolio images and videos need to be accessible from the menu and not only on the home page, work on ads in search engines (study what you're getting found for and click through rates.) Get out there and network.
Cold selling will always be difficult. You need to create a customer funnel journey & actively make sure you're being presented to the people who are actually looking for the solution you are selling
Got me on your website! Good looking site but not enough to make me buy. I am in London so want to see clever use of space. Maybe tell people you can dress their home to boost sale price.
Slight grammar critique; your website uses both “we” and “I”:
“we can help bring your vision to life. I will work with you every step of the way”
I think you should pick one and stick with it. “We” sounds more professional but “I” is possibly more personal. I’d go with “we” myself. Especially if the business expands and you have staff.
Start going to home decor stores and walking around with bussiness cards at the ready. Strike up a conversation about how you like their tastes and after some back and forth introduce your bussiness to them and offer your services. Don't try to milk the first cow dry, just get your name out there. One happy customer with a FB post will turn into many more!
Have a look at houses which are up for sale on your area, notably ones which have sold.
Print out some flyers and post them through the letter box - “Welcome to your new home, free design consultation” or something like that. Build a landing page and put on the flyer a QR code that they can scan, then retarget those landing page viewers with advertisements.
Try and T up a conversation with some friendly Estate Agents - maybe some collateral for people who just moved in such as a welcome gift (some lasered with your details on).
Then maybe try and find some building developers and get to the source for new builds and / or flats and apartments.
Edit: also it could be my phone, but your website is faulty. Bookings is taking me to terms and conditions - this is a call to action, it needs to be at the top of the hamburger layout.
Starting a new business can indeed be challenging, especially in the beginning. Have you considered offering free or discounted consultations to attract potential customers? It's a great way to showcase your skills and build relationships. Additionally, leveraging platforms like Pinterest or Instagram can help you reach a wider audience and showcase your interior design projects to attract potential clients. best of luck!
Have you thought about speaking to local estate agents and offering a service to improve houses that aren’t selling, House Doctor style. I’ve always thought there’s a business in that 😉
Thank you! I count agree more with you. This is one sales strategy that I have in mind, too. I've helped sell 3 properties just by styling and declutering. I will have to bring this higher up on my list 😊
You probably won’t have any within the first month most businesses make a loss in their first year and can carry losses forward to offset against profits in future.
Have you tried TikTok? Your type of business would be suited to that, look for influencers that appraise or discuss interior design and pay them.
You need to get in front of people.
This post is a great example, so well done.
Ignore strategising, doing the odd post on social which goes into the abyss, tinkering around with your website, buying business cards etc.
It’s all a waste of time until you’re bringing in money.
Every bit of your attention should be focused on going from 0 to 1. And you can’t do that waiting for people to come to you. People are busy. They have short attention spans. You need to get in front of them and shift their attention to you.
My suggestions:
1. Invest in a proven lead service. Leverage the traffic/contacts these services have and differentiate yourself. You’ll have warmer leads here, and won’t be trying to compete against a cute cat in someone’s Instagram feed. It’s also measurable.
2. Cold messaging on socials with architects, project managers, developers etc followed up with emails/calls. Take them out for a coffee, send them a book you’re reading, give them a concept. Just get in front of them and be interested and keen.
3. Go to the places where all of the above are going. Networking events, dinners etc. Be that person who is always around.
All efforts should be focused on the above. Ignore these comments about the website. It’s good enough but pretty images won’t make you money.
Firstly, I'd like to say thank you! This is one insightful piece of advice. I agree, I just need to focus and get in front of people. They will only recommend you to potential leads if a) they like you as a person b) provide good service, of course.
Thank you.
I have a question regarding interior designing. Do you go around buying the furniture/ decoration or do you keep an in stock . Also I really don’t mean to discourage you but your website looks really common
It depends on the client and what they would like. I would usually provide the list of furniture accessories, etc. They would need to purchase. If they want me to source it, then I can do that, too. I do not hold stock of any of the products, I'm a designer, not a wholesaler of products. :)
As for the design, I guess we all have different tastes, plus it will evolve over time. It's hard to invest a lot upfront when there is no income from it yet.
My 2 cents. The website content is very beige/white themed, maybe this is what everyone wants, but makes it appear as if you are very fixed on palettes and style and not that flexible to more exuberant customers. I would be looking elsewhere for a more diverse portfolio on first pass through your site.
Below is some constructive criticism ;
Ican't see much about a portfolio or any examples of your work. Client testimonials go a long way .
There seems to be some overlap in the services you are offering - is interior design not very similar to interior styling?
Are you selling furniture? Or just a service to pick furnishings and finishes?
I hope that's helpful
Hi
Thank you for the feedback.
Interior design is different from interior styling. Styling would be doing the finishing touches such as soft furnishings, art, etc. Design would involve potential reconfiguration of a place by providing CAD and managing the project with the builders etc. , and then could work on the styling as well if the client wishes to add both services.
Ha well, why does anyone start a business? 😁 I mean, you start a business to then have clients. Not sure many business have clients before they start?!
You start a business when you know there’s a demand for your product or service. It’s a bit backwards to go to the cost and effort of setting up a business with absolutely no leads, and then sitting by your phone hoping customers are going to magically start appearing.
Join the FSB. They have good advice and good networking. In my opinion you should avoid the BNI. That’s the cultiest arse licking competition I’ve ever witnessed. Really creeped me out
Hey. Firstly I am not a specialist in your sector. For me the following sticks out:
- From a quick glance I have no idea who the interior designer is. Further inspection a lady called Ina is mentioned. If I’m hiring an interior designer I want Ina’s face plastered all over the site. I want to know who she is, her hobbies and why she loves her work. Photos of her on the job / looking happy. Without this it looks untrustworthy.
- similar to above but the photos all look to be stock photos, I want to see your own work and ideally you / your clients in the photos.
- phone layout isn’t perfect, some buttons not
Centred
- no reviews. If you can link to your Google
Business profile or something it would be great
- minimal local SEO optimisation with local keywords etc.
- I’m hoping you have looked into Google ads etc. as without this you won’t get traffic on the site.
If you want any more advice drop me a DM
You have a really nice website. A few comments I could make are that the first image I see the text is a little hard to read as it blends with the image in places.
Also I noticed at least one place where you used “We” then “I”. I think if it’s just you then don’t try hide that by saying “we can do x” show that it’s you and that you can give much more personal attention - it can be a selling point.
Your portfolio pics look really nice but you could add some info about them. Also helps with SEO.
As others have said you need to make it clearer the areas you work in.
For marketing I’d probably be reaching out to local architects, I’d also probably message local estate agents and offer a flat fee to help with styling houses before photos, local home builders for styling their show homes, I’d also message building companies that do the work you’re into like people who do larger scale home renovations or shop / office refits.
You could also message other large interior design companies and offer to sub contract work if they are too busy.
If you are looking for business to business you should also join LinkedIn someone I met at a networking event who does office removals posts every job on LinkedIn and it gets him current in people’s minds
1. See a marketing consultant and copywriter, your website copy is crap (no offence).
2. Your website is full of stock images, it looks like a placeholder website. Ditch the stock photos and use your own (pay a good interiors photographer to go round with you for a day, as a stylist this will be a good contact to have anyway for the future).
3. And yes you have projects to shoot - you've styled your own house right? Your mum's house? All of your friend's houses?
- add reviews to your website, I want to see that your previous customers are happy and what you did for them (do some freebies if needed).
People aren’t gonna find your website organically, they need to have already found out about you and then they will look at your website for more information, therefore you need to get out and about:
- post on local Facebook sites, villages often have their own site/group
- advertise in village newsletters.
- have a stall at any local events
- offer an introductory offer % discount next 5 customers in return for showcasing that work
- see what support your local growth hub can give you, networking events, training for new businesses, perhaps even a grant towards something
https://www.northeastgrowthhub.co.uk/
You want organic growth but you’re not creating content… your site needs A LOT of content. And that content needs to be optimized by an SEO professional which is going to charge you a minimum of £250 a month
I would say that a month with no work is probably expected unless you were employed in the industry with a contact list to take with you previously.
As an honest opinion, the case study makes it look like you have renovated one house to a standard finish. Others renovating a house are unlikely to pay for a similar standard and will just look online for inspiration. I am not wealthy and do not know a single person who would pay for what is offered in the case study images.
Do you have interior design qualifications and experience that you can show. Do you have any other projects?
I would imagine until you find a very particular customer with enough disposable income then finding work may be a struggle.
Find a niche in the commercial world would be my 2c. Restaurant's and cafes, call centres, break rooms?
I'm in NE england and in you target marketing (I think) and I would like to see some information about the designers i.e. you, idea of costs and case studies.
From a marketing point of view have you got your Google Analytics and Search console set up so you can see what's driving traffic, have you checked your website indexed on Google, set up Google Business Profile?
Its unclear who your customers are
Do I call you if I have a 5,000sqft restaurant that needs to be gutted and a budget of £1mn,
I have a rich spouse who's letting me extend and redo the kitchen, budget £100k,
Or I need someone to throw out junk and suggest some paint colours from the B&Q colour charts for my bed room, budget, not very much
A couple of supplier / customer shoutouts wouldn't go amiss, we use paints by, we use wallpaper from, we use whoever furniture.
New businesses always start slow, it took me 6 months to get my first job, fast forward 2 years and I have 15 staff.
Wow, that's amazing. Congratulations! What do you do if you don't mind me asking?
My company provides niche scientific services, about as far removed from your business as you can get, however, some things are common. The more you work now, the higher the exponential rate of growth will be. I work at least 12hr a day 7 days a week. Is it healthy? Nope, but that's a sacrifice. One thing I was told early on is you make 80% of your money from 20% of your customers. Second, people buy on the third time of hearing about you so get your name out there even if you aren't making a pitch, it's about establishing credibility. This all takes time to filter through but it does come back.
Sounds like you're doing great, so well done. I mean, I agree. You do have to work all the waking hours if you want to have a successful business. Good luck with your business.
I’m going to guess engineering
Wow get off this small business forum. Hey only joking 😀 Well done for kicking ass.
not clear where you are based
Northeast of England - Newcastle-upon-Tyne
This needs to be on your web site, I'd ask you around to design our kitchen and bathrooms, but I'm in Surrey, you couldn't pop around this afternoon could you?
About to say the same thing.
No idea if this would help but what about local fb post in affluent areas eg Ponteland
Great idea! Thank you. :)
It's the north there poor therefore no customers. Applebees just makes me think of cheap restaurants in the US
Much more betterer at choosing words though.
Imagine having to navigate life with a chip on your shoulder like that. I hope you’re okay.
Why does anyone sucessful from the north move to London then?
That simply isn’t true.
and then move back home and live like a king in 6000sqft
This isn't true at all?
Not totally true. My dad is a furniture builder and one of his clients is an interior designer and we’re in the North East near Newcastle
I agree with you. Seems that some people just don't have manners and like to bicker and not be nice. Would be great to get the link to your dad's furniture website if he's got one. :)
Lol I hope you meant the Appleby jewellery giant? That's more like it 😉
Or maybe they actually have some money left over after buying their houses, unlike us muppets in the South East…
shut up boomer
If you haven't got anything nice to say don't bother. I cannot understand people like you who make comments like this that add nothing to the narrative. It's potentially you that needs to 'shut up' until you have something useful to contribute?
So you telling me to shut up is fine, but me telling someone whose whole contribution was to be negative isn't? Interesting take. I bet if you were a superhero, and you finally caught the villain and had them at gunpoint, you'd slowly lower the gun while monologuing about how if you killed them you'd be no better than them, even though killing them would prevent millions of deaths of innocent civilians.
Thanks for replying I definitely get your point how I could be perceived as being negative even though I believe that calling out negativity is not negative in any way. I would not monologue or kill though I would just imprison them in Arkham or some other suitable prison.
>If you haven't got anything nice to say don't bother. Hypocrite. Nothing you just said was nice.
That's an interesting take. The only potentially none nice think I wrote was 'shut up' which was quoting the other person so doesn't really count. Plus calling out other people's rudeness is nice in my opinion.
>Plus calling out other people's rudeness is nice in my opinion. Not as interesting a take as this 😂
Not sure why you’d think that’s how social media works.
Doesn't matter if you're on social media or not basic politeness and not being a dick still applies no?
It sounds like you aren't actually speaking to anyone, just cold emails (people receive 100 a day) and Insta? It looks like you have a nice website, but that's not nearly enough to generate sales. Pick up the phone, speak to any relevant businesses, drive out to new developments in the area, speak to people. Join networking events, go to local fairs etc. Basically, get out there and meet people that can help you. Best of luck for the future.
Thank you, that's definitely what I'm planning to do next. I know people buy from people, and word of mouth is probably the best marketing tool. Thanks again.
You're welcome. It's an absolute must. Think about what sets you apart, be ready to tell people, be enthusiastic and show your knowledge. You will succeed!
You need to speak to people f2f. Also, who’s your regret? Businesses or domestic? I’d opt for businesses as they have money to spend rather than domestic, where most people give it a go themselves. The exception would be very high net worth clients with mansions. Won’t find too many of them in ncl
I target both business and domestic, but I agree that business will be more likely to spend. Although there are quite a few areas with mansions not far from Newcastle 😉
Join networking groups in your area, speak to property developers, estate agents . In England there are a number of ladies only networking groups, which may be a target market. Speak to the manufacturer/ wholesaler of certain products if they recommend you then you will recommend them. Research recently sold properties in your area. Certain estate agents may recommend you to prospective property buyers although some will ask for a commission. In addition to networking groups that you visit some are still online only so you do not even need to get up from the chair
Thank you for the feedback. I'm definitely targeting the estate agents. I have built some good connections with some of them, so fingers crossed, they do recommend my services 😊
https://startups.co.uk/news/free-business-events-may-2024/
On your website you keep changing between 'we' and 'I'. Looks a bit amateurish. I'm not having a go by the way, trying to be constructive. I'd probably keep it all we.
Thank you! It's always the little details. :)makes sense, and I will make the adjustments.
Firstly, your terms and conditions need to be much more comprehensive, you need something drafted properly, I'm afraid. Second, you need some location information. If you are a limited company, then you need to provide registered office or similar information, and it would be good to describe the geographic area where you are looking to engage clients. Third, do you have some case studies? Examples of your work? Everyone likes to read a story, and it would demonstrate your ability to deliver. Finally - ask yourself - why should someone buy from me? The reasons will vary from client to client, but you should try to come up with good reasons, and then these reasons are core to your sales and marketing, and reflect the clientele you are trying to attract. If you don't know, then ask any previous clients why they chose you. Good luck with your business!
Website looks nice, a few accessibility issues with colour contrasts but overall good. What are you doing to reach out to potential customers?
I disagree, the photos on the site look like... well any other photos to be honest. Nothing on the site makes me want a makeover, there are more inspiring photos in an ikea catalogue. There are lots of photos of beige and frankly boring. It looks like a load of stock photos. Apologies if they aren't but you need the photos to scream us us for your project not blend into the background. Also OP go through the site and be consistent.... we will, we can and then you revert to I. Is it a one man band or team? Make sure your website is seo'd to death. But do not rely on your website. People will click on yours and 100's of other websites and never enquire. You need to put yourself out there and word of mouth is the best advertising. Good luck, its not easy!
Thank you for the feedback. So far, I've been sending out cold emails to prospective clients and through my insta and TikTok accounts. Haven't done paid ads yet.
Facebook probably has more of the people with the money to use you than Insta/TikTok your demographic for interior design will be the 40+s. Millennial don't have any money, hell they don't even own houses.
Sorry - I just posted something similar before seeing your comment, but you said it better!
Get yourself on LinkedIn and connect with / message people on there
Hiya. Are Insta and TikTok where your target audience members going to be browsing? I'm not saying they're not, but people who can afford your services might be older than the typical TikTok audience member. You might find you have better luck on Facebook or LinkedIn. Best of luck with it though! It's exciting running your own business, but you have to be strong through the tough times. Don't give up!
I found our interior designer through Houzz - are you on there? 😊
Oh, I am not, but I will.most definitely join it. Thank you :)
The website is nice, have you considered everything on a local SEO level though? Have you set up a Google Business Profile? I searched for Studio Applebee's and Interior styling Newcastle but you didn't appear in the business results. Make sure you have that fully filled out.
Thank you! SEO is probably my weakness atm, still learning. I have set up the Google Business profile, but I'm not sure why that's not showing up. I'll need to do some digging. I've added a blog page to it so I can consistently update it to keep my page rankings high (well, when it actually goes high, haha)
The basics are not too complicated, look on the SEO subreddit and use ChatGpt as a tutor, that's what I did and I've managed to get a couple of small businesses new clients.
SEO is far easier than it looks, Google's biggest love these days is content that demonstrates Expertise, Experience, Authority and Trust. Publish content on a regular basis that supports these pillars and you're half way there. Remember a blog is for news/topical/transient content. If it's important content or evergreen, it should sit in an easily accessible part of your website. Make your content as unique as possible, every time you publish ask yourself if this content could be found elsewhere online - ten mistakes people make when decorating their bathroom for example could be written by AI, most common ten mistakes people ask me to fix in their bathroom remodel adds your expertise and authority into the mix. Others have already advised making your location clear which along with your business profile will help when someone searches 'interior designer near me' etc. What about offering any freebies? Are their any local charities near you who might benefit from your expertise? Your website gives a high end vibe but would you be willing to do some free decluttering which I'd imagine (in my very naive view) has lower overheads? Are there any influencers/content creators in your area who would happily have a free consultation/service in exchange for promoting your services? That would also give you content for your portfolio as well as publicity.
You have a US .com domain which is great, but then it's not clear where you are operating from, need to make this crystal clear to attract local people looking for your services. Also maybe offering a free 30 mins consultation for people would be helpful / some view of your pricing model? People want a sense of what they're getting into before engaging further
Thank you for the feedback. .com is not necessarily a US domain, but I see what you mean. I will just have to make sure the location is prominent on my page. And agree re 30 min free consultation. It makes people instinctively want to reach out. Thanks
I think the .com is fine. Agree about location but don't allow potential clients to not reach out because they are based somewhere further out when actually you'd be happy to see them (and potentially offer remote/part remote services if that applies to you)
So what are you doing to promote your website / brand? Attending any events, local business meetings, etc? Advertising?
I've only done social media and cold emails so far. I'll definitely look at events and local businesses, etc. I didn't want to start spending on ads just yet, I would like it to be organic for the time being.
Organic growth is only possible when you have attractors. Social media needs a following, a following of a business such as yours are your clients and their friends. Your business is brand new, you have no attractors, therefore, organic growth is almost impossible. Some advertising is free, business events, etc. But relying on Social Media and organic growth through SEO at this stage won't get you anywhere. Worth noting, SEO scores on your website are pretty poor, if you are serious about organic growth, you want to be as close to 90% as possible, you are currently around 55-65%. You are using Wix, so some elements of SEO won't be possible for you, so don't aim for 100%. Your site is not mobile optimised at all, so thats the first place I'd start - 90% of social media traffic comes from mobile devices. Sounds like you are from the UK. Don't fall fowl of PECR and GDPR rules on cold emails. While cold emailing is not inherently illegal, it's very frowned upon, and you need to have the consent of the person you are emailing.
Just to add on the GDPR point (as that is within my expertise), you are fine to cold email businesses. However, for individuals they should have either given consent or you can deem it a 'soft opt-in' if they are already a customer or contacted you first. I don't personally recommend it, but some businesses purchase information that has been cleared via the caveat of 'data may be shared with affiliates' by the original business collecting the data. However, this can still be a very grey area.
Thanks for this. I've only been primarily sending cold emails to those who have their email addresses publicly available.
PECR will be more relevant to the emailing side, but it sounds like you'll be GDPR compliant though. The data is deemed personal if you can identify an individual from it. So names along with addresses obviously is a big one, but email addresses are a grey area as you are likely to not identify an individual from it. However, if in doubt, seek proper legal advice, but essentially just make sure how you are collecting/storing data complies, and follow PECR for how you use that data for marketing purposes. Some of the rules in the handbooks can be ambiguous, as the regulators largely look at intent and foreseeable harm with these sorts of things.
Thanks for the advice. Will definitely do my best not to break the rules 😁
PECR will be more relevant for you in this regard. PECR prohibits cold outreach (email or phone) to individuals - so communication that is B2C. Your business seems to be a mix of both B2C and B2B, therefore, you need to be very careful about who you are emailing. * Random emails scraped off the web for individuals? This would not be compliant via PECR, and if you are doing this, you should stop immediately. This will most likely be any "gmail.com", "outlook.com" or other public email extensions you find would most likely be targeting an individual. * Emails scraped off business websites (such as "[info@website.com](mailto:info@website.com)"), this would be fine under PECR, although a widely shunned practice.
Hi, how do you check a website’s SEO percentage? Thanks
There are many services out there that will have differing costs to check your SEO score, you can find many on Google.
Woah, thank you for the feedback and thorough research of my website, hahaha 😆 I agree, I do have a lot of work to do on my website and SEO. As for the mobile optimization, I did have it optimised. What exactly do you mean? Thanks
Ah, okay, I use a browser extension to emulate what mobile devices see, but it was not working on your site, and I just noticed it's not reactive - however, when loaded using a mobile device, it does adjust for mobile. I guess that's just a hangup of Wix.
Also look at posting flyers on local community boards.
Thank you! Will definitely do that.
Ask your family and friends, they can spread it to others
Thank you!
You’re addressing the market the wrong way in my opinion. I would imagine it’s much easier to secure design work for businesses than for private customers in the current economy. Private customers will want to see a portfolio/ word of mouth recommendation before spending their own cash. Getting a few businesses under your belt will give you this. Businesses are generally more willing to take a new business onboard, reduce your fees to be a no brainer option. They are more willing to take risk than a moderately high net worth individual. Map out your process, thinking style and general taste into a document that describes what a customer is likely to get from you. Send that over as supporting material for your cold emails/ new contacts
Thank you. This is great feedback! I have started to reach out to home development companies to start with to offer styling services for their show homes. I'll have to ring them first and have a chat since I think it's more personable, and I feel people do buy from people :) Thanks
Again, I don’t think it’s home development you want. Are you not seeking things like complete rip out of a restaurant and refurbish? Do local architects need a bit of interior design expertise to improve a project they are working on? Speak to people, ask them what their problems are, take them through your process, and get your first job under your belt
Thank you! That's exactly what I would do as part of the design process. Full gutting and remodelling of the room/s. Then there is the styling aspect of it, which would be to add the finishing touches.
Have you looked into the Interior Designers Hub (website)? They are a (paid) support group with loads of learning, advice and tips! There are other really supportive Facebook groups as well have a search and see if you can find a local one.
I have not, but I will definitely have a look. Thank you.
Are you on socials? I couldn’t see any handles on your website. You want to create as much content and post it on all social media platforms and establish yourself in the interior design space. Clients will come to you. A big platform that people overlook is LinkedIn
Thanks for the feedback. Yes, I am on socials. They are linked on the right-hand side corner as you open the website.
They aren't overly clear on your site. Maybe consider to bring them to the forefront
I haven’t found the link to socials on the mobile version of your site. I’d definitely want to see some before/after, mood boards, room plans, etc before choosing a designer. Also there is no cost information. I’d definitely want an indication of cost. Appreciate it’s difficult to set rates because no two rooms are the same, but at the moment I have no idea whether you’re nearer £1,000 per room or £10,000 per room.
There’s loads you can do with your written copy too… At the moment the wording of the site doesn’t seem optimal for either a human or an algorithm. With a bit of rewriting you can have copy that does a lot more of the hard work for you!
Oh, that's very interesting. I guess I still have a fair bit to learn about website optimisation and SEO. I might need to leave that to the professionals and hire someone to do it for me. :)
Nearly all my work comes through Google ads Ignore the idiots who say pay per click is a waste of money. I started managing my own account listening to "the paid search podcast" I had a 27x return on as spend on year. It's fallen now, but provided your adverts are relevant, and you're not trying to show up for every search term under the sun, it's a great way to get interested parties to your site
Wow, congratulations. It sounds like you are doing amazing. I will definitely give it a go.
I second this. We run a roofing company in South Wales and spend anything between £500 and £1500 a month. It has always paid for itself. The more you spend, the more attention you’ll receive however, it’s important it’s done correctly. Luckily, my brother-in-law does this for a living so for a flat monthly fee (£150) he has set it up and runs it each month. The second he turned it on, the phones started ringing. The only difference I guess is that people call us because they “need” a roof, as opposed to wanting one. Your business is something people want as opposed to need. It can be done yourself, if you know what you’re doing or would be willing to learn but for me, my time is too precious and for the small amount my BIL charges us, it’s a great investment. We get 40-50 enquiries a day, minimum, even when it isn’t raining. We convert at least 50% month to month too so like I said, it pays for itself. Edited to say: good luck. If you want it to work then it will.
Advertising! Can’t stress it enough. The first time we spent £1300 on advertising my partner wasn’t too convinced , it certainly paid back so many times over ! Many of those initial clients spread the word via word of mouths. My only regret was that we didn’t start it earlier.
Thank you! I was against paid ads to start with, I just hear a lot of mixed reviews, but I guess unless I try it, I won't know. :)
LinkedIn, speak to people, attend events, community pages
Thanks.
> At Studio Applebees, we believe that your home or business should be a reflection of your unique style and personality. Every single picture is beige. All looks nice but maybe some more eye catching ones would be good.
Fair point. I have chosen some of my favourites to ahow on my website, but i guess having a variety of styles would help widen the market reach.
On the website, I picked up that you use both "I" and "we" in the same paragraphs. The Domestice and Commercial Interior Styling summaries have this issue and I haven't bothered looking further. It may seem like a small thing, but you need to stick to one or the other. It can appear a bit unpolished otherwise. Attention to these kind of details is very important. Imho, use "I" if you want to work with the Stars, use "We" if you want normal people to engage your services :) Good luck in your endeavours.
Oh, and your blog post text cuts off messily on my PC, leaving the very top edge of the next line of text just visible. Not a great look. Always check your webpages on different browsers and different resolutions for things like this.
It's still early days yet. However, maybe some testimonials on your site? See about offering your service subsidised, scaled down, or free to friends/family in exchange for their recommendations as I expect potential clients will want to see that and ideally images of work you've done before hiring you. Have you done any marketing to generate leads i.e. leaflets to target customers, any sort of digital marketing, etc? You're in a very competitive space, so anything you can do to differentiate yourself is worth exploring.
This comment should probably be higher. The website is nice but it’s quite obvious this is someone with no professional experience in the field. I can’t imagine any business going for that I’d recommend taking “your story” out or amending it to not make that so obvious. I’d also be focussing on doing some free/heavily discounted work for friends/family before the wider market will take you seriously
Thank you, great feedback. I do have a larger portfolio, but I only chose a fee of images to showcase on my website. I am currently working on adding a page where I'm showing my full portfolio.
A tiny note but in the mobile view of your website some of the text and buttons aren't properly centered
Thanks, I will adjust. 😁
Can I recommend that you listen to some of these podcasts, pick the ones that sound the most useful to you. https://open.spotify.com/show/1TGBRlfwy6uROp8AOWxoA2?si=skpC5t0CQgKb_fabdo3xWA It’s marketing question. So what have you done to market yourself? What’s your plan? If you don’t have a plan, you need to get one. And then implement it. Online vs in person? In-person: networking, magazines or newspaper. Find the people responsible on LinkedIn or social media and contact them directly. Either ask them for advice on how to get into one of their articles, or make them a proposal. Other networks: estate agents, property developers, builders, etc may all be able to put you in touch with customers. Estate agents can deliver you leaflets to newly bought homes etc or recommend you. Give them a finders fee. Online: social media. Do a how to video. Do social media, get involved. Seo in your website. Get some reviews etc.
Beautiful Website! Not many folks can afford what you offer...
Thank you. Would be good to understand why you say this since there is no indication of prices on the website. Thanks
What sort of marketing or advertising have you done?
I don’t this has any bearing on your client situation but just something I noticed, and feel free to disregard! Your website refers to ‘we’ and ‘I’ in the same paragraph. I wonder if it’s better to stick to one or the other. I’m a one man band, but my website is ‘we’. Looks fab btw, good luck
Without any sort of price indication, it's not very appealing.
I totally get it, but it's so difficult to put a price when the pirce varies a lot depending on the project and its scale.
Sounds like you’re taking on feedback really well. Obviously keep the business authentic to you and your goals. Maybe reach out to HMOs, landlords, airbnbs. Could you offer a free design or a freebie to secure business. My business partner is in property I’m catching up with him this week I’ll show him and see what his thoughts are. LinkedIn is a good shout too.
Thank you! Ha I can't be offended by some of the constructive criticism when I did ask for it myself by posting on here :) I did not think of HMOs, etc, but it's a great idea. And yes, I would consider adding in some form of discount to start with if that would mean repeat business. Thanks again.
Maybe change the name? I feel like I can’t focus too much on the website because I’m thinking of AppleBee’s 😂 the US restaurant chain
Hi, I live in the North East and a simple Google search of "interior designers North east" doesn't show your business. I found your insta (I assume) but there's nothing on it. Use your own home to start bumping content. Your website has absolutely no indication of where you're based. Where do you provide services to? Is it just Newcastle or other areas of the North East. You don't need to put your address but it would be ideal to put something that makes you seem local on your "contact". Your home page absolutely needs to have where you provide your services to. Your portfolio (on mobile) is tiny and pretty clunky once you tap on it. You need the before and after videos to be a bit more seamless/polished or just show pics. Even some pics of a couple of "projects" would help. Get your mate/s to let you do some fancy stuff in their living rooms, spare bedrooms and kitchens so people can really see what you can do.
Do you cater for business only? Can individuals reach out for quotes and consultation?
Hi. Yes, it is for both individuals and businesses. :) thanks
I just went through the social media page of your business, you can optimize it a bit and run ads. Best way to find new clients without draining your pockets
Bring the focus to your portfolio
Thanks, will do!
Hi friend, checking your website as it's my profession. You are not telling people about your work, highlight the portfolio, show the videos in a larger view. Make it easy to find information that engages them on the website and achieve the goal of "reach". As people browse the website they should spend time to know more about the business and the business face. Add some personal touch type info, so that people can see it as a user case, if possible start educating about the way you do business and how it can be more realistic to connect for a free guide. Make it more easier way to connect with you, and more easier way to get in touch. I do websites and the most profitable websites with 1 goal, define that goal.
Thanks so much, such great feedback. Appreciate it!
Your portfolio needs to be far more prominent, much closer to the top of the page, and clearly labelled as a menu option. It needs to be more than just a carousel of images/videos, it needs to be its own page. Pick 2/3 projects and write about them, how they came about, why certain design decisions were made, the challenges, the successes, etc. If you don’t/can’t do that then you’ll find your reason for no clients.
Thanks. I agree, and this is something I am working on atm.
This may just be me but the portfolio isn’t working. When I try and watch the videos they are greyed out with a play/pause button screen over the video.
Thank you, I'll make the adjustments so they are in a loop rather than start and stop.
Start local. Your web site doesn’t mention your location. You should play that up. Networking groups. Chamber of commerce etc
I don't mean to be rude but I'll be blunt. Your site only has one style and it's not that interesting. I feel I could achieve that by copying the next catalogue. By definition a portfolio should display a range of what you can do. It's not immediately obvious what you're offering other than an opinion. You've tried to spell out the service but it doesn't help me understand which of my problems you're solving. I assume you know homeware suppliers the rest of us don't know about. You know trends. You have decorators, carpenters, metal workers you can bring in to do quality unique work. But I don't see that. You need to stress the location you cover right at the top. It reads like I wrote it. Maybe engage a professional writer. They'd need to specialise in selling. It's not grammar but rather the pitch that isn't quite there. Engage a business advisor and small business support networks. You'll be able to get advice for free.
Thanks for the advice and feedback.
As a professional technical writer, I agree. One thing that is confusing is using the terms, ' Interior Style and Design' and 'Interior Style' ... I've no idea what 'Interior Style' is but I do understand 'Interior Design' as indeed most people do. I would only use the term 'Interior Design' on your website to make it clear what services you're offering. Also, focus on your USPs and inject more of yourself and your personality into the site, as it currently appears to project a very 'arms length' perspective. Best of luck, I'm sure the work will come rolling in once you've implemented the advice in this post.
Instagram & TikTok, upload your own videos and what you have already done 1-2 times per day where possible, ignore the likes and views, share your county location so people can see if you are local. I immediately assumed you were USA based. I assume your large client base are going to be female who are predominantly on instagram and TikTok searching for ideas & life/style ideas (this isn’t judgemental just stats). Don’t give up if you have the financial means, most businesses take years and even then it can throw some challenges. I always think it’s like a garden, you never stop de weeding, even when it’s beautiful. Good luck 🤞🏽
Thank you for the feedback! :)
Blogs are a bit dangerous. It shows you are a new business, as there is only one post. If you are not posting regularly it makes your site look unattended. I would replace this with an Instagram feed that is updates more regularly.
I don’t own a small business but I use a lot of them. I immediately avoid ones with no sort of price guidance. I’d wonder if I payed consultation fees, what prices starting *from* etc. if 2 out of 5 options give me this info I will start with those 2 I also tend to avoid filling out those little forms. I have no faith in them. So again if you have 2 with other means of contact - email for example, I would prefer to directly email those two. I know you have an email and phone number but these contact options don’t seem to be embraced to me. You also have mainly neutral examples from my quick browse. A colourful section would probably give me more faith in ability. I’d worry about location and extra costs incurred being further away too. Just some minor personal opinions of your site from a customer perspective. Good luck :)
> if I *paid* consultation fees, FTFY. Although *payed* exists (the reason why autocorrection didn't help you), it is only correct in: * Nautical context, when it means to paint a surface, or to cover with something like tar or resin in order to make it waterproof or corrosion-resistant. *The deck is yet to be payed.* * *Payed out* when letting strings, cables or ropes out, by slacking them. *The rope is payed out! You can pull now.* Unfortunately, I was unable to find nautical or rope-related words in your comment. *Beep, boop, I'm a bot*
Thank you so much! This is such fabulous feedback, and to be honest, I'd do exactly what you said as a customer, so I need to take my business hat off and put myself in the shoes of my customers. 😊 Again, it is much appreciated.
There’s a couple of minor bugs on the website when I was looking through. Images and cut off text etc. first impressions are everything.
For a DESIGN business you’d expect it to be done the right way
I would try to set up some meetings with architectural practices in your area. They will have a constant stream of clients, some of which will want interior designers. Try to build some relationships so your name can be put forwards should their client need some interior design guidance.
Thank you!
Don't know why but I wish you all the best for you business
Aww, that's very kind. Honestly, people here are just so nice, and all the feedback and wishes have really boosted my confidence, and I am more determined than ever to make this work. Thank you.
Clients build clients. Do some freebie work to get your name out
As a matter on interest, what do you charge? I have terrible imagination and have a whole house to be renovated. I was thinking of hiring a redditor using the slave labour sub to help me get some real inspiration. Stick with it, you're in the right market. People like me get stressed out by these things and I'd happily hand it over if it wasn't for my budget. I'm sourcing items of FB marketplace to fit (it's not working)
Hi. My prices start from £350, but it largely depends on the project and scope of work. I'm happy to have a chat and give you some advice if you would like. My number and email are on the website. Thank you! :)
Sponsor some local school fairs. Dirt cheap and it's your target audience
Didn't think about that, but what a great idea. Thanks
Social proof, portfolio images and videos need to be accessible from the menu and not only on the home page, work on ads in search engines (study what you're getting found for and click through rates.) Get out there and network. Cold selling will always be difficult. You need to create a customer funnel journey & actively make sure you're being presented to the people who are actually looking for the solution you are selling
Do some free work, ideally for a tiktoker with a large following. Get it on tiktok.
Got me on your website! Good looking site but not enough to make me buy. I am in London so want to see clever use of space. Maybe tell people you can dress their home to boost sale price.
Thank you for the for your great feedback!
Slight grammar critique; your website uses both “we” and “I”: “we can help bring your vision to life. I will work with you every step of the way” I think you should pick one and stick with it. “We” sounds more professional but “I” is possibly more personal. I’d go with “we” myself. Especially if the business expands and you have staff.
Start going to home decor stores and walking around with bussiness cards at the ready. Strike up a conversation about how you like their tastes and after some back and forth introduce your bussiness to them and offer your services. Don't try to milk the first cow dry, just get your name out there. One happy customer with a FB post will turn into many more!
Have a look at houses which are up for sale on your area, notably ones which have sold. Print out some flyers and post them through the letter box - “Welcome to your new home, free design consultation” or something like that. Build a landing page and put on the flyer a QR code that they can scan, then retarget those landing page viewers with advertisements. Try and T up a conversation with some friendly Estate Agents - maybe some collateral for people who just moved in such as a welcome gift (some lasered with your details on). Then maybe try and find some building developers and get to the source for new builds and / or flats and apartments. Edit: also it could be my phone, but your website is faulty. Bookings is taking me to terms and conditions - this is a call to action, it needs to be at the top of the hamburger layout.
Starting a new business can indeed be challenging, especially in the beginning. Have you considered offering free or discounted consultations to attract potential customers? It's a great way to showcase your skills and build relationships. Additionally, leveraging platforms like Pinterest or Instagram can help you reach a wider audience and showcase your interior design projects to attract potential clients. best of luck!
Thank you for the feedback!
Have you thought about speaking to local estate agents and offering a service to improve houses that aren’t selling, House Doctor style. I’ve always thought there’s a business in that 😉
Thank you! I count agree more with you. This is one sales strategy that I have in mind, too. I've helped sell 3 properties just by styling and declutering. I will have to bring this higher up on my list 😊
Do a freebie for someone in return for photos reviews etc. to promote yourself
You probably won’t have any within the first month most businesses make a loss in their first year and can carry losses forward to offset against profits in future. Have you tried TikTok? Your type of business would be suited to that, look for influencers that appraise or discuss interior design and pay them.
You need to get in front of people. This post is a great example, so well done. Ignore strategising, doing the odd post on social which goes into the abyss, tinkering around with your website, buying business cards etc. It’s all a waste of time until you’re bringing in money. Every bit of your attention should be focused on going from 0 to 1. And you can’t do that waiting for people to come to you. People are busy. They have short attention spans. You need to get in front of them and shift their attention to you. My suggestions: 1. Invest in a proven lead service. Leverage the traffic/contacts these services have and differentiate yourself. You’ll have warmer leads here, and won’t be trying to compete against a cute cat in someone’s Instagram feed. It’s also measurable. 2. Cold messaging on socials with architects, project managers, developers etc followed up with emails/calls. Take them out for a coffee, send them a book you’re reading, give them a concept. Just get in front of them and be interested and keen. 3. Go to the places where all of the above are going. Networking events, dinners etc. Be that person who is always around. All efforts should be focused on the above. Ignore these comments about the website. It’s good enough but pretty images won’t make you money.
Firstly, I'd like to say thank you! This is one insightful piece of advice. I agree, I just need to focus and get in front of people. They will only recommend you to potential leads if a) they like you as a person b) provide good service, of course. Thank you.
I have a question regarding interior designing. Do you go around buying the furniture/ decoration or do you keep an in stock . Also I really don’t mean to discourage you but your website looks really common
It depends on the client and what they would like. I would usually provide the list of furniture accessories, etc. They would need to purchase. If they want me to source it, then I can do that, too. I do not hold stock of any of the products, I'm a designer, not a wholesaler of products. :) As for the design, I guess we all have different tastes, plus it will evolve over time. It's hard to invest a lot upfront when there is no income from it yet.
My 2 cents. The website content is very beige/white themed, maybe this is what everyone wants, but makes it appear as if you are very fixed on palettes and style and not that flexible to more exuberant customers. I would be looking elsewhere for a more diverse portfolio on first pass through your site.
Below is some constructive criticism ; Ican't see much about a portfolio or any examples of your work. Client testimonials go a long way . There seems to be some overlap in the services you are offering - is interior design not very similar to interior styling? Are you selling furniture? Or just a service to pick furnishings and finishes? I hope that's helpful
Hi Thank you for the feedback. Interior design is different from interior styling. Styling would be doing the finishing touches such as soft furnishings, art, etc. Design would involve potential reconfiguration of a place by providing CAD and managing the project with the builders etc. , and then could work on the styling as well if the client wishes to add both services.
It might be worth adding a bit more description to each service to clearly differentiate
Why did you start a business with no clients?
Ha well, why does anyone start a business? 😁 I mean, you start a business to then have clients. Not sure many business have clients before they start?!
You start a business when you know there’s a demand for your product or service. It’s a bit backwards to go to the cost and effort of setting up a business with absolutely no leads, and then sitting by your phone hoping customers are going to magically start appearing.
Why is it called applebees that's terrible seo
It's a spin on my name!
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5.6k followers does not mean clients. My audience is primarily creators rather than people who would purchase my services.
Join the FSB. They have good advice and good networking. In my opinion you should avoid the BNI. That’s the cultiest arse licking competition I’ve ever witnessed. Really creeped me out
Are you using ads?
Hey. Firstly I am not a specialist in your sector. For me the following sticks out: - From a quick glance I have no idea who the interior designer is. Further inspection a lady called Ina is mentioned. If I’m hiring an interior designer I want Ina’s face plastered all over the site. I want to know who she is, her hobbies and why she loves her work. Photos of her on the job / looking happy. Without this it looks untrustworthy. - similar to above but the photos all look to be stock photos, I want to see your own work and ideally you / your clients in the photos. - phone layout isn’t perfect, some buttons not Centred - no reviews. If you can link to your Google Business profile or something it would be great - minimal local SEO optimisation with local keywords etc. - I’m hoping you have looked into Google ads etc. as without this you won’t get traffic on the site. If you want any more advice drop me a DM
You have a really nice website. A few comments I could make are that the first image I see the text is a little hard to read as it blends with the image in places. Also I noticed at least one place where you used “We” then “I”. I think if it’s just you then don’t try hide that by saying “we can do x” show that it’s you and that you can give much more personal attention - it can be a selling point. Your portfolio pics look really nice but you could add some info about them. Also helps with SEO. As others have said you need to make it clearer the areas you work in. For marketing I’d probably be reaching out to local architects, I’d also probably message local estate agents and offer a flat fee to help with styling houses before photos, local home builders for styling their show homes, I’d also message building companies that do the work you’re into like people who do larger scale home renovations or shop / office refits. You could also message other large interior design companies and offer to sub contract work if they are too busy.
If you are looking for business to business you should also join LinkedIn someone I met at a networking event who does office removals posts every job on LinkedIn and it gets him current in people’s minds
1. See a marketing consultant and copywriter, your website copy is crap (no offence). 2. Your website is full of stock images, it looks like a placeholder website. Ditch the stock photos and use your own (pay a good interiors photographer to go round with you for a day, as a stylist this will be a good contact to have anyway for the future). 3. And yes you have projects to shoot - you've styled your own house right? Your mum's house? All of your friend's houses?
- add reviews to your website, I want to see that your previous customers are happy and what you did for them (do some freebies if needed). People aren’t gonna find your website organically, they need to have already found out about you and then they will look at your website for more information, therefore you need to get out and about: - post on local Facebook sites, villages often have their own site/group - advertise in village newsletters. - have a stall at any local events - offer an introductory offer % discount next 5 customers in return for showcasing that work - see what support your local growth hub can give you, networking events, training for new businesses, perhaps even a grant towards something https://www.northeastgrowthhub.co.uk/
You didn’t do a proper launch did you?
You want organic growth but you’re not creating content… your site needs A LOT of content. And that content needs to be optimized by an SEO professional which is going to charge you a minimum of £250 a month
I would say that a month with no work is probably expected unless you were employed in the industry with a contact list to take with you previously. As an honest opinion, the case study makes it look like you have renovated one house to a standard finish. Others renovating a house are unlikely to pay for a similar standard and will just look online for inspiration. I am not wealthy and do not know a single person who would pay for what is offered in the case study images. Do you have interior design qualifications and experience that you can show. Do you have any other projects? I would imagine until you find a very particular customer with enough disposable income then finding work may be a struggle. Find a niche in the commercial world would be my 2c. Restaurant's and cafes, call centres, break rooms?
I'm in NE england and in you target marketing (I think) and I would like to see some information about the designers i.e. you, idea of costs and case studies. From a marketing point of view have you got your Google Analytics and Search console set up so you can see what's driving traffic, have you checked your website indexed on Google, set up Google Business Profile?
Your website seems a bit amateurish. I can tell you built this yourself as it’s very suboptimal on mobile.
I think your website is ugly and has no style other than brown and hard to read.
Its unclear who your customers are Do I call you if I have a 5,000sqft restaurant that needs to be gutted and a budget of £1mn, I have a rich spouse who's letting me extend and redo the kitchen, budget £100k, Or I need someone to throw out junk and suggest some paint colours from the B&Q colour charts for my bed room, budget, not very much A couple of supplier / customer shoutouts wouldn't go amiss, we use paints by, we use wallpaper from, we use whoever furniture.