Social Media
A New Way of Marketing in the Design Industry 
by Leann Harms
Whether you are completely emerged in it already, still trying to figure out
what it is or somewhere in between, it’s clear that social media is not going
away. In fact, the epic rise of social media is already changing the way
business is done and redefining conventional marketing plans. Understanding
the significance of social media is imperative to developing a plan to reap
the benefits offered through various social media platforms.
In its simplest definition, social media is the combination of
technology and interaction, allowing participants to engage with one another
on common interests from anywhere in the world. Social media is the evolution
of previous online communications such as e-mail and chat rooms, and these
member-based communities are quickly surpassing e-mail as the main form of
online communication. The Nielson Company’s 2009 report, The Global Media
Landscape, indicates that from a time-spent perspective, member communities
exceeded e-mail users for the first time in February of 2009. This statistic
underscores the growing preference of social media platforms over e-mail
namely because, with e-mail, the conversation breaks whereas when conversing
with potential clients on platforms such as Twitter, you can continue a
conversation in real time with people who are interested in your message.
Social networking lends a human face to a company, increasing
the connection with potential consumers. These member community sites require
interaction and reciprocation that cannot be performed by traditional
automated customer service practices. Alexandra Gibson, CEO of Gibson Design
Management, explains this growing role of social media in business as a prime
opportunity to showcase what sets your business apart from competitors by
“showing personality in blogs, tweets, Facebook posts and more.” She
translates this to the design industry by pointing out that by using the
various social media platforms, “designers will appear more approachable and
engaged within their community.”
The easy accessibility of social media platforms has become
increasingly significant during these turbulent economic times as companies
seek low-cost and highly effective ways to reach consumers. Tracy Davis,
president and creative director for Guildcraft Carpets, explains how social
media garnered a role in her company’s marketing plan. “The economic turmoil
of the past year caused us to reexamine what we were doing and how we were
doing it. Once we decided that we would sell directly to the people who would
personally enjoy our rugs, some of our previous constraints were dissolved and
we were suddenly dealing with a whole new set of people who were actually
reachable via social media.”
The growth of social media is also changing the way consumers
interact with brands of their choosing. Blogging was one of the first avenues
that paved the way for consumers to broadcast both negative and positive
experiences with companies to a global audience. Micro-blogging platforms such
as Twitter are enhancing the consumer’s power to either help or hinder a
brand. Gibson underscores how social media is revolutionizing customer
expectations, saying, “Clients are now developing expectations that they will
be able to interact with you more. Social media tools are ways that this
interaction can happen at a fraction of the cost of more traditional venues.”
As social media continues to saturate our online experience,
the most significant reason to engage in social networking is the marketing
edge you will gain on your competition. As Gibson points out, “Chances are
your competitors are stocking tools in their social media armory. Be ahead of
the curve.” Davis echoes that sentiment saying, “Your competitors will be
doing it, if they aren’t already, and no business should be caught behind the
curve.”
Getting Started on Facebook and Twitter
According to Nielson Company research, the buzz surrounding
Facebook and Twitter has exceeded all other community sites, and it’s no
surprise considering that both sites provide user-friendly platforms to
quickly reach a global audience.
Facebook initially began as a community site for college
students to stay in touch, eventually expanding to include anyone who was
interested. The launch of Facebook pages for businesses ignited a new frontier
in brand communication. After setting up a personal Facebook profile, you can
set up a business page for your firm. This page will allow you to connect with
other Facebook users who are ‘fans’ of your products or services. Be sure to
let your friends, family and clients know about your company’s Facebook
presence so they can help spread the word. Through your Facebook page you will
be able to keep customers updated on your latest projects and get their
opinions. You can also post images, share your work with fans and solicit
their ideas. Before long you will be forging new business relationships and
strengthening existing connections.
Twitter is a micro-blogging platform designed to allow users
to share information and stay connected in real-time. When setting up your
Twitter profile, be sure to upload a photo, as people are more likely to
identify with you. Include biographical information that lets people know what
you do and include your firm’s Web site in your profile. Use the search option
to find conversations surrounding your industry; this will help you find
people to follow.
To use Twitter successfully, it is important to remember to
engage and converse with other people. This will help increase your following
and establish your presence. Providing valuable and useful information will
help establish your credibility in your field. As Gibson points out, “As a
society, we continue to be increasingly bombarded with messages. A design firm
needs to focus marketing on continuing to put valuable information in front of
the people that request it. Through providing valuable information and showing
itself as a resource, a design firm can build rapport and show itself as an
expert, all the while building a potential client base. You never know where
the next client will come from.”
The pace of Twitter may seem overwhelming at first. Davis
offers some advice to overcome this, “One of the things I tell people about
Twitter is that it is sort of like a cocktail party. You come in and there are
several simultaneous conversations going on. Just as you would listen for a
while at a party to see what’s being said and how people interact, you can do
virtually on Twitter. After a while, you shouldn’t be afraid to just jump in
and say something.”
Finally, don’t forget to let us know about your company’s new
social media presence by becoming a fan of Design Trade on Facebook and
following us on Twitter. You can follow me at www.twitter.com/LeannDTM. I hope
to meet up with you online very soon.
DTM is pleased to present our interviews with these industry leaders
below in their entirety.
Tracy Davis
What made your company decide to incorporate social media into your marketing
plan?
In our case, it was the decision to go completely vertical with our business
that paved the way for our entry into the world of social media. The three
business sectors we’ve been most closely connected to — Oriental rug
retailers, arts & crafts decorative arts specialists and interior designers —
have been lagging far behind technologically for more than a decade. (We work
with some retailers who don’t even have a Web site, and some interior
designers who don’t use email!). For a low-volume business like ours, with
those three industries as our primary customers, spending time on any kind of
social media would have been almost pointless.
The economic turmoil of the past year caused us to reexamine what we were
doing and how we were doing it. Once we decided that we would sell directly to
the people who would personally enjoy our carpets, some of our previous
constraints were dissolved. We were suddenly dealing with a whole new set of
people who were actually reachable via social media. I had been involved in
blogging and the use of other social media tools in my local community for
several years so I was familiar with the technology. It’s been gratifying to
finally apply some of these tools and strategies to our niche business.
How has your company benefited from the use of social media?
We’ve only been doing it for three months, so it’s too early in the process to
attribute many direct benefits to our use of social media, or assign a value
to it. It’s sort of like doing a trade show — we always joke that we can never
tell the results until at least 18 months afterwards because our sales cycles
are so long. That said, however, using social media we’ve developed several
valuable relationships with people in marketing, law, public relations and
media. Thus far it’s been more a form of business networking than it has sales
or customer service, but that will change as we continue to expand our reach
with social media tools.
How much time does your company spend on an average day participating in
social media?
There’s a learning curve involved, and right now we’re still at the steep end
of it. We’re currently spending about two to three hours a day, and to use
social media the way I want to would require at least four hours daily. Once
we’re more familiar with the various tools and services available and have a
sort of system down, we should be able to do what I envision in about two
hours a day or less. But what I envision is actually fairly involved; you can
use social media in a much simpler, less time-consuming way if that’s
important to you.
What advise would you give to other companies still reluctant to get involved
with social media?
Don’t be intimidated by the unfamiliar. For example, one of the things I tell
people about Twitter is that it’s sort of like a cocktail party: when you come
in there are several simultaneous conversations going on. Just as you’d listen
for awhile at a party, to see what’s being said and how people interact, you
can do virtually on Twitter; but after awhile, you shouldn’t be afraid to just
jump in and say something. You can’t interact with people until you start
engaging people. The barriers to entry into the social media realm are
extremely low. All you need is someone with the inclination and a bit of time
to do it.
Perhaps my biggest bit of advice would be, just get in there and start. Your
competitors will be doing it, if they aren’t already, and no business should
be caught behind that curve.
Alexandra Gibson
What is the role of social media in the design industry today?
Most designers say that the majority of their business comes through
referrals. Social media allows that referral network to extend far beyond the
reaches of current clients and cocktail parties. Through social media, we are
able to engage with a greater community, to be a resource and to show
authenticity. Within the industry, we are able to communicate much more easily
with each other, learn more about each other and build reciprocal
relationships. As businesses, we are able to show what we are about and what
makes our businesses different through showing personality in blogs, tweets,
Facebook posts and more.
How will social media continue to change the way those in the industry do
business?
Through utilizing social media tools, design firms will be able to set
themselves apart and highlight their firms’ personalities. As social media has
a low barrier for entry, a design firm can use the different tools to show the
firm’s uniqueness and to attract the clients that are best suited to them.
Before these means existed, many design firms’ Web sites looked uncannily
similar and a potential client would have a difficult time determining the
best designer for him or her. Designers will also appear more approachable and
engaged with their community. A designer’s community could be her geographic
region but more typically a community will be a group of people that she
engages in conversation with utilizing the tools available — Facebook,
Twitter, Linkedin, blogging and commenting, Ava Living and the like. If you
don’t have a Web site now, you might as well not exist as a business in the
minds of potential clients because that is the first place a potential client
is going to go for research, especially after he or she is referred to you.
Soon, if you are not savvy and ready to engage through different means of
social media, you will be left in the dust.
How should someone decide if social media should be a core part of their
marketing plan?
Just like networking offline, social media and networking can be very time
consuming. You only get out what you put in. A designer cannot expect to post
on a blog once a month, tweet once a week and just have a Facebook business
page. This is not engaging, this is not networking, this is not conversing.
Social media should be a big part of any marketing plan. If a designer cannot
spend the time to do it herself, she should entrust an assistant or junior
designer to head up the efforts. If a designer does not have this in-house
staff, hire a consulting firm and make sure they know you inside and out to
best represent your brand. All marketing efforts should point to staying in
front of people, both online and offline. As a society, we continue to be
increasingly bombarded with messages. A design firm needs to focus marketing
on continuing to put valuable information in front of the people that request
it. Through providing valuable information and showing itself as a resource, a
design firm can build rapport and show itself as an expert, all the while
building a potential client base. You never know where the next client will
come from.
What is the single most important reason for someone to incorporate social
media into their marketing strategy?
If you do not, you will forever try to play catch up. Imagine the disadvantage
of the design firm who, at this point, does not have a Web site. Isn’t it best
to be ahead of the learning curve than consistently behind it?
What do you say to those who can’t see the benefits of using social media?
To put it bluntly — wake up! Chances are your competitors are stocking tools
in their social media armory. Clients are now developing expectations that
they will be able to interact with you more. Social media tools are ways that
this interaction can happen, at a fraction of the cost of more traditional
avenues. Be ahead of the curve.
What impact has social media had on your business?
Through social media alone, we expect to close over $75,000 in new business
this year (conservatively). More importantly, the impact social media has had
on our greater brand we hope will set us apart for many years to come. For
example, I was interviewed for John Jantsch’s (author of Duct Tape Marketing)
new marketing book because of our conversation via Twitter. Not only was I
speaking with one of my favorite authors for 30 minutes, but I was able to
share my experiences with him and create a true connection. I was also
recently interviewed for a USA Today cover story because I am the CEO of my
company. We have created great reciprocal relationships with editors of both
online and traditional shelter magazines. Without social media, I would not be
answering these questions for Design Trade! The million-dollar question is
always, ‘Will this make me money and give me clients?’ If done religiously and
authentically, the answer is unequivocally ‘yes.’
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