How to Market Your Interior Design Business When Relocating
How do you market your business if you've relocated? There's nothing worse than getting to a new location and having the stress of moving and unpacking, only to realize that you have no projects lined up and not so much as a warm lead in your inbox.
But there is good news! This discouraging situation is highly preventable. If you've already moved and haven't done any of the marketing preparation I am sharing today, don't worry. You can play catch-up. However, I do hope you're reading this 3-12 months prior to moving.
The action plan and timeline I'm going to give you in this blog post are intended to help you make sure you have one or two clients already lined up. If you are about to relocate your business, you need to read this.
How to Market Your Business When Relocating
The 12-month timeline for marketing preparation doesn't have to be overwhelming. Let's start at the beginning. If you have less than 12 months before your relocation process begins, simply compress this timeline as needed.
Marketing Tasks for 12 Months Before You Move
If you happen to know what zip codes you're going to be targeting, you can actually research the networking opportunities in those locations. From there, determine whether your ideal client or someone who serves your ideal client will be involved in those events, whether that looks like a one-time trade show or a monthly meetup. Think outside the box — but not too far outside the box. You don't want to show up at every networking event known to mankind in that area. Talk about burnout!
You also don't want to become a paid sponsor for those events either. But, if you can show up as a real human being to various events that you know are going to attract the type of people that you want to work with, your business will benefit.
The next marketing task you'll need to do is search on Facebook for neighborhood community groups in that area — not necessarily business groups — just groups of regular locals. Do not pitch yourself. Just observe and watch what they're talking about, noting any of the cultural nuances. If you're moving to a different country, that's going to be pretty obvious, but if you're just moving from one state in the U.S. to another, there will still be cultural nuances to uncover.
What are their pain points and how do they relate to your services? If you're a home stager, you'll need to know details such as...
What is the real estate agent in this area really struggling with?
What does the housing market look like here?
If you're an interior designer moving from the east coast to the west coast, you already know the lifestyles are totally different. So, how do the climate and the culture impact your services?
Lastly, how do all these things work together to create the unique situation that your ideal clients find themselves in and how can you be the solution to whatever their problem is?
Now, let's talk about how you should market your business six to nine months before relocating...
Marketing Tasks for 6-9 Months Before You Move
You'll need to update your SEO to reflect your new geographic service area, as well as any changes to your ideal client. Updating the SEO of your website is not scary. It just means you need to change the keywords.
First, change the image filenames on your website (on every page, including your portfolio) to include your new or upcoming location. Your filenames should follow this format: service-description-location (e.g. interior design white modern kitchen boston ma).
Second, include location keywords in some headings. For example, your homepage should clearly state your ideal client and location right away: "Interior Design for Busy Entrepreneurs. Serving homeowners in and around Boston, MA."
Google reads image filenames and headings. Google can't see images, and while it does index the body content of your website, it prioritizes the headings first. Plus, headings make your website skimmable and more understandable to real humans.
Third, create 3 blog posts that mention doing projects in your new location. For example, if you're creating a project reveal blog post for a project you did in your old location, simply end the post with something like, "Now booking kitchen remodeling projects in Boston, MA," and share how interested homeowners can get on your schedule.
Marketing Tasks for 3-6 Months Before You Move
Three to six months before your move, send an email newsletter asking your contacts if they have any friends or family in your new location whom they could refer to you. That is a very direct ask and should be a short email, with no more than one image, and a paragraph or two of text.
Next, create a blog post (yes, another one) that details when and why you're moving. Think of this as the official "we're moving" announcement. Explain how you feel about the move. Are you thrilled? Is it hard on you? Is it tough on your kids? What are you hoping to change about yourself or your business once you get to the new location? Is this going to be a fresh start for you? Is it intimidating? Is it exciting?
Lastly, change the geographic location of your Instagram posts to your new location, where appropriate. If you're posting a project photo, you'll have to tag the location of that project, but if you're just posting a photo of yourself (and you should be!), set the location of that post to your new home city. You can do this for all future posts or, if you have a few minutes, you can also change the location of some of your past posts. The social media algorithm will be more likely to show your posts to other users in that geographic area.
Marketing Tasks for 1-3 Months Before You Move
Now that you are starting to pack up your things, it's time to update your Google Business Listing (GBL). Include your new service area and remove your old location information, along with any keywords associated with it. It's well worth your time to give your entire GBL a once-over to make sure it is accurate, complete, and not making any reference to your old location.
Also, update your location on your business Facebook page, Instagram profile, etc. Do not wait until after you move to do this. It will take time for people in your new location to start finding you, and your GBL won't show up in search results immediately. Give the system a chance to process your update.
How to Market Your Business After Relocating
Whew, you've moved! Perhaps you've even unpacked.
Between settling in and stressing out, go back to that local community Facebook group and post this:
"Hey, I'm new to the area, and I'm looking for introductions. I'm an interior designer and I'd really like to meet realtors or new home builders who focus on __________ specialty / neighborhood / area. I would like to start making the right connections. Can any of you tell me who I should focus on? Who are the big names?"
People love to brag about how well-connected they are. You might as well use this to your advantage. (But also, prepare yourself for the onslaught of business coach / marketing freelancers and MLM champions who will undoubtedly comment with their ulterior motives.)
How to Market Your Business in an Expanded Service Area (Not Relocating)
Follow the plan outlined above. Instead of replacing keywords and location information, simply add to what you already have. The same regimen of blog posts, email newsletters, and local Facebook group posts will be just as beneficial.
Market Your Business Intentionally, Not Accidentally
If you move to a new area without any marketing preparation, you will have a hard time filling your pipeline. First, people have to get to know you. Once they get to know you, they'll start to care about what you do.
Once they care about what you do, you might start to get some leads. That's a long process that can't be rushed, but it's also a process that can be started months in advance, allowing you to hit the ground running once you've relocated.
Moving your business to a new city, state, or province doesn't have to feel like you are starting over completely. Plan ahead and be strategic with your marketing efforts. If you need to outsource your blogging or email marketing, we can help. Go to Socialite Vault to view our pricing and package options.
Resources
Marketing for home industry pros: www.socialitevault.com
