We've been focusing like mad on link building lately for our search optimization efforts at www.HMDhome.com.
Two things to check out before reading further if this topic is of interest to you:
Here are three quick and easy, down and dirty ways to jumpstart the link building process:
By using these online resources you will create powerful connections to your website that search engines such as google, msn and yahoo will use to determine how far up the search results you appear.
These techniques work well especially for keyword searches paired with cities in your local community, so for example for my personal website, www.AmandaZettel.net, if you search for Ineterior Designer and any combination of the following cities (ladera ranch, nellie gail, mission viejo, laguna beach, laguna hills, san clemente, etc.) we pop up on page one almost every time.
If you are looking to hire an SEO expert to do this for you, expect to pay about $1K to get started and $400'ish a month. Not cheap, but perhaps a far greater ROI if you stick with it long enough.
PS > If I can help with more advice on brand building or web marketing, dont hesitate to drop me a note at http://www.amandazettel.net/interior-designer-newport-beach-ca.htm ... see what I did there ;-)
As you probably know much better than I, there's a whole lotta homeowners out there who can't or don't want to "buy up" at the moment, but who will definitely lock in that 5.X% (or better?!?) and in the process pull out some cash to spruce up their diggs. With any kind of refinance boom, we always see spikes in kitchen remodels, home theatre installations, furniture purchases etc. and I suspect '09 will be no different.
So how can thought leaders be on the vangard of this industry and coming refinance boom? I'm an advocate of packaging Mortgage Lending with FREE interior design services. Here's why...
As a licensed interior designer serving online clients in all 50-states, HMD offers discounts of up to 50% off popular retailers, manufacturers and trade only sources including Restoration Hardware, Williams Sonoma, Pier-1, Ralph Lauren, Rohl, American Standard, Farrow and Ball and oh so many more. Providing free interior design can be a differentiator for the realtor or broker, and its a great investment for the designer to pre-position themselves for future customer needs.
Would love to hear any of your comments on how to achieve this or inquiries for those who would like to partner with HMD in your local marketplace.
More about Me! and Homemade Design can be found at www.HMDhome.com
Incentives are nice. They are dandy. Sometimes they are effective, right?!? So the question I have for bloggers who want to comment on this post is - "What incentives do you offer that truly distinguish you from the competition in your local marketplace?"
I recently saw in an Orange County CA home magazine a builder giving away a $78,000 BMW 650i with the purchase of a home. It caught my eye, but it didnt make me want to buy the house. I was actually thinking about how its kinda dumb to finance a $78K car over 30 years.
At my firm, Homemade Design, we strive to offer incentives that:
Please comment - would love to hear what's working for you!
PS > We're looking from a few top realtors and mortgage brokers to offer interior design incentives to buyers, sellers and lending customers. Contact me for more info or visit me at www.HMDhome.com
My husband sells "really big" contracts for a well known F100 corporation and there's this thing called balance of trade that seems to be ever-present during deal-making. Not so much an "I'll scratch your back, and you mine" but instead it seems to really speak to the concept of holistic alignment of corporations, doing business in a manner that adds value to eachother and the communities both organizations live in and profit from.
So being an entrepreneur trying to "build a brand that adds value in the marketplace" (that's husband speak again) I took a lesson from the big boys. I've established a foundation (http://www.HMDgives.org) that is focused on utilizing HMD's services for the good of charitable organizations. We enable realtors, mortgage brokers and other local HMD certified residential service pro's to "give away" online interior design packages in conjunction with donations to licensed charitable organizations. Holistic alignment of corporations and charitable organizations... its really, really cool when you see it in action.
Enough about me and what I'm doing, here's what's in it for you - if you offer any product or service (and I mean pooper scooper to mortgage lending) you have some valuable expertise that can add value to good people and good organizations in your local community.
Think about it for a half second and if there's any sort of twinkle just take it from there.
More about Homemade Design and our charitable giving can be found at http://www.HMDgives.org
Let's get one thing straight right off the bat - this blog posting is absolutely NOT a slam on decorators. There are some fantastic decorators and decorating firms out there that are more capable than some licensed interior designers we've evaluated for HMD certification. AND, in many cases your decorator may have the appropriate skill set and offer the best value for your staging project.
But there are critical differences between a decorator and a designer and here's what those differences are...
Interior Designers
The American Society of Interior Designers (ASID) defines an interior designer as one who "is professionally trained to create a functional and quality interior environment. Qualified through education, experience and examination, a professional designer can identify, research and creatively resolve issues and lead to a healthy, safe and comfortable physical environment." At it's heart, interior design is the art and science of understanding people's behavior in order to create functional spaces within the structures that architects design.
Interior designers are responsible for a wide variety of tasks including: organizing a space to suit its function, making sure that designs match are in compliance with building and safety codes, managing the construction and installation of a design, and even designing for appropriate acoustics and sound transmission. An interior designer is also responsible selecting and specifying fixtures, furnishings, products, materials and colors -- but note that is just one of many responsibilities.
Interior designers are also -- in some, but not all states -- required to have a license (usually acquired by completing the NCIDQ exam). This licensing certifies that the designer is a qualified professional who has the background and schooling required to make complex decisions about interior spaces.
Interior Decorators
Interior decorators, on the other hand, are primarily concerned with surface decoration -- paint, fabric, furnishings, lighting and other materials. Decoration is often characterized as the furnishing or adorning of a space with appropriate (often fashionable or attractive) things.
"But wait," you say. "Don't interior designers do that too?" The answer is often yes, but the biggest difference is that the interior designer typically has a number of other issues on his or her mind. For instance, when it comes to staging a home, an interior decorator will probably be responsible for choosing the type of furniture products, colors, textures, and patterns. The interior designer, on the other hand, will make the selection based on those criteria, with an additional eye towards the appropriateness of type, usage, sound transference, acoustic properties, flammability, off-gassing properties, static electricity requirements, flammability and wjhat ADA code violations may be taking place on the property.
In Summation
Regardless of whether you are hiring a designer or a decorator, both professions can add value to your staging oriented challenges. Just keep in mind there are bad, good and great in both professions.
If you need help evaluating any of the local pro's you are working with or thinking about working with, feel free to give me a shout or check out the HMD certified providers at www.HMDhome.com.
e) hello@HMDhome.com
p) 888-408-7772
online: www.amandazettel.net
IIDA and HMD certified Interior Designer
More about free HMD certification for residential product and service pro at www.HMDhome.com
Homemade Design is America's leading online interior design firm and arbitor of HMD Certification. We offer free resources, free promotion and free business building tools to realtors and brokers.
Hello & Thank-you for taking a moment to learn more about me, Amanda Zettel and my firm Homemade Design, Inc. (HMD). HMD is a prolific organization offering full service interior design in Southern CA, online residential interior design services to homeowner clients in all 50 states and free promotion for top residential product and service providers.
My educational background at Parsons The New School for Design in NYC and DIS in Copenhagen Denmark has helped establish a very strong foundation upon which to build our brand and culture of design excellence. Parsons boasts the oldest course of interior design study in the US and emphasizes creative, multifaceted, and future-oriented design. I'm pleased to be affiliated with two of the industry's leading institutions and to have been awarded one of Parson's most prominent accolades, Outstanding Achievement in Design.
Prior to launching Homemade Design I worked with top NY and LA design firms, taking design leadership roles on projects including multi-million dollar hotels and private residences, the hottest new restaurants, nightclubs and sophisticated corporate offices. Best practices and applications learned from this experience also contributes to that something special HMD clients rave about.
My vision for Homemade Design was to launch a firm that fosters a culture of design excellence and the most satisfied clients through the following principles:
∙ Strive for seamless integration of location, architecture, interiors, furniture and inhabitants
∙ To be emboldened by color and modern gestures but remain grounded with classical influences and practicality of lifestyle
∙ Playfully mix expensive objects with frugal finds, use refined materials, sophisticated color palettes and strong silhouettes
Our projects should reveal their charm and its occupant's personality - everything but it's decorator's trademark!
You can read more about full-service interior design and our current projects at www.AmandaZettel.net.
Homemade Design is oh so much more than an interior design firm.
HMD certifies over 50 categories of residential product and service providers including realtors and mortgage brokers. What this means to Activerain members is free promotion to homeowners in your local area and free business building tools from HMD.
For example, HMD certified realtors and mortgage brokers can offer free interior design services to their clients in conjunction with a listing or contract for your products or services. Find out more information by dropping me an email at hello@hmdhome.com or vist us online to get HMD certified today at www.HMDhome.com.
HMD Certification is a national standard used for evaluating and ultimately certifying more than 50 categories of residential product and service providers. The criteria utilized for HMD certification vary by trade and by state, and may include:
Prior to achieving HMD Certification, applicants must submit their confirmation of and commitment to maintaining particular service standards, licensing and insurance requirements for their Industry. Homemade Design advises that consumers conduct their own due diligence and review provider claims for themselves prior to entering into any service agreement with any vendor. To receive more information on HMD certification, click here.
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