How Interior Designers Can Use Reels if They DON'T Want to Lip Sync or Show Their Face with Cassie Brantley of SocialNectar

Sep 22

Welcome back to another edition of Dakota Design Company’s Guest Expert Interview series here on the blog. We’re so thrilled to share expertise from female business owners and leaders that run the gamut of the interior design industry – from interior photographers, to social media managers, financial advisors, and branding experts.

Each of our expert guests were selected because they can share their unique insights and perspective on a range of topics that will help any interior designer take their trade and business to the next level. These experts are Dakota Design Company insiders, and many of them have worked directly with us and our clients in the past. We hope you enjoy this series and that it brings you new insights, tips, and tricks to add to your interior design toolbox!

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This week, we were joined by Cassie Brantley of SocialNectar to chat about how interior designers can harness the power of Instagram Reels, even if they don’t want to be on camera.

Cassie is the creative mind behind SocialNectar, a social media and marketing company dedicated to helping interior designers and home improvement brands flourish in the digital realm through social media and email marketing. Cassie is a specialist in crafting personalized strategies that ignite the digital journey for designers, and SocialNectar goes beyond mere social planning – the team expertly implements and executes these strategies for their clients. What sets Cassie and the SocialNectar team apart is their extensive expertise in the realm of interior design marketing.

We asked Cassie to share her advice on how interior designers can harness the power of Instagram Reels if they don’t want to show their face or lip sync.

Here’s what she had to say:

Reels are a topic that are igniting the social media world. I often come across a familiar sentiment when discussing Reels with clients, one you might find relatable: "But Cassie, I don’t want to put myself on display, dance, or lip-sync." I completely understand this; not every interior designer has the aspiration of becoming an actor on the side!

Well, I have good news for you. You can post Reels WITHOUT showing your face or doing backflips on camera. What a relief, right? In the interior design space, Reels can be your secret weapon for boosting your brand, even without facetime or lip-syncing.

Here are some ideas for creating professional EFFECTIVE Reels that don’t show your face. Let's dive in!

1. Tell A Story

Just because you're not stepping in front of the camera doesn't mean you can’t tell stories on social media. Think of Reels as your digital canvas. Highlight your design process, beginning with sketches and spanning to material selection. Instead of talking, incorporate a popular sound that's trending and synchronize your fantastic creation to the rhythm of the music. Share the evolution of a space, the magic of transformation, and watch as your audience falls in love with your work!

2. Test Out Time-Lapse

Time-lapse videos are your gateway to showing hours of work in seconds. Capture a room's metamorphosis, furniture arrangement, or DIY projects in rapid motion. Your viewers will be captivated by the transformation, and you won't have to say a word. The best part is you’ll already be doing this work, all you need to do is press record.

3. Capture All the Behind-the-Scenes Gems

Share a peek behind the curtain of your design journey. Share snippets of your workspace, the treasure of design elements, and your favorite tools. No need to show your face—let your viewers be immersed in the ambiance of your creative realm. If you’re comfortable with speaking, you can always do a voiceover explaining what’s happening in the video too. Your audience will love that!

4. Showcase Your Portfolio

I love Instagram because it can act as a mini-portfolio. And that includes Reels! Pair snippets of different projects with catchy transitions. Show before-and-after shots, detail shots, and give viewers a taste of your signature style without uttering a single word.

5. Share Step-by-Step Guides

Educate your audience! Demonstrate a DIY project, a space makeover, or a decor styling tip step by step. Bonus tip: Create a voiceover after you put together the clips explaining your process and add text overlays to guide viewers through each stage. Valuable content like this is key!

6. Leverage Textual Elegance

Leverage text overlays to share design tips, motivational quotes, or interesting facts about your projects. Pair it with visuals that complement your brand's aesthetics. This is always a great option if you need some filler ideas for Reels. If you don’t have a ton of video footage yet you can use stock videos from pexels.com or other sites that offer aesthetic videos.

Remember, Instagram is your canvas to showcase your design expertise without feeling camera-shy or lip-syncing pressure. I hope this helps you think out of the box so you can feel comfortable showing your amazing designs!

Embrace the power of Reels, and let your interior design vision take center stage—no face or lip sync required!

If a designer isn't quite ready to invest in social media marketing services, what do you recommend?

If you’ve never worked with a marketing or social media manager before, test out some free services to see if it’s a fit for your Instagram. You can message me on Instagram for a FREE copy of my month long content calendar for interior designers: https://www.instagram.com/socialnectarco/

Designers should also make sure to establish their branding and invest in having professional photos taken (Hiring a professional photographer is 100% worth the investment).

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