A Foundation For Solid Clientele

We have all heard it takes a few years to establish a clientele in this industry. We have also heard all the success and failure stories. However, what is the formula for success? Is there a formula for success? It seems to be different per region, per esthetician/makeup artist, etc. I truly believe that regardless of your location, you can be successful with the right marketing and branding. This article will help by giving suggestions on how to lay the foundation for a solid clientele through target marketing, branding, social media presence, word of mouth and creating an experience.

Target Marketing

I believe it is important to know who your target marketing group is before you even decide on a business name or logo. Some may argue with me about this; however, you really need to know who you want to appeal to before designing or planning. Esthetics is such a broad industry now. Are you specializing in facials, waxing, laser treatments, makeup, or lash extensions? Let’s consider if you want to specialize in facials, what is your niche? Is it acne treatments, anti-aging, relaxing day spa experiences or hyperpigmentation? You can offer all of the services; however, what do you want to be known for? I have found that even if you are excellent in many services, you still need to select one or two specialized services to target an audience. This will give you a base clientele.

For instance, I am a makeup artist that loves to do it all! I love costume makeup, dramatic looks, soft glam looks, theatrical makeup, bridal makeup, prom makeup—you name it! I live in Oklahoma City where traditional weddings are popular. This was an area I loved working in, as I am great with brides and bridal parties, I keep up with the bridal trends, I do well in stressful environments and I knew there were weddings year-round in Oklahoma. This became “my thing” and my target audience. I wanted my business name, logo, social media posts, products and marketing to appeal to brides. This doesn’t mean I only do weddings, but it absolutely means that weddings have provided a solid clientele foundation for my business.

Branding

Now that you now your target audience, you need to appeal to them with your branding. If you are an esthetician working in a trendy salon, look at other trendy salons and their marketing. You will probably find that it is edgy with certain colors, wording, etc. If you want to target those interested in self-care and relaxation for a relaxing day spa experience, your branding should reflect this. You can research different words that may appeal to your target audience when deciding on a business name. Think of a business name that represents not only you and your services, but always keep in mind your target audience and what would appeal to them. You can also research colors and themes that may go well with your business name to help identify your brand with the proper logo color and marketing colors. We will discuss later in this article how to make your brand known through social media presence, customer experience and word of mouth. But the first step is to really determine what you want your brand to be, so that it can be communicated and revealed in all of these areas.

Your brand should also have personality. What do you want your business’ personality to be like? What distinguishes your business from competitors? Take a look at other brands for inspiration. Powerful brands share similar qualities. What are some businesses and brands you love and trust? More often than not these brands build customer loyalty and have some sort of connection with their costumer that makes them always come back and share their positive experience with others. Our industry is unique because many clients connect with their esthetician or makeup artist as they vent about their day, share milestones and memories, confide in or maybe even ask for advice. This can absolutely be part of your branding!

Social Media Presence

Social media is one of the best forms of marketing today. You have to go where the people are, and where are they? Well, we can now reach pretty much everyone on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, TikTok and others! This may be stepping out of your comfort zone for many people. Once you create an account, add other professionals in the area, as well as others elsewhere. This will help you get ideas, and most of the time, other professionals will notice and help support your page.

Now that we have our target audience and our branding, our posts should help communicate that to get more clients. As an example, I will use my brand. I wanted to appeal to weddings; therefore, my business name and logo are soft and welcoming. My social media posts are 90% wedding posts including pictures of my work. I also have found it beneficial to post “behind the scenes” photos on my social media stories. People love to feel they are a part of something. By posting makeup on the counter and telling them where I am working that day, makes them feel that they are along for the ride. It gives them entertaining content.

Posting tips and tricks is also something that people enjoy following.

It doesn’t have to be perfect! Yes, you want clear photos that reveal your work and you want to be sure to look professional. However, you do not have to have the most editorial looking Instagram. Actually, I have listened to several marketing podcasts and they have claimed that you now want it less editorial, so that it is more relatable and less intimidating. Just keep in mind what best reflects your brand, services, target audience and personality.

I have seen more and more spas and salons have something that is “social media worthy” for clients to want to take a picture to share on their social media pages and stories. For instance, light up neon signs with a cute font and a cute phrase or word are a hit right now! This is just one example and one trend. Keep up with trends and what people love to take pictures of and find a way to incorporate this into your business, so that clients will want to take a picture of it, post it and tag your business!

Asking for reviews and posts is also great and helps grow your business! As a client pays for their service, you could ask them to tag themselves at your business or leave a raving review for a small discount. A small $5 discount may gain you exposure and allow more people to see your brand, social media page and marketing!

Word of Mouth

Word of mouth is and will always be the best marketing in my opinion. I do a great job with one client, they tell five others and each of those tell five others. You can encourage word of mouth by asking your clients to leave reviews as mentioned earlier in this article. You will get more followers on social media, but also you will be “their person” they refer to when asked. Speaking of referrals, to be the first person to come to mind for a person to refer you, you have to be memorable. You have to be consistent, professional, punctual and offer an overall good experience for people to want to refer you to someone else.

In the September 2019 Skin Inc. issue I wrote an article titled “4 Ways to Create an Experience.” This article gives helpful suggestions and tips on how to create an experience for each client. You want build a client rapport and connection, show your genuine appreciation for your clients, create an environment they want to come back to, and you want to have exceptional customer service. How many estheticians are in your area? What will make your services different? If you create an experience for clients, rather than just completing a service, they will want to share this with their friends, coworkers and family. They will also be likely to post on social media about it.

The Full Equation

People have options when selecting someone to go to for a facial, wax, makeup application, brow shaping, etc. However, they will always go back to the person that made them feel the best. They will always tell others about the professional that gave the best impression. The service(s) we offer are very important and we need to master our skills so that the actual services benefit the client. However, the service itself it just one part of building a clientele. We also have to keep in mind our target audience, branding, social media presence and word of mouth marketing to build a solid clientele.

Brittney Waugh is a licensed esthetician and makeup artist. She is the owner of Blushed by Brittney Waugh and co-owner of Willow Spa Suites. She has been a licensed instructor since 2012. She was voted Best Esthetician of OKC in 2011 by Oklahoma Magazine and Best Makeup Artist of OKC in 2019 by So6ix Magazine. Contact her at [email protected].