Whenever we spend our hard-earned money we want to be sure that we’re making the right choice – especially if we’re investing heavily into it. From TVs to cars, movies to books, we typically do our research before we buy – and our industry isn’t any different. Reviews reassure your potential client that you’re the designer for the job, and establishes your competency, integrity, and, what they can expect out of working with you.
Think about it: when you’re going to buy something new and you have a choice of product A with no reviews, and product B with a multitude of glowing reviews, which one do you gravitate to?
But where’s the best place to use reviews?
Your website is the most obvious answer, but where? You can have a reviews page, but you also want to surface it as much as you can, so be sure to have a section on your homepage for reviews, like some of our favourite designers do – Ashley Ross of Muse Noire Interiors, Tanna Edler of Tanna by Design, and Veronica Sanders of Design with Veronica.
Reviews also make for great social content! Of course you don’t want to fill your feed with them, but posting a new review when you’ve completed the project is a great way to get eyes on them. One of our favorite things we’ve seen designers do is making a carousel (a multiple image) post where they show the finished project (before and after) and then make the third image the review from that client.
For some added boost, turn the review into a story on Instagram, and then collect them all as a highlight to have a mini testimonials page, right on your Instagram profile!
Lastly, never underestimate the power of Google. While putting the glowing reviews for your interior design business on your website is a great idea, you might actually want to have your clients submit them through Google Reviews (and then you can add it to your website after). It’s great for SEO and helping you rank high on search results, but also, when a potential client searches for you or just interior design services in general, Google will pull up those reviews along with your search result – giving you an added sense of credibility and encouraging them to click-through to your website to see what you’re all about.
Now this is the million dollar question. Knowing when and how to approach your clients for a review can feel like daunting, walking-on-eggshells proposition, but trust us, it’s not that scary – and if you’ve done your job right most clients will be totally happy to give you a review.
Personally, we say strike while the iron is hot and your client is elated with the work that you’ve done. At the end of the consultation (if it was a one-off) or the completion of the project, inquire if they’d be willing to provide you with a review. If they say yes, you can then follow up with them to get the review. This is also a great time because the project (and their enthusiasm for the result!) will still be fresh in their minds.
The trick is to be sincere and thankful for their trust and support, and share your desire to work with more people like them. Something like “I really enjoyed working on this project, and with you. I’d really like to find more clients like you, so would you be willing to share your experience with a review to help me find other projects like this one?”
You also want to make it as simple for them as possible. Give them prompts and clear instructions on how to submit their review whether it’s using Google Reviews, an online form like Jotform, or, just emailing it back to you.
Ask for reviews for your interior design business with sincerity and confidence, and you can’t go wrong.
Nothing makes you more comfortable asking for a review than being confident in your process and your ability to deliver an amazing client experience. Let Mydoma do the heavy-lifting by giving your clients one place to access everything they need, and you a place to keep things organized and on track! LEARN MORE >
The best thing you can do to get the best reviews possible for your interior design business is to give prompts or guidance to your client for your review. The last thing you want for them to do is to just write something like “Erica was great! I loved working with her.”
While those are very nice words, they don’t help other potential clients understand what it’s like to work with you, and the benefits of hiring you to deliver that space of their dreams. The best best reviews always quantify the results of the project. So while ultimately you can’t put words in your clients’ mouths, you never want to just let them fend for themselves during the review process.
A lot of great testimonials and reviews follow this formula – The Problem > The Solution > The Result.
The Problem: A dank, enclosed shower that looks like it’s straight out of a horror movie.
The Solution: Pulling the shower out, and into the rest of the bathroom.
The Result: The shower feels much more spacious, and the bathroom more open and light.
How you ask the client for that: Hey Helen! For the review I’d really like for you to talk about why you wanted to take on this project, what was it about the bathroom that you hated and thought needed a change? Then if you could say how I addressed the project, what we did, and, how the end result made you feel/the difference it made, I’d really appreciate it!
Courtesy of Jahanna Nichols of Jahanna Nichols Design
Reviews aren’t just flowery words about your business. They’re a powerful marketing tool, and a highly effective way to convince potential clients that you’re the designer for the job. They also make for great content to share in newsletters, social posts, and more!
So be confident in yourself and your ability, strike while the iron is hot, and don’t be afraid to ask a client for a review when you’ve delivered a great project.
Become part of our design community. Subscribe for updates and insights!
