Gaining a full client base isn’t something that is going to happen overnight, it takes time, effort and consistency. In today’s social media focused society it is so easy to think that the best way to get clients through your door is by having thousands of followers and likes but a large following doesn’t always translate to a full client base. Of course social media is a great tool and I will discuss this further, however your most powerful advertising tool are happy customers and their recommendations, word of mouth is a fantastic thing.
So how do you ensure the customers you do have will continue to return and also tell their friends to come to you for their lash service? Don’t just focus on the final result, create an experience for your client from the moment they walk through your door for their initial consultation and patch test. Explain to your client how you would style them to enhance their features, wow them with your knowledge and let them know that every set of lashes is a bespoke style created for each individual client. You want your client to feel like the service is personal to them and not just a conveyor belt of the same set of lashes slapped on everyone who walks through the door. Remember something that your client told you at their previous appointment, had they told you they were going somewhere? Did they have a birthday coming up? And ask them about it, if you have remembered something they told you 2-3 weeks ago they will feel like you really value them as a client.
Make sure your room is inviting and relaxing, have a comfortable bed, offer a blanket, use diffusers so your room smells nice and play some chilled music, my personal preference is to use the acoustic playlists from spotify rather than spa music and 80% of my clients ask for the playlists I use so that they can listen to them at home. If you are consistently doing these things as well as giving your clients a fantastic set of lashes they will continue to return, become loyal clients and tell everyone they can how fabulous the service they receive is.
Social media is a great source of promotion as long as you get it right. It’s no good having thousands of followers if they are not engaging with your posts. Use Instagram stories and their features such as polls, questions etc this will get people engaging as they flick through stories. Create educational posts and don’t overcomplicate things, posting a set of lashes with the caption ‘c curl, kitten, 7-12mm’ is pretty dry, boring and means absolutely nothing to prospective clients who are not lash artists. Use words like fluffy, natural, glamorous and explain why you have styled the client how you have.
Every now and again post a non- lash related post, something personal to you and your life outside of lashing. I personally feel very uncomfortable posting pictures of myself but I have been pushing myself to move out of my comfort zone and when I post a non-lash related post with something a little personal to myself this is what I actually find I get the most engagement with. Now I’m not saying you need to start revealing your deepest darkest secrets but as an example my most popular post was one where I talked about my journey to embracing my naturally curly hair. Your audience like to see the person behind the lashes, they like to feel they know you.
Don’t drop your prices because Lisa down the road is charging £20 for a full set of mega volume eyelash extensions. Charge what your skill is worth, work smarter not harder! I’m pretty sure you would prefer to earn £60 for 1 two hour set of lashes than £60 for 3 sets of lashes. The clients that are going to Linda down the road for £20 lashes are not the clients you want, these clients will likely not be loyal, they jump around from one artist to another just to get the cheapest deal. You want clients who value your time and your work, they are the clients who will stay with you and become your bread and butter. Rather than drop your service price offer promotions during your quieter times this way clients know your full service price and can’t complain about a sudden price hike. Don’t offer promotions all of the time because people will catch on to this and just wait until your next promotion to book again.
Finally don’t wait for your client to get in touch with you to book another appointment. Get them to book their next infill appointment before they leave, or if you notice a client has gone a week or two since their last infill and doesn’t have another one booked send them a little message. It doesn’t have to be a hard sell, something along the lines of ‘I noticed you don’t have your next appointment booked, my diary is really filling up and I would hate for you to miss out. Shall I book you in?’ always goes down well, clients often have been busy and making an appointment has completely slipped their mind so they appreciate these reminders and will often thank you for thinking of them.
If you are consistently doing all of the above you will see your diary fill up with all of the right clients.
