In The Room: Why Interior Designers Need a Different Marketing Strategy Than Online-Only Businesses
If you’ve ever gone looking for marketing advice and come away feeling more confused than inspired, you’re not alone.
A lot of designers tell me they’ve spent hours digging through marketing blogs, listening to podcasts, or following Instagram experts—only to feel like the advice either doesn’t apply… or actively works against what they’re trying to build.
Here’s why that’s happening:
Most of today’s marketing advice is created for online-based businesses—people selling digital products, coaching programs, or online memberships that can be delivered from anywhere, to anyone.
But interior design? Unless you’re exclusively offering e-design, your business is fundamentally a local, service-area-based business. And that changes everything.
You’re Not Just Local—You’re Luxury
The difference isn’t just geographic.
Interior design is a high-trust, high-investment service. You’re offering hands-on, deeply personalized expertise. That level of service commands premium pricing—and comes with a longer sales cycle, more relationship-building, and a need for messaging that reflects the elevated nature of your work.
Compare that to an online course that costs $197 and sells through a click funnel to a global audience. See how wildly different those two businesses are?
And yet, most marketing advice doesn’t make that distinction.
You Don’t Need Everyone. You Just Need the Right People.
You don’t need to “go viral.”
You don’t need 10,000 followers.
You don’t need to build a massive funnel designed to sell a low-cost offer to hundreds or thousands of people—you’re not running that kind of business.
You just need to connect with the right high-end clients—those who live within your service area, value design, and are ready to invest in your expertise.
Which means your marketing should focus on local visibility, strategic messaging, and building trust—not mass content creation or internet fame.
So Why Does This Matter So Much?
Because the kind of marketing advice you follow literally shapes everything about how you show up in your business—from the content you create, to where you focus your time, to how you talk about your work.
If you're applying strategies that weren’t made for your business model, of course it feels off. Of course it’s not working. It’s like trying to run a brick-and-mortar business with an influencer’s playbook.
And frankly? No one seems to be talking about this. But it’s the reframe most designers need to finally feel empowered and strategic in how they market themselves.
So What Does Work for Designers?
• Local SEO
Make it easy for high-end clients in your area to find you when they search for “interior designer near me” or “[your city] interior designer.” That starts with making sure your website is optimized for local keywords—and that your business shows up in the right places online.
• Google Business Profile
This is one of the most overlooked tools in local marketing—but it’s incredibly powerful. A well-optimized Google Business Profile helps your business appear in local search results and Google Maps when someone is looking for an interior designer in your area. It’s your digital storefront for local discovery, and it’s essential if you want to increase visibility without relying solely on social media.
• Messaging that builds trust
Your website, emails, and content should communicate not just what you do—but what it’s like to work with you. Reflecting your professionalism, process, and personality builds confidence long before the discovery call.
• Blogging and Social Media for Local Visibility
Google is becoming increasingly savvy about pulling content from social platforms—especially Instagram—to inform search results. That means your Instagram posts (especially those with local hashtags and geotags) now play a role in your local SEO visibility.
Blogging, too, remains one of the most valuable tools for long-term searchability. Well-crafted blog content gives you more space to use local keywords naturally and provides Google with regular, fresh content to index. Together, these tools work to create a web of local relevance—so you’re showing up where and when your ideal clients are searching.
• Strategic visibility
Rather than posting endlessly on social media, focus on getting visible in the right ways: local partnerships, referral networks, thoughtful blog content, select social platforms, and PR aligned with your ideal client.
• Marketing tailored to your goals
How many projects do you actually need each year to hit your revenue goals? Often, it’s not that many—which means your marketing should be precise, personal, and positioned to attract quality over quantity.
Bottom Line?
If you’ve been feeling frustrated by marketing advice that doesn’t seem to fit, it’s not because you’re doing something wrong. It’s because you’ve been handed the wrong playbook.
Interior design is a local, luxury, service-based business. Your marketing should reflect that—and when it does, everything feels clearer, more aligned, and more effective.
Want help building a marketing strategy that actually fits your business? Let’s talk.