Designed by Wingnut Social | Interior Design Business
The interior design business podcast for interior designers, architects, and home professionals. Hosted by interior design and digital marketing pro, Darla Powell. #interiordesign
Listen on:
Episodes
Wednesday Jan 04, 2023
Wednesday Jan 04, 2023
Anne Gillyard—along with Jodi Arellano—own and operate GrOH! Playrooms, specializing in educationally-based children’s interiors. They strive to create spaces full of color, joy, fun, and playfulness that encourage your child’s development. But how did they choose to niche down into something so specific? How have they built a thriving play-focused business? Anne joins Darla to discuss all things marketing, niching down, and incorporating play into your child’s every day.
What You’ll Hear On This Episode of Wingnut Social
[1:02] Subscribe to Wingnut Social on YouTube!
[2:01] Mini News Sesh: YouTube Shorts
[5:43] Learn all about Anne Gillyard
[7:55] How Anne chose her interior design niche
[12:39] How Anne reaches her ideal clients
[16:01] The benefit of industry partnerships
[22:36] How to choose work you enjoy
[25:05] Tips for mastering reels and videos
[28:55] The What Up Wingnut Round!
Connect with Anne GillYard
Connect on Instagram
GrOH! Playrooms
Resources & People Mentioned
Mike Michalowicz’s books
How Anne landed on a niche in playrooms
Anne worked in early education for years as a teacher and curriculum designer. But her expertise is play. She always wanted to be an interior designer but never thought she’d land there. Now, she designs family rooms, playrooms, bedrooms, and outdoor spaces where the intention is to live, breathe, and move around with your kids.
When they launched GrOh!, they were worried they wouldn’t survive if they niched down too far. So if a client asked them to do something outside their scope, they quickly agreed to it. But it wasn’t where they thrived. Once they fully committed to their niche, they took off. Now they have a waitlist of 6+ months.
How to choose your interior design niche
Anne says to pour your favorite drink, get comfy, and spend some time thinking. What lights your fire? What takes the least amount of energy to brainstorm about? When you complete a project, what are you proud of? How can you make your experience special? What can you do to make your relationship with your client wonderful and easy?
Reflect after every project and determine what you enjoyed—and what you didn’t. What did you find to be easiest? Anne once created a gorgeous custom kitchen, designed to help create independence for kids. While the project was a smashing success, they didn’t enjoy the work. Now, they only focus on what they love.
How GrOH! Reaches their ideal clients
In December 2019, GrOH! had committed to only doing commercial spaces. A few months later, because of covid, no one was going to commercial play spaces—maybe ever again. So they pivoted to residential spaces. Word-of-mouth wasn’t a possibility at that point. So what marketing stuck?
They invested in photography immediately. Then they hired social media out to professionals (Wingnut Social, of course) and the change was transformative. It’s allowed them to niche and establish themselves as go-to experts. Since then, 99% of their clients find them through social media.
And Anne is a social media genius. Her content is eye-catching, playful, and educational all while perfectly showcasing their designs. How has she found such social success (aside from Wingnut Social, of course)? She shares her tricks of the trade in this episode. Don’t miss it!
Connect With Darla & Wingnut Social
www.WingnutSocial.com
On Facebook
On Twitter: @WingnutSocial
On Instagram: @WingnutSocial
Subscribe on YouTube
Darla’s Interior Design Website
Check out the Wingnut Social Media Lab Facebook Group!
786-206-4331 (connect with us for your social media marketing needs)
Subscribe to The Wingnut Social Podcast on iTunes, Google Podcasts, or TuneIn
Audio Production and Show notes byPODCAST FAST TRACKhttps://www.podcastfasttrack.com
Monday Jan 02, 2023
Monday Jan 02, 2023
Have you received a suspicious "Giveaway" DM on Instagram, or been followed by an account that may be impersonating someone? On today's Mini News, Emily walks us through some new account safety features that have been added on Instagram to help users regain access to their accounts if they find themselves locked out or hacked.
***
⭐️Instagram has added some new tools to help users regain access to their accounts if they find themselves locked out or hacked. The new recovery center is at instagram.com/hacked. The con is most help options just direct you to the Help Center, which already existed, to help you troubleshoot your issue. In other words, you’re not being put in touch with a real person at Instagram Support. However, the pro is this tool makes the recovery and troubleshooting process much more streamlined. You’re provided quick, easy access to steps you can take depending on your issue.
⭐️A great new safety measure Instagram has provided is this: if you find yourself locked out of your account, you can choose two of your Instagram friends to confirm your identity and get back into your account. Instagram is also testing measures to combat impersonation and ways to help prevent hacking before it happens. There have been many instances where people impersonate design businesses and run fake giveaways to get other users’ info or hack their accounts. Instagram is testing a feature that sends warnings if an account that is suspected to be an impersonator follows you, or if an account that may be impersonating a business sends you a DM.
⭐️How can you keep your Instagram account safe before any of this happens to you? Use a strong, unique password with numbers, letters, and special characters. Don’t use this password for anything else. Change your password regularly, at least once a year. Ideally, you should change your password every few months. Lastly, turn on your two-factor authentication in Settings under Privacy and Security. You’ll get a login code when you sign in on a new device, so it offers a little extra security for your account.
***
📲CONNECT with Darla:
Darla’s Interior Design Website: https://darlapowell.com/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/darlapowellhome/
🏠FOLLOW Wingnut Social:
Website: http://www.wingnutsocial.com
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/WingnutSocial/
Twitter: https://twitter.com/wingnutsocial
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/wingnutsocial/
Wingnut Webinars: https://wingnutsocial.com/webinar
Get Wingnut Academy Updates: https://wingnutsocial.com/wingnut-academy/
🎧SUBSCRIBE to The Wingnut Social Podcast:
Apple Podcasts: https://apple.co/3RJzmtK
Google Podcasts: https://bit.ly/designedongooglepodcasts
TuneIn: https://bit.ly/designedontunein
YouTube: https://bit.ly/designedonyoutube
Wednesday Dec 28, 2022
Wednesday Dec 28, 2022
Molly Schoneveld is the award-winning PR strategist behind the luxury public relations firm, The Storied Group. She represents the industry's top interior designers, celebrities, and hotels, i.e. “Talented faces, spaces, and places.” She has 20+ years of experience with press placements in Architectural Digest, ELLE Decor, Vogue, and more. And she knows the secret to getting your interior design work published. What is it? Find out in this episode of the Wingnut Social podcast!
What You’ll Hear On This Episode of Wingnut Social
[1:13] Wingnut webinar and wingnut academy updates
[1:56] Mini News Sesh: LinkedIn’s repost update
[4:32] Learn all about Molly Schoneveld + The Storied Group
[7:08] Why proving publications enough images is important
[10:56] Do you need to hire a photographer with connections?
[16:06] Can a presence on YouTube help you?
[17:21] Do you need to have a celebrity client?
[20:15] Why you need to read photography contracts carefully
[23:16] Can you post the photos online if you want them featured?
[26:22] Make your photography stand out by using a stylist
[28:50] How to get your clients on board with being published
[33:46] How to stand out (and get hired by celebrities)
[38:20] The What Up Wingnut! Round
[40:26] How to connect with Molly Schoneveld
Connect with Molly Schone
The Storied Group
Connect with Molly on LinkedIn
Follow Molly on Instagram
Resources & People Mentioned
The Mystery Guest by Lorin Stein
Record your podcast episodes on Riverside
This is Marketing by Seth Godin
The secret to getting your interior design work published
What’s the secret? It all comes down to photos. Now—likely starting with Covid—many magazines will not do reshoots. What you provide them in your pitch is what will get published. So you need to give them enough photos to publish a full story. Luxe Magazine has design features that can be as long as 10–12 pages. That’s why you need to provide a variety of photos.
But Molly emphasizes that you don’t need the best photographer in the business. Why? You need to be able to afford someone who will provide you with a full range of images. What does that look like? If you want to get featured as a full home tour, you need 25–30 images of your work.
Molly landed one of her clients a feature in AD Digital. It was the home of a celebrity chef and a big-name interior designer. They didn’t reshoot the project. The photos Molly sent them were the photos that ran. The bar is high, and if you want to get into AD, you’ve got to be so much more than good. The photos you send must be shot knowing they’re going to be run in the magazine.
Do you need to hire a photographer with connections?
Molly points out that working with a specific photographer who has previously done work with the magazine you want to get published in can give you an advantage. But the advantage isn’t that the photographer can get you published—it’s that they know what the magazine is looking for. They understand the angles publications like, the styling they like, and the vignettes they prefer. Those are the things a photographer can help with.
But a magazine won’t say yes to a project solely based on the photographer. There are factors at play that are 100% out of your control, like editorial calendars, previously published homes and kitchens, and much more. But you can control your images. So work with a photographer who understands what magazines are looking for.
Make your photography stand out by using a stylist
Look at a potential photographer's social media. What is their aesthetic? That’s what you’ll end up with for your social media. What else is important? Molly believes that bringing in a stylist to bring life to your images makes the biggest difference. Magazines do this all the time. If magazine editors rely on them, designers should see them as someone who can bring their vision to life in a different way. That—coupled with a photographer versed in magazine photography—can make a huge impact.
Can you post photos online if you want them published in a magazine? Does it pay to have celebrity clients? Molly answers these questions and so much more in this episode. Don’t miss it!
Connect With Darla & Wingnut Social
www.WingnutSocial.com
On Facebook
On Twitter: @WingnutSocial
On Instagram: @WingnutSocial
Subscribe on YouTube
Darla’s Interior Design Website
Check out the Wingnut Social Media Lab Facebook Group!
786-206-4331 (connect with us for your social media marketing needs)
Subscribe to The Wingnut Social Podcast on iTunes, Google Podcasts, or TuneIn
Audio Production and Show notes byPODCAST FAST TRACKhttps://www.podcastfasttrack.com
Monday Dec 26, 2022
Monday Dec 26, 2022
Elon Musk’s latest Twitter updates may include the addition of longer videos and tweets up to 4,000 characters. Social Media Manager Hayden is here to walk us through these potential updates, the pros and cons of Twitter going long-form, and how this could impact your interior design business.
***
⭐️Twitter is planning to give users more capacity to share longer posts, either in video or text form, within the app. As you probably know, Twitter has been on shaky ground over the past few months with Elon Musk’s acquisition. There have been lots of updates, like Twitter Blue: an opt-in, paid monthly subscription that adds a blue checkmark to your account and offers early access to select new features. Musk has mentioned wanting to add YouTube-like features into the app, enabling users to post longer video, in order to keep viewers from on the app instead of switching to another app to consume video content. He’s also said that longer tweets are coming soon, possibly up to 4,000 characters. Short-form content has been the foundation of Twitter since its inception, so this will be a big change for your Twitter feed. There is no set date as to when these features will roll out, or if they’ll be available to all users or just Twitter Blue subscribers.
⭐️Longer tweets will appear as normal, displaying around 280 characters, with the message “show more” to expand into a longer panel. This allows for users to share longer tweets without disrupting the normal Twitter stream feel. There is also a possibility that, rather than “show more,” it will display how many characters remain in the tweet (ie “remaining 3,000 characters”). It’s possible that displaying this remaining character number and indicating how long the tweet is may reduce the amount of interaction with the tweet. Users may also grow tired of clicking to expand longer tweets and stop interacting with those altogether. Another concern is whether or not Twitter users are asking for this feature to begin with. Most users gravitate to Twitter because of its short-form nature.
⭐️What does this all mean for interior designers? Long-form content on Twitter could be a great way to share about your business and tap into an audience that you may not have been able to connect with previously via short-form content. You may have felt limited in the past by Tweets with a lower character count. Regardless, we recommend that you take advantage of as many platforms as you can to get your business out there! The easiest way to do this is by repurposing content that you’ve already created for other platforms, like Instagram and TikTok, and posting that to Twitter as well.
***
📲CONNECT with Darla:
Darla’s Interior Design Website: https://darlapowell.com/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/darlapowellhome/
🏠FOLLOW Wingnut Social:
Website: http://www.wingnutsocial.com
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/WingnutSocial/
Twitter: https://twitter.com/wingnutsocial
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/wingnutsocial/
Wingnut Webinars: https://wingnutsocial.com/webinar
Get Wingnut Academy Updates: https://wingnutsocial.com/wingnut-academy/
🎧SUBSCRIBE to The Wingnut Social Podcast:
Apple Podcasts: https://apple.co/3RJzmtK
Google Podcasts: https://bit.ly/designedongooglepodcasts
TuneIn: https://bit.ly/designedontunein
YouTube: https://bit.ly/designedonyoutube
Wednesday Dec 21, 2022
Wednesday Dec 21, 2022
Maria Killam is a decorator, stylist, speaker, educator, and true color expert in interior and exterior design. She’s also the creator of the Killam Color System™, a proven system for choosing color that anyone can learn.
Maria has always shared her work on her blog and has thousands of readers. But her Instagram never took off—until recently. Maria leveraged a popular Instagram trend and grew to 100k+ Instagram followers in mere weeks. Learn how she did it in this episode of Wingnut Social!
What You’ll Hear On This Episode of Wingnut Social
[1:48] Housekeeping: Wingnut Webinar + YouTube
[2:50] Mini News Sesh: Instagram Feed Videos = Reels
[6:43] Learn more about Maria Killam and her business
[12:44] The basics of the Killam color system
[18:00] The importance of understanding color
[24:44] How Maria’s eDesign business stands out
[29:13] How Maria feels about white interiors (and trending colors)
[31:51] Maria’s marketing strategy on Instagram
[38:36] What Maria would say to someone who wants a trendy space
[40:30] Maria’s What Up Wingnut Round!
[46:29] Blooper Reel!
Connect with Maria Killam
Maria’s Website
Maria’s course: Colour Made Easy™
Follow Maria on Instagram
Resources & People Mentioned
At Your Best by Carey Nieuwhof
Record your podcast episodes on Riverside
The evolution of Maria’s business
Maria Killam launched her career while working in a paint store. She took a color course and learned how to accurately describe colors. As she helped clients choose the right colors for their homes, she started painting out large color samples and used them over and over again.
She saw that beiges always had the same undertones: pink-beige, green-beige, yellow-beige, etc. The undertones expanded from there. Her goal is to help her clients understand undertones so their design choices are complementary and timeless.
Maria created a color wheel tool to help people identify the undertones in their spaces to choose the right neutrals. Now Maria offers online courses and eDesign to help both designers and homeowners create timeless spaces.
Keep listening to learn how understanding color and undertones influences every design choice you’ll make.
Maria’s Strategy to gain 100k+ Instagram followers
Maria has spent a lot of time on Instagram. Why? Because people judge you as a marketer, designer, and businessperson based on your number of Instagram followers. They’re either impressed—or not.
One day, Maria was watching an influencer who did a “10 ways to do something…” video series that they split into 10 parts. It was a light-bulb moment for Maria. So she launched her own 10-part series: “10 Finishes that Immediately Date Your New Build.” Her Instagram following grew by 100,000 followers in a matter of weeks.
Instagram is trying to be like TikTok. It’s ALL about video. It worked for Maria because her no-nonsense personality was fully expressed in these videos. Before, she followed different random trends. Secondly, you build trust faster when they watch a video. If you’re not on video, you’re going to be behind. So how do you get started?
Start sharing videos on your stories. They’re only 15 seconds and get you comfortable in front of the camera. Maria felt extremely awkward in her first videos. But you have to go through that awkward phase to become a rockstar on video. Maria has attracted a whole new audience. Learn how you can do the same in this episode of Wingnut Social!
Connect With Darla & Wingnut Social
www.WingnutSocial.com
On Facebook
On Twitter: @WingnutSocial
On Instagram: @WingnutSocial
Subscribe on YouTube
Darla’s Interior Design Website
Check out the Wingnut Social Media Lab Facebook Group!
786-206-4331 (connect with us for your social media marketing needs)
Subscribe to The Wingnut Social Podcast on iTunes, Google Podcasts, or TuneIn
Audio Production and Show notes byPODCAST FAST TRACKhttps://www.podcastfasttrack.com
Monday Dec 19, 2022
Monday Dec 19, 2022
Are you shadowbanned on Instagram?! How do you find out, and more importantly, how do you fix it? Social Media Manager Abby is here today to walk us through a new Instagram feature that will show you whether or not your content is getting recommended to other users (a.k.a. if you're shadowbanned or not). This new Instagram feature will also tell you exactly how to fix your shadowban and get your content out there again!
***
⭐️One of Instagram’s main goals in 2022 was to be more transparent with its users. We’ve seen this goal met as Instagram has been more open about how the algorithm works, plus they’ve launched a few new helpful features for creators. The latest update will allow users to see whether or not their content is eligible to be recommended in places like the explore page or the recommended feed. In other words, you’ll be able to finally find out whether or not you’ve been shadowbanned. Shadowbanning is when you are boxed out of a social media platform because the platform is preventing your content from reaching other users. Not only will you be able to see the status of your account, Instagram will provide pointers on how to rectify past issues that have gone against their community guidelines, so you’ll have the opportunity to correct this issue and get your content back out there.
⭐️To access this new feature, go to your profile on Instagram. Click the menu. From there, you’ll click Settings, Account, and Account Status. On this page, it will show you whether or not you’ve posted something that would affect your account status, or prevent your content from being recommended to other users. If everything is in good shape, but you still aren’t seeing the results you’d like with your content, then it’s time to address if your content is just not resonating with people. Overall, this update is extremely helpful. Before this update, if someone let you know they weren’t seeing your content, or if you noticed in your Insights that your reach had dropped, you wouldn’t have known why. You may have assumed you were shadowbanned. This update dispels that myth and you’re able to find out the exact reason why your content may not be getting pushed out - or if you just need to improve your content.
***
📲CONNECT with Darla:
Darla’s Interior Design Website: https://darlapowell.com/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/darlapowellhome/
🏠FOLLOW Wingnut Social:
Website: http://www.wingnutsocial.com
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/WingnutSocial/
Twitter: https://twitter.com/wingnutsocial
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/wingnutsocial/
Wingnut Webinars: https://wingnutsocial.com/webinar
Get Wingnut Academy Updates: https://wingnutsocial.com/wingnut-academy/
🎧SUBSCRIBE to The Wingnut Social Podcast:
Apple Podcasts: https://apple.co/3RJzmtK
Google Podcasts: https://bit.ly/designedongooglepodcasts
TuneIn: https://bit.ly/designedontunein
YouTube: https://bit.ly/designedonyoutube
Wednesday Dec 14, 2022
Wednesday Dec 14, 2022
Are you getting burnt out by running a traditional interior design firm? Then check out this show with Alexis Peters - you just might change your business model. Today’s guest is Alexis Peters of “Home Styling by Alexis,” and we discuss the importance of offering virtual services to your clients, as well as the perks to becoming a completely remote interior designer.
Alexis Peters fundamentally believes that every single person on this planet deserves to live beautifully regardless of their income. Beauty & affordable go hand in hand in her book. Alexis' background as a production designer for feature films is where she learned how to stretch the dollar crazy far and the results were thrilling. Craving to help as many people as she could live beautifully, Alexis started an interior design business specializing in Virtual Design.
***
⭐️Alexis specializes in virtual design. She wanted to build a business where she could travel and be anywhere she wanted, yet still be making money. Coming from a film background, she transitioned into a design career after helping her mom redesign her home over FaceTime during the pandemic. She believes all businesses should offer virtual design to increase their sales. When you go digital, there are no limitations on who you can serve. Alexis started her business by reimagining spaces for locals, but realized she could access a wider clientele by designing via FaceTime or Zoom. This career choice still allows her to help others, but now she can embrace more free time and stay comfortable at home. Alexis describes this as, “I still get to have my life, and be creatively fulfilled and help people.”
⭐️Alexis fell in love with design as a child visiting one of her family member’s mansions. She felt so inspired by the gorgeous home that she would return to her house and rearrange furniture, artwork, and more. She learned that the way you arrange furniture in a space can be life-changing. Alexis felt she was able to recreate the magical feelings she felt in the mansion in her own home just by moving furniture around. She was able to create a new, safe, cozy feeling to her space with existing pieces. It inspired her current business in that she believes everyone deserves to live beautifully regardless of their budget.
⭐️When it comes to virtual design, you can offer many things: 3-D renderings, floor plans, and much more. No matter what you’re offering, Alexis believes a virtual aspect to your business is crucial. In our current society, more people are craving a virtual option. With virtual offerings, your business becomes more accessible and you expand your clientele.
***
📲CONNECT with Alexis:
Website: http://www.homestylingbyalexis.com/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/homestylingbyalexis/
📲CONNECT with Darla:
Darla’s Interior Design Website: https://darlapowell.com/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/darlapowellhome/
📚Resources & People Mentioned:
"Shantaram" by Gregory David Roberts
Photogrid: https://www.photogrid.app/en/
🏠FOLLOW Wingnut Social:
Website: http://www.wingnutsocial.com
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/WingnutSocial/
Twitter: https://twitter.com/wingnutsocial
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/wingnutsocial/
Wingnut Webinars: https://wingnutsocial.com/webinar
Get Wingnut Academy Updates: https://wingnutsocial.com/wingnut-academy/
🎧SUBSCRIBE to The Wingnut Social Podcast:
Apple Podcasts: https://apple.co/3RJzmtK
Google Podcasts: https://bit.ly/designedongooglepodcasts
TuneIn: https://bit.ly/designedontunein
YouTube: https://bit.ly/designedonyoutube
Monday Dec 12, 2022
Monday Dec 12, 2022
TikTok, Instagram, and Facebook: what’s the best content to post? On this episode of Mini News, Emily walks us through the transition from social media to entertainment media. When it comes to short form video content, why aren’t Instagram and Facebook as successful as TikTok? What type of content is most successful, and what is best for your audience? Find out on today's Mini News!
***
⭐️If you've been listening to the podcast for a while, then you know that video has been reigning king on social media, specifically short-form video. There's been a long-standing battle between Meta and TikTok, fighting for dominance of the social media space. However, TikTok doesn't consider itself a social media platform - it's branded as an entertainment app (or a media company that distributes content) similar to Netflix. The problem with Instagram and Facebook trying to push short-form entertainment videos is that their companies were built on the social graph. TikTok has always been an entertainment-first platform. Facebook was founded on social connections and maintaining relationships, so this transition has been difficult for them as their app really serves a much different purpose than entertainment.
⭐️Here at Wingnut, we've noticed a shift recently with some of our clients where Reels are not performing as well as they once did. We're seeing carousel posts and still images gaining traction again - not all hope is lost when it comes to photo content! However, this is why strategy is so important. When you have a strategy in place for your social media accounts, you know exactly what you need to be posting to better resonate with your audience. That's where we come in!
⭐️There's no hard and fast rule that says you should be only be posting entertainment video content. You should test different types of content and see what performs best. While Meta's algorithm is pushing video content, it will ultimately push what resonates most with your audience. Meta wants users to be spending the maximum amount of time on their platform, so they will push what your audience will engage with the most.
***
📲CONNECT with Darla:
Darla’s Interior Design Website: https://darlapowell.com/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/darlapowellhome/
🏠FOLLOW Wingnut Social:
Website: http://www.wingnutsocial.com
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/WingnutSocial/
Twitter: https://twitter.com/wingnutsocial
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/wingnutsocial/
Wingnut Webinars: https://wingnutsocial.com/webinar
Get Wingnut Academy Updates: https://wingnutsocial.com/wingnut-academy/
🎧SUBSCRIBE to The Wingnut Social Podcast:
Apple Podcasts: https://apple.co/3RJzmtK
Google Podcasts: https://bit.ly/designedongooglepodcasts
TuneIn: https://bit.ly/designedontunein
YouTube: https://bit.ly/designedonyoutube
Wednesday Dec 07, 2022
Wednesday Dec 07, 2022
Are you thinking of creating an online course? Guest Ariel Schiffer is the Founder of Dreampro, the first-choice course creation agency for entrepreneurs and small business owners - and she's also helping build a Wingnut Social course! Today, we discuss who should create a course, the potential of an online course, what goes into the course creation, common mistakes, and much more.
Ariel Schiffer is the Founder of Dreampro, the first-choice course creation agency for entrepreneurs and small business owners. She has over 10 years of experience working with Fortune 50 companies, non-profit organizations, small businesses, and private companies to develop their professional and leadership development programs. Her agency offers expertise in creating courses and programs with a mission to improve the quality of education and offerings in the online space.
***
⭐️Even as a DIY-er, you can still make a phenomenal course. It’s not about having all the bells and whistles, or crazy video editing. It’s about being extremely clear with potential course members and letting them know what they’ll get out of the course. A good course is designed based on the people who are taking it. When it comes to learning something new, it can be uncomfortable to step out of your comfort zone. To make this process easier for your course members, make your course something that really relates to their lifestyle. This will create a stronger connection with your course members as well.
⭐️When it comes to figuring out who exactly your course will help, and what it will help them do, get as specific as possible. Unless you have a massive audience or credibility, get as niche as possible in your digital offerings as it will allow you to market yourself even more. Listen to the noise - what are people sick of? What are they begging for? What are people constantly asking about? As much as we don’t like to be in the noise, listen to it! It will ultimately clue you in to what’s trending, and what people are craving right now. Once you figure this out, you’ll be able to offer something really valuable and help your learners overcome something they’re currently struggling with.
***
📲CONNECT with Ariel:
Website: https://dreamprocourses.com/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/dreamprocourses/
📲CONNECT with Darla:
Darla’s Interior Design Website: https://darlapowell.com/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/darlapowellhome/
📚Resources & People Mentioned:
"Built to Sell: Creating a Business That Can Thrive Without You" by John Warrillow
🏠FOLLOW Wingnut Social:
Website: http://www.wingnutsocial.com
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/WingnutSocial/
Twitter: https://twitter.com/wingnutsocial
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/wingnutsocial/
Wingnut Webinars: https://wingnutsocial.com/webinar
Get Wingnut Academy Updates: https://wingnutsocial.com/wingnut-academy/
🎧SUBSCRIBE to The Wingnut Social Podcast:
Apple Podcasts: https://apple.co/3RJzmtK
Google Podcasts: https://bit.ly/designedongooglepodcasts
TuneIn: https://bit.ly/designedontunein
YouTube: https://bit.ly/designedonyoutube
Monday Dec 05, 2022
Monday Dec 05, 2022
On this week’s Mini News sesh, Emily and Lilah discuss YouTube Shorts. Do Shorts really matter? How do Shorts impact your YouTube channel as a whole? If you’re already posting on TikTok and Instagram, do you need to post YouTube Shorts as well? Watch this video and find out!
***
⭐️Did you know that 75% of YouTube users engage with Shorts in some form? 70% of web users regularly watch short-form video. This being said, Shorts are definitely a rising competitor to TikTok and Instagram Reels. If you're a YouTube user, you should be using Shorts, too. In the last month, 74.4% of YouTube viewers that have found our channel (Wingnut Social) discovered it via their Shorts feed.
⭐️YouTube is testing new monetization options, including product tagging, which will be similar to Instagram and TikTok. What does this mean for interior designers, architects, and home brands? Well, you'll be able to tag your products in your Shorts!
⭐️If you're already creating videos for TikTok and Instagram, upload them to YouTube as well. You'll be getting even more value out of your effort. Videos under 60 seconds will automatically be shared as Shorts, similar to how videos on Instagram are automatically shared as Reels. If you also create long-form content, your Shorts can help users discover those longer videos. Here's a tip for your Shorts: YouTube is very SEO-heavy, meaning keywords in your video titles and descriptions are super important. Your Shorts "captions" are going to look different from an Instagram Reel or TikTok caption, which are more reliant on hashtags.
***
📲CONNECT with Darla:
Darla’s Interior Design Website: https://darlapowell.com/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/darlapowellhome/
🏠FOLLOW Wingnut Social:
Website: http://www.wingnutsocial.com
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/WingnutSocial/
Twitter: https://twitter.com/wingnutsocial
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/wingnutsocial/
Wingnut Webinars: https://wingnutsocial.com/webinar
Get Wingnut Academy Updates: https://wingnutsocial.com/wingnut-academy/
🎧SUBSCRIBE to The Wingnut Social Podcast:
Apple Podcasts: https://apple.co/3RJzmtK
Google Podcasts: https://bit.ly/designedongooglepodcasts
TuneIn: https://bit.ly/designedontunein
YouTube: https://bit.ly/designedonyoutube
Wednesday Nov 30, 2022
Wednesday Nov 30, 2022
Are you thinking about transitioning from a staging business to a full-service interior design firm? Watch this video! Katie and Olivia of Hearth Homes Interiors started as a staging company and found success, but they decided they wanted to pivot and go all-in as a design firm. Today, they walk us through what led them to that decision, as well as how they navigated the transition.
Hearth Homes Interiors is a Santa Barbara design firm owned by two sisters-in-law, Katie Labourdette-Martinez and Olivia Wahler. After starting as a staging company and finding success, they decided they wanted to pivot and go all-in as a design firm. Their work reflects that highly-coveted, quintessential Santa Barbara style—refined and timeless, approachable, livable, and filled with organic textures and layers.
***
⭐️Are you a new designer or decorator entering the industry, but you’re not quite sure whether you’d like to do staging or design? Staging is an incredibly necessary service, especially for the real estate market, but it can require a lot of logistics. You’ll occasionally be met with long-term homeowners that may be uncomfortable seeing new furniture in their home, or are upset that they have to put their personal identifying items away. However, this needs to be done because staging has to appeal to the masses - it needs to be visually appealing to the most amount of people possible. With design, you can be more specific to the person that will be living in the space. You can give a different sort of flair to design that you cannot with staging. Olivia says designing a house for a family to live in is extremely gratifying; she loves designing it to their lifestyle and creating a space that’s going to comfort them and make them happy.
⭐️When it comes to staging, you need to be able to plan out your finances. Having inventory and storing that inventory can get really expensive - consequently, staging is a business where people are often breaking even. You have to be very strategic if you want to make staging a profitable business. You also need to be aware of how the market is doing in order to price your business appropriately. You can dip your toes in the water (without the financial risk) by redesigning existing spaces and freshening up what people already have. Do you really need to have your own inventory for staging? There are business models where you could rent your furniture, however, it’s a trade off as it may compromise your overall furniture selection.
⭐️Is staging or design more lucrative? For Hearth Homes Interiors, staging had a cap - they only had so much warehouse space and inventory, so they couldn’t stage an endless amount of homes. Additionally, during slower months as well as the pandemic, the market became unpredictable. The status of the market is a big part of staging overall. With design, Hearth Homes found that there was a lot more potential to make more money, and the market has less of an impact since it’s a luxury service.
***
📲CONNECT with Katie & Olivia:
Website: https://www.hearthhomesinteriors.com/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/hearthhomesinteriors/
TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@hearthhomes
📲CONNECT with Darla:
Darla’s Interior Design Website: https://darlapowell.com/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/darlapowellhome/
📚Resources & People Mentioned:
"Night Road" by Kristin Hannah
"The Alice Network" Kate Quinn
🏠FOLLOW Wingnut Social:
Website: http://www.wingnutsocial.com
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/WingnutSocial/
Twitter: https://twitter.com/wingnutsocial
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/wingnutsocial/
Wingnut Webinars: https://wingnutsocial.com/webinar
Get Wingnut Academy Updates: https://wingnutsocial.com/wingnut-academy/
🎧SUBSCRIBE to The Wingnut Social Podcast:
Apple Podcasts: https://apple.co/3RJzmtK
Google Podcasts: https://bit.ly/designedongooglepodcasts
TuneIn: https://bit.ly/designedontunein
YouTube: https://bit.ly/designedonyoutube
Monday Nov 28, 2022
Monday Nov 28, 2022
Are you an interior designer about to make a TikTok account and you're looking for tips? OR are you an interior designer who thinks TikTok is just a silly app for kids? Either way, we're here to help! Since TikTok just replaced Netflix as the most popular app for people under 35, Gavin (SEO Manager) is here to share some tips on joining TikTok as an interior designer and the benefits of catering to a younger audience.
***
⭐️TikTok just replaced Netflix as the most popular app - not just for kids, but for people under 35. This can be pretty surprising as I’m sure many of us view TikTok as something for kids, or that it’s not a professional space. However, the data shows that this is quickly changing. When you’re thinking about where you want to invest your time and limited amount of resources, you aren’t typically prioritizing younger audiences. However, Gen Z is poised to become one of the wealthiest generations of all time - the average age of people with a $25M net worth is age 45 and above. As an interior designer, if you’re looking to target even the $5-10M range, oddly enough, it could be within the 20-35 year old bracket. These younger generations are developing a higher level of wealth but are a relatively untapped market for interior designers.
⭐️What kind of content should interior designers make on TikTok? Firstly, if you have products you can sell, you can now sell them within the TikTok app and reach more people faster. As social media apps roll out new features, they typically reward early users by pushing your content out more, since it’s ultimately in their best financial interest to showcase new features. But what should the videos even be about? You don’t have to go on TikTok and do silly dances. Shift your perspective and consider this…TikTok can take the weight of professionalism off your shoulders and allow you to be a bit more lighthearted and showcase your personality. Try looking at TikTok as something more “freeing” rather than silly. If you have a staff or team working on projects with you, you can also have them create videos to demonstrate a day-in-the-life at your business. You can also show your design work through TikTok. You can use trending audio and sounds to create a fun video clip, like room transformations, which do really well on TikTok. Take a before and after video, with a little bit of your work in between, add some audio, and post away!
⭐️Have you been really resistant to join TikTok? If you’re an interior designer listening to this right now, you’re going to realize TikTok isn’t just for kids - whether you realize that now and can take advantage of that, or you realize it once someone else has done it. It’s important to get on TikTok as soon as you can because you will see an advantage. TikTok is working to gain more users of older generations as well, so if you fall into that category, you may find your content getting pushed harder in the algorithm. It is financially beneficial for TikTok to push that content to help reach older demographics.
***
📲CONNECT with Darla:
Darla’s Interior Design Website: https://darlapowell.com/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/darlapowellhome/
🏠FOLLOW Wingnut Social:
Website: http://www.wingnutsocial.com
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/WingnutSocial/
Twitter: https://twitter.com/wingnutsocial
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/wingnutsocial/
Wingnut Webinars: https://wingnutsocial.com/webinar
Get Wingnut Academy Updates: https://wingnutsocial.com/wingnut-academy/
🎧SUBSCRIBE to The Wingnut Social Podcast:
Apple Podcasts: https://apple.co/3RJzmtK
Google Podcasts: https://bit.ly/designedongooglepodcasts
TuneIn: https://bit.ly/designedontunein
YouTube: https://bit.ly/designedonyoutube
Wednesday Nov 23, 2022
Wednesday Nov 23, 2022
How much should I pay myself as an interior design business owner? Do I need to have a million-dollar business to be a millionaire? And what does profit-first mean? Tara Newman is here to help you calculate your revenue goal, figure out how much you should be charging for your services, and learn what percentage you should be paying yourself as the business owner.
Tara Newman is the Founder and CEO of The Bold Profit Academy where she teaches service-based business owners how to sell premium services and programs without the emotional stress of launching, worrying about ads, overwhelming social strategies or complex funnels.Tara hosts a weekly podcast called The Bold Money Revolution and has been featured in publications like Money Magazine, Yahoo Finance, and Huffington Post as well as other publications and podcasts.
***
⭐️Tara says that $250,000 per year is what allows you to pay yourself $10,000 a month. It’s not necessarily a factor of whether we should be looking things at an annual basis or monthly basis. Tara works with many business owners, particularly established female experts running service-based businesses. One of the big moments for these women who are experts at what they do, but not necessarily experts at business when they get started, is when they realize they need to replace their traditional salary (which is often around 6 figures). Tara says if you want to be paying yourself $100,000 a year, you need to have business revenue in excess of $250,000 a year. If you’re running a business bringing in $250,000 or less in revenue, in profit-first theory, you should be able to pay yourself 50% of that revenue.
⭐️When you’re scaling your business and hiring employees, how do you keep on track with paying yourself adequately within the profit-first formula? As business owners, it’s important to get into a habit of asking yourself, “How can I simplify?” Ask yourself these questions on a weekly basis: What can I delete? What isn’t adding any value to my customer experience? Tara says if it’s not adding to your customer experience, then it’s not adding value to you in the long run. Another thing to ask yourself is what you can automate. There are some great technological options and simple tools that allow businesses to automate more and still maintain a high-touch business. Tara finds that many business owners don’t understand their operation well enough, and they just start hiring employees because they feel overwhelmed. Instead, Tara recommends you stop and check in on how to reduce the overwhelm not necessarily through adding a person. Can better boundaries be established? Is there some clarity we can have around our process? These things need to be addressed before scaling, otherwise you run the risk of complicating your process in a costly way. The ultimate goal of scaling is to increase revenue without adding equal amounts of expense.
⭐️How do you know if you’re charging enough for your services, and how do you find out your goal revenue? We all have our own magic number that we need to hit based on our personal financial goals and situation. Tara created a revenue goal calculator that allows you to reverse-engineer your particular needs. When using the calculator, you’ll put in your personal financial needs and then it will calculate what revenue goal you need to hit in order to pay yourself. Check out the revenue goal calculator at theboldleadershiprevolution.com/revenue.
***
📲CONNECT with Tara:
Website: https://theboldleadershiprevolution.com/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/thetaranewman/
📲CONNECT with Darla:
Darla’s Interior Design Website: https://darlapowell.com/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/darlapowellhome/
📚Resources & People Mentioned:
"Bittersweet: How Sorrow and Longing Make Us Whole" by Susan Cain
Revenue Goal Calculator: https://theboldleadershiprevolution.com/revenue-goal-calculator/
🏠FOLLOW Wingnut Social:
Website: http://www.wingnutsocial.com
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/WingnutSocial/
Twitter: https://twitter.com/wingnutsocial
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/wingnutsocial/
Wingnut Webinars: https://wingnutsocial.com/webinar
Get Wingnut Academy Updates: https://wingnutsocial.com/wingnut-academy/
🎧SUBSCRIBE to The Wingnut Social Podcast:
Apple Podcasts: https://apple.co/3RJzmtK
Google Podcasts: https://bit.ly/designedongooglepodcasts
TuneIn: https://bit.ly/designedontunein
YouTube: https://bit.ly/designedonyoutube
Monday Nov 21, 2022
Monday Nov 21, 2022
Did you know that you can now shop on TikTok? TikTok has a new e-commerce feature, similar to Instagram shopping. TikTok shopping is currently being tested with big brands like Amazon, Target, and more, but it will be rolled out to smaller creators and influencers as well. Meanwhile, Myspace makes a comeback through a new Instagram feature that allows you to add music to your feed posts.
***
⭐️There may be some of you interior designers out there rolling your eyes when you hear the word TikTok. However, we’ve seen some big brands, real estate agents, and designers take TikTok by storm. There’s a big opportunity for TikTok to be a key extension of your brand. TikTok helps interior design feel more accessible to new users and viewers. Whether you like TikTok or not, this Mini News is for you, because TikTok is in the process of launching their in-app e-commerce in the United States. It’s been out in the UK for a bit, but now it’s moving to the US. Think of it like Instagram shopping, but on TikTok! Right now, it’s only available to bigger brands like Amazon, Target, and others, but eventually they’re hoping to roll it out to the smaller creators and influencers. Abby suspects there will be a follower count requirement, based on the fact that you can’t have direct links in your bio on TikTok unless you have at least a thousand followers. After this initial testing with bigger brands is complete, smaller accounts should have access to it as well. We’re on TikTok @wingnutsocial - give us a follow!
⭐️TikTok tips: We’ve experienced that “talking head” videos aren’t getting us much traction as more original, creative content. It can seem very random what takes off, but from our experience, aesthetically pleasing videos tend to do better, plus videos that use trending audios. Spend 10 minutes a day scrolling through TikTok and if you hear the same audio more than once, try using that audio and see how your video does!
⭐️You might have seen this in your feed over the last few days - Instagram has added the capability to add music to your static feed posts. When you’re composing your feed post, there’s an option before hitting share that says “Add music” and you can add 5 to 90 seconds of a song of your choosing to your post. This doesn’t mean that you can skip out on Reels. These are still considered static images. Using this new tool may boost you slightly in the algorithm since they’ve been pushing this feature. Instagram typically rewards users that test their new features. This new feature could also help convey more emotion through your posts to connect with your followers in a new way.
***
📲CONNECT with Darla:
Darla’s Interior Design Website: https://darlapowell.com/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/darlapowellhome/
🏠FOLLOW Wingnut Social:
Website: http://www.wingnutsocial.com
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/WingnutSocial/
Twitter: https://twitter.com/wingnutsocial
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/wingnutsocial/
Wingnut Webinars: https://wingnutsocial.com/webinar
Get Wingnut Academy Updates: https://wingnutsocial.com/wingnut-academy/
🎧SUBSCRIBE to The Wingnut Social Podcast:
Apple Podcasts: https://apple.co/3RJzmtK
Google Podcasts: https://bit.ly/designedongooglepodcasts
TuneIn: https://bit.ly/designedontunein YouTube: https://bit.ly/designedonyoutube
Wednesday Nov 16, 2022
Wednesday Nov 16, 2022
How do you get that elusive budget from your interior design clients? Stick around and find out! On today’s show, we’re discussing client communication and transparency. Guest Hilaire Pickett-Martin is here to tell us to not shy away from answering (and asking) the tough questions with your interior design clients - plus how to ask your interior design clients for their budget!
Hilaire Pickett-Martin grew up (quite literally) in the business. She is a graduate of Elon University. Hilaire handles Design Lines’ communications, and applies her enthusiasm and passion to promoting the firm. She also oversees all the accounting and day-to-day operations. Hilaire uses her inborn knowledge of the business to pitch in wherever she can. Outside of the business, her favorite vacation spot is Whistler, British Columbia, and she recently learned to wakeboard and snowboard.
***
⭐️Hilaire says transparency starts at the first meeting with your client. It’s important to really listen to your client and understand their challenges. What does your client ultimately want? Use your first meeting to get to the bottom of their goal. Hilaire sets expectations along the way, even in the initial design presentation. She may show her clients design choices that have big lead times; she makes sure to articulate these timelines to her clients. She also tries to get a sense of the client’s budget and timeframe (even if it’s a range) to make sure they align with her vision. Hilaire is very authentic in her conversation with her clients, being fully honest if she doesn’t think something can be accomplished within their budget and timeframe.
⭐️How do you get your client to tell you their budget? There are several different approaches. If your clients have a number but are just hesitant to share it, Hilaire recommends asking for a range - “give us a high, give us a low.” Another approach is to identify pieces within the space that the clients are willing to spend money on. You can find a budget range by value engineering specific pieces. Value engineering is a fancy way of saying “working within a budget.” There are 3 things you can have - price, function, or quality - but you can’t always have all 3. You might have to sacrifice one or the other. If you value engineer the price of an item, you may not have the best quality. At the end of the day, you have to pick what’s important and what you want to spend the money on.
⭐️Being transparent during the final steps of the design process is just as important as being upfront in the beginning. So you’ve procured furniture and it’s on purchase order - having open communication about delivery is crucial. Obviously there has been a huge amount of pressure on expediting over the past few years due to supply chain issues. Hilaire is very open about deliveries, letting her clients know that the timelines and delivery dates are subject to change. She feels people have been relatively understanding of these delays coming out of a pandemic. Additionally, Hilaire and her team are present for every install. They make sure everything comes off the truck in great condition, and if they’re not, they let the client know and work towards repairs or returns. Lastly, they communicate with their clients at the very end of the process upon invoicing.
***
📲CONNECT with Hilaire:
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/designlinessignature/
Website: https://designlinesltd.com/
📲CONNECT with Darla:
Darla’s Interior Design Website: https://darlapowell.com/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/darlapowellhome/
📚Resources & People Mentioned:
"Feeding the Soul" by Tabitha Brown
🏠FOLLOW Wingnut Social:
Website: http://www.wingnutsocial.com
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/WingnutSocial/
Twitter: https://twitter.com/wingnutsocial
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/wingnutsocial/
Wingnut Webinars: https://wingnutsocial.com/webinar
Get Wingnut Academy Updates: https://wingnutsocial.com/wingnut-academy/
🎧SUBSCRIBE to The Wingnut Social Podcast:
Apple Podcasts: https://apple.co/3RJzmtK
Google Podcasts: https://bit.ly/designedongooglepodcasts
TuneIn: https://bit.ly/designedontunein YouTube: https://bit.ly/designedonyoutube