Top Mistakes Made by Designers on Instagram
Due to the visual nature of Instagram, I still think it is one of the most important social media platforms for designers and architects.
There is a very high chance that your ideal client is hanging out there so you want to make sure you are active on the platform and sharing helpful and engaging content.
But when I am reviewing and helping students in my courses with their Instagram accounts there are a number of mistakes that I see over and over again.
So in this post I am going to share some mistakes so you can think about whether you might be making these yourself and (if so) how you can fix them.
1: Their feed is inconsistent (and sometimes even ugly 🫣)
The first mistake I see many designers and architects make is that they have a very inconsistent feed full of images that look completely haphazard and not well put together.
They might have:
a picture of their kids in one square
a close up of a coffee table vignette in another and
a screenshot of a wall light they like the look of in another
Although this might be a bit of an extreme example it's not far from the truth and many accounts I look at do lack consistency in style and aesthetic (which will put people off following).
You need to think of your feed as a living portfolio of work. When someone comes to visit your profile you want them to get an immediate sense of your design style and aesthetic.
You work in a visual industry and you want your feed to be aspirational for clients.
Each time you post something you want to make sure that what you are putting up is a representation of the sort of design work that people can expect to see from you if they hire you.
If you post an image of an industrial kitchen one day, your kids the next and then a Hamptons exterior the day after, then this makes it impossible for a potential client to get a sense of what sort of design they would get from you if they were to hire you.
Your feed doesn't have to be full of your own original work by the way, curating the work of other designers is completely fine - but there does have to be some consistency in aesthetic. I also wouldn’t recommend curating other people’s work for too long - as soon as you have your own work to share, make sure you do it. After all - you are trying to promote your own services, not the services of other designers!!!
It’s also important to focus on the quality of your content. Poorly lit, blurry or grainy images can detract from the overall aesthetic of your feed and affect the perceived value of your design work. Investing in good quality equipment or hiring a professional photographer can make a huge difference in the quality of your posts and help you stand out from the crowd.
Visual appeal is vital to helping you improve your Instagram page and increase the chances of someone deciding to follow or engage with it.
2: They are trying to appeal to other designers instead of appealing to the people who pay the bills - i.e. potential clients!
Despite what I said in the first point there are plenty of designers with nicely curated feeds and attractive images but when you start reading the captions that go with the feed they really don't say anything helpful or meaningful at all.
The captions might read 'I love this exquisite green velvet lounge chair by XXX [insert all sorts of expensive designers here!!!]".
In principle there is nothing wrong with this - it's great to share new ideas and products - and if you do happen to be someone who is servicing the top 1% bracket of wealthy clients then this content is probably OK.
But this type of caption doesn’t tell me anything about you or help me get to know you at all. And the reality is that most designers aren't servicing the sort of client who could even afford that chair.
I would argue that this sort of post is really trying to make that designer look good in front of other design colleagues, rather than being a feed that is going to appeal to their ideal clients (i.e. the ones who are going to be paying the bills!).
In my Instagram short course we spend time helping you understand who you are curating your Instagram feed for and we work out what sorts of things they might be searching and looking for inspiration about when looking around on Instagram. We also break down how to write good captions that appeal and attract your ideal client - rather than put them off.
Your feed and captions should be helping your clients ‘know, like and trust' you. You want to show them what you stand for, what you value and how you approach design work. This helps to establish a sense of trust and credibility with potential clients.
It shouldn’t be about the expensive velvet arm chair that is most likely out of the budget (or practical need) for most design clients.
3: They aren't engaging on the platform
Social media is called social because people want to interact with you!
Instagram is a friendly platform. If you are just jumping on and posting something and then leaving the platform then you aren’t maximising what is possible.
Worse still are designers who have someone else posting on their behalf and aren’t even on the platform talking with their potential customers and clients themselves.
I personally think all designers, especially those just getting started, should be managing their own social media pages and not have anyone posting on their behalf. It's important to respond to comments and messages from your followers yourself (so they know they are speaking with you). You also need to make sure you do this in a timely and professional manner. This shows that you are on top of things in your business and value those that are interested in connecting with you.
Engagement is key on Instagram. When you engage with others, you are not only building a relationship with them, but also increasing your visibility and reach. This helps to attract new followers and potential clients.
Lastly, don't forget to use Instagram stories to provide more behind the scenes content and showcase your personality. This will help to create a more personal connection with your followers and give them a better understanding of what you do and who you are.
Other mistakes I see…
These three mistakes are only a few of the ones I see on a regular basis. Other mistakes I also see designers make include;
their bio isn’t well written - they don’t have their name on their bio (important for solo business owners), they don’t mention which area they service (so nobody knows if they can help them or not) and their bio is all about themselves rather than about how they can help their potential clients. Check out this post on Instagram for heaps of tips for how to improve this.
they think about Instagram in the same way they do about other social media platforms (i.e. they aren't tailoring the content to Instagram specifically)
they aren’t optimising their Instagram profile picture (generally I think a picture of a person, rather than a logo is better as people like to do business with other people, not with faceless businesses)
they aren’t using all of Instagram's features such as reels, stories or live videos to showcase their work and personality in a more personal way
they aren’t interacting with their followers or responding to comments and messages in a timely manner
they aren’t measuring their performance or tracking progress - this makes it difficult to see what's working and what's not (so that strategy can then be adjusted)
they aren't posting on a consistent schedule - which doesn’t train the Instagram algorithm that they have an account that can be trusted
they aren't being authentic - their captions sound a bit “try hard” and they aren’t writing like they would speak to someone in real life
they aren't uploading appealing, well-edited images
Instagram Course for Designers and Architects
If you need help rectifying any of the mistakes you have read about in this post then check out my Instagram short course specifically created for designers and architects - Instagram for Designers.
In this course you’ll learn how to use Instagram as a strategic marketing tool (rather than just a place to share pretty pictures!).
The core ideas underpinning this course are:
🌐 You need to be more strategic about how you are using Instagram.
🌐 Instagram is a great brand and community building platform. The larger your community the more paying clients you will get 😁
🌐 Instagram helps you build the important 'know, like and trust' factor.
🌐 Instagram is a visual story telling platform. Stop being generic and start telling your unique story!
FIND OUT MORE ABOUT THE COURSE HERE
Courses and Templates for Designers and Architects
DO YOU WANT TO….
Improve your professionalism?
Find more clients?
Bring in more revenue?
Create better systems and processes?
Then check out my business courses and templates for designers and architects.
These courses and templates leave you with work done - not just a long list of things you need to do next. We have a really strong focus on taking action and getting things created that improve your business.
Enjoy the rest of your day!
Clare x
Dr Clare Le Roy
