In the sea of interior design professionals on Houzz, how do you become a beacon that draws homeowners to your profile? These three ideas will attract attention for your business in all the right ways. And increased attention can, of course, mean more leads, clients and projects – and a better chance of sailing to success.
1. Craft Your Profile Thoughtfully
Interacting with photos (browsing and saving them to ideabooks) is the No. 1 way Houzz users find pros, so uploading gorgeous project photos to your profile is essential to getting maximum exposure for your business. Make sure you upload high-quality photos, add keywords, earn repeat visitors by adding new project images regularly, and request customer reviews.
See more about best practices for soliciting customer reviews here.
But beautiful photos tell only part of the story. “Your entire profile should be tailored to the type of customer you want,” says Morgan Tedford of System Pavers. That includes the About Us section. You want to draw clients by putting important aspects of your business at the forefront of your description. Is it minority- or female-owned, for example? Specify that upfront. Do you have any awards, certifications or other acclaim to celebrate? Let the world know. It’s also a good practice to list the specific services you provide, along with your service areas.
2. Add Standouts
Highlight attributes that will appeal to prospective clients with a premium Houzz branding feature called Standouts. These are tags that showcase aspects of your business and appear prominently on your profile and your listing in the Houzz Find Professionals directory. Just click on the Get Standouts button in Your Houzz and choose three from the list – perhaps showing that your design company is family-owned or eco-friendly, or that you offer online consultations. Certainly if you’re a Best of Houzz winner, you’ll want to point that out too! Standouts don’t just add credibility; they show that you care about what’s important to your clients.
3. Earn a Best of Houzz Badge
Having a Best of Houzz Service badge on your profile is like having a gold seal of approval from the Houzz community. It shows that your services are exceptional and valued, as only 3% of the home design and renovation pros on Houzz win one each year. Best of Houzz Service awards are based on overall pro ratings and client reviews submitted during the previous year.
“Best of Houzz badges place us among the elite, in the eyes of potential clients,” says Randy Angell of Randy Angell Designs, which has won multiple Best of Houzz awards. “It is not an easy feat to attain Best of Houzz, and Houzz users know that. It instantly builds a level of trust and confidence in our company, especially when a potential client sees our team win the award year after year.”
To boost your chances of winning an award for your own design business, use the Get Reviews link on your profile to request positive feedback from clients. The earlier in the year you start, the more time you’ll have to garner positive reviews.
Investing a little effort in implementing these ideas now can pay big dividends down the road, not just in drawing eyes to your profile but in building attention for your interior design business overall.
