Marketing for Professional Organizers
The Ultimate Social Media Marketing Guide for Pro Organizers
I think that if pro organizers understood just how powerful social media marketing could be for their business, we'd kick it into gear and start publishing our content more often.
One of the biggest barriers to just getting started on social media (aside from the feeling that you need to do all of them, all the time) is just knowing WHAT the heck to post on each social network.
Here are my social marketing tips for professional organizers, and my massive, epic guide to the types of content you should post on each platform, along with some ideas you may have not considered before about why you should be on each network in the first place. Do NOT think you have to do ALL OF THESE - whoa girl.
BIG HINT: It's really not about getting your potential clients to see everything you publish online -- in fact, many of these strategies are just about getting your name out there to the right people who can refer you to the right clients.
1. Facebook
When I first started my business, I think Facebook pages must have still been THE big thing. Remember when you used to get lots of requests from people you know who must have spammed all of their friends for likes? ("Sarah has invited you to like her new page"??)
For me, that new page action has calmed down a bit, thank goodness. I used to get really stressed about my first Facebook page for my pro organizing business because I didn't have an impressive number of likes, and I was MORTIFIED to invite everyone I know to like it (ughh it's hard enough to start a new business, please don't make me do it socially just to get fans.)
These days, Facebook groups are the thing gaining traction.
If I were starting my business all over again, I would create a group where I gave away free organizing, decluttering, home staging, and downsizing tips. Yes, I mean it.
This is literally the perfect way to show off your expertise and I MEAN IT 1000% when I tell you, your potential clients will at first think you are crazy for spending valuable time helping them there because you are telling them exactly how to solve their problems, for free.
The next thing you know, they will be calling you to just come do it all for them.
Start a Facebook page with your basic info and don't worry about getting fans. Then, get yourself your own Facebook group.
How to promote your group? Post it on your website and your Instagram-- and talk it up to your target market! It's personalized free advice, after all! Who wouldn't want that?
What to post on your Facebook page: Back to that pesky page. For sure, it's important and can be another great way to get in front of your clients where they already spend time. Publish your latest blog posts there, as well as extra-special pins or Instagram posts.
Who to follow on Facebook? Go hard on your local business segment and follow the ones that make sense but be sure you are logged in as your business page, not your personal account. Like and comment on their posts in a really genuine way on a daily basis.
Also, look for local mom's groups... this is where many of your potential clients will be lurking (that don't know they need you, yet.) Make some friends here to grow your network. Just be sure to always be giving something, not just asking them to like your page or join your group.
2. Twitter
Twitter is so misunderstood. Also, I really didn't like it (ok I just didn't get it) for a long time, until I started thinking of it in a whole new way.
Professional organizers need to be using Twitter like public text messaging. It's not really cool anymore to tweet out random organizing tips that don't have a clear purpose.
For me, if you aren't engaging someone specific, you are missing out on the fun. And it's not really fun giving dry, authoritative advice to the masses, waiting for someone to respond, and hearing crickets.
So how do you market your business well on Twitter? You need to make friends. This is obviously done by finding and searching for people on Twitter that you are interested in getting to know. Then, make a point to comment on their tweets, retweet their posts, and certainly share your own relevant posts with others.
Who should you follow on Twitter?
- Anyone in your local area that has the same clientele base as you (think interior designers, realtors, personal stylists, fitness studios, clothing boutiques, moving companies...)
- Local journalists for your newspapers home & living sections (they will eventually be the ones for you to reach out to for publicity opportunities, or be reaching out to YOU)
- Professional organizers that are well-established in any other area of the country that you would like to emulate
- Other female small business owners you admire (any location or niche)
- Anyone else who inspires you (as for me, I live for @garyvee)
3. Pinterest
Professional organizers need to be marketing themselves on Pinterest for what it does best: organizing a massive amount of information, ideas, and images into categories that make sense for you and your target customer.
When I started out, I used Pinterest as my MAIN way to show my potential clients what I was all about, rather than amateur, badly-lit before-and-after photos. In fact, I used a plugin on the earliest version of my website that pulled in the Pin images right to my homepage (still linked to the original Pin and everything) so that my visitors were seeing gorgeous visuals of spacious, organized homes alongside my text. Boom. It was crazy-impressive.
Before you can use this strategy, you need to spend some time cleaning up your personal Pinterest page and making the focus all about organizing. As in, making the boards that you can't make relate to YOUR IDEAL CLIENT'S LIFESTYLE into secret boards. Also? Delete your ugly pins. Or move the really ugly yet really useful ones to a secret board.
Apart from a pseudo-portfolio, the other biggest reason to spend time on Pinterest is to gather a million ideas into your boards so that you are never at a loss for how to solve your clients' problems. This gives you the confidence to go into just about any situation knowing that you'll be able to find an answer and send them a photo of the idea, so you can both be assured you're on the same wavelength.
I've also used secret Pinterest boards to create inspiration and idea kits for my clients. They LOVE this, and love the idea that it's personal to them, they can return to it forever, and they have a forever Pinterest-friend who understands their needs and their home.
Pinterest is just an all-around great thing to inspire you and your clients!
Who to follow on Pinterest: every other professional organizer possible (though you'll really need to be picky about what YOU repin.) Be a Pinterest snob. You can find me @pro_organizer here to get started with your board ideas and to follow my boards I've built just for pro organizers on business tips, social media tricks and more.
Check out our full "Pinterest for Pro Organizers" blog post.
4. Instagram
Next? A big one. A really big one. Marketing on Instagram is hot right now. In fact I wrote a whole separate guide on Instagram for pro organizers.
I often think that if I had started my business now and DIDN'T have a website built at all, I could run the whole thing with a listing on Find My Organizer and a fabulous Instagram account.
Let me just cut to the chase -- your Instagram feed needs to be beautiful. Do not put bad pics on here, friends. Spend your energy on Instagram inspiring your followers with dreamy quotes, gorgeous stock photos, and pics that basically illustrate what your home organizing goals would be if money and time were not a thing.
In your Instagram posts, you can talk about anything you want, as well as link to #hashtags that will help your content get discovered.
Also, Instagram "Stories" are now a feature, where you can add fun pics and video snips that aren't quite dreamy enough for your Instagram feed. Think: You could be using Insta Stories to show off real-life, behind-the-scenes shots of your organizing that don't have to be perfect in the slightest -- before pics, in process pics, you name it.
This is also a great way to show off the things that are more personal to YOU and your personality -- say you're walking through Target and you see cute organizing supplies, post it to your stories! Getting your favorite Starbucks order on your way to your client's house? - stories!
Another idea -- use a single color background and text for promos you are doing, online challenges, or other organizing tips you have. Do a short video story of your own house project and talk about your organizing ideas. Really, truly, there are endless options.
Find more details about Instagram for pro organizers here!
Who to follow on Instagram? Again, your local businesses like interior design firms and realtors are going to be major here. Look for other related professions like wardrobe stylists too. Give love and comment on their pics and get to know them through their Insta. This is ACTUAL NETWORKING THAT COUNTS so trust me, do it.
5. YouTube
Please do a quick search for professional organizers on YouTube in your area... I'll wait here.
I don't know -- some of you may live in huge cities and are seeing lots of results, but I am willing to bet a lot of you are facing zero competition here.
If you are not a writer and have no interest in blogging, maybe just set up your phone camera in a well-lit spot and start talking about your topic. You can always edit and cut down to the best parts. Not all videos on YouTube are professionally done, so don't spend much time worrying about that.
If you get around to doing something like a live Periscope or Facebook Live broadcast (in your Facebook group), definitely take the time to post it on your own YouTube channel as a replay.
If your client agrees, do a video room tour with your phone camera instead of buying an expensive camera to do "after" pics. It's such a great way to publish your work (especially if you are in a really cool house with neat features!), and market your professional organizing business! And, it shows your future clients the kinds of homes you are used to working in.
Another idea if you are camera-shy is to record screencasts on your computer of how to do things with digital organization, like email detoxing and photo archiving. People love having these little videos with things they can refer to on their own time, not to mention the thrill of getting to hear your voice talking about your expertise.
Who to follow on YouTube: Anyone who puts out regular content in a style that you'd like to emulate for your brand. I am a die-hard fan of Lauryn Evarts from The Skinny Confidential, which has nothing to do with my niche.
6. Linkedin
Linkedin is awesome. This is the place where it's completely acceptable to connect with local people you'd like to get to know professionally without ever having met them before.
You can also send people messages privately to ask more about what they do and potentially share an offer you have, if it feels right.
Definitely spend time on Linkedin cleaning up your own page. Pro tip: You don't have to put everything you've ever done on your profile. As an example, my job history on my page only starts with my organizing business from 2014, but within the description, I mention previous experience as a wedding coordinator and executive assistant. It's all in how you frame it, especially if you've taken time out of the workforce for any reason.
Use your organizing skills and cut the excess clutter that doesn't add to the story you're aiming to tell about your life NOW.
Who to connect with on Linkedin? Focus locally. Realtors will accept your connection requests all day long; you should like, comment on, and share their published content and get to know them. This is also a good place to look for business owners who may directly hire you for your services (whether that's in their business or their residence -- they are some of the most driven, yet time-strapped people on the planet.)
>> I hope you're still reading this post in its entirety... because here in the Linkedin section I am going to drop a piece of next-level knowledge that applies to every other social platform too:
You need to be thinking about following and engaging with ANY other local business that your ideal client could also potentially want to do business with -- because you want to position yourself as a secret weapon that knows just about everything when it comes to running a household. They need someone to re-tile their shower? You know an amazing guy that another client loved. Being a hub for glittering referrals is an insanely valuable part of your all-inclusive service package. You get the picture?
7. Houzz
LAST ONE. DON'T MISS IT. If you want to ensure you have connected with every last interior designer in your area, this is the place to be!
The last gem I have to share with you is to get yourself a profile on Houzz and start connecting with interior designers here and marketing yourself.
You probably had no idea that this could be soooo useful, but you can:
- publish your projects there (professional pictures only please)
- create idea books with pre-existing Houzz content (very similar to Pinterest boards, but with actual local leads browsing through)
- and super diamond-level benefit: you can receive project inquiries right there on Houzz.
HARDLY ANY PRO ORGANIZERS ARE TAKING ADVANTAGE OF THIS, LADIES!
When I started my business, they did not even have a category for professional organizers, so I listed myself under closet designer and executed away on the above plan.
Now "closet designers and professional organizers" is a category. We are a thing!
You will also probably see Houzz as a possible social media icon in your website builder since it's so popular now, which is cool because it makes your life easier. You want to use this to build your professional-level presence.
Who to follow on Houzz: Pretty much everyone that is local to you! Check out their portfolios and compliment their work. What if you were so in-the-know that you were able to be the matchmaker for your next client and say, her perfect interior decorator?
Did you love this professional organizing marketing guide??
I hope you got at least a few (okay, tons) of new ideas for just WHAT to do with your social media as a professional organizer. Looking back over these ideas, it occurs to me that 99% of your online presence can be built before you ever even take on a client. That means social media for professional organizers is THE goldmine for getting your side-hustle or business up and running alongside whatever else you are doing right now.
xo Jen
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Need content ideas for your social media platforms and blog? Check out this post with a year full of seasonal topics.