TikTok for Interior Designers

Aug 15

The interior design industry is made up of micro-businesses & sole proprietorships. While being a micro business means that designers don’t have a giant marketing budget & need to rely on word of mouth & social media to build their brand & introduce themselves to potential clients.

Thanks to TikTok’s rapid growth & ability to turn “normal people” into social media influencers, TikTok is a no-brainer for interior designers who want to build their brand via social media in 2022 & beyond.

But...TikTok is not like the older social media platforms - Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, Youtube & Pinterest.

That’s why I asked Samantha (Ko) Vlasceanu - TikTok Coach extraordinaire to share her expertise with interior designers looking to level up their TikTok game. Here’s our chat…

Douglas Robb - Interior Designher: Why should interior designers be on TikTok?

Samantha (Ko) Vlasceanu - TikTok Coach: Where do I begin?

You have the opportunity to jump on with the first-movers advantage before every other interior designer. Think about IG when it first launched in 2009 and now look what it has become. TikTok is where IG was back in 2009.
Your demographics are on TikTok AND they can afford your high ticketed services
Video marketing is where you need to be at (even IG’s CEO mentioned they’re moving away from static posts)
The reach is greater on TikTok than on other platforms
Your audience wants authenticity more nowadays than ever before.

Douglas Robb - Interior Designher: How does TikTok compare to Instagram?

Samantha (Ko) Vlasceanu - TikTok Coach: The main difference between TikTok and Instagram is the algorithm.

In the diagram below, you can see how Instagram works. If you would decide to post three times in one day, those posts are sent out to the same 20% to 30% of your followers over and over again. This means it'll get sent out to your friends or family or other entrepreneurs you engage with on this platform. And that is why it is so hard to grow on IG. Unless you are creating a lot of SHAREABLE content for others to be specifically looking for you.

With TikTok, if you decide to post three times in one day, it actually gets sent out to three different groups of people. These three different groups of people will be made up of:

33% your followers,
33% people in your local area, and
33% people who the algorithm has identified to be most likely to engage with your content.

Every single time you post, you reach a whole new ideal audience that could be potential clients. That type of ORGANIC reach has never been seen before unless you were willing to pay thousands of dollars for ads / boosting.

Douglas Robb - Interior Designher: Should designers use TikTok as a brand-building tool OR do you think TikTok can be used to direct potential clients to a website, email address, etc?

Samantha (Ko) Vlasceanu - TikTok Coach: All social media platforms should be seen as a marketing tool first, realizing that you need to deliver value before you can ask your audience to start clicking links or booking a call with you. With social media, you should always use the 70/30 rule of business.

70% of our content is nurturing or adding value for the audience, and
30% is about yourself, your services or products etc.

The way you should use TikTok is by showing up as an expert in your field and as a thought leader by providing educational content to teach your audience 1/10 of your knowledge. And make it all related to what you do or sell.

Douglas Robb - Interior Designher: Do you need to be a big-name influencer to be successful in building a brand on TikTok?

Samantha (Ko) Vlasceanu - TikTok Coach: Absolutely not.

The beauty of TikTok is whether you have zero followers or 1 million followers, every single video gets tested with a small group of audience to see if there’s interest. Based on performance metrics, TikTok will decide whether it should move up to the next size of audiences. TikTok was built on the idea of the American dream - it doesn't matter how many followers you have, everyone has an equal chance of success on TikTok.

I've personally helped accounts go from zero followers to over 500K in just three months. If you have valuable content to share, and the right strategies to go along with it, get on TikTok NOW!

Douglas Robb - Interior Designher: Is there a "best way" for interior designers to set up their TikTok profile? Does profile even matter on TikTok?

Samantha (Ko) Vlasceanu - TikTok Coach: Here are three ways to get started with TikTok:

First, I want you to do your research and absorb content. The reason why this is so important is that you want TikTok to know exactly what you want to see and so that your content is going out to your right niche of audience. So, try to avoid anything that's of personal interest to you but is very different from your business.

For example, if you love knitting videos, but your business has nothing to do with knitting, don't watch knitting videos on your business TikTok account. You don’t want your business content going out to knitters who won’t resonate with your business videos.

The second thing I want you to do is to optimize your bio. Your bio is your resume on TikTok similar to how Instagram has its bio. Include the following in your bio:

Who you are and who you serve
What content people can expect on your account
A Call-to-action you want people to take whether it's to follow you for more, download your free template or book a discovery call with you. Give permission for your audience to contact you somehow.

The third thing to do with TikTok is to develop your strategy. Before posting, think of these four questions.

Who's this video for?
Am I adding value for my audience?
Is it on-brand with my business?
Is this self-serving or user-focused? Remember your hero in your content is not you or your services or products… it's your audience!

Douglas Robb - Interior Designher: Is there a “best way” for interior designers to share on TikTok?

TikTok is full of uber-creative users...and interior designers are creative by nature & in their work...BUT my concern (possibly unfounded) is how a designer’s real-world brand is best communicated on TikTok. On IG, beautiful pictures of a home reno showcase the business to great effect. TikTok seems way more playful & fun...and I wonder how we blend the fun world of TikTok with a dignified, classy & a pretty darn expensive service like interior design?

Samantha (Ko) Vlasceanu - TikTok Coach: Listen, I get it. Instagram is full of beautiful pictures of what you do for your clients, but don't underestimate TikTok for being only just for fun or playful. Remember, at the end of the day, people like posts but people will share videos. That is why video has about an 88% higher conversion rate than any other medium platform.

Start off simple on TikTok.

Begin with your top ten FAQs you get asked by your audience on a daily basis as this shows you as an industry expert first.
Answer questions like “when should you know it’s time to renovate or rebuild a home”, or
How to organize your kitchen, or
Biggest mistakes most people make when moving into their homes, or
Why x products aren’t actually great when designing your rooms, or
What do interior designers actually do, or
How to elevate the value of your home.

These are simple questions (you know the answer to) that your audience might not know and will find interesting to know more about.

Douglas Robb - Interior Designher: As a TikTok coach, what do you do for your clients?

Samantha (Ko) Vlasceanu - TikTok Coach: I help my clients not only understand how to use TikTok but how to implement strategies that help them convert their followers and viewers into actual paying clients using TikTok.

I love working with businesses that see themselves as thought leaders; whether they're in a service industry or a product-based industry.
I love working with clients who are tired of shouting in the same crowded space on other platforms and ready to try something new to help them grow their business.

Because of what I do, I have clients that are now making $1K, $5K, $10K and even $20K EXTRA just coming directly from TikTok. So if you’re ready for serious growth, you need to be on TikTok for your business!

Douglas Robb - Interior Designher: Can you describe how your Group Coaching works for interior designers?

Samantha (Ko) Vlasceanu - TikTok Coach: Oh, I absolutely love love love my group coaching program because I get to work with such a diverse group of women entrepreneurs that support each other and keep each other accountable throughout their TikTok journey. It's a 90-day program that meets bi-weekly and we cover my signature 4 phrase program.

Understanding TikTok & How to use it
Clarity on who we’re targeting and how to find our dream clients
Attracting our Audience through engaging videos
Having the right conversion systems in place to make mo’ money

Most of my group clients make back their ROI by 3-5X and then some.

Douglas Robb - Interior Designher: What about your VIP 1 on 1 package?

Samantha (Ko) Vlasceanu - TikTok Coach: My one-on-one programs are designed for entrepreneurs that want full focus only on their business, their goals and the current challenges they’re facing. We work around your schedule and you get tailored advice specifically to help you grow your business. This program is designed usually for my entrepreneurs making 6 figures and ready to level up to 7 figures.

Most of my private clients make back 6-20X their ROI spend with me and then some.

Douglas Robb - Interior Designher: What do you wish interior designers knew about TikTok?

Samantha (Ko) Vlasceanu - TikTok Coach: It’s not just for kids and no dancing is required. Your demographic is on TikTok and they have disposable income to spend on your high-ticketed services.

TikTok has been downloaded over 3 BILLION times now, and has over 400 MILLION active users over the age of 30, spending 82 mins a day on the platform. This is your demographic that is currently watching other people’s content and not yours right now…and we need to change that TODAY.

That same demographic is on FB for 33 mins/day, IG for 28 mins/day, LinkedIn 7 mins/day…but TikTok 82 mins per day. Why? People like posts, but people will share videos. Video brings on more authenticity than you can see through a static post. Video helps your audience retain more key information, and video humanizes your brand for your audience.

Douglas Robb - Interior Designher: What do some interior designers get right about TikTok? What do most interior designers get wrong about TikTok?

Samantha (Ko) Vlasceanu - TikTok Coach: I think because most interior designers are such perfectionists (really who isn’t?), that they hold back on posting great content because it wasn’t “perfect”.

The less perfect you are on TikTok, the better you normally do. This isn’t IG where it’s a digital magazine of your brand.

Remember this one motto to apply to your TikTok videos (or any part of your business). MVP. MVP stands for minimal viable product, meaning you should aim for done and not perfect. Get it to 60% of what you expected and test the demand out first, before investing too much time and money into ANYTHING. And this includes your first TikTok video.

Trust me guys, video marketing is a trained skill that needs practice. Your first video will be cringe-worthy, and that’s okay! Mine definitely was (go see for yourself and I was dancing too).

What I do love about interior designers' videos on TikTok is that you can show either visual physical designs or just speak to the camera. You have more versatility to be creative with your TikTok videos than say a coach who doesn’t have a physical product to show. Attack TikTok from various angles to keep it diverse and interesting for your audience.

Douglas Robb - Interior Designher: What should I be looking for before hiring a TikTok Coach?

Samantha (Ko) Vlasceanu - TikTok Coach: Find a TikTok Coach that understands where you are at, your goals and one that specializes in working with businesses. Many are out there working with influencers and content creators, so their strategies are built differently, focusing more on vanity metrics.

You need one who understands how to not only grow your account, but convert the followers into actual dream clients you want. I think that is what separated me from others as I used to be in management consulting and understand strategy and execution for business/brands.

Douglas Robb - Interior Designher: How often does the TikTok algorithm change? How big an impact do algorithm updates have on marketing with TikTok?

Samantha (Ko) Vlasceanu - TikTok Coach: Algorithms will always change for platforms. That’s why you need a long-term strategy and not just a short-term one with quick hacks that disappears on the next update. No matter what the next algorithm update change will be, you need to first have a strategy plan in place and be consistent with it. Again, before posting, ask yourself these 5 questions:

What is the goal of this video?
Who is this video for?
What value are you providing?
Is it on-brand with your business?
Is this self-focused or user-focused?

Next, block off time to create valuable content and follow this simple anatomy video framework.

0-3 seconds of video - Hook your audience in
4-25 seconds - 1-3 tips/ story tell/ Value add
26-30 seconds - Call to action

And finally, be consistent with your process and journey and produce quality content. Keep in mind, frequency is less important than consistency, but quality is king.

About Samantha

Samantha Vlasceaunu, The TikTok Coach, is on a mission to convince businesses and brands that TikTok is not just for our teenagers (and no dancing required)!

When COVID-19 hit, her other traveling business had to shut down and she had to pivot - FAST. That's when she realized that she'd been organically reaching her audience on TikTok all along and realized the power TIkTok could have for businesses if they gave them a chance.

Fast forward to today, Sam works with marketing agencies, coaches, lawyers, corporate Brands - you name it!

Sam ensures all her clients are using the app with intention as a sales funnel in finding their target audience and coaching the strategies of converting their followers into ACTUAL paying clients.