So you’ve got a building, staff, a name, and equipment. Now what? We’ve written about How To Market Yourself as an Aesthetician, but now we will focus on marketing your cosmetic practice. Something very important to remember in starting your own practice, is to budget for marketing efforts: collateral like brochures and pamphlets, advertisements, website, marketing software, business cards, and more. Here are some steps to take to market your new cosmetic practice:
- Hire a website design firm for your website. If you try and do it yourself, you will end up spending more time and money trying to figure out all the website set up, design, and maintenance. It’s better to hire someone who specializes in this field, while you stick to your specialty. However, be cautious, ask around and do your research so you don’t get ripped off on the website.
- Start producing content. The more original content you produce ie. blog posts, e-books, whitepapers, etc. the better. You want to assert yourself as an expert in the industry, and your clients or potential clients will be able to see that from your website. Plus, content bodes well with search engine optimization (SEO).
- Get out there. Start going to networking events. When you show people that you are a person and you’re normal, the more likely they are to start trusting you. Get a room full of women and start talking to them about beauty, aging, and cosmetics, and instantly make friends. By going out and meeting new people, you are creating relationships with potential clients.
- Advertise. The aesthetics industry is becoming more accepted and talked about. Ads are popping up everywhere for breast augmentations, Botox, hair removal, and all different types of plastic surgery and non-surgical treatments. You need to keep up, or you will fall behind.
- Don’t cheapen your brand. The “new thing” in marketing is deal sites such as Groupon or Livingsocial. These sites can cheapen your brand. If people want good service, they will pay the price. Don’t sell yourself short just to obtain clients.
- Encourage referrals and reviews. Having your clients write reviews for your website or review sites like Yelp will help market your practice. Encouraging referrals from your legacy clients will help as well.
Marketing your practice is huge in the aesthetics industry. In order for your practice to succeed, your marketing will need to be spot on in order to compete in a growing market. Seek outside help if you don’t feel you can dedicate the time and resources needed but by all means, do not let your marketing fall behind on your priority list.