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This post is shared from LAUREN SAUNDERS, lash marketing coach. Check her out at: https://www.laurencsaunders.com/.
How to Attract More Lash Clients: 3 Easy Step-By-Step Methods So you’re ready to up-level your income as a certified eyelash extension technician, but aren’t sure where to find amazing clients who are ready and willing to pay your prices? You’ve likely posted on social media or spread the word verbally, but until you get some momentum behind your client roster, you’re going to need to be a little more strategic in order to fill your schedule with beautiful clients who you love working with. Look no further.
The following 3 methods are a sure-fire way to start making the money you’re ready for in your business NOW.
Method #1: post free ads
You’ve probably tried posting free ads for your lash services, whether it on was Craigslist, Gumtree. Kijiji or some other free online classifieds website. Maybe you got a few responses, or maybe you didn’t. Maybe the idea of advertising to complete strangers turned you off before you could hit the “Publish Ad” button. Believe me, I get it. But being strategic about how you post to these websites can and WILL bring you a schedule full of clients who are not only a dream to work with, but who are also excited to recommend you to their friends and families, meaning that posting ads online is simply a means to an end. Soon enough your business will be self-sustaining, and in Method #2 I’m going to lay down the exact steps to making that happen. How to attract lash clients through free online advertisements: Step 1: Write a DETAILED ad that thoroughly describes who you are, what you do, and how you do it. Way too many people make the fundamental mistake of writing a general ad that attracts only the people who either aren’t serious about booking with you, or who are going to try and barter with you for a lower price (don’t entertain this—your time and skill are worth every penny of what you’re charging). You attract quality clients with a quality ad! The more effort you put into your ad, the more it will attract people who care enough about their lashes to read through the whole thing and follow-through with booking an appointment.
Your ad should include:
1. An introduction to you—who you are, what you do and why you’re passionate about providing your clients with a quality lash service.
2. A description of the space you work from so that people feel comfortable coming to you.
3. Links to any online presence you have: social media, websites, Yelp reviews etc. Give potential clients a reason to trust and get to know you over the many others who have posted similar ads. I have even gone as far as to include my artist website to demonstrate my love for all-things attention to detail. I also explain that I am a lash lover myself, and know first-hand the importance of getting a proper set of lashes from someone who knew what they were doing!
4. As many photos as possible including a link to your Instagram. Quality clients will want to see the work they’re paying for BEFORE they commit to booking with you. Take close- up photos of your sets and use an app like Phonto to put your watermark over your photos so that people know it’s your work. If you don’t have enough photos yet, ask a few friends to trade their time in for a free set of lashes!
5. Demonstrate your expertise by telling people what they should and should not be looking for in a lash artist—there are SO many people doing poor lash work out there and many people have experienced this first-hand. They want to know they’re going to someone who’s going to give them a quality set of lashes. You can easily set yourself apart by including an educational section in your ad that benefits everyone who reads it, regardless of if they book with you or not.
6. Provide your preferred method of getting in touch and make it easy for people to reach out to book an appointment with you. Keep it professional, consistent and friendly, and the client inquiries will start to roll in! I can’t tell you how many people have come to me and told me that my detailed ad was the reason they chose to book with me and pay my prices over hundreds of other lash techs. A lash artist who cares about creating a quality ad (that includes proper grammar and spelling!) also cares about providing her clients with a quality set of lashes, period!
Step 2: Repost your ad every single day to keep it at the top of the search results. When I initially started my business, I grew my income to $3,500/month worth of clients in 60 days by re-posting not one but TWO similar ads every day for two months straight. I encouraged new clients to hand out my number and business card to anyone who asked, and I posted photos of my work daily on Instagram. This only took 15 minutes out of my day and within two months time was no longer necessary as my business began to grow itself from word-of-mouth recommendations by satisfied clients.
Method #2: word-of-mouth
One of the most beneficial aspects of starting and growing a lash business is that each and every one of your clients is a walking advertisement for your amazing work and skill. You can bet money on the fact that your clients will be asked where they got their lashes done just about everywhere they go by friends, family members and even strangers. When your clients feel taken care of and appreciate you and your work, they’ll be excited and happy to give out your name and info without expecting anything in return. Make it easy for them to do so! Follow the steps below to capitalize on word-of-mouth marketing and set your clients up to grow your business for you!
Method #3: price promotions
Step 1: Make it easy for people to share your info with others. Create business cards (there are many great websites for this and it’s relatively cheap to design a custom card from provided templates and have them printed and shipped to your door within days) that have all of your contact information on them. They don’t need to be fancy to get the job done. Be sure to include your Instagram handle so that people can easily view your work. I recommend uploading client testimonials to your Instagram as well so that people can read first-hand what others are saying. This will make it extra tempting to book in with you.
Step 2: Let your clients know whether or not you’re okay with them giving out your information (hint: YES!) when they’re asked for it. If they run out of your business cards, you want them to know that you encourage and appreciate them sharing your contact info with others. Your clients may not want to give it out if they’re unsure whether you’re okay with that, so be intentional about telling people to share share share!!
Step 3 (optional): While your clients likely won’t expect anything in return for recommending you to others (we all love talking about excellent products and services as consumers!), you may want to sweeten the deal by giving them an incentive to do so. An example may be that with every 3 clients one person sends you, they get one free lash fill/set as a thank you. Be sure to provide the free service only after each of their referrals have followed through with their appointment in case there are cancellations. My business has been self-sustaining for over 2 years as a result of happy clients and the referrals they send me. Be sure your clients are well taken care of, that they know how much you appreciate their business and that you always regard their inquiries with professionalism and kindness. Each and every client is SO much more than just someone coming to get their lashes done—make sure they feel valued and they’ll love supporting you and your business for years to come!
Method #3: price promotions
People love saving money on things they would have happily payed full-price for. The problem is that many business owners don’t set their promotion up strategically in order to encourage people to actually take advantage of it—and sooner rather than later! Running a price promotion on your services as a lash artist is a great way to bring in new clients fast, and when advertised properly will help to boost the growth of your business long after the promotion has ended! How to attract lash clients through price promotions:
Step 1: Decide on what the promotion is. Personally I like to give discounts for my full sets because those clients will likely come back for lash fills. Most of your income as a lash technician should be coming from your lash fills on returning clients. By giving a $10-$30 discount on your full set, you encourage people to give your services a try before committing to becoming a regular client. There are a ton of great ways to attract clients as a lash technician or beauty professional, and the above three examples were just a taste of the many strategies you can use to grow a 6-figure income while working for yourself. If you enjoyed these pointers, join the new Facebook community: “The Lash Boss Tribe” where I provide regular free trainings on growing a thriving and automated business in a fun and booming industry.
Step 2: Advertise the promotional price WITH your regular prices also listed. The mistake that many people make is that they reduce the price of their services in an effort to bring in more clients, but they don’t make it abundantly clear that it’s a promotion and that people are getting a great deal. Even if you’re brand new to doing lashes, list your start-up price as a promotion so that when you raise your prices as you get busier/more comfortable, people aren’t surprised and you don’t feel weird about asking for more money. An effective example may read: “$20 off a full set of eyelash extensions for first-time clients in the month of September”. List your regular or intended prices below the ad headline and make it very clear what the promotion is for and how long it’s going to last. Even if you extend this promotion for a few months at the beginning of your business (or over the year’s slow months like January-March), never advertise it as lasting for more than 2-4 weeks at a time. People will book when there is urgency or they feel they’re going to miss out. If they know they can get this great price in a month or two from now, why book today?
Step 3: When new clients take advantage of your promotion, let them know that you appreciate them telling their friends about the deal you’re offering, and that you’ll honour the price for a week or two even after promotional period has ended. This gives your new clients something to tell their friends about when they get asked about their lashes (which they will, since you’re awesome at what you do!) When I first started my business, I offered full sets of lashes (unlimited lash count) for $60 for three straight months. Clients knew that was a promotional price that would eventually go up to $90 (and then to $110 a year later) and they were not surprised when the promotion ended. I advertised this promotion in as many places as possible and grew a full-time income worth of clients in two months as a result. I will occasionally offer a week-long promo of $20 off a full set of lashes when I’m wanting to bring in a few new clients, but at this point in my business it is rarely necessary to do so.
Learn more great tips at https://www.laurencsaunders.com/.