Effective Online Branding for Designers and Furnishing Dealers

We recently had an experience that made us ask the question: what is online branding and how can it help in local searches?

After performing a local Google search for interior designers and luxury furnishings stores, we were somewhat surprised to receive 1.96 million and 4.3 million results, respectively. Surprised because we find it somewhat unlikely that a metropolitan area of fewer than 1.3 million like Salt Lake City could support those numbers. (Duh!)

What truly shocked us was that so few local firms were listed on page one of the results: just 5 of 18 for designers and 6 of 18 for retail outlets. (Your own local search would likely show varying results but we find it hard to believe they would be significantly different.)

The point is that seeing results like these forced us to consider whether the lack of locally owned firms in the search results (SERPs) might be a branding problem. After all, our queries offered everything from locater services to online sellers like “Overstock”. These were decidedly NOT what we were searching for.

And so, we decided we might be able to offer an answer to our opening question, what is online branding?

What Is Online Branding?

When it comes to online marketing, differentiating yourself from your competition may be your greatest challenge. If it’s true that the average homeowner knows little about the differences between fine furnishings and the furniture offered at the typical retail outlet, it becomes especially difficult to convince them of the value to be had in high-quality furnishings.

Further, paying for the services of what they may perceive as a glorified shopping service can make working with interior designers seem wasteful, at best. This means that you not only have to educate consumers about the value of design services and luxury furnishings in general but that you offer something that your competitors don’t.

This is where effective online branding can be so valuable.

Building Local Brand Awareness

First, it’s not our goal to offer a branding tutorial in this post. Rather, we’d like to present you with the two most important factors for building brand awareness: reputation management and messaging.

• Reputation management – This is where you establish yourself as an expert in your niche, and as a local influencer, whether as an interior designer or furnishing outlet. The content on your business website will be important here but, even more important will be your blog and social media posts. By sharing high-value information at no charge, you show yourself as a real professional who is not just “in it for the money”.

• Messaging – Creating a consistent message about yourself and your business is a great way to set yourself apart from your competition. Since it’s impossible to be all things to all people, clearly outlining what you offer has huge value. It’s equally important to be clear about whom you offer it to – the types of clients you would most love to work with (beyond those who are simply willing to pay you!).

Building brand awareness should be one of the top priorities of your marketing strategy. It’s a critical step not just in appealing to your target audience, but as a way to create interest, generate leads, and convert those leads into meetings, bids, and sales. In fact, considering the competitive nature of the design and furnishing industries, there may well be nothing more important than focusing on effective online branding.

Ted remains available to work with you on an individual basis, consulting on how you might increase local brand awareness as part of your marketing strategy.

With more than 25 years of experience in the luxury furnishings and interior design industries, he has pretty much seen it all. So, if you're ready to work with a professional business consultant who can help you become one of those agile entrepreneurs our changing world demands, feel free to… Get in touch with TD Fall today.