What the Design Industry Gets Wrong About Marketing That’s Keeping You Invisible
You’ve put your heart and soul into building a design business that delivers excellence. Your processes are dialed in. Your client experience is thoughtful. Your portfolio? Stunning.
But somehow, the dream clients — the ones who are a joy to work with, who understand your value, and who are ready to invest — still aren’t beating down your door.
You’ve done “all the things”: kept up your Instagram, invested in a beautiful website, maybe even tried a newsletter or paid for some SEO. So why are you still stuck?
I’ve worked with interior designers for over a decade. I’ve seen this exact scenario play out again and again. And I can tell you with confidence:
It’s not you. It’s what the industry never taught you about marketing.
Interior designers are among the most creative, hardworking professionals I know. But the design industry hasn’t given them the tools or understanding they need to market like the legitimate businesses they’ve built behind the scenes.
So today, I want to shed light on the misconceptions that are quietly holding you back — and show you what actually works to get seen and hired by your dream clients.
1. “I’ve never really marketed myself. I’ve always gotten clients from referrals.”
It’s amazing that your work speaks for itself and that happy clients want to refer you. That’s a testament to your talent and professionalism. But relying entirely on referrals can leave your business vulnerable — especially when the economy shifts or your network stops actively referring.
Instead, think of referrals as one stream in your marketing ecosystem. A strong marketing foundation allows you to stay visible and relevant, even when the referrals slow down.
Your ideal clients are still out there. But they won’t find you if you’re not intentionally showing up in front of them.
2. “I have a website and I post on Instagram. Isn’t that enough?”
Short answer: No.
Having a website and an Instagram account is like having a phone number listed in the Yellow Pages (how’s that for a throwback?!). It’s good that you’re there, but it doesn’t mean people are actually finding you (let alone being moved to hire you).
Marketing that works requires a system — one that’s designed to attract the right clients, build their trust, and guide them to take action. That’s what I call a Quiet Funnel: a strategic approach to visibility and lead nurturing that works behind the scenes while you’re focused on design.
Simply showing up online isn’t enough. You have to show up with an intentional system in place.
3. “I don’t want to limit myself by putting my local area on my website.”
What actually happens when you don’t add your local service area to your website? You disappear completely from local search.
Designers often resist naming a city or region because they dream of one day working with clients anywhere, even globally. I get that. But here’s the hard truth: if you don’t anchor your marketing in a specific location, Google has no idea who to show your website to.
Your dream clients can’t find you if your brand is floating in the void.
4. “Marketing feels salesy. I don’t want to shout about myself online.”
This is one I hear all the time, and I get it.
But here’s the truth: marketing done well isn’t salesy. It’s thoughtful. It’s relational. It’s about showing up with clarity and confidence — not shouting for attention.
Marketing isn’t bragging.
It’s giving your dream clients a reason to believe in you.
And when you speak directly to what your ideal clients are thinking, worrying about, and hoping for — marketing becomes a generous act of service.
5. “Marketing is an extra. We’ll focus on it when we have more time and money.”
Let’s look at this like a real business.
If you were running a company with a CEO, a COO, a CFO… wouldn’t you also have a CMO?
In the interior design world, I’ve seen firms of every size invest in their operations, hiring, and finances — while treating marketing as an afterthought.
But in every other industry, marketing is a core function of the business. It’s a line item, not an optional bonus.
When you start treating marketing like a leadership function — and not just something to delegate to your assistant or intern — that’s when everything changes.
6. “Marketing = posting and running ads, right?”
Nope. Not even close.
Marketing is a system — not a tactic. It’s not just about ads, reels, or any one platform. It’s about creating a cohesive strategy that brings the right people in and builds trust over time.
And trust me: your clients don’t care if you’re dancing on Reels. They care about what it feels like to work with you, whether they can trust your expertise, and whether your design sensibility aligns with their vision.
Marketing is about communicating those things clearly and consistently, in the right places, to the right people. And it can be done in a way that feels authentic, grounded, and highly effective.
7. “We tried marketing. It didn’t work.”
Here’s the hard truth: If it didn’t work, it wasn’t the right strategy.
I’ve seen countless designers pay for SEO without understanding how it works, post beautiful photos with no strategic intent, or hire marketers who didn’t understand the luxury interior design industry. And then they wonder why nothing changed.
But it’s not that marketing doesn’t work.
It’s that you were only using part of the puzzle.
When you have a real strategy built around your business goals, your ideal clients, and your unique point of view — marketing becomes one of the most powerful tools in your business.
Final Thoughts
If you’re feeling stuck or invisible despite doing “everything right,” I want you to hear this:
It’s not that you’re bad at marketing. It’s that no one ever showed you how to do it in a way that actually works for a high-end design business.
That’s what I’m here for.
I help interior designers finally take control of their messaging, visibility, and positioning — with strategy that’s rooted in marketing best practices and fluency in how your industry really works.
You don’t need louder marketing. You need smarter, more intentional marketing that reflects the brilliance of your work.