15 Ways to Market a Makeup Artistry Business
- Business
Bookmarks. Rather than simply creating an ordinary business
card, create a business bookmark and use it to insert into relevant
books in the library. On this business bookmark, include your
business information and a photo of one of your best portfolio
shots. Then, head out to the library and insert your business
bookmarks into random pages of relevant books. For example, a bridal
makeup artist would insert her bookmarks into wedding planning
books, bridal makeup, wedding craft books, books about prom,
modeling, photography, etc.
- Film
YouTube Videos. Millions of people head to YouTube for beauty
advice, makeup reviews and makeup tutorials. Develop a following for
yourself as a professional makeup artist by creating high quality
makeup tutorials, reviews and giving tips to combat common issues,
such as concealing under-eye circles, acne, and making small lips
look plumper. When creating your videos use good lighting, speak
clearly and opt for a true video camera rather than using one that
may be built into your computer. In addition, if you make partner on
YouTube (your videos must be quite popular), it'll be an effective
way to supplement your income while still following your passion in
makeup.
- Join
ModelMayhem.com. Model Mayhem is a website where creative
professionals, such as photographers, models, and of course, makeup
artists, can connect with one another. You can network with talented
professionals in your area and work together to develop all of your
portfolios simultaneously. And, photographers, models and interested
clients can contact you for paid work through your profile. It's
necessary to add value to the Model Mayhem community. Spend time
creating a professionally written bio and uploading quality
pictures. Also, take the initiative by reaching out to local talent
to proactively network your way to success.
- Create
a website. Most prospective clients research makeup artists
before deciding to hire them. If your portfolio isn't online, you
very well may lose potential clients to the competition. Create a
website to showcase your portfolio, and also add pages that display
your bio, and rates. Many makeup artists choose to quote on a case
by case basis, therefore you may choose to simply implement a
contact form and ask prospective clients to contact you for a quote.
- Write
a blog. Writing a blog in addition to your website is one of the
most effective ways to promote your business. Write blog posts about
previous work you've done including photos of the process/client if
possible, post tutorials and reviews. Readers generally like
list-based blog posts, such as “Top 10 NYX Products” or “My 5
Favorite Lipsticks of all time. As always, write your blog posts in
a professional voice as this is an avenue in which you promote your
business, rather than rant about your everyday life.
- Wear
your work. Each time you leave the house, do your makeup in a
professional, interesting and awe-inspiring manner. Soon enough,
people at the grocery store, mall, school or wherever you seem to
be, will begin to approach you to complement you on your makeup.
Take this opportunity to inform your admirers that you're a makeup
artist, and hand them a business card.
- Network
with other makeup artist. Networking with other makeup artists
opens the door to you receiving their overflow, and vice a versa.
When your makeup artist acquaintance has too many clients contacting
her for work, she may refer them to you rather than turning them
away altogether. This is an I-scratch-your-back-you-scratch mine type
of agreement. When you have overflow, send it her way, and when she
has overflow she just may send it your way. To truly maximize the
potential of this technique network often with a large number of
other makeup artists to hopefully receive regular overflow.
- Car
Decals. Use car decals to promote your makeup artistry business.
Car decals are valuable forms of advertisement for your makeup
artist business as everyone that sees your car on the road will
become aware of your services. Everyone on the road is a potential
customer or knows someone that may need your services. Therefore,
drivers that are stopped at red lights and spot your car decal may take down your number to contact you or
to pass onto someone that they know that may be in need of your services. In order
to enhance the visibility you receive through your car decals, have
additional car decals made and ask your spouse, parents and best
friends to place one on their vehicles. By doing so, you'll have four
or more cars on the road simultaneously promoting your business
rather than just one.
- Participate
in social media. Social networking is one of the most effective
ways to spread the word about your freelance makeup artist business.
Promote your business on Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn, MySpace and
any other social networking websites you're active on. The best way
to promote your business is by offering a discount, sending a link
to a blog post or YouTube video or updating your fans on the current
happenings of your makeup artist business.
- Form
local alliances. Teaming up with local bridal businesses (if
that's the niche of makeup artistry you're in) can be highly
profitable for your business. You can simply ask local bridal shops,
accessories shops, bakeries and wedding planners to pass out your
business' information if they have a bride that is yet to hire a
makeup artist. In exchange, you can hand out their information to
your clients as well to reach a mutually beneficial partnership. Or,
you can offer them a commission for every bride that they refer to
you and becomes a client. Both options are equally attractive to
complementary businesses as they both result in additional revenue for
the shop.
- Join
local business associations. Though it is unlikely that you'll
land clients on-the-spot at local networking events, becoming a part
of your local business associations can prove to be an effective way
of getting clients as a makeup artist in the long-run. Being an active member of
such associations will cause word of mouth promotion of your
business on a local level, and this is one of the purest forms of
advertising your business can receive. A real estate agent or lawyer
may contact you down the road to do their makeup for their head
shots. Or, a daughter of one of the members may be getting married
or attending prom in the upcoming months. This is an especially
effective tactic if you're in a small town, as you'll likely have
very little competition from other makeup artists.
- Post
an ad in the newspaper. Posting ads in the newspaper is a
severely underrated method of marketing your business. Brides often
look through the newspaper to find advertisements for local
businesses, such as wedding venues and makeup artists while planning
their wedding. Therefore, it's up to you to ensure that your ad
appears in the paper. Contact your local newspapers to inquire about
their rates.
- Ask
your current customers for referrals. Offer your customers a 5%
to 25% off coupon for every new client that they refer to your
business. To sweeten the deal, you can also offer a discount to the
client that is referred to you. This offers a greater incentive to
spread the word about your business. If you feel as if you're losing
money by offering such a discount, you can choose to totally skip
this tip or alter it to your liking.
- Advertise
on blogs. Find relatively popular blogs that are tailored
towards your demographic and purchase advertising. Nowadays, most
independently owned blogs will offer their sponsors an introductory
post which tells their readers about your business in addition to
placing a button to your website or blog on their sidebar. The cost
of this form of advertising is unpredictable. A new blog may charge
$10 to $35 per month. While a more established blog may charge $50
to $300 per month, or even $700 in some cases. You'll likely be able
to get more bang for your buck by choosing to advertise on a blog
that is tailored towards your local audience or a location you're
willing to travel to.
- Host
a giveaway. Contact a local blog or business and offer a prize
to every reader or customer that enters your giveaway. In exchange
for the prize you're giving away, collect e-mail addresses from
those that enter the giveaway so you can update them on the
happenings of your business through an e-mail newsletter. This is also
an effective way of increasing your YouTube subscriber count in order to
help your makeup channel increase in popularity and make partner.
Books Related to Becoming a Makeup Artist
1. Iman: The Beauty of color
Price: N3,500
2. Style Eyes by Taylor Chang-Babaian
Price: 2,500
References
1. http://shoppingguru.hubpages.com/hub/15-Ways-to-Market-yourself-as-a-Freelance-Makeup-Artist
2. www.lasage.com.ng
