THE 4PT REPORT

Hello Friends, and WELCOME to our BLOG! If this is your first time here, we send you a virtual welcome hug and a huge THANK YOU for being here to celebrate with us. We’ve been voted to the prestigious TOP 25 HOME INTERIOR DESIGN INFLUENCER of 2020 by Modenus.

WE DID IT

And we couldn’t have done it without YOU! THANK YOU for your tremendous generosity during (what our design industry affectionately refers to as) “Oscar Season”, which includes YOUR VOTES!  It has been quite a humbling experience and joy to have your support. Perhaps you simply voted because you love ME (I love you, too), or our WORK, and/or our amazing TEAM, but for whatever your reason, please know that because of YOU and your VOTES, we landed in the TOP 25; and for that, we are so grateful!

So, I ask you, do you know what a DESIGNHOUND is, and why it is so important to the design community to be selected as a TOP 25 DESIGNHOUND?  Well, let me catch you up.

YIKES, WHAT IS HAPPENING ON SOCIAL MEDIA

During the last few weeks of every year the Modenus Design Directory, publishes a REQUEST FOR SUBMISSIONS. Modenus is “the leading network of design micro-influencers who’s mission is to provide a platform where content creators can leverage their own industry connections and insights to produce consistently well-researched, meaningful, ‘and trusted’ content that reaches, informs and converts targeted audiences of design professionals and design savvy consumers alike”. Read more here.

Submissions of more than 500 professional designers and design influencers are collected from all over the world, reviewed, highly vetted and selected, and as a result a list of TOP 100 INFLUENCERS is generated.

Next steps include a vibrant public voting campaign.  This generally happens through Social Media, and you most likely would have seen or heard quite a BUZZ online, and perhaps more than a few requests for your VOTES, and “much ado” about the DESIGNHOUNDS!

So, what is an HOME INTERIOR DESIGN INFLUENCER exactly?

Is being an “influencer” even a real thing?

Isn’t that just a made up “social media term” to legitimize selfie-taking home-made DIY’ers with really cool blogs?

Well, yes, I guess it is. But hang on.

INFLUENCER

By definition, an INFLUENCER is “a user on social media who has established credibility in a specific industry. He/She has access to a large audience and can persuade others by virtue of their authenticity and reach. A social media influencer is someone who wields that influence through social media. The form of influence can vary and no two influencers are the same. The right influencer can reach a target audience, build trust, and drive engagement. They create original, engaging content.” 

Boutique brands and influencers are unique in that they typically have a VERY select, targeted, and most importantly, a very ENGAGED audience.  Brands are now recognizing the value of quality over quantity.  Hence, DESIGNHOUNDS and the Micro-Influencer platform was born.

But like almost everything in the world wide web, this term is becoming saturated, overused, and unfortunately, has lost its truest meaning.  But it IS a part of the new and VERY powerful global marketing network system, and the pendulum IS swinging back to a more legitimate understanding, so we’re all in.

YOUR DAILY VOTES FOR HOME INTERIOR DESIGN INFLUENCER

Once the short list is released, voting begins and a social media becomes flooded with an exciting DESIGNHOUNDS BUZZ as campaigns ramp up and daily voting commences.  Global Brands, consumers and product manufacturers begin to “take note” as we navigate and present our campaigns.  During the last and final exciting days of voting, we braced ourselves for the final push, took a deep centering breath, and asked for you to “stay with us” to the end of our voting campaigns. AND YOU DID!

It’s also important to note that popular votes do NOT quantify or illustrate ones talent, experience, education, style, and success, exclusively.  It IS, however, a collaborative professional marketing and relationship tool that benefits us ALL; and I for one, am so grateful!

REAL CONNECTIONS, REAL INFLUENCE, REAL RESULTS!

So, now what?

Well,  now that you understand a bit more about the Designhounds, what an “influencer” is, and why I am so personally grateful to have been selected, I invite you to read more about my personal experience which illustrates THE RESULT of being a selected Designhound designer [see posts listed below]. I have had extraordinary career-changing opportunities come my way, and could not be more proud to call myself a DESIGNHOUND.

• BUILDING RELATIONSHIPS: THE KEY TO COLLABORATION SUCCESS / Read here.
• DXV DESIGN PANEL: A DREAM COME TRUE / Read here.

SPECIAL THANKS

To my extraordinary colleagues and fellow Designhounds, Deborah Main (see Deborah’s informative post here), thank you for including my personal thoughts and what it means to me to be a part of this thriving and supportive professional community, and my dearest friend, Leslie Carothers, (see Leslie’s post on Designhounds here), who outlines the “influencer” concept so very well.

My MOST heartfelt THANKS to my dear friend, the vibrant powerhouse, Veronika Miller, Designhounds CEO, for developing, maintaining, and expanding these relationship programs, and for fiercely supporting and protecting our value and our beloved design industry!

IN CLOSING

Friends, there is NO OTHER community like the #Designhounds community. It’s leader, Veronika Eagleson, and her team, have a fearless powerful vision (in my own words): To elevate, educate, amplify, and protect the design community and it’s immense value; and to bring together the best-of-the-best designers, products, artists, techies, builders, events, opportunities, and manufacturers to create once-in-a-lifetime career opportunities for travel, partnerships, profit, and deep friendships. I have witnessed all of it. This community is a FAMILY of creative professionals who have each others back and share the same mission and objective: to make the world beautiful and gloriously chic; build profitable and successful businesses and communities; and promote the value of design.

So, YES, we asked for your votes, but it’s MORE than that.

This award is a celebration of our community, and every single influencer on this Top 100 List is immensely talented and successful. I am honored to be included. It’s a community that believes in empowering and lifting each other up! A community who’s hashtag is #communityovercompetition.

It doesn’t get better than that.

As always, if you have any questions or if you want WORK WITH US, tell us about YOUR next project and please say “HELLO” by contacting us HERE.  Fill out our questionnaire, and let’s get started!

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Thanks for stopping by and we’ll see you next time!

Blessings,

Laura