Once you have gotten your certificates, completed your training, signed up for all your social media handles, and made the website - what do you do next? How do you get clients?
It can be hard starting out, and usually, you have to rely on friends and family as your first couple of clients to get your feet wet. Once you have some before and after pictures and some social proof, there are some steps you can take to increase your client bookings and start to get more traffic.
Using Instagram
Instagram is a Permanent Makeup Artists best tool when it comes to social media and your business. Our industry to extremely visual, and you need a platform like this to display your work. Instagram is also great because you can display your Instagram feed on your website - making this your virtual portfolio.
You will want to have a separate business Instagram for your Permanent Makeup business. A business account that gives you backend analytics is extremely important. When you are ready to boost posts, you’ll be able to see and compare what worked and what didn’t work.
While you can share some things (not too often though) about your regular day-to-day activities, it is best to keep it 99.9% about your business. It can make you relatable with posts that don’t have anything to do with your business - but keep this very minimal.
How To Use Hashtags
Hashtags are the tags that you see on posts that start with a “#” symbol - they are used to categorize a picture or post. You use hashtags to show people what your post is about or what it is related to, and people searching for the topic can find your post.
You should always be using hashtags on your Instagram page. The best way to know which hashtags to use is to look at what your competitors are doing. Look at someone who has a decent following - You don’t want to compete with people who have 1 million followers, so start with people who have about 5000 more followers than you. Which hashtags are they using on their posts?
Make note of this and use the same hashtags as them. It is okay to use the same hashtags(as long as they aren’t location-specific - you don’t want to categorize your post as a post in the USA when you are in Canada). Most likely, these hashtags will be common and will make sense to use. Things that are simple like #permanentmakeup #eyebrowtattoo and #ombrepowderbrows will be common.
You won’t want to load your caption with hashtags. Use a couple of hashtags throughout the post, and you can also use emojis throughout as well. Once you post - put all of your hashtags in the comments of your post. You will want to use between 20-30 hashtags in your comments.
Using Facebook
Instagram and Facebook will actually work together, which is a great thing for you as a business owner. One post can actually be two posts for your audience because it can be in two different places.
On Facebook, you do not want to use as many hashtags as you do on Instagram, and you don’t want to make a comment with 20-30 hashtags in the comment.
You will want to use Facebook like a yellow page - with the added bonus of sharing your Instagram content as well. Make sure you have your business hours, location(s), and your contact information up to date on your Facebook page.
When you post this information, it is crucial that you are available at the hours you post, and that you’re available by the method you posted. You can’t put a phone number then have the phone number be out of service.
Interact With Established Artists
Another way to get in front of your audience is to interact on other social media accounts. Whether that is other Permanent Makeup Artists accounts in your area, or commenting on businesses in your local area.
Being relatable and engaging in your community will be super beneficial and will get your name out there more. If you are answering people’s questions with helpful information, you will be leaving an impact and people will remember you.
How do you respond to DMs?
When someone sends you a message or reacts to your story, this is great! This could be a potential client, and now that they have initiated contact you can try to close a sale. Remember to ask them questions - What do you like about your brows? What do you think could be improved? Do you spend a lot of time on your brows? Get to know what their pain points are, and then let them know how you can help them solve their problems.
What promotions can you run?
When people start out, often they will run promotions on their Instagram pages and their Facebook pages. Common promotions to run are 10% off of your first service, and referring a friend bonus.
10% off will often get clients in the door, but referring a friend is key because word of mouth is a fantastic, organic way to get traffic. In a local, smaller community, word of mouth can make or break your business. Make sure you offer a great value for your refer a friend if you are going to offer this.
You can also do giveaways on your social media posts too. Giveaways for when you reach a certain number of followers are a great way to encourage your current followers to like and share your page with their friends and family.
Consistency is key
No matter what you decide to do, consistency is key. To achieve consistency, you need a plan. It is important to have a social media strategy and to stick to it. Also, it is okay to change your plan too - nothing needs to be set in stone! Try different methods out for 30-90 days, and if you are noticing certain posts aren’t doing as well - change them up! You can customize your plans however you see fit.
We hope you found this article informative and that it answered any questions you may have had! This is the beginning of your career with Permanent Makeup Artistry so get excited!
For more information on Starting your own PMU business click here! or contact us for PMU supplies.
For information on the aftercare of your ombre powder brows, click here!
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