How to Work Remotely as an Interior Designer

Would you like to offer eDesign services to your clients but aren’t sure how to get started? In this post, we’ll discuss how to find work and success as a remote interior designer. Let’s get started.

Why Offer eDesign to Your Clients

Hello, 21st century! There’s never been a better time to be alive. Even though interior designers have never been tied to their desks, they have been tethered to a specific location—until now. These days, you can offer interior design services to any client, independent of your location or theirs. Thanks to modern marvels such as high-speed Internet connection and a free Skype account, you can connect with clients anywhere.

The demand for such services is growing thanks to the influence of Instagram and YouTube. Even if you don’t offer eDesign services, chances are pretty high that one of your close competitors does.

eDesign is in demand because it is significantly less expensive than traditional interior design services. Who wouldn’t enjoy receiving professional help on a deep discount? This makes interior design services more attractive and accessible to the average consumer and even expands the potential client base.

eDesign also appeals to the DIYer who wants inspiration and direction but also prefers to be in charge of implementation. By offering remote design services, you can reach that client who would have otherwise been out of range and consideration.

Understand Your Target Remote Client

Before offering your interior design services remotely, identify the type of client that will benefit the most. Once you know who you’re targeting, you’ll be more effective when marketing your services.

As mentioned earlier, eDesign often attracts DIYers who want ultimate control over the project but still crave a professional influence. However, DIYers aren’t the only ones who may benefit from eDesign. eDesign also appeals to budget-watchers who want to control costs but not at the expense of a well-designed space. And then there’s another group of prospective clients who live in a different part of the country or world. They love your design aesthetic but are effectively trapped by their location and can’t benefit from your local services. They may not have a tight budget but it would be cost-prohibitive to pay for your trip to their location.

The way that you market to these three groups of prospective customers will be different. And this is just a sample. eDesign is attractive to many other types of clients, too.

It’s up to you to decide which client type you wish to work with. Take into consideration how much you’d like to charge for your services and how involved you’d like to be.

Decide Which Services to Offer Remotely

The next step is to decide which services to offer remotely. Beyond the basics of sharing interior design advice, what else will your target client type desire from their interaction with you?

Take a look at what you currently offer your interior design clients, and consider how you may restructure it to work with a client you will never see in person. Take into account how you’ll deliver these services to your clients.

Start with communication basics first by answering these questions:

• How will you interact with and deliver goods to your clients in a consistent and professional manner?
• What is your preferred method of communication? Skype, phone, messaging, email*?
• Do you prefer both parties to be on video or is audio okay, too?
• How long will you meet with your client?
• How often will you communicate?
• When can you be reached?
• Can you be reached after hours?

*Psst… Email isn’t your only option. You can cut email out of the equation and use our product, Gather, to streamline communications with your clients and internally with your team. Learn more about Gather’s features here.

If you’re interested in working with multiple client types, it makes sense to create multiple packages to meet their individual needs. While one client may need suggestions for reusing or repurposing their current furniture, another client may instead prefer full-colored renderings of the proposed finished space. Instead of just offering a “one size fits all” service, create different packages.

Prepare Your Website

Finally, before marketing your eDesign service, it’s time to set up your website. Your website is crucial in not only attracting new clients but also in working with remote clients. Your website serves as your digital office space. It must be welcoming, informative, and easy to use.

Because your website plays such a huge role in your eDesign success, ensure the following:

Your website is mobile-friendly – It’s essential that your website looks good on any viewing screen, especially on mobile devices. More people search the Internet from mobile devices than desktops, which means that your website needs to function just as well (if not better) on smaller screens.

Your website should be easy to navigate – Can a prospective client quickly find the eDesign services section of your website without any trouble?

Your website should be informative – Have information, including your packages, pricing, and frequently asked questions, easily accessible to first-time visitors. Also, share examples of your work and the deliverables in a typical eDesign project.

Market Your Services as a Remote Interior Designer

Now, let’s discuss how to market your eDesign services to your target audience. Focus on social media marketing for the win:

How to Use Social Media to Market Your Business

Having a presence on social media is non-negotiable for any business, but especially when you’re offering services over the Internet. Set up accounts, if you haven’t already, on the big five social media profiles for interior designers: Instagram, Twitter, Pinterest, Facebook, and YouTube. Then, start actively posting on these accounts (at least once a week) to attract new prospective customers.

However, keep in mind that these platforms are increasingly becoming pay for play, which means that your organic reach will only take you so far. If you want to expand your reach, you’ll need to pay for promotion. Check out this post for more information on how to use Facebook to market yourself as an interior designer.

Additional strategies include:

• Reaching out to key influencers who have the audience that you’re looking to attract. Ask them to feature your services or even offer a free consultation in exchange for exposure.
• Social media takeovers where you offer your professional interior design advice to an audience of likely prospective clients. Reach out to your vendors who may be interested in this type of social media engagement.
• Publish user-generated content on your social media platforms. Encourage past clients to submit photos and walk-through videos of their projects, and then feature them on your account.
• Get on the radar of influencers by liking, commenting on, and sharing their posts.

Create YouTube videos where you discuss interior design trends, share ideas, and show examples of work you’ve done.

Final Thoughts

Finding clients as a remote interior designer starts with understanding which clients to target. Then, after carefully optimizing your website for eDesign services, you can begin marketing your services to those prospective clients. Be sure to follow the above steps for finding clients.

Additional Resources

Before you go, check out these related posts:

• E-Design and Creating a Career That Fits Your Life
• Should You Offer Online Interior Design Services?
• How Tech is Changing the Business of Interior Design