Social Media Strategy For Interior Designers

Deploying a social media presence is a significant additional instrument for brand marketing and profile raising. But how do you balance efficient use amongst all your other business demands?

Comparing platforms  

Instagram remains the third most popular platform - following YouTube (1st) and What’s App - when considered across the entire adult audience of social media users in the UK, according to a You Gov 2025 survey. The remainder of the top 10 (ranked in declining order) are: imessage, Facebook, Pinterest, Tik Tok, Reddit, X and Linked In. For smaller businesses without a dedicated social media manager, focussing on just one or two platforms in order to use them effectively is the best use of time. With Instagram remaining one of the most popular platforms for interior designers, we have provided advice on getting the most out of it. You may wish to balance this with an authoritative professional presence and networking on LinkedIn.

Reflecting your ethos and specialisms

As with any marketing and profile-raising activity, successful use of Instagram requires clear strategy. Content will widely function as a portfolio, demonstrating your approach and expertise, but unlike the predominantly static nature of a brand website, social media offers further opportunity to also share your personality and ethos in an active and evolving way. 

Thoughtful use of behind-the-scenes imagery and video tour footage of projects (formal or informal) make for an engaging addition to still photographs of completed projects. Grid post captions can gently adhere to your brand ‘voice’ but benefit from a more conversational tone; while ‘To camera’ conversations - or at least the occasional visible presence in still photography - allow potential clients to start to feel a connection with you.  

These layers of digital communication support a rounded impression of your practice and will undoubtedly be significant in client decisions as to which studios they approach for initial discussions.

There can be a tendency for newly established studios -– who perhaps do not yet have professional photography – to share images of the work of others they admire. Although this reflects a preferred aesthetic and is generous in terms of supporting design community, it does not demonstrate ability. You could produce content on: sourcing trips, studio views, or give your expert insight into specific design elements or room schemes plans, for example.
 

Algorithmic considerations

Instagram’s algorithm is much discussed and opinions as to which types of content perform best remain in regular flux. As a general rule, most social media coaches recommend sharing a blend of reels, static single images, carousels of photographs and stories, as well as ‘to camera’ video to grow follower base. Offering content that is educational, actionable and encourages engagement maximise opportunity for reach. 

Current guidance is to limit hash tagged words in captions to no more than three. These should be tightly tailored to represent niche content, i.e.  #biophilicinteriors or #bathroomlightingdesign  rather than generic terms such as #contemporaryinteriordesign. ‘Key words’ are now preferred as linguistic indicators of subject matter to help the platform identify and raise your profile to a likely interested audience. These are terms thoughtfully included within running caption text as well as written to overlay reels and stories. 

Increased competition and ‘noise’ on Instagram means that sharing less but more tightly tailored content  gleans significantly more powerful results than daily but untargeted messaging. Analyse and stick to posting at regular time slots to coincide with peak activity of your desired demographic Hootsuite has revealed posting peak times for in 2025 with a day by day breakdown that is also explorable by time zones and industries.

Remember that huge follower numbers are not the be-all-and-end-all. Not every account is active. Not every follower will be see everything you post . You may benefit from invisible regular ‘visits’ from people who choose to limit their ‘formal following’ count. Additionally, being ‘social’ on Instagram by leaving likes, comments and engaging with other accounts with genuine reciprocity is an important part of the community dynamic. Creating collaborative posts that appear simultaneously on two or more accounts accumulates the reach potential of all parties.

Copyright & AI 

If you wish to post images captured by your photographer, do ensure you have complete clarity around contractual agreement and permissions for use. If your contract allows social media use, always clearly accredit the photographer by name and/or their professional Instagram handle. 
Be mindful when reposting images from another account that – even if you attribute the post to that account – you might still accidentally breach copyright rules if sharing without express permission from the copyright holder.

Images and footage you create yourself are theoretically invested with your own copyright. Instagram’s protocol requires you to mention if content has been created in AI.  If you are happy for others to repost but do not wish them to use your images to mix into their own content (potentially unaccredited), you can turn off the latter option in account settings. However, do be aware that META is exploring imminent use of ‘your public information’ (including images, captions and comments) for generative AI training and future development across all its products, including Facebook and What’s App. 

You can check privacy policies and submit an objection request to AI use by Meta in Instagram’s privacy centre 

Effort versus outcome

One hour per day of social media activity equates to around 30 working days per year (based on an 8-hour day/5 day week, allowing for 4 weeks offline). Many will easily double this. You might wish to evaluate the pro rata salary/time against business outcomes. Or you may prefer to take a longer term view and see the community element of the platform as adding an immeasurable value.

Designer insights on professional use

Bee Osborn of Osborn Interiors has built a following of 243K. She reveals: “Instagram takes huge commitment, which involves replying to DM’s, commenting on the content of others, and a careful, considered approach to your own posting. For me it’s been valuable for showcasing projects and for selling homeware and has also undoubtedly produced good business connections and collaborations and led to new projects.” She continues “The analytics are easy to track; the most successful content for me has undoubtedly been a lovely image, coupled with honesty and authenticity in the captioning and presentation.” She concludes: “It can also swallow hours and potentially expose you to a negativity that can be distressing. However, the benefits definitely outweigh the downsides if you are prepared to invest a significant amount of time.”

Cinza Moretti of Moretti Interior Design concurs “I have been using Instagram for the last 6 or 7 years; I do also have a Tik Tok account but use Instagram more. It takes time to build a strong community and I have to admit I don’t post as frequently as I might when the business is particularly busy. However, the response you get from the community is rewarding and I do make some valuable connections and have also gleaned a few prospects that have developed into amazing projects, so I am really grateful for that.”

We run regular CPDs on creating content and working with social media channels. Check out the events diary to see what's coming up.