My crystal ball predicts a mild recovery in 2011.

The tax bill passed in December 2010, and economic indicators are stronger for remodeling. The affluent are spending again.  However, they are more cautious and value-driven than before.

What can you do to grow your business?

1. Specialize. Create a specialty niche that capitalizes on a growing trend. It doesn’t mean you’re limited to doing that work, but it makes it easier to market your business because you will be known for that specialty.  Neurosurgeons make 265% more than family practice doctors.  Kitchen and Bath designers make much more than the average interior designers based on NKBA statistics and our findings.
2. Create your own economy. (Some interior designers are swamped, congratulations to you!)  Why?  They spent their year marketing consistently.  They revamped their websites, reconnected with past clients, used social media, increased their visibility with public relations and generally worked hard.  Action:  Create a 12-Month Referral Program for your business.  One for past clients, one for current clients, and one for referral partners.  Automate it with software like Constant Contact, Send Pepper or AWeber.
3. Increase your visibility. Self-promote or hire a publicist.  Create a 12-Month plan for Advertising, PR and Marketing.  Make sure you have a Facebook Fan Page, Twitter Account, Optimized LinkedIn profile and an updated website.  List your business on the Search Engine Maps for your area.  Optimize your website to include the words, “interior design your city” on more than one page, create a blog and post at least once a week (make sure it is attached to your website) to increase your website traffic.  Set a target for your media exposures.  Don’t stop until you have commitments for the number of articles, public speaking opportunities, TV or radio interviews.  Write blog posts for your local on-line newspapers.  Get involved in your community.
4. Joint venture. Find people who are in allied businesses and co-promote.  If you’re not a specialist in window treatments, kitchen or bath design, partner with someone who is.  Develop a relationship with a remodeler and create joint articles or press pitches about the latest trends.  The media loves to hear about trends.
5. Systematize your marketing. Some wise person said, “you never know which day you missed marketing that caused the phones not to ring months later.”  Inconsistent marketing creates inconsistent results. Market, Market, Market.  Marketing makes selling irrelevant.  Analyze what you’ve done in the past. If you didn’t get a result after spending thousands of dollars on advertising, STOP. 

Create a successful 2011!

As a designer, do you find yourself asking “what do they have, that I don’t?”  What makes a well-known, or celebrity designer, stand out from the crowd, receive accolades, book contracts, and the like?  You work your fingers to the bone, burn the candle at both ends to visualize and design thoughtful, beautiful, sophisticated spaces, just as they do.

The difference just might be their mastery of the social media whirl, their presence on the major Social Media platforms; Twitter, Facebook, Ava Living, LinkedIn, or their focus on up-to-this-very-minute trends showcased in twice-weekly blog posts.

Case in point, Tobi Fairley, known for her signature look of fresh simplicity that is both beautiful and functional, launched her blog in September 2008.  Today, it is read in 95 countries!  She is dedicated to timely updates of her business Facebook page, which has just about 3,200 fans, and at least 3-4 tweets per day.  All of which allow her to remain engaged and committed to her base, potential clients, and any publications looking for content.  She has been showcased in House Beautiful, Traditional Home, Better Homes & Gardens, along with other local and national shelter publications.  She is seen as a taste-maker and a trend-setter.

But all of this takes time, energy and the search for trends and topics that are interesting, and if that candle is burning while you are hard at work on a project, how do you do it all?  Gibson Design Management, and our sister company, OttoPilot Media, are experts in Social Media.  We know how to move the pieces around the gameboard to maximize your visibility and your fan base.  We would welcome the opportunity to answer any questions, and help you through the Social Media maze!  Please contact Martha for details.

I’m currently sitting on an Alaska Airlines flight, flying from DC to Seattle.  It’s a long flight, the seats are average size, and the paid snacks are average too.  However, there are some remarkable things about this flight that do not just have to do with Alaska Airlines.

This plane has WiFi.  Yes, I realize that this technology exists but it’s surprising how many planes do not still have the service (come on airlines, get with it).  I was excited to learn that we would have WiFi, but imagine my glee when I found out that Bank of America (who is the credit card backer of the Alaska Airlines Visa) would be covering the cost of the WiFi for all Alaska flights this month.  Typically the WiFi is up to $12.95 for a flight of this length.  I have a Bank of America credit card, and now I’m more likely to keep that card and to consider B of A for other banking and credit card needs.  I don’t know how the deal worked between B of A and Alaska, and I don’t really care.  I do care that I have free WiFi right now; my experience with Alaska is better and I like Bank of America more.

Bank of America win.

Alaska Airlines win.

Alaska Airlines also has these cool electronic devices called DigEPlayers.  This means that for a fee, you get your own digital player that is preloaded with several movies, TV shows, music videos, music, and more.  This is mentionable in and of itself because I like that I can choose what I watch and I don’t have to strain to watch a movie that I didn’t really want to see in the first place on an overhead screen.  I mentioned that these DigEPlayers have “More” and this is where we find another joint venture win.  I scrolled through the menu and found that the player has Soundview Executive Book Summaries.  I have seen these advertised in a magazine, and they did not look inexpensive, but imagine my glee (AGAIN) when I found that I could choose from over 45 business books and hear the executive summaries during my flight.  Now I’ve been able to try out this service, while I’m a captive, bored audience, and now I will be more likely to actually purchase this summary subscription

In-flight boredom eradicated... (at least on Alaska Airlines!)

from Soundview because I recognize the value and I like that they entertained me.

Soundview Executive Book Summaries win.

Alaska Airlines win.

Since I really enjoyed listening to a couple of these executive summaries, I found that I wanted to know more than just the 20 minute soundbyte on a couple of them.  This means that I opened my Firefox, went to Amazon, and bought the books…from the sky.  I’m sure this is SkyMall taken to a whole new level.

Amazon win.

Author win.

Alaska Airlines win.

So, the next time that you are thinking about running your company as an island, think about how much happier you could make your customers or clients if you give them things that may not cost you any extra but mean a lot to them.  People remember what made them happy and when they were happy.  Shouldn’t that be in your store, in your office, on your website, or on your flight?  I’ve almost even forgotten about the $20 that Alaska charged me to check my bag.

By the way, for inquiring minds that may want to know, I bought Seth Godin’s Free Prize Inside and Rohit Bhargava’s Personality Not Included.  I will keep you posted.

You might have heard mentions of our sibling company, OttoPilot Media, through the Twitter grapevine, but perhaps you’re wondering what OttoPilot Media is all about.  Make sure your tray tables are in the upright position– here’s the rundown:

In short, OttoPilot Media helps fly your business to a higher level through non-traditional marketing… but that’s more than just a catchy tag-line.  We work with companies to determine which social media platforms will be best for what they want to achieve.  Once that’s defined, we enhance and customize the necessary tools (blogs, Facebook, Twitter, YouTube, Foursquare, and more) so each social media platform accurately reflects the brand or business.  We want our clients to look like the experienced pilots they are.

Plus, we take care of the hard part: effectively managing these platforms.  Signing up, refueling and applying a fresh coat of paint to these social media accounts isn’t enough– so we generate content, schedule posts and tweets, and make sure you’re always up-to-date, knowledgeable, and engaged with your online communities. You won’t have to worry about a thing– it’s like sitting in first class all the time!

Now, we all know that if a pilot got distracted while flying, the results wouldn’t be too favorable.  To avoid this, we stay focused and alert while your company runs on its familiar schedule (we know that can be a big distraction)– in order to deliver the best in-flight service and turbulence-free ride for you and your clients.

Moreover, we are specialists when it comes to helping our clients develop ideas and get people talking about their brand (and saying good things, of course).  We work with companies to define a manageable flight plan, and then implement our revolutionary tools  (i.e non-traditional marketing) to ensure our clients are visible across online platforms, and consistently sharing their unique brand with others.

Are the skies a little clearer now?  We hope you’ll get in touch to learn more about how OttoPilot Media can help your business fly to new heights!

Find us here:  and here:  

I can already hear the rumblings of controversy based purely on this title.  Over the past few months, our social media division at Gibson Design Management and our subsidiary media company, OttoPilot Media, have been discussing objective ways to measure our social media efforts for our clients.  This has included discussion of customized metrics for each of our clients based on business and marketing goals.

I’m going to say it, so argue away: having more people “like” your Facebook business page is better.  This does not mean that you can just stop there.  You still need engaging content and someone consistently monitoring and responding so that it is a conversational platform.

When I first graduated from college and worked in sales and marketing for NVR, we were taught that a large part of sales is a numbers game.  If you don’t speak to anyone, and you don’t set any appointments, and then you don’t write any contracts, you’re not going to make any sales.  However, the (qualified) leads that you generated and the more appointments that you had meant that statistically you would be more likely to achieve your sales goals.

Don’t get me wrong- it did matter that these leads were qualified and that I was good at my job.  I wasn’t sitting down with 15 year olds who wanted to buy an $800,000 home.  However, these interactions were one-on-one.  It does not cost you any extra money on Facebook to reach 100 or 1,000 additional people via your page.

With Facebook, every time that you post, the number of people that post reaches is purely the number of people who “like” your page.  If that number is larger, you have a greater reach and reach is an important metric.  If your objective is brand awareness, having more people know about and like your brand is important.  If your objective is more sales, you are more likely to sell something with a greater audience.

A guest blog post by Gail Doby, ASID, Design Success University

Starting in 2007, the market for interior designers turned into quicksand.   The credit markets tightened, and projects that typically went to designers were brought in-house both residentially and commercially.

HGTV and the Internet created more competitors in the middle of the market from the consumers themselves, and frankly, for most designers, those weren’t and aren’t your best clients anyway.

High-end projects stayed fairly steady until the economic debacle of October 2008, and then many of the projects slowed, stopped or didn’t start at all.  Especially in markets tied to the financial markets like New York, the wealthiest clients lost their jobs and their sense of security if they were in jobs associated with money and wealth.

The commercial market was devastated by the credit crisis, and according to economists, the concerns aren’t behind us yet.

Even with this perfect storm, some designers were very busy.  Why?  They adapted to the market shifts, changed their pricing strategies, developed an online presence, spent as much as 10% on marketing, focused on a niche, learned how to differentiate themselves better, and didn’t wait for the phone to ring.  They took these conditions as a challenge and they worked even harder than before.

If commercial and hospitality is your preferred area of business, you’ll want to focus on renovations.  If you can show companies that an investment in renovation can lead to more dollars at the bottom line especially if they depend on consumer spending, then you have an opportunity to build a logical reason why a company should invest.  The commercial designers that become a marketing partner with their clients differentiate themselves and become a valuable solution-oriented team member instead of an expense.

If your specialty is residential design, bathroom and kitchen renovation is still steady.  The budgets might be smaller, but there is work in this specialty area.

A kitchen renovation featured on the Traditional Home blog

Some designers created packages of services they offered on their websites.  Why did that work for them?  The consumers wanted (and demanded) to know the investment required .

Other designers offered Value Based Fees because consumers resisted hourly fees.  ASID surveyed consumers a few years ago and approximately 70% said they wanted fixed fees.  Designers who offered this option found that it completely shifted their role from an hourly wage slave to a trusted advisor, and that helped many designers kick-start their businesses even during the last several months.

You could be the greatest designer, but if people don’t hear about you consistently, then your business will struggle.  These days, you need great photography, a great head shot, articles about you in magazines, online and in newspapers (third party endorsements), a web presence including a website, blog and social media and search engine optimization of your website and blog.

And, if you don’t have a written business plan, marketing plan, vision and strategy for your business, it’s time to get busy and take action.  Referrals and networking may have worked in the past, but they are less effective than ever, so that means it’s time to rethink and reposition your business.

[Originally written for Decorati Access Interior Design, Published June 11]

3D renderings are still a very strong tool to use in client and potential client presentations.  However, for those design firms that truly want to set themselves apart, Gibson Design Management recently started offering animated walkthroughs.  This is a true “Wow” factor for your clients.  They are not inexpensive, but they are very powerful.  As we rolled out this new service, I took a step back and put myself in the design firms’ shoes.  I asked myself, “How can this help our members’ and clients’ businesses?”

Rendering by Gibson Design Management

Here are three main ways:

1. Sell emotion. When your client is able to see what their space is going to look like before it is even built or remodeled, they are going to bond.  They will bond with the space.  That bond will extend to their bond with you as the design firm.  Often it is difficult to communicate a visual to a client using words.  Eliminate the need for words and show them exactly what you mean. (more…)

Thank you so much to Todd Wickersty at Business Bullpen for inviting me to guest post on their blog today.  See the full post on their blog by clicking “read more” below!

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Those who are not active on Twitter (or have never signed up) frequently ask: “What’s the point?” or “Is this really going to help my business?”

The short answer is: yes.  I know that it works because it has worked for our business in 6 very distinct ways.  The holy grail of social media still leaves the question of how to effectively analyze social media efforts.  It seems that John Lovett and Jeremiah Owyang, from Web Analytics Demystified and the Altimeter Group, are on the right track for creating a framework.  Until then, the list of 6 will have to be statistics free.

Creating leads. Twitter helps foster relationships if used properly.  It’s a way to engage in conversation and offer answers when asked—without expecting anything in return.

Click here to read more…

A guest blog post by Gail Doby, ASID, Design Success University

I’ve been an interior designer for over 20 years, so I’ve had plenty of time to make these mistakes.  Here’s a startling statistic (and I’ll bet it is higher during this recession) – 62.8% of all new businesses fail within 6 years according to the U.S. Census Bureau, and 96% fail within 10 years.  That means you’re lucky to be one of 4 out of 100 to make it past 10 years…or is it luck?

What if you could avoid the mistakes that these business owners made?

I’d like to see you avoid them, and if you’ve already done a few of them, now you can learn what not to do so you don’t waste your valuable time and money:

1. Not having a written “ideal client” profile – If you don’t know who your ideal client is, how can you tell other people who they can refer to you?  If you’ve ever had the client from &%$&, (or more than once) the key is to know what you don’t want in a client as much as what you do want.
2. Not knowing the lifetime value of your client – If you’ve been in the business even a few years, you can add up your billings and divide by the number of clients to get your current lifetime value.  You should also look at how long they stay as a client.  These two metrics are critical in your business planning and if you have this data as part of your Business Dashboard, it will help you grow your business. (more…)

Happy Spring!

After a snowy and (seemingly) endless winter, spring has finally arrived in full force: the sun is out, flowers are blooming, and jackets are becoming a distant memory.  Nature’s happy perseverance is definitely something to celebrate.  So, in the spirit of spring, the GDM team has answered some questions about what we’re looking forward to most this season:

1. How will you spend time outdoors this spring?

Martha Enjoying a View of the Rockies

Riding my horse.  We’ve had so much snow this winter that he’s gotten fat…him not me.
-Alexandra Gibson, President/CEO

My husband and I love to take late spring motorcycle rides through the Colorado Rockies, experiencing the beautiful scenery coming to life after a long winter.
–Martha Kirkpatrick, Director, Member Services

I can’t wait to bike from Rosslyn to Old Town Alexandria with my friends. The Mt. Vernon Trail is right along the Potomac – a gorgeous ride to gorgeous Old Town!
-Amanda Butterworth, Director, Creative Services

Walking to the Charlottesville City Market on Saturday mornings for Shenandoah Joe’s iced coffee, running outside, and reading poolside.
-Lolly Rush, Senior Associate, Member Services

Doing homework in a bikini on my back porch to upset my crotchety neighbor and his 20 feral cats.
-Isabel Lampton, Intern

Grilling outside with friends on spring evenings, watching UVA lacrosse games at Klockner Stadium, and wishing I had a puppy to walk.
-Jessye Aibel, Social Media Intern

A View of D.C. from the Mt. Vernon Trail

2. What are your favorite warm weather treats?

Happy hour on the Downtown Mall in Charlottesville.
-Alexandra

Hot fudge sundaes delivered by car-hop at the local Sonic burger joint; a cold, crisp Pinot Grigio on the deck at the Platte River Grille; grilled shrimp tacos on my back patio.
-Martha

A Pitcher of Homemade Sangria

Now that it’s warm out, I cannot wait to sit outside with my friends and a pitcher of sangria. Whether it is homemade or out at a happy hour, a glass of ice cold sangria always hits the spot.
-Amanda

Arch’s Frozen Yogurt is a must for warm weather and Slurpees from 7-11.
-Lolly

Curry and wine outside at Monsoon.
-Isabel

Chocolate milkshakes, homemade peanut butter banana smoothies, and margaritas from Continental Divide.
-Jessye

3. This spring, what song makes you want to drive with your windows down?

One of my favorite songs— The Killers “All These Things That I’ve Done.”
-Alexandra

“Beautiful Day” by U2.  Awaiting their June 12^th concert in Denver with breathless anticipation.
-Martha

An oldie but a goodie, I love blasting Third Eye Blind’s “Semi-Charmed Life” when I’m driving with the windows down!
-Amanda

“Cruisin’ Together”—Gwyneth Paltrow and Huey Lewis.
-Lolly

Anything not by Justin Bieber.
-Isabel

Tom Petty’s Greatest Hits CD; it reminds me of cruising around with my dad during childhood summers!
-Jessye

4. What’s your favorite spring color to wear?

Turquoise on the Runways | Spring & Summer 2010

Turquoise- Pantone’s 2010 color of the year!  I look forward to sporting it with a better tan.
-Alexandra

Orange!  One of the happiest, most vibrant colors I know.
-Martha

Turquoise!
-Amanda

White pants (after Easter of course,) with my new favorite color charcoal gray.
-Lolly

White! But not while eating aforementioned curry…
-Isabel

Yellow! It’s sunny and cheerful, which is how I’m always feeling in the spring.
-Jessye