If you’re a professional home staging expert, landing clients is essential to your success. But how should you get started at the beginning of your career? How do you land that very first customer?
Furthermore, how can you make sure that you get as many clients as possible? What can you do to ensure that they stay booked with you?
In this article, we’ll let you in on 11 tips and tricks, and reveal how to get clients as a home stager once and for all!
First thing’s first: you need to market yourself as a home staging professional. After all, if no one knows that you and your business exist in the first place, how can you expect to book clients? So, with that in mind, how can (and should) you be promoting yourself?
To begin, start by doing some proactive research. If you aren’t sure in the first place why proper marketing is so critical for your business, this article by Fingerprint Marketing will help shed some light on its importance. Once you have a better understanding of the need for marketing, it’ll be time to research various, effective marketing strategies.
Hubspot, for example, put together an excellent list of the most useful trends of 2022!
The Most Common Ways to Market Your Business
In general, however, there’s a small handful of tried-and-true marketing methods that will serve you well:
- Online marketing
- In-person/local marketing
- Marketing through networking events, charity events, etc.
- Word-of-mouth marketing
Each of these 4 types of marketing comes with its own wide variety of opportunities to getting your name out there efficiently. We’ll delve deeper into this shortly!
How to Grow Your Home Staging Business
In the world of professional home staging, there’s no shortage of local competition. As such, if you want to know how to get clients as a home stager and grow your business, the key will be to make yourself stand out.
So, what can you do to ensure that when a prospective client is shopping around for their home staging needs, they book with YOUR business? Here are 5 actions you can take to set yourself apart from your competitors:
1. Create a Unique, Solid Brand
When it comes to creating a brand for your home staging business, you need to be thoughtful and strategic. Your brand is what will make you recognizable and memorable to potential clients. Thus, it’s important that you put some time and effort into developing it!
Moreover, your brand should be unique, professional, and consistent across all of your marketing channels. It should also accurately reflect the overall tone and atmosphere that you want your business to project.
2. Find Your Niche
Try to focus on a specific niche or target market. This will help you better appeal to the types of clients that you’re looking for. It will also enable you to more effectively market your business to them!
For example, if you want to attract high-end clients, make sure that your branding and marketing materials reflect that. Alternatively, if you’re trying to appeal to budget-conscious homeowners, be sure to highlight your affordable services.
By finding and targeting a specific niche, you’ll be able to grow your business more efficiently and effectively.
3. Know Who Your Target Demographic Is
Again, this ties in closely with finding your niche. Once you know who your target demographic is, you’ll be able to more accurately market your business to them. To determine your target demographic, consider things like their age, gender, income level, location, etc. The more specific you can be, the better!
Once you know who your target demographic is, you can begin creating marketing materials that appeal directly to them. For example, if you’re trying to attract young professional couples, make sure that your branding and marketing reflect that. Use language that appeals to them and highlight the features of your services that would be most relevant to their needs/interests.
By knowing who your target demographic is and catering specifically to them, you’ll be able to grow your business more effectively and increase your booking potential.
4. Determine Your Unique Selling Point (USP)
What makes your home staging business unique? What sets you apart from your competition? These are important questions to answer when trying to attract and book clients.
Your USP (unique selling point) is what will make you memorable to potential customers. It’s what will convince them to book with YOUR business instead of someone else’s. So, take some time to brainstorm and determine what your USP is. Once you have it, be sure to highlight it in ALL of your marketing materials!
For example, if you specialize in staging luxury homes, make sure that’s clear on your website and in all of your other marketing materials. If you’re known for being the most affordable home stager in town, make sure that prospective clients are aware of that!
Your USP is one of the most important aspects of your business. For this reason, be sure to make it a priority when promoting your services.
5. Provide The Best Possible Customer Service
If you want to attract and retain clients, it’s important that you provide the best possible customer service. This means being responsive, professional, and accommodating at all times. It also means going above and beyond for your clients whenever you can!
Make sure that your customers always have a positive experience when working with you. This will increase the likelihood of them booking with you again in the future, as well as referring your business to their friends/family.
Customer service is key in any business. However, it’s especially important in the home staging industry. After all, clients are entrusting you with one of their most valuable assets… Their home!
So, it’s important that you always put their needs first and provide them with an unforgettably, positive experience. By ensuring top-notch customer support, you’ll be able to attract and retain clients much more easily.
11 Ways to Get Clients as a Home Stager
Now it’s time to get to the main reason why you’re here: tips and tricks to get more home staging clients. Below are 11 of our top recommendations that we’re confident will help you stand out, attract customers, and bring success to your business!
1 – Get Trained and Certified as a Home Stager
To get started in the home staging industry, the first step is to get professionally trained and certified. Doing so will give you the skills and knowledge needed to be successful in such a highly-saturated industry. Plus, it’ll also make you more credible in the eyes of potential clients.
There are many ways to get properly trained and certified as a home stager. Our top recommendation is to take an online certification course, such as the home staging program offered by QC Design School!
Ultimately, getting trained and certified as a home stager is an important first step in starting your business. It will give you the foundation you need to be successful and attract customers that are looking for a qualified professional. Furthermore, by becoming a qualified expert, you’ll be able to more easily attract clients that are looking for staging services. This will help you get started on the right foot and set your business up for long-term success!
Additionally, being professionally educated help you stand out from your competition and provide value to your clients, too!
Did you know that QC Design School’s self-paced, online home staging training can turn YOU into an International Staging and Redesign Professional (ISRP) in as little as 3-6 months? It’s true! Learn all about our Home Staging Course here!
2 – Get Listed on Home Staging Directories
One of the best ways to get your business in front of potential clients is by getting listed on home staging directories. There are a number of different directories out there, so be sure to do your research and find the ones that will work best for your business.
Some of our top recommendations include StagedHomes.com, HomeStagingResource.com, and HomeStagerDirectory.com.
Getting listed on reputable staging directories is a great way to get your business in front of potential clients. Not only will it help you attract new customers; it’ll also help you build credibility and trustworthiness for your business.
So, take the time to research which directories would be most beneficial for your business. From there, create listings on each one. Doing so will undoubtedly pay off in the long run!
3 – Become a Member of a Home Stager Association
Another great way to get clients as a home stager is by becoming a member of a trustworthy staging association. There are many different associations out there. So, again, be sure to do your research and find the ones that will work best for your business.
Some of our top recommendations include The Real Estate Staging Association (RESA) and the Canadian Association of Renovators and Home Stagers (CARAHS).
Fun Fact: As a student/graduate of QC Design School, you’ll be eligible for a membership with BOTH of these incredible design associations!
Like home staging directories, becoming a member of an association is a great way to get your business in front of potential customers. It’ll also help you build credibility and trustworthiness for your business. Furthermore, by becoming a member of an association, you’ll have access to plenty of resources that can help you grow your business. Not to mention, you’ll also be able to network with other like-minded professionals.
So, it’s definitely worth taking the time to research and join a few associations!
4 – Join Online Communities on Social Media
Another great way to attract clients as a home stager is by joining online communities on social media. This will help you get your business in front of potential customers, build trust and credibility, and network with other industry professionals as well.
Some of our top recommendations for online communities include Facebook groups, LinkedIn groups, and Twitter chats.
When it comes to Facebook groups, we recommend joining RESA’s Facebook group and the Home Staging Network that’s hosted by HSRA. For LinkedIn groups, we recommend joining the Strategies to Successfully Growing your Home Staging or Real Estate Biz group. And, for Twitter chats, we recommend following and participating in #StagerChat.
Joining online communities is a great way to get your business in front of potential customers and build trust and credibility. What’s more – it’ll allow you to network with other professionals in the industry. So, if you’re not already involved in online communities, we highly recommend that you start!
5 – Maximize Online Advertising
If you have the budget for it (and trust us when we say, you don’t even need a huge budget for this sort of thing), online advertising is a great way to get your business in front of potential customers. And, when done right, it can be an extremely effective marketing strategy.
There are a number of different ways to advertise online. So, again, be sure to do your research and find the ones that will work best for your business. Personally, some of our top recommendations for online advertising include Google AdWords, Facebook Ads, and LinkedIn Ads.
When it comes to Google AdWords, we recommend using keyword-rich ad copy and targeting long-tail keywords. For Facebook Ads, we recommend targeting your ads to people who live in your target market area and who have expressed interest in home staging or interior design. And, for LinkedIn Ads, we recommend targeting your ads to people who work in the real estate industry.
No matter which online advertising platforms you choose to use, be sure to create targeted ad campaigns. By doing so, you’ll be much more likely to attract clients as a home stager!
6 – Make Sure Your Website is Pristine
Your website is often the first impression potential clients will have of your business. So, it’s important to make sure that it’s up-to-date, well-designed, and user-friendly.
If your website is outdated or poorly designed, potential clients will likely move on to one of your competitor’s websites. And, if it’s not user-friendly, they’ll likely become frustrated and give up entirely. Neither of these scenarios are ideal.
So, how can you ensure that your website makes a good first impression? Well, for starters, be sure to use high-quality images (preferably professional photos of your OWN work) and include plenty of relevant information about your business, such as your:
- Services
- Pricing
- Process
- Team (if applicable)
- Contact information
- Option for online booking
- Links to social media channels
It’s also important to make sure that your website is mobile-friendly. With more and more people using their smartphones and tablets to search the web, it’s becoming increasingly important for websites to be optimized for mobile. If yours isn’t, you could be missing out on a lot of potential business!
Not sure how to make your website mobile-friendly? This article by Website Builder Expert can help!
7 – Establish a Social Media Presence
Social media is a powerful marketing tool that can be used to attract, book, and keep home staging clients. The thing is, there are a number of different social media platforms out there. So, which ones should YOU be using?
It really depends on your target market!
For example, if you’re trying to reach millennial homebuyers, you’ll likely want to focus your efforts on Snapchat, TikTok, and Instagram. However, if you’re trying to reach baby boomers or Gen Xers, Facebook and Twitter will probably be more effective.
No matter which social media platforms you choose to use, it’s important to create quality content that is relevant to your target market. You should also make sure to post regularly (at least once or twice a week) and to interact with your followers on a regular basis.
By establishing a social media presence and interacting with your ideal audience, you’ll be much more likely to attract, book, and keep home staging clients!
8 – Develop Incentive Programs
Incentive programs are a great way to attract new clients – and keep your current ones coming back for more. There are a number of different ways to develop incentive programs, so be sure to find the ones that work best for you and your business.
Some ideas for incentive programs include:
- Referral program: Offer a discount or other perk to customers who refer someone to you
- Loyalty program: Offer loyalty points or discounts to customers who use your services regularly
- VIP program: Offer exclusive perks and privileges (such as early access to new products or services) to your most loyal customers
Developing incentive programs is a great way to show your appreciation for your customers and encourage them to continue doing business with you! By offering incentives, you’ll be much more likely to get and retain clients as a home stager.
9 – Get Involved in Your Local Community
One of the best ways to get clients as a home stager is to get involved in your local community. There are a number of different ways to do this, such as:
- Joining local business groups or chambers of commerce
- Attending local networking events
- Sponsoring local charity events or fundraisers
- Volunteering for local organizations or causes
- Collaborating with fellow industry professionals on a stylized photoshoot, etc.
By getting involved in your community, you’ll be able to meet potential clients and show them that you’re invested in making your community a better place. This will make you much more likely to attract and retain clients as a home stager!
10 – Provide a Free Home Staging Consultation to Friends/Family
A great way to get started in the home staging business is to offer a free consultation to friends and family. This will give you a chance to show off your skills, while also getting some real-world experience under your belt. Plus, it’s a great way to build up a portfolio!
If you’re not sure how to go about offering a free consultation, simply reach out to your friends and family members who are thinking about selling their homes. Let them know that you’re a certified home stager. From there, offer to provide them with a complimentary consultation.
Once you’ve had a chance to assess their needs, provide them with an estimate of what it would cost to stage their home. But don’t forget – even though you’re providing these consultations free of charge, be sure to still treat them just like any other client! This means being professional, punctual, and providing quality service.
By following these tips, you’ll be sure to impress your friends and family… And who knows, maybe you’ll even land a few paying clients in the process!
11 – Never Pass Up an Opportunity to Network
Lastly, one of the most important things you can do to get clients as a home stager is to network literally whenever possible. After all, home staging is all about relationships. So, the more people you know, the better!
Some great networking opportunities for home stagers include:
- Home buyers/sellers seminars
- Local business events
- Charity functions
- Industry conferences/trade shows
- And more!
By getting involved in your community and networking with potential clients, you’ll be sure to attract (and keep) clients as a home stager. So, get out there and start meeting people! Who knows – your next client could be just around the corner.
Conclusion
Hopefully these tips will help you attract, book, and keep clients as a home stager. Remember, it’s all about building relationships and providing quality service. So, get out there and start networking! You never know who you’ll meet or what opportunities will come your way. Good luck!
Do you have any other tips for attracting clients as a home stager? Share them in the comments below! And be sure to check out our other articles on home staging, including:
- How to Become a Home Stager: The Ultimate Guide
- How Home Staging Improves the Sale
- Why I’m Getting a Home Staging Certification (and Why YOU Should, Too)!
- 4 Tips for Booking Virtual Home Staging Jobs
- Why Real Estate Agents Should Take Home Staging Courses
- Why Curb Appeal Knowledge is Critical to Home Staging Training
Thanks for reading!