Interior Design Marketing: You Don’t Have to Be Everywhere - Use This Filter Instead

Marketing can feel overwhelming at every stage of your business.

Whether you’re just starting out or looking to level up, it’s easy to assume you need to be everywhere - Instagram, LinkedIn, TikTok, Pinterest, email marketing, local networking, maybe even chasing PR or building a newsletter.

You see what others are doing, and rather than feeling inspired, you feel scattered. Worse, you may be putting in effort with no visible result - and wonder if it’s even working.

Here’s the thing:

You don’t need to be everywhere. You just need to be in the right places - for your business, your audience, and your stage of growth.

Let’s Bust Two Myths

1. “I should be on all the platforms.”

No. Your marketing should match your audience, your strengths, and your natural way of showing up. Being on every channel leads to paralysis or burnout, not better business.

2. “If I don’t get fast results, it’s not working.”

Also no. Most marketing is a slow build. The results often appear many months after the work - a post you nearly didn’t share, a connection you made at an event, a quiet follower who’s been watching for six months before they finally reach out.

⚡️Consistency is what compounds.

So What Should You Focus On?

To help answer that, I’ve created a tool:

The Marketing Focus Filter — a way to simplify your strategy and clarify your priorities.

It works by asking three simple questions:

 Filter 1: Who Are You Trying to Reach?

Are your ideal clients:

• Private residential clients (B2C - Business to Consumer), or
• Architects, developers, commercial clients (B2B - Business to Business) 

This first filter helps determine your core platform.

B2C clients tend to discover you on visual platforms like Instagram or Pinterest.

B2B clients are more likely to be on professional platforms like LinkedIn or to connect through reputation and networks.

Filter 2: What Kind of Thinkers Are They?

Are your dream clients:

• Analytical (structured, logic-driven, evidence-seeking)?
• Creative (emotional, intuitive, visually-led)?

Think of it as “left-brain” vs. “right-brain” – not scientifically accurate, but a helpful shorthand. Here are some (with apologies) stereotypes: 

• An investment banker might look for case studies, testimonials, credentials, and a polished, professional tone.
• A film producer might be drawn in by storytelling, mood boards, or your instinctive sense of style.

This second filter shapes your tone of voice, and even your platform focus.

If your clients are analytical professionals, LinkedIn may be their native social platform - even if they’re homeowners.

If they’re creatives or highly visual, Instagram or Pinterest is where they’re more likely to browse and be inspired - even if they are commercial clients.

Filter 3: Where Are You Based?

Do the majority of your clients come from:

• A major city with a transient population, a place where you have many competitors?
• A smaller town or rural community where word-of-mouth travels, and people stay put?

This filter affects the power of local networking.

In big cities, digital presence matters more.

In stable communities, attending events, meeting people, and becoming part of the local landscape can outperform social media.

 Finally: What Tier Are You In?

Using my Business Growth Framework™️:

• Tier 1–2 (Startup, and Growing Pains): You need visibility. The focus is on being discoverable, approachable, and clear about what you offer.
• Tier 3–4 (Maturity, and Stardom): You’re building authority. You want to elevate your brand, speak with confidence, and attract your ideal projects.

This final filter tells you how sophisticated your marketing needs to be, and which strategies are worth your time right now.

If you'd like to benchmark the development stage of your business, you'll find the Business Growth Framework™️ tiers document in the Hothouse group, look under the 'Files' tab at the top of the group. 

Your Marketing Focus in Practice

Once you’ve filtered through these four layers - Audience / Mindset / Location / Growth Tier - you’ll find that only a handful of strategies emerge as leading options for your business.

For example:

A designer working B2B (with commercial clients), analytical souls, in an urban setting, at Tier 3 might focus on:

→ LinkedIn thought leadership, a credentials-focused website, speaking engagements, industry PR.

A designer working B2C (with residential clients), creative souls, in a rural community, at Tier 1 might focus on:

→ Instagram for reach, community networking, and strong local word-of-mouth.

And if you’re somewhere in between? Don’t spread yourself too thin, pick a manageable selection of activities and stick to them - this framework is here to help you decide what fits you best...can you see a direction that looks a better bet for your and the clients you want to attract?

Want to chat it through?

Drop your dilemma in the Hothouse group and I’ll discuss it with you!  

✨ Your Pre-Brainstorm Homework

Before our Marketing Brainstorming session (find the link in the Hothouse group) on Tuesday 12 August, 2025, at 10.30am, take 10 minutes to ask yourself:

1. Who do I actually want to work with?
2. What kind of content would attract them?
3. Where do they hang out online - and in real life?
4. What stage is my business at?

We’ll use these reflections as fuel to narrow your focus, sharpen your message, and free you from the idea that you have to be everywhere, doing it all.

Because you don’t.

You just have to do the right things - for your business.