How designers can monetize their social media channels
AD: How can you monetize your social media accounts (i.e., creator funds, ads/brand partnerships, affiliate marketing etc.)?
Reena: There are a number of ways that creatives can monetize their social accounts:
Take the mindset of an influencer and approach brands for content creator partnerships or brand ambassadorships. If a brand's products are often used in your work and consistently have helped bring your vision to light, connect with them directly and inquire about content creation partnerships or offering your followers a commissionable discount on those products. Working on the brand side, I can say that most have budgets for content creators these days, and few in the decor and design category are actually more influential than interior designers. It never hurts to make the introduction and establish that relationship!
We can shop products without leaving Instagram, why not give your audience the chance to shop for time with you, too? I love the idea of giving your followers micro-access to you at a micro-cost. Add a link to your profile for folks to book a 'design discovery' call where you can help them knockout a design dilemma in their home in 15, 30, or 60 minutes. Intro.co has built an entire platform off this model, but you can easily replicate it with Calendly and a Paypal link!
AD: What benefits are there to being on social media besides creating a virtual portfolio to attract potential clients?
Reena: Social media lends itself to being a very effective tool for designers to share their portfolio online. After all, being in a creative field – particularly one which is visual – makes designers in a very fortunate place when it comes to content creation. If you're already photographing your spaces for your portfolio, share them on your social media too, right? Easy breezy!
Not so fast. That strategy alone worked well up until about 2016, but Stories and Snapchat changed everything around that time. Since then, audiences are looking for a mix of bookmark-worthy content on the feed and less-polished, more authentic content on Stories. While developing a new content type (Smartphone video in addition to professional photography) does bring on more work, the benefits to design and architectural clients are easily realized. In most cases, your designs are communicating in photography, but through Stories and videos, you get to be the face and voice of your brand. This helps deepen connections with your followers, which is more effective when paired with your portfolio, rather than just exhibiting your portfolio alone.
Bringing people into your process and going behind-the-scenes is one benefit, but the same thing goes the other way. When you can peek into people's lives and see what their design pain points are, you or your team can jump in and offer solutions on the go. Content sharing is just one part of the social media game – there's another boatload of value in engaging on other people's channels, too!
AD: What should designers/architects be doing on social media that they might not be doing yet?
Reena: Something that designers and architects should consider doing on social media that they may not have done yet is lean in (far!) into motion video content – that includes TikToks and Reels, in addition to Stories. Instagram announced a few months ago that the content-sharing platform was no longer considering itself to be photo-first, and it's since been no surprise that the most impactful way to drive your engagement and grow your audience has come through consistently sharing content through Reels, not just photos. I like to consider a static feed as a great place for that portfolio presentation, but with video, your audience can really get to know more about you and your work. What does it feel like to work with you, not just what it looks like. There is a huge opportunity there to deeply connect with your community.
That said, whether via Reels or photos, also make sure you are taking extra care with your captions. It's an outdated assumption that people just scroll on social media and don't want to read captions. In fact, research suggests that social storytelling drives deeper engagement with your audience. Every room, every design, every client has a story to tell. To really connect with your followers, bring them into the process with you and share some of that story. Afterall, if you're working to grow your audience, what is the point if they are not sticking around?
The other thing that designers and architects should be integrating into their overall social media strategy is accessibility. People follow brands for many reasons, but they stick around for three: to be educated, to be informed, and to be entertained or inspired.
If you're going to show up for your audience on Instagram by sharing dazzling content and portfolio highlights as inspiration, you need to also show up to answer your audience's questions, educate them, as well as inform them. Ask yourself how you're adding value to their lives. Inspiration is great, but why stop there? If you can help someone transition their inspiration into action or activism, that's how you know you've really made an impact.
