Clicks, Creators & Algorithms: Advanced Tactics for 2025

Are you ready to revolutionize your design business's digital marketing strategy? The landscape is changing rapidly, and staying ahead means embracing sophisticated tactics that your competition hasn't mastered yet.

Jason dives deep into three game-changing marketing approaches that are reshaping how successful designers connect with clients in 2025. First, discover the critical differences between traditional SEO and AI search optimization – and why most designers are missing this crucial distinction. Learn the exact process for creating content that AI tools actually favor, including the specific formatting techniques that make your expertise discoverable when potential clients ask questions through ChatGPT and similar platforms.

The conversation then shifts to a surprising take on influencer marketing that doesn't require celebrity partnerships or massive follower counts. Instead, Jason reveals how to leverage local influence and manufacturer relationships to build credibility that resonates deeply with your target audience. This approach taps into existing trust networks that high-end design clients already value, creating powerful endorsements that feel authentic rather than promotional.

Finally, get the behind-the-scenes truth about paid advertising that most marketing agencies won't tell you. Beyond simply creating attractive ads, Jason explains the systematic monitoring and optimization process that prevents wasted budgets and declining returns. These practical insights help designers avoid the common pitfalls that make many small businesses abandon advertising altogether.

Ready to implement all ten advanced marketing tactics for 2025? Join us in the Designer Discussions Academy this August, where we'll expand on these strategies with step-by-step implementation guidance tailored specifically for interior design professionals. Visit designerdiscussions.com or click the link in our show notes to secure your spot and transform your marketing approach before your competition catches on.

If you would like to get the links and show notes for this episode, click on the link below:​

• https://www.designerdiscussions.com/episodes/episode-145-Clicks-Creators-and-Algorithms-Advanced-Tactics-for-2025

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Join us for our weekly live sessions and workshops: https://www.designerdiscussionsmarketing.studio/pages/academy

Designer Discussions is an educational interior design podcast on marketing, PR and related business topics. We also provide in-depth, actionable products in the Marketing Studio including time-saving templates and guides to help design professionals grow their businesses.

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Designer Discussions is a partnership of three experts: Jason Lockhart, CEO of KABMS; Maria Martin, founder of DesignAppy; and Mirjam Lippuner, founder of Get Ink DIY

Episode Transcript

Mirjam Lippuner (00:00):
Welcome to Designer Discussions with Jason
Maria and Miriam.
Today, jason is going to talkto us about clicks creators and
algorithms Advanced tactics for2025.
Welcome to the DesignerDiscussions podcast with Jason

(00:22):
Maria and Miriam.
With Jason Maria and MiriamTune in each week where we talk
about marketing, pr and businessadvice for design professionals
.

Jason Lockhart (00:31):
Miriam, thanks for the introduction.
That sounds like a mouthful interms of a topic, but let me
explain why this is.
As you all may know, we havethe Academy and each month, we
actually focus on a differentmarketing topic.
We usually use one of themonths to cover all of the other
topics that are not talkedabout and what's hot for that

(00:54):
year, and so that's what I'mgoing to be talking about today.
Next month, in August, we'regoing to be talking about this
actual topic and I'm going to goover 10 of the top marketing
tactics for this year.
But I'm only talking about thisactual topic and I'm going to
go over 10 of the top marketingtactics for this year, but I'm
only going to talk about threehere.
If you want to hear all 10, Iencourage you to join the
Academy, where we'll head overall of this in depth.

(01:15):
So let's start.
Number one what I want to talkabout is AI search.
So you'll often hear me talkabout SEO, normal search, search
engine optimization but wehaven't talked a whole lot about
AI search and it ties into SEO.
But you have to do a chat, gptor any of the other AI tools to
actually find what you'relooking for and AI is going to

(01:51):
go out to the internet and findit relevant for what you typed
in to the AI chat.
How do you actually developcontent for AI chat?
One of the easiest ways is toactually use an AI tool to help
you find out what is after.
So this is all under theunderstanding that, before you

(02:11):
use the tool, it actually knowswho you are, it knows who your
ideal client is, it knows whatyou do, so you have to.
So what I must say assumes thatall that has happened.
If that hasn't happened, youneed to actually train your AI
to know who you are, what you do, who your ideal client is, and
after you've done all of that,now you can apply what I'm about

(02:33):
to say.
So once you have all of that inplace, now you can ask AI based
on what I do or what ourcompany does.
What are some typical questionsthat homeowners may ask to find
me?
And it's going to give you someideas.
Those are the content topicsthat you want to write about,

(02:53):
but not in a blog form.
You want to have them in a list, because usually AI is going to
look for information that'seasily digestible, and a list is
easy to digest.
It's not going to open up afull blog, so that's how.
So you may have a blog but inthe blog summarize it and have a

(03:13):
list or have it itemized.
So when search happens, when AIsearch happens, it can find
that content that it's lookingfor in your area to your ideal
audience.
That's why you have to firsthave AI know who you are, what
you do in your audience.
So when your audience types inwhat they're looking for in your
area, ai can find what youwrote based on the content that

(03:38):
you use AI to help you create.
Most SEO companies they do thatin tandem the AI search in
tandem with the SEO tactics thatthey do.
If they don't, you need toquestion why and that's one of
the questions you need to askyour SEO term if you are working
with one, are you alsooptimizing for AI search?

(04:00):
So that's number one.
Number two what we're going totalk about is influencer
marketing.
Now, when I say that, I knowall of you are going to think,
oh, this is all talking about weneed to have a hot designer or
we need to have known celebrityor any of that.
No, this is not talking aboutthis.
This is talking about more somicro influencers.

(04:24):
What we've found and what hashappened over the years is that
micro influencers actually havemore of a of an impact on your
business when they're local toyou and your audience.
So, for instance, one of themanufacturers that you work with
like a Cambria or you know aKohler or any of those because
they already have an influencernationally.

(04:45):
But then oftentimes a lot ofthe homeowners that you want to
work with know those brands.
The homeowners that you want towork with know those brands and
if you're actually working withthose brands, if you actually
share content or if you sharewhat they do and you ask them to
share what you do, oftentimestheir sharing of your
information will get in front ofyour ideal client because they

(05:07):
trust those brands, becausethey've already spent millions
building up their brand name.
Now, if they attach you ontothat or they share some of your
posts, now you're seen as areputable brand in the
homeowner's eyes.
So using some of themanufacturers that you work with

(05:27):
is a great idea.
Another idea is your clients.
Look through your client list.
Who have you worked with?
Oftentimes, your actual clientsare influencers in your local
community.
Have you worked with acouncilman, anybody that has
influence locally, and yourideal client.
Oftentimes, if you can reachout to them and ask them for a

(05:50):
video testimonial in lieu of youeither doing the discount or
whatever it is that you want togive them in exchange for that
video testimonial, now you couldpromote that, or you can use it
in social media ads to promotethat testimonial to your ideal
client, because that individualis known in your local community

(06:10):
, where they may not have asocial media following, but most
of your ideal clients thatyou're after locally knows who
he or she is, and now that youhave that testimonial and
they're promoting you, nowthat's influencing your ideal
client to work with you.
So you don't always have tohave the celebrities of the

(06:30):
world to promote.
You should be able to use alocal individual that has
influence and that is known inyour local community as that
influencer market.
Ok.
And then the third one paidadvertising.
That's not something wenormally talk about, and there's
a few reasons why.

(06:51):
When you work on paid ads, ifthey are not done correctly, you
can waste a lot of money, andso what happens is there's a lot
of behind the scenes.
What often happens is you'reworking on a Google ads campaign
or Facebook ads or whatever itis, and what a lot of people
like to tell you is just set upthe ad.

(07:12):
That's all you got to do.
Set up the ad and it'll work.
That's not actually how itworks.
You got to set up the ad.
That's all you got to do.
Set up the ad and it'll work.
That's not actually how itworks.
You got to set up the ad.
You got to monitor it, you gotto optimize it.
After a while, you got toswitch out the ad, because after
a few weeks you get ad fatiguewhere anybody who's seen the ad
over and over they now ignore it.
So you got to switch it out.
So there's a lot of things yougot to do behind the scenes that

(07:34):
we normally don't talk aboutads on a podcast, because it's a
lot of learning, and so that'sone of the techniques that we
are going to talk about nextmonth and we are going to have
some ideas there.
But just short term, if you arerunning ads, what one of the
things I would say?
Make sure you do not developads and edit and just forget

(07:56):
that the ad is running, becauseit will not work that way.
So you have to always look atthe back end.
So if you are running any typeof Google ads, facebook ads,
tiktok ads, linkedin ads, nomatter what it is, there will be
some type of dashboard in theback end for you to see how
effective is the ad.
So you're going to need to lookat that at a minimum once a

(08:19):
week to see what is happeningwith the ad or the impressions.
Is it being seen by a lot ofpeople?
When that starts to either evenout or come down, now you need
to know you need to eitherswitch out the ad creative which
may be either an image or video, but you need to switch that
out or you need to change up thecontent what is being said, or

(08:42):
the call of action, what are youasking them to do?
So you need to look at all ofthose aspects to change it out
once you start to see the trendof the clicks and the
impressions either start to evenout or tail down, and so that's
just one simple technique thatnot a lot of small business
owners even know, but it'ssomething that you have to look

(09:03):
at because if not, you willwaste a lot of money.
Those are just some of thetactics that I want to talk
about today and, like I said,this is a topic we are going to
talk about in the academy in themonth of August.
So make sure, if you'reinterested in anything I had
talked about today and, like Isaid, I only talked about three
of the 10 that I'm going to talkabout and we're going to go

(09:23):
over this in depth show you howto optimize everything.
Make sure to click on the linkin the show notes, which will
give you access to the Academyso you can learn what we're
talking about.
That's what I want to talkabout today, and we look forward
to hearing from you in twoweeks on Design Discussions.

Maria Martin (09:39):
Did you know that your client learns 80% of what
they will know about you beforethey ever contact you?
Now imagine when your potentialclient searches for the perfect
kitchen remodel.
Will they find you or yourcompetition?
We can help you make sure it'syou.
Our Designer DiscussionsAcademy membership with your
favorite podcast hosts provideweekly steps to simplify your

(10:02):
marketing and boost yourbusiness.
Sign up atdesignerdiscussionscom or follow
the link in the show notes.
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Subscribe to our podcast, leaveus a review and share it with
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(10:24):
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