Do you remember when the link sticker was first introduced to Instagram stories? Or, even further back, when you had to swipe up for the link AND you had to have 10K followers to qualify for the feature?
That was probably the first sign that Instagram stories would become a favorite place for interior designers to build trust, drop links, and showcase the human behind the brand (which also happens to be one of the best ways to drive conversions, too).
Before I get carried away, let’s break down everything you need to know – and maybe a little bit more – about using Instagram stories as an interior designer:
What Are Stories and Why They Still Work for Interior Designers
Instagram stories are a feature that allows users to post photos and videos on a separate “feed” that disappear after 24 hours. They pop up as circles at the top of the Instagram home feed and, if you’re on someone’s profile page, when you click their profile photo.
Even with allll the changes in the content that Instagram “favors,” stories still work for interior designers. They’re a chance for you to show up on social media a little bit differently than you would with a regular feed post.
With Instagram stories, you can pull back the curtain on your personal life and day-to-day behind the scenes. It’s that in-the-moment, off-the-cuff stuff that your audience loves!!
That’s not to say there’s not a few things you should avoid like only scheduling your stories, reposting every carousel, or posting 70+ photos of your latte from the morning, but for the most part, they’re extremely helpful when building trust and community.
How to Use Instagram Stories to Grow Your Interior Design Business
Your stories are for connection and for targeting your warmest leads. If people are DMing, reacting, or engaging with polls – you know they’re people you want to nurture a relationship with! But don’t get too caught up in a story “strategy.” You want your stories to feel natural, like you’re inviting your friend into a daily journey of your life, really letting them see what it’s like to work with YOU.
You can also use Instagram stories to:
- Do market research using links, stickers, polls, and things like that to gauge what your audience is currently interested in and looking for.
- Showcase your work and that you’re actively doing something (people like hiring people who seem busy, like they’re doing things, and in demand – it’s a psychological sales trick 😉)
- Create curated highlights to show your portfolio and connect with leads even when you don’t have an active story (just remember that not everything in your story needs to be a highlight – less is more with what you save past 24 hours!).
- Market to your NEXT client by sharing your current work. This is something I do with a my SMM on Speed Dial members – they’ll come to me and say “well, I booked this project.” Great! Talk about it on stories!!
Also, you don’t have to publish stories all day every day – you don’t want people to tap out – instead aim for somewhere between 3 – 10, depending on how interesting your day is.
Psst… and if you’re trying to get engagement, ask ENGAGING questions. You can learn all about the right (and wrong) questions to ask here.
What to Do When You’re Not Getting Views
Now that you know how to use your stories, it’s time to get people to see your stories. Stories naturally have a lower reach — typically about 10% of your audience.
But, if your story views are dropping and you need a boost, let your story expire and share a one-frame story of something you really really want to get a lot of eyes on – like a link sticker or a “here’s my availability.”
Speaking of link stickers, don’t be afraid to use them!! Make them fun to engage with. It’s the same with “this or that,” and polls do really well for interior designers (so try them!).
And if you want more ideas (or to never run out of ideas) for what to post on your stories as an interior designer, download my tried and tested 100+ story prompts for interior designers for only $7!
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