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photography

S23 E11 – Instagram-First Marketing with Karen B. Wolf

41:02

Today on the Chaise Lounge, Nick welcomes Karen B. Wolf, principal of Karen B. Wolf Interiors to the show. Wolf fell in love with art as a child but only found it as a career after years in marketing. Now she combines both skill sets in her business.  

Wolf started her career double majoring in marketing and fine arts. She remained interested in design but followed the marketing path beyond undergrad because there seemed like a greater and more stable demand for marketing. She worked in marketing for years, even managing a company’s QVC-handling arm. But eventually she went to Parsons School of Design at night to get certified in interior design so she could get back into more tactile arts. 

Karen B. Wolf learned everything she needed and got started, founding Karen B. Wolf Interiors in 2009. Since then, Karen B. Wolf Interiors has become a small but thriving company with an eye on changing trends. 

Wolf believes that interior designers need to market their businesses by leading their marketing with a strong visual element. She says Instagram is more important for hooking clients than the website is because potential clients will filter through the Instagram to the website.

To see what that looks like, you can find Karen B. Wolf Interiors @KarenBWolfInteriors and then visit the website KBWInteriors.co

They go to Instagram first. And then they go to your website.

Karen B. Wolf

Chaise Lounge Updates

We’ll be covering Fall High Point Market 2019! Stay in the loop on our Instagram and Facebook pages and keep an eye our for our upcoming market events!

Our new podcast Coast to Coast Design is live! Give it a listen to learn about just how many ways there are to run a design business.

 
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Wrap Up

If you would like to hear more episodes, please visit us on iTunes, Spotify or your favorite podcasting app! We’d love it if you post a review, you may even hear your review read live on our next podcast. Also, find The Chaise Lounge on Instagram, Facebook, and Twitter. With that said, keep dreaming big, and keep designing a great design business. See ya!

Use Photo and Video to Shine Online

Use Photo and Video to Shine Online

By Lauren Shults 

When people find your site, first impressions are important. Your website is your first opportunity to communicate your brand, and folks will leave your site with just a click if they don’t absolutely love what they see. On successful and sleek websites, visual elements like photo and video are used to catch the eye, hook the reader, and communicate a firm’s personal brand.

On one of our favorite designer sites, TRIO Environments, videos and photos show what words alone won’t: personal flair, professionalism, and a stunning portfolio. So, how can you use visual elements to persuade potential clientele to choose your firm over the competition?

Photo and Video

Images engage, but videos captivate. Videos go beyond and give the audience more opportunity to understand you and your work. Remember, you’re an interior designer, so visually showing what you can do is extremely important, and your website should be your personal playground to show the client what you have to offer. Pristine images are also essential, but videos give life to your project. Seeing space in motion will allow the audience to feel the environments you create.

Where will the video be played? Take a look at your analytics to see where most of your traffic is coming from. Are most of your visitors coming from a desktop or mobile? A phone screen is only a few inches wide, allowing you to see less detail. Try to make mobile content more basic, showing whole ideas and not precise details. If you’re going to show detail, be sure to be close and zoomed in enough to allow the viewer to understand it. In contrast, with desktop content, there is more flexibility to show the world all you’ve got. Still image composition should generally follow the same guidelines considering mobile versus desktop traffic.

 

Parker Torres’ Ritz Carlton design photos show the perfect amount of detail for a desktop site – making all elements clearly visible. Click to see more of their exquisite work!

The Content

 Walking Clients Through the Process

Consider shooting a video clip of behind the scenes action, showing the authenticity of your practice and style. Allowing your audience to see snippets of your design process will make them more interested in your interiors, and make your work more personal – which is essential for crafting a personal brand.

Testimonials

Including testimonials will make people understand more of who you are while giving credibility to your practice. On your website, consider adding a video of people talking about their experience with you or quotes in text. These personal accounts allow people to see who you’ve connected with and give reality to your interiors. Honesty and transparency will make the people want to come back to you because you mean business!

Completed Projects

Potential clients will be looking at your projects to decide if they want to work with you. Be sure only to share your best work, highlighting what you prefer to do. If you specialize in residential, but also design for restaurants, put more emphasis on home interiors. Showcase your best work, but more importantly, the work you want to do. Remember, you attract the business you advertise!

Post!

You can shine online. Your content is the mass of what people are going to see at first glance, and you want them to stick around! Make your name memorable and one to come back to. Show your personality and brand online!

 

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