All Episodes

May 8, 2025 14 mins

Ready to break free from the social media hamster wheel? This eye-opening episode tackles the uncomfortable truth about social media marketing for design professionals. Maria delivers a refreshing perspective that will transform how you approach your digital presence.

For years, designers have been chasing viral moments and follower counts, hoping to attract high-profile clients, television opportunities, or magazine features. But this approach fundamentally misunderstands how business development actually works in the design industry. When you examine the data, the disconnect becomes clear – even if you achieve that coveted viral moment, your content reaches geographical locations where you don't even offer services.

We dive into what potential clients are actually doing before they contact you. With 82% of consumer research happening before the first phone call, your digital presence matters – but not in the way you might think. Your website, Google Business Profile, and social accounts serve as validation of your expertise, not primary marketing channels. This distinction changes everything about how you should approach content creation.

The numbers don't lie. Current organic reach statistics reveal the harsh reality: Facebook (2.2%), Instagram (9.4%), LinkedIn (5.3%), and Twitter (3.6%). This means the vast majority of your followers never see your posts unless you pay to promote them. We outline a simplified content strategy that respects your time while still providing the social proof potential clients seek.

Ready to transform your relationship with social media? Join us for this perspective-shifting conversation that will free you from digital overwhelm and help you create a sustainable, effective online presence that actually supports your business goals. Don't miss our follow-up episode where Jason dives deeper into optimizing your digital marketing approach!

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

Transform your marketing with Designer Discussions Academy. In weekly face-to-face sessions, we equip busy business owners with cutting-edge PR strategies, marketing insights, and time-saving tools to not just work in your business, but on your business. Join us to outshine competitors and elevate your business.

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.

Download our FREE Client Avatar Guide https://designerdiscussionsmarketing.studio/store.

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




Mark as Played
Transcript

Episode Transcript

Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Mirjam Lippuner (00:00):
Welcome to Designer Discussions with Jason,
maria and Miriam.
Today, maria is going to talkto us about how to break up with
social media.
Welcome to the DesignerDiscussions podcast with Jason.
Maria and Miriam Tune in eachweek where we talk about
marketing, PR and businessadvice for design professionals

(00:23):
marketing, pr and businessadvice for design professionals.

Maria Martin (00:31):
Hey everybody.
So today I want to talk to youabout how you should redefine
your relationship with socialmedia.
A lot of people have beenasking questions about you.
Know how am I supposed to begrowing my social media presence
?
And just also wanting to knowwhat does the evolution of all
of these digital platformslooking like and what's the
forward look for what it is thatyou want to be doing with your

(00:53):
social media.
So first thing we want to do isask the question why?
Why are you trying to go viral?
So, if you think about that fora little bit, why were you
hoping to become a viralsensation on social media?

(01:17):
When you think about how thealgorithm works, if you post a
really good video and it doesall of the things it's supposed
to do, it's going to go to NewYork, it's going to go to
Chicago, it's going to go to LA,it's going to go to Houston.
And if you are not servicingthose bases of people, those big

(01:39):
viewer numbers that you'regoing to have on your social
media viewers numbers thatyou're going to have on your
social media is not necessarilymeans, doesn't necessarily mean
more work.
Yes, the numbers are vanitymetrics.
Just to kind of do, like whatMiriam always tells us to do
with our PR is to get a socialproof network that says you are

(02:00):
really valuable and we reallylike what you do.
So but I think a lot of peoplewant to do social media for
other reasons and I think weneed to understand what those
are and if that really appliesto you.
And so one of the things that Ithink a lot of people think, if
they can get on social mediaand get a large following, is

(02:24):
that maybe a TV show will reachout to you or a magazine might
reach out to you to publish you,or you maybe just get that next
better client.
But the reality is, people whoare on social media are selling
candles, they're sellingt-shirts, they're selling

(02:45):
something that could easily besold to a large group of people
at a lower price point than whatan expert in kitchen and bath
remodeling or renovation anddesign would be providing.
And so is that really importantto you?
And what we want to do is startto redefine our relationship

(03:08):
with social media byunderstanding that it is just a
spot for you to show proof thatyou're good at what you do and
that you're trustworthy and thatyou're a real person.
So, once again, asking yourselfmore compelling questions,
better questions.

(03:29):
And when you ask yourself abetter question, the question
would be what shows up whensomeone on the internet is
looking for your service andwhat is that pattern and what
does that look like?
And Jason's going to dive moreinto this for you in our next
episode.
But what does that look like?

(03:49):
And Jason's going to dive moreinto this for you in our next
episode.
But what does that look like?
Right?
First, they're going to clickon your website.
They are going to look at.
They're immediately going toget a view of what your Google
business listing or Googlebusiness profile.
Which one is it?
Jason?
You always have to correct meon this one.

Jason Lockhart (04:04):
Google business profile.

Maria Martin (04:06):
Google business profile.
So your Google business profile, you're already going to get a
preview of that, what thereviews are, and maybe some
pictures from your clientsshowing up.
Then they will probably end upon your Instagram or Facebook
page via a link on your websiteor possibly in that Google

(04:27):
search.
And so now, really, what yoursocial media presence is is an
awareness campaign, and what wewant people to lean more into is
understanding.
It's about awareness and notabout a popularity contest.
You know, a couple years agoeverybody was like, oh my god,

(04:50):
there's all these people on hereand they are asking me for all
of this free interior designadvice.
And we would say things likewell, you know, just tell them
to sign up for your emailnewsletter and then you would
answer those questions.
It was like we were using it asa way to funnel people into a
more controlled environment ofwhat you had control over.

(05:13):
But it became a headache and,honestly, most interior
designers three years ago werelike, oh my God, this is like a
full-time job or I'm having topay someone to do it for me.
I'm posting pictures of me outhaving a cocktail at dinner and
pictures of my food, and all ofthat kind of stuff isn't valid

(05:35):
anymore.
It's not about frequency ofposting and understanding your
caliber of taste, unless you arelike a tastemaker for your area
and you're known for lots ofdifferent advice for, like a
higher profile demographic.
So do you still need yoursocial media?

(05:56):
Yes, because, remember, thefirst place someone's going to
look for you is on the internetand they are probably 100% going
to see your Instagram and yourFacebook profiles.
Why?
Well, the answer is 82% of theinformation and research someone

(06:18):
is going to perform about yourbusiness happens before they've
called you on the phone.
So we've got to be wise aboutthat and stay on top of things.
And, you know, before that callhappens, we do want that trust
to already be in place and wewant something referral-looking,
referral-light, available forthem and we want you to have

(06:41):
that extra professional face,more so than what that previous
social platform style was thatwe were doing in the past.
So your ability to create areferral is something you can
actively do for your businessthrough posting reviews or

(07:04):
comments from your clients inyour social media feed and like
Google business profile, becausethat is where, just like, think
about all the research Amazondid on how to do sales.
So if you think about what anAmazon sales page looks like,
it's pictures of the product, adescription of what that product

(07:24):
is going to do or how you woulduse it.
It's going to have immediatereviews, because that's the
second thing you look for is,does it actually do what it says
?
And then you have like, takeaction right.
So those are the three thingsthat we are all accustomed to,
we are all using, and we arealso wanting to understand that

(07:47):
that applies to our businessestoo, because of how audience and
awareness acts.
So if you have a strategy, allthat means is that you are
operating within a plan, and soall you should be concerned
about is who's your audience andwhy are you posting it.

(08:11):
And we believe that your socialmedia grid should look like
something like media placements,should look like something like
media placements professionalphotos, some type of before and
after, what a glimpse of yourwork process looks like a
testimonial, pictures of yourteam, so they know they have

(08:32):
experts above and beyond oneperson to interact with.
You know you can always reflectback on a project you did and
talk about how great it was andinclude a testimonial about it,
and you know then if you want toadd in something more personal,
you can, but you really don'tneed to go outside of that basic
plan.
And one of the things that Iwant everybody to lean back into

(08:59):
is the tried and true way ofgetting what you're looking for.
So if you were hoping that a TVshow program was going to reach
out to you, or you were hopinga magazine was going to reach
out to you, what we want you todo is realize that that's your

(09:19):
job and that you do the reachingout and you show that you are
an easy person to work with andyou make good content.
And you want to do that througha PR strategy and not through
extra work in social media,because that's just basically
throwing ideas out into auniverse where no one hears or

(09:42):
sees it.
And it's just extra work whenyour local TV cable news network
that does kind of like a middayshow where it'll include
something that's about lifestyle, would actually really love to
hear you and get your contentthing that's about lifestyle
would actually really love tohear you and get your content.
And most people just aren'tinterested in pushing for a TV

(10:05):
placement.
So I don't know why, but it'sthe whole thing about being
found feels more validating thanbeing the person who seeks that
opportunity.
But the reality is the peoplewho seek the opportunity do get
the opportunities.
Jason, we have a statistic onactually how many people what

(10:29):
your reach is on social media atthis time.
Would you mind sharing thatwith us?

Jason Lockhart (10:35):
This is accurate as of April the 8th 2025.
This is accurate as of Aprilthe 8th 2025.
Facebook average reach is 2.2%.
So if you were to reach out to100 people, or if you were to
post and you had 100 people thatwere following, only two people
will see your posts OnInstagram.
That's actually 9.4%.

(10:57):
So that's the same thing If yousend out a post and you had 100
that were following you, only 9would see your post.
On LinkedIn.
It's 5.3%, and on Twitter, 3.6%.
It's all about adding money ifyou want to have everybody see
your post.

Maria Martin (11:15):
Correct, see you first Correct.
And so, when we're talkingabout breaking up with your
social media platform, we wantyou to redefine what your
relationship is with your socialmedia and what your social
media is even capable of doingfor you.
Social media is changingrapidly.

(11:36):
There are actually is changingrapidly.
There are actually, you know,some congressional hearings
going on about how the data issold and how it might be in
nefarious hands, and you know,when we're talking about
something that has that you haveno ownership over, and that if

(11:58):
something goes away overnight orthey need to monetize it so
heavily that you're going to bepaying to just have an increased
audience, we really want you tolook at what that relationship
looks like.
You are their product and theyare selling you to their

(12:18):
audience, and they are alsowanting to have access to
anything you post as theirproduct on their website.
And so when we talk aboutsocial media these days, take it
a little easier step back.
We're talking about posting onetime a week, staying within

(12:39):
your best and greatest andlatest and most professional
version of it, and so by the endof the year, if you can provide
your audience with 52 new posts, we believe that that is as
much work that you.
That'd be the minimum amount ofwork that you need to do, and

(13:00):
probably all you need to do.
Remember, they're going to goto Google first.
Google business profile isalready set up for you to have
everything just front and centerfor them to make that phone
call, and your Instagram isprobably going to be something
they look at after they look atyour website.
So join us in two weeks andwe're going to talk more about

(13:24):
your social media presence withJason.

Mirjam Lippuner (13:27):
Your business is unique and your marketing
should be too.
Discover how to personalizeyour approach for SEO, pr and
beyond, to attract more of theclients you love to work with
and beyond, to attract more ofthe clients you love to work
with In our Academy membership,with us Designer Discussions
podcast hosts as your personalcoaches, we show you how to
customize your marketing Withweekly live sessions and

(13:50):
exclusive community practicalresources and expert guidance.
We're here to simplify yourmarketing and boost your
business.
Sign up atdesignerdiscussionscom or follow
the link in the show notes.

Jason Lockhart (14:05):
We hope you enjoyed this episode of Designer
Discussions and all of thehelpful information.
Subscribe to our podcast, leaveus a review and share it with
your friends.
We look forward to having youback next week.
For more information on thepodcast and the marketing studio
, visit designerdiscussionscomand follow us on social media.
Advertise With Us

Popular Podcasts

United States of Kennedy
Stuff You Should Know

Stuff You Should Know

If you've ever wanted to know about champagne, satanism, the Stonewall Uprising, chaos theory, LSD, El Nino, true crime and Rosa Parks, then look no further. Josh and Chuck have you covered.

Dateline NBC

Dateline NBC

Current and classic episodes, featuring compelling true-crime mysteries, powerful documentaries and in-depth investigations. Follow now to get the latest episodes of Dateline NBC completely free, or subscribe to Dateline Premium for ad-free listening and exclusive bonus content: DatelinePremium.com

Music, radio and podcasts, all free. Listen online or download the iHeart App.

Connect

© 2025 iHeartMedia, Inc.