How Designers are Getting their Message Out During the Lockdown
Four professionals on Houzz tell us how they’ve been adapting their online marketing amid the Coronavirus crisis
In times of crisis, it can be difficult to know how to sensitively adjust your marketing communications, and this has been particularly challenging for design firms during the Covid-19 pandemic.
We asked four professionals on Houzz for their experiences and advice on how they’re staying connected to their client base during the lockdown. Take a look to find tips on how to stay relevant to your audience without overstepping the mark.
Contributing professionals: Angus Eitel of Fiftypointeight Architecture + Interiors; Sara Slade of Sara Slade Interiors; Amy Dhala of Decorbuddi; Omar Bhatti of Space Shack
We asked four professionals on Houzz for their experiences and advice on how they’re staying connected to their client base during the lockdown. Take a look to find tips on how to stay relevant to your audience without overstepping the mark.
Contributing professionals: Angus Eitel of Fiftypointeight Architecture + Interiors; Sara Slade of Sara Slade Interiors; Amy Dhala of Decorbuddi; Omar Bhatti of Space Shack
Don’t go changing
Omar emphasises the importance of continuing to communicate your firm’s identity. “We are our brand and this is what will translate in our content,” he says. “Whatever is happening in the world, we need to keep consistent.
“Although I’ve changed some narrative in my posts, I’ve decided to take the opportunity to share more real project images from photo shoots I’ve done, which are going down well,” he says.
Similarly, Angus says, “It’s important to communicate our recently completed projects, but also to reflect on past projects, as well as use our marketing to be very clear about the services we offer and the process we go through with each homeowner.”
Omar emphasises the importance of continuing to communicate your firm’s identity. “We are our brand and this is what will translate in our content,” he says. “Whatever is happening in the world, we need to keep consistent.
“Although I’ve changed some narrative in my posts, I’ve decided to take the opportunity to share more real project images from photo shoots I’ve done, which are going down well,” he says.
Similarly, Angus says, “It’s important to communicate our recently completed projects, but also to reflect on past projects, as well as use our marketing to be very clear about the services we offer and the process we go through with each homeowner.”
Display your work
As mentioned earlier, people have been spending more time online during the lockdown. In fact, time spent on digital media is predicted to see an increase of 9.3% in 2020, according to eMarketer. So it pays to make the most of any increased internet traffic by ensuring your online presence is looking its best.
“We decided not to push our advertising about the business and instead concentrate on making sure everything online, such as our website and Houzz profile, were up to date,” Sara Slade says.
“I’ve also been updating my Houzz profile, website and social media, and have been in contact with my Houzz account manager for advice,” Omar adds.
Taking the time to upload any new photos and projects to your Houzz profile will help your work be seen and could also lead to your images being featured editorially.
Which business housekeeping jobs are helping you stay productive?
As mentioned earlier, people have been spending more time online during the lockdown. In fact, time spent on digital media is predicted to see an increase of 9.3% in 2020, according to eMarketer. So it pays to make the most of any increased internet traffic by ensuring your online presence is looking its best.
“We decided not to push our advertising about the business and instead concentrate on making sure everything online, such as our website and Houzz profile, were up to date,” Sara Slade says.
“I’ve also been updating my Houzz profile, website and social media, and have been in contact with my Houzz account manager for advice,” Omar adds.
Taking the time to upload any new photos and projects to your Houzz profile will help your work be seen and could also lead to your images being featured editorially.
Which business housekeeping jobs are helping you stay productive?
Be human
While your work is the main focus when it comes to marketing, at times of crisis, it helps to connect emotionally, too. Don’t be afraid to open up about what you’re doing and how you and your team are dealing with the situation.
Humour is a great way of connecting with your audience, as the team at Decorbuddi have shown with an Ideabook they’ve created on their Houzz profile. “We’ve been watching politicians in their kitchens, musicians in their bedrooms, and people from all walks of life in their homes. It’s been an eye-opener and we all agree there are a few interiors belonging to high-profile people we’d very much like to get our hands on,” Amy Dhala laughs.
“With this in mind, we thought our clients might like to see where we work and get a little insight into our team. We’ve uploaded a few images of our home offices, ranging from simple desks to a purpose-built garden studio.”
5 ways to motivate your team when working from home.
While your work is the main focus when it comes to marketing, at times of crisis, it helps to connect emotionally, too. Don’t be afraid to open up about what you’re doing and how you and your team are dealing with the situation.
Humour is a great way of connecting with your audience, as the team at Decorbuddi have shown with an Ideabook they’ve created on their Houzz profile. “We’ve been watching politicians in their kitchens, musicians in their bedrooms, and people from all walks of life in their homes. It’s been an eye-opener and we all agree there are a few interiors belonging to high-profile people we’d very much like to get our hands on,” Amy Dhala laughs.
“With this in mind, we thought our clients might like to see where we work and get a little insight into our team. We’ve uploaded a few images of our home offices, ranging from simple desks to a purpose-built garden studio.”
5 ways to motivate your team when working from home.
Connect with the community
Make the most of online platforms to engage with potential clients directly. Take the opportunity on Houzz, for example, to tune into the community. You can do this by posting a question in the Advice section or responding to someone else’s post. Alternatively, add a message to the Comments on an editorial story.
“The discussions on Houzz and other social media channels are clearly a big positive to people while they’re at home,” Sara says. “Pieces of simple advice and tips go a long way for people stuck at home and, while I sometimes think these tips might be obvious, they’re often only obvious to me. I’ve had some wonderful feedback about online advice I recently gave on choosing paint. Sharing some of the things I naturally know is proving a big hit.”
Local networking groups who have regular ‘coffee meet-ups’ on Zoom are another way to connect with clients in your area. “It’s important to keep talking, albeit in a positive and respectful way,” Angus says.
Make the most of online platforms to engage with potential clients directly. Take the opportunity on Houzz, for example, to tune into the community. You can do this by posting a question in the Advice section or responding to someone else’s post. Alternatively, add a message to the Comments on an editorial story.
“The discussions on Houzz and other social media channels are clearly a big positive to people while they’re at home,” Sara says. “Pieces of simple advice and tips go a long way for people stuck at home and, while I sometimes think these tips might be obvious, they’re often only obvious to me. I’ve had some wonderful feedback about online advice I recently gave on choosing paint. Sharing some of the things I naturally know is proving a big hit.”
Local networking groups who have regular ‘coffee meet-ups’ on Zoom are another way to connect with clients in your area. “It’s important to keep talking, albeit in a positive and respectful way,” Angus says.
Give back
“This current situation has turned everything on its head, and while we still want to reach out to potential new clients, we’ve decided we’ll spend this time positively doing anything we can to generally brighten up people’s lives,” Sara says.
“We recently ran a children’s drawing competition, as a huge number of my clients and friends were coming to me and saying how difficult it was to homeschool their children,” she says. “I think at times like these, all we can do is give back as much as we can while trying to maintain a business. Because of this, we’re looking at more ways we can give something back to our community.”
“This current situation has turned everything on its head, and while we still want to reach out to potential new clients, we’ve decided we’ll spend this time positively doing anything we can to generally brighten up people’s lives,” Sara says.
“We recently ran a children’s drawing competition, as a huge number of my clients and friends were coming to me and saying how difficult it was to homeschool their children,” she says. “I think at times like these, all we can do is give back as much as we can while trying to maintain a business. Because of this, we’re looking at more ways we can give something back to our community.”
Think long-term
“As much as possible, we’re trying to remain positive and make the best of the current situation,” Angus says. “It’s allowed us to reflect on where we are and where we want to go in the future. We can then shape our marketing strategy to try to achieve this.”
“I think we want to communicate that we’re still very much accessible – new relationships can be formed, new projects can be started and existing projects don’t have to grind to a halt,” Amy says. “We can adapt to whatever challenges we face.”
“It’s important to reassure people [it’s still worth coming] on board, as the design process takes time,” Omar says. “This may be the perfect time to start planning a project, as households are together and can really dissect how they use a space.”
“As much as possible, we’re trying to remain positive and make the best of the current situation,” Angus says. “It’s allowed us to reflect on where we are and where we want to go in the future. We can then shape our marketing strategy to try to achieve this.”
“I think we want to communicate that we’re still very much accessible – new relationships can be formed, new projects can be started and existing projects don’t have to grind to a halt,” Amy says. “We can adapt to whatever challenges we face.”
“It’s important to reassure people [it’s still worth coming] on board, as the design process takes time,” Omar says. “This may be the perfect time to start planning a project, as households are together and can really dissect how they use a space.”
Celebrate adaptability
If your company has diversified to manage the crisis or already offers a service that’s relevant, use your online messaging to highlight it.
“We’ve tweaked our offering to emphasise that our interior packages are all available remotely,” Amy says. “This has always been the case, but has never been something we’ve actively marketed. As we work around the country, we envisage, as we grow, that this could become a central part of our business anyway, so this has been something in the pipeline for us that’s simply been brought forwards.”
Tell us…
How are you planning your marketing communications right now? Share your experiences and tips in the Comments.
If your company has diversified to manage the crisis or already offers a service that’s relevant, use your online messaging to highlight it.
“We’ve tweaked our offering to emphasise that our interior packages are all available remotely,” Amy says. “This has always been the case, but has never been something we’ve actively marketed. As we work around the country, we envisage, as we grow, that this could become a central part of our business anyway, so this has been something in the pipeline for us that’s simply been brought forwards.”
Tell us…
How are you planning your marketing communications right now? Share your experiences and tips in the Comments.
Sponsored
It can be tricky to know what tone to take in your online communications during a crisis, but a good tip is to tune into the wider mood of your audience and plan accordingly.
Angus Eitel wasn’t sure at first how relevant his firm’s message would be during the lockdown and initially went for a very measured response. “[But] we quickly realised that people were relying more than ever on the internet as a means of connecting with the wider world and we had our part to play in that,” he says. As homeowners had time to consider future projects, design firms like his could provide inspiration.
Balance is key, as Angus explains. “We’ve tried to acknowledge the events that are unfolding around us and the amazing work of the NHS and key workers generally. I feel we’re managing to find our balance between inspiration and empathy in our social voice.”
“I’m trying to be authentic and consistent with my usual tone,” Omar Bhatti says. “It’s of course driven by what’s happening in the world and updates. I think being real about how we feel and how our mood is, especially when working from home, is key as it’s relatable.”