So, you have finally completed your assessments and exams, celebrated the start of your new career and received your long-awaited diploma. Well done!
And now the question, what’s next? How do I start? Where do I start? Where do I get my clients from?
For a newly opened beauty salon or a novice beauty master, the question “Where do I find my first clients?” is always one of the most important ones at the beginning. You could go to a seminar and find out that you need to draw up a plan, write a budget, draw a hyped mind map. In this case, you would spend a good amount of money and time on knowledge that is freely available.
In this article, we have decided to write down some helpful tips and advises to help you go get through this exciting, but hard initial stage of starting a job in the beauty industry.
10 ways of how to attract clients for a novice beauty specialist?
1. Word of mouth
Which advertising channel do customers trust the most?
Any survey always clearly shows that “Friend/family recommendation” is in the first place.
Why not use this tool to attract clients for your beauty procedures?
The fact that friends become the first clients of any beauty master confirms the experience. It is easier to work with friends or family, they have a positive attitude and if something happens they will forgive some minor mistakes, which is important for novice specialist.
2. Website
In the age of technology, there is no need to talk about the importance and necessity of having a website. The site does not have to be a large-scale expensive portal, it can be a simple business card site with information about services, prices and contact details. You can post photos of the results and of your workspace, so clients have an idea where they are going and what they should expect. There are free website creation services, so you can create your own website today for free.
3. Social networks
Instagram, Facebook, Twitter and TikTok are the main popular social media platforms today. You can post information about a company and what you do completely free of charge. Social media can be used as an additional tool to attract customers.
Many beauty masters find their clients through social media. For some technicians, social media becomes the main tool to find and maintain clients. The main thing is to fill your pages with quality visual and written content.
Do not limit yourself to just maintaining your personal pages, there are many thematic groups, for example in Facebook, in where you should post photos of your work.
4. Business card
A business card is a must-have for any professional these days, the question is how much it helps to sell your services. Do a little test, start giving out your business cards, and see how it contributes to customer acquisition. Make sure you check it contains all the ways of contacting you – phone, website, e-mail, address, any other essential information you want your client know. After writing the text for the business card, check if it is immediately clear what services you provide. You could also make a special offer on the business card (the simplest option is “10% discount if you show the card.” The highest rating will be given to business cards that simply won’t raise a hand to throw away – not only because they are unusual or beautiful, but also contain extremely useful or important information, e.g. a calendar, a useful quote, the time and date of the next visit.
5. Discounts for the first visit
What promotion should you create to attract clients for your treatments? The simplest, obvious and therefore no less effective option is to make discounts on their first visit with you. It might seem that you will loose money and work for nothing, however if they like you, in a couple of procedures you will be able to start making profit from that client. You can also create a competition on Instagram or Facebook where people, for example, win a free treatment for doing a repost.
6. Clients exchange with other beauty professionals
What other beauty specialists do your clients use? Hairdresser, beautician, hair removal technician, dentist, yoga instructor? Use these opportunities to create mutually beneficial partnerships – each of you can recommend services to your clients. Try to choose a specialist whose clients coincide with your target audience, so that partnership can be mutually beneficial.
7. Promotions for beauty procedures or products
Run special offers and promotions regularly. Do not limit your imagination here. You can come up with many ideas for attracting a client. Some therapists give discounts for a birthday, someone gives a discount for the fact that the client brings her friends. The second option, by the way, is effective and can help expand your customer base.
Referral programs and bonuses work great. Here are some examples: a longer facial/shoulder massage for every fifth peel as a gift. Or everyone who does a facial every month has a 10% discount for the other treatments. Experiment, watch the reaction, come up with new options.
8. Online paid promotions
Advertising on TV or in newspapers is expensive and often does not pay off. On the Internet everything is simpler, cheaper and more profitable. There are several types of online advertising.
Contextual advertising is an advertisement that is shown in Google search results as an answer to a search query. It is not cheap and will suit those who have a website.
The second option, advertising in social networks. For example, Facebook or Instagram, does not require huge budgets and gives high results. It will not be difficult for a beautician to quickly build up a client base with its help.
9. Don’t forget about yourself
Some technicians do not realise how important it is to have a neat and well-groomed appearance and clean and steamed uniform. If you are a cosmetologist, then your own face should look good, this is also an advertisement.
Improve your qualifications, always be in trend and be aware of new products that constantly come up on the market. It is essential to offer up-to-date therapies and services.
Communication with the client is also a very important factor. Avoid controversial topics, politics, religion. Do not start arguments and do not try to convince your visitors or you risk losing them.
10. Service
High-quality service is the key to success for any beauty salon or private master. It is no less important than the quality of the services provided and the qualifications you own. After all, a satisfied client will become a permanent one and will definitely bring his friends and relatives. At the same time, a dissatisfied client, for example, will also tell his friends about this, which will inevitably lead to the loss of clients and a decrease in the company’s reputation. The high level of service also always favourably distinguishes the company from competitors.
Each client wants to feel special, therefore, regardless of whether the client is a regular or not, whether he uses several salon services or only one, he should be paid no less attention than others. Even the little things play a role here. For example, to offer customers instead of “Tea or coffee?” 5 varieties of tea, professionally brewed coffee and specialty chocolate. Also offer brown sugar or sweeteners for weight-watchers. In the waiting room, you should keep magazines of various topics, neatly stacked. If the magazine is torn, too wrinkled or dirty, it should be removed from the tables, as it already looks untidy, and the client will already be unpleasant to hold it in his hands.
No salon and no master can exist without clients. Therefore, the main goal should be not so much attraction as retaining customers, so that each new incoming customer becomes a regular one. The client can determine in 1-2 minutes whether the master is attentive to him. You can’t make a first impression twice. This means that you need to be especially attentive to the client at the first meeting, because on it he will form his opinion about you.
Let’s summarise
Create all the conditions so that a client who comes to you once, comes to you again and again. Then the customer base will grow, and the amount of new customers will always be high.
And do not forget to constantly update your qualifications and fill your wall with latest diplomas and certificates.
Check Moda Donna PMU & Beauty Academy Courses to choose what other diploma you will proudly present to your clients.
With Love,
Moda Donna PMU & Beauty Academy
