If you’ve recently acquired any home interest or interiors clients, you should probably know that there are some specialised social network platforms out there that will add an important dimension to your digital marketing strategy. Here’s a lowdown of the top sites and how you can use them effectively for your client:
1.
I’m pretty sure everyone knows about Pinterest – even if you don’t use it. A hub for DIY and home decor, this platform is a really simple way for businesses to effectively connect with people. Despite the consensus that people only follow brands on social media for discounts and vouchers, a study by Ahalogy found that 83 percent of active users on Pinterest prefer to follow a brand than a notable celebrity. No-brainer!
To make sure you get the most out of it for clients:
Sign them up for a business account, as it gives you access to analytics tools
Create boards that don’t just feature your client’s products
Offer inspiration – ideas for certain décor styles and rooms throughout the home
Make sure you follow relevant accounts and boards – interaction will encourage engagement and new followers
Use analytics to find out what type of pins work best for your client
Use rich pins – app, movie, recipe, article, product and place – to enhance your client’s offering
2.
Houzz is a relative newbie on the social media scene, but is already a huge network where you can find inspiration for remodeling, landscape design, decor, and much more. It quickly became the largest design database in the world, connecting homeowners with builders, architects, interior designers, and other home design professionals, as well as home and interior businesses and brands. The site is very active, with daily newsletters to subscribers and users and businesses constantly uploading and requesting information. Therefore it’s important to engage fully and frequently.
Here’s your Houzz To Do list:
Create a comprehensive profile – it will act as a shop window
Build a community – interact with other businesses, tradespeople and individuals
Engage – answer user questions with genuinely helpful information on a range of topics, to show that you are an information leader
Create Ideabooks – much like Pinterest boards, you can create a collection of images from around the site on any aspect of the home – it’s one of the reasons users love the site. Ideabooks help users get to know your style, and what they can expect from you as a brand and a company
Run polls – this helps drive engagement and shows users that you are taking a general interest in them
3.
Homify is the newest of the home interest social media platforms on the block. Much the same as Houzz, it’s a fast growing network, which brings together homeowners with home professionals across the UK and promises to ‘widen your internet presence’ and ‘find and attract potential customers’. It has more of a ‘business’ feel than Houzz, having more of a focus on products and projects than consumer ideas and inspiration, but it’s presented very nicely. There’s the opportunity to ask and answer questions which is good engagement, and an easy way to position yourself as a helpful informer. As a little sister to Houzz, you should approach it in the same way; be informative, engage, and build a comprehensive profile and range of ideabooks, in order to benefit.
4.
Whilst technically not a social network, House To Home is worth mentioning as a leader in the homes and interiors industry. It does have an interesting feature which can be utilised by businesses; individuals or brands can create mood boards to store and share inspiration. These are searchable and sharable, so it’s worthwhile having some presence here.
In the end, the key to successful marketing is being able to segment and target your audience, and these platforms deliver a niche group of people on a platter. Using these sites as part of your overall digital marketing strategy can be very effective for driving referrals – but it’s important to make sure that you’re marketing is ‘joined up’.
Have you used any of these before? What are your top tips?
