Interior Design Facebook Networking Groups: Collaborating With Your Peers

Why Joining a Facebook Group is Good for You?

Facebook groups provide a private, “safe” environment for community members to discuss thoughts, ideas, problems, and solutions pertaining to a common goal – in this case, attaining excellence in running your interior design business. These Facebook groups are often admined by business coaches and seasoned interior designers. Here are some of the benefits of joining an interior design business group of Facebook:

1. You can post questions and get them answered by other designers.
2. You may get interesting new ideas for your project.
3. You can use groups to find resources such as vendors, contractors, furniture stores, graphic designers, web designers, SEO support, and other industry-related professionals.
4. Facebook groups provide a search option within the group to see discussions about specific topics.
5. It is a great opportunity for networking, to connect, and collaborate with fellow designers.
6. You can get updates about industry events.
7. You can get inspiration from viewing the works of fellow designers.
8. With notifications, you can be instantly notified when someone comments on a question you posted.
9. You can find a coach/mentor to guide you through your interior design business.
10. You can get encouragement and motivation to forge ahead.
11. Membership to a Facebook group is typically free, so you do not have to spend any money to join, although some are by invite-only for paying clients.

What to Watch Out for

While Facebook groups can be amazingly helpful for interior designers, there are a few things one needs to be mindful of.

1. Poor advice: just because someone has a positive impression of something doesn’t mean that it is actually beneficial. For example, a common issue that surfaces in design groups is that designers tout their websites and web designers without really understanding what they have. They might be impressed by their simple SquareSpace site and the guy who put it together for them in 3 days, but in no way would that site be able to compete with a custom WordPress site designed by a seasoned marketing agency that spends several months on it.
2. Poor advice, part 2: often the busiest and most successful designers aren’t on Facebook asking and answering questions. They have projects to implement, teams to lead, clients to please, and they outsource all peripheral aspects of running their business to pros. So, you’ll get a lot of DIYer advice that is often far inferior to the advice you’d be getting if you hired the pros.
3. Poor advice, part 3: some business coaches have their brand ambassadors in place that generate regular buzz for the business coach in return for discounts, status positions, privileges, etc. So, sometimes what is behind that enthusiasm is advanced manipulation.
4. Poor advice, part 4: the moderators spend a lot of time managing their groups because they have a specific aim. One always needs to keep their self-interest in mind.
5. Poor advice, part 5: some of the business coach admins provide recommendations based on commission relationships. They’ll recommend that X is a good use of your budget because they are getting a kickback on your spending. Yikes, who to trust?
6. Incomplete advice: when you read a comment thread, you are subject to the opinions of the random people who replied to the post. These threads can be fascinating and fun. However, they are rarely as thorough as well-crafted articles such as the ones we offer. Often a journalist with a clear objective will do the research and interviews necessary to dig deep enough to uncover much that won’t get mentioned in a comment thread.
7. Incomplete advice, part 2: forums typically have DIY talk. So, when a designer says “Pinterest doesn’t work well for marketing” what they are really saying is that they haven’t yet figured out how to make Pinterest work for them. If you take that to mean that Pinterest doesn’t have potential, then you may be missing out on a great opportunity. If you asked a pro that specializes in interior design studio marketing about whether Pinterest will work for your studio, they’d be able to provide much richer context and would likely come up with some high ROI strategies to implement on Pinterest for you.

With that said, the pros typically far outweigh the cons. Just go into it knowing that the people who you are connecting with on Facebook might not be in the best position to provide you top-tier advice. Just like you need to have a good dentist and a good accountant, you also need specialists that you can depend on so that you don’t turn to secondhand information. When it comes to scaling your business, hire the best support and trust that your growing revenues will easily cover such expenses.

Interior Design Facebook Groups

Below we have listed some Facebook groups you can join to improve your interior design business. (Membership statistics from mid-2021)

The Interior Design Business Forum (Over 7400 members)

Managed by business coach Nancy Ganzekaufer, this group is for interior Design Industry Professionals looking for support, ideas, tips, and collaborations for all things related to the design business. Nancy also posts tips, suggestions, and interviews with design marketing consultants and other professionals focusing on the business side of design.

Interior Design Business Strategies (5400 members)

Design mentor and decorator Claire Jefford manages this group. Members are encouraged to post any design-related questions that need solutions. Claire sometimes posts videos under the acronym WIDWIL – What I Did and What I Learned, where she discusses practical aspects of the design business from personal experience.

What They Don’t Teach You in Design School (Over 5000 members)

Interior designer and design mentor Veronica Solomon manages this group to provide mentorship to designers looking to start or up-level their business. The group is carefully moderated, and designers can ask for a range of information from business advice to sourcing specific items, get coaching tips, and more.

eDesign Tribe (Over 3900 members)

This group specifically addresses problems faced by e-designers. Managed by e-design expert and coach Jenna Gaidusek, this group is a platform for designers to post questions both business-related and technical.

The Interior Designer’s Sourcing Source (Over 3900 members)

This group is strictly for interior designers looking for design sources. If your client liked something they saw in a magazine, and you do not know where to find it, this is the right platform to ask. You can request sources for decor items, vendors, photographers, furniture, trade sources, and more.

Interior Design Business Mastery (Over 1900 members)

Business coach Melissa Galt is the admin of this group. She posts design-related articles and video interviews with experts. She also posts hour-long coaching sessions on various topics related to the business of interior design.

Design Wealth (Over 1500 members)

Managed by content marketing expert Leslie Carothers, the Design Wealth Facebook group is aimed at helping designers earn passive income through their websites. The group discusses subsidiary wealth-building opportunities through blogs, social media, and other online marketing strategies.

Social Media and Marketing for Interior Designers (Over 1500 members)

Managed by interior design business coach Bobby Tsui, this group focuses primarily on social media marketing and video marketing strategies for interior designers to improve their online presence. Designers can post any social media-related concerns on the group or ask for assistance. Bobby has his own page The Bobby Tsui where he posts design-related questions.

Presentation by Design (Over 1000 members)

Interior designer turned virtual design and rendering expert Kelly Fridline is the admin of this group. Topics of discussion focus on helping interior designers hone their presentation skills and learn the features of designing tools such as Chief Architect, Home Designer, and SketchUp.

Primm and Proper Design Design Talk (Over 800 members)

Managed by interior designer Colleen Primm, this group is for interior designers looking for the latest trends, design-related doubts, and opinions on ongoing interior design projects.

Design You Podcast Community (Over 650 members)

Design coach Tobi Fairley manages this group which is essentially a community of Tobi’s Design You podcast fans. Interior designers can post business-related questions, and Tobi helps them with solutions in the group.

Conclusion

Joining any of the above groups can be very beneficial for interior designers as they work through a multitude of business issues. Apart from the camaraderie, networking, and sharing of interesting new ideas, groups like these help you feel like part of a close-knit community of like-minded people who are ready to help with advice and encouragement. When designers pitch in with personal experiences, you begin to feel like you’re not alone. It could even lead to lifelong friendships and strong business partnerships.

Are you a member of any of these Facebook groups? How has joining an interior design Facebook group helped you in your business? Do you recommend any other Facebook groups we should add to this list? Please let us know in the comments below.