Establishing Credibility in Interior Design
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Establishing credibility is extremely important in growing any business. You want people to know who you are and why you’re the expert. There are several ways to establish credibility in interior design and I’m going to share three of them below.
One of the best ways to establish credibility in any field is getting published.
It may not be as hard as you think to get published. Research your local newspaper, magazines and even regional magazines. I was able to get published in a local magazine called Definitive Woman simply by reaching out and asking if they’d be interested in an article about interior design. Not only were they interested, they were interested in several articles. I wrote articles about creating a home office that inspires and how to refresh your winter décor. I also reached out to a more regional magazine covering a few upper Midwest states called Lake and Home Magazine and they were interested in articles, too. I’ve written several articles for them on refreshing your home’s exterior, hottest new design trends in 2019, creating a master bedroom retreat, the best indoor plants and fireplace styles.
I do not get paid for these articles but I’m also not paying to be in the publications either. Paying to be published in something is called advertising. I find that publications that do not pay for articles are also easier to get published in. I read both magazines that I reached out to … so what do you read?
I’ve also seen personal interest stories about interior designers in newspapers. Your newspaper is always looking for fun things to write about. What’s your story? Would you be willing to share it with your local reporter? It’s worth a shot to ask.
Another way to establish credibility is by being on a local news or television program. I personally know people in the financial industry, psychiatry and interior design fields who live close enough to a local program to go in and talk about and/or demonstrate things. You could go on television and talk about how to style a coffee table or pick a paint color. With the popularity of interior design shows today I bet you could find a station who would love to have you appear.
The third option is hosting workshops. People who love DIY interior design love workshops. You could host one or do a series of them. You might even be able to partner with a community education program in your town. My town offers a variety of adult education programs on cooking, photography, cake decorating and more. A workshop would be a face-to-face opportunity to really drum up some business.
Being read in publications, seen on television and hosting workshops are all great ways to establish yourself as an expert in interior design. Once people view you as an expert they are more likely to work with you!