In everything you decide to pursue, you must start somewhere- perhaps somewhere things that are undeniably hard and you may have little or no knowledge how to begin with. For all lash technicians who are in the early stage of their lashing career, looking for lash clients and building quality clientele who would trust your craft and choose you over those with formidable years of experience can be very overwhelming and challenging. But then again, nobody started great.
In building your lash clientele, start optimizing your time and skills on ways or platforms that you are naturally good at and comfortable doing with. With all the things you are simultaneously doing as a start- up business owner, being familiar with some of the processes you implement in your business operation contributes significantly to your efficiency.
Now that you got lash certified, done setting up your lash salon and have already stock up enough eyelash extension products and supplies, get the word out by following these easy tips in attracting your first lash clients:
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Utilize social media
Social media can be very powerful in bringing your name in front of your ideal client. Optimize your social media accounts fully telling people your lash enhancement services and offers. Consistently share photos or short videos of your lash works and some educational content about the enhancement to establish your authority in the industry. Educate yourself of the basics on how to appear in search results on the social media platform you and your lash clients are in. Allocate ample time of your day or week working on your social media presence. Start showing up on the social media channel you know your way around or have been using even before you started your lashing business. This is to take advantage of the audience you’ve already established there and indirectly making them the bearer of good news to others.
Social media is a free marketing tool you don’t want to miss out on when you are just starting to introduce yourself as a professional or a business owner. Take a photo, post then engage!
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Offer new customers discounts
Who does not love discounts? Offering tempting discounts on your services for a limited time is a great way to entice those that are having regular eyelash extensions, those that have been wanting to get the service but are a few bucks short of budget and those that are just curious of the fad and are waiting for cheaper rates to finally make the decision and get it.
People are willing to spend a significant amount of money for beauty enhancements specially if it means boosting their confidence. And you, offering discounts on your lash services will surely make them queue in at your lash salon door.
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Ask for client reviews or build a referral program
Your first clients are your most important ones. Do not skip asking for their feedback about how well or poor you did in your first eyelash extension applications. Their 5-star rating will be your catalyst to the business traction you’ve been dreaming of as a beginner lash technician. In contrast, their “poor” rating will teach you valuable lessons and give you a chance to make improvements. Whichever it is, words-of-mouth tremendously benefit you and your business more than any publicity you can think of.
On the other hand, when you have already built a good number of clientele but are still looking to grow it, this is where a referral program can be advantageous. Offer exciting perks to your regular lash clients who can bring in another client. You can also offer discounts to referees so that recommending your name to others wouldn’t be such a work for your referrers. Bottom line is to execute all possible and effective methods to grow your income. Be creative!
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Grow your Network, Participate in Community Events
What better way there is to introduce your name than to be present and introduce it in actuality? Showing up to community events, wherein you can showcase your lash services and even the eyelash extension products and supplies you want to promote, is a good exposure for your lash business. When you do your product trial or lash extension application demos in community events, potential clients attending the said events can have the opportunity to witness for themselves the kind of craft you do and how good you’re at it.
Moreover, community events and even bigger ones like beauty trade shows not only introduces you to your potential clients but also to lash professionals and experts whom you can look up to and learn from for someone new to the lashing industry.
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Collaborate with Other businesses
How about you team up with a glam team for a wedding event and give the bride the best bridal eyelash extension style on her big day? Or ask the hair salon manager, a few blocks near you, to let you post your lash business poster at her reception and in return, you ask her business card for any hair styling needs your lash clients may have? Sounds like the true essence of community, right? Helping one another, empowering one another to succeed. You will be surprised by how your community and your network can be so impactful in your lashing journey. And when the time comes, you’ll have your chance to pay it forward.
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Seek Support from Friends and Family
Start asking for help and support from your closest network- your family and friends. Ask them to refer you and your service to their friends or maybe ask them to reshare your social media posts about your lash work or your limited offer. When you’re just starting out, don’t go too far yet looking for resources to run your business. Make use first of what you already have or can afford in the meantime- be it supplies, facilities or help from people.
There can be hundreds of ways to get your first lash clients and grow them, eventually. Some may require you to put out more capital cost; just be sure you’re also paying with gratitude. Whichever method you want to try on your first few weeks from opening your lash business, you need to be as committed as you’ve never been in your whole life because the first steps are always the hardest- that’s for sure. But if you pour your heart into building the clientele that you want and never give up, it will all be worth it.
We hope this guide shed some light to our dear beginner lash techs and start- up business owners on how to get down to their very first lash extension application schedule up to their very first “fully-booked” record.
You got this! Break a leg, snap a finger! For a beautiful life.