You’ve heard it before: social media rewards risk-takers. The more vulnerable you are, and the more you play around with the latest features of the platform, the better you will perform. But even in the ever-changing worlds like Meta, Twitter, and TikTok, there are some social media mistakes that are best avoided.
AD PRO consulted some experts on common mistakes and their best tips for building your digital presence.
Mistake #1: “People will hire me if they like my design work.”
One of the biggest, and most persistently made, social media mistakes? Assuming your business photos will be enough to convert a negative viewer into a customer. Although interior designers routinely feature post after post for polished interiors, many do so with little to no sharing of their most important marketing asset: themselves.
“In the luxury market, customers buy you “First, then your wallet second,” says Rachel Buzek, personal brand coach. Meaning, they need to feel that they know you and can trust you, and you will act as a professional advisor and ‘friend’ on behalf of their most important investment – their home. Emily Glanz, founder of Social Butterfly Digital Marketing, agrees. “Your image is very important,” she says, and advises designers to showcase themselves.
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Before you post any selfies, Bozek says it’s crucial to keep your customer in mind: “If you want fancy clients, use fancy pictures for the post. This means that even for more personal photos, like those taken with your family, Make sure it’s professional photos.” On the other hand, Glanz feels that adding more candid and less advanced images is important. “Too many perfectly polished images can leave a feed looking outdated. It is also important to post images on site visits, construction sites, and your team at lunch.” “Original posts a lot of the time get the best engagement.”
Only posting projects, says interior and architecture photographer Molly Rose, creates a social media cycle of feast or feast in between photo shoots. “When you ‘run out’ of content, post some movies and stories. It could be once a week or even less, as long as you use other types of content—process shots, photos of yourself, etc.,” she says. “Give yourself permission to be flexible in between taking pictures.”
Error 2: “Captions and comments are not important.”
Yes, people have shorter attention spans than ever before, but assuming everyone will ignore your captions, comments, and your resume is a costly mistake. “Your customers will read your Instagram posts before contacting you,” Bozsik says. “So, use the comments to tell a story about the client… about his obstacles and his vision for the project. How you solved those problems and created a beautiful home.”
Interior design and architecture photographer Molly Rose, who runs an Instagram in a Day course for interior designers, says the captions are “an opportunity to educate a potential future client about what working with you could look like, and how to solve problems.” Glanz stresses that comments are just as important. “When you respond to comments, even with an emoji, it makes you look friendly and approachable,” she says. “You don’t need to do it in real time, but within 24 or 48 hours. It lets people know they have been heard, and most importantly it builds trust with your audience.”
