How I Built a Full Clientele in 60 Days From Scratch (part 1)

Many people don’t know this but in 2016, I moved my business to a new city and started over. In the city that I moved to, no one knew who I was and they didn’t know anything about my prior accomplishments. To top that off, the city was saturated with established lash artists and one of those artists were directly across the street from my new location.

I didn’t allow that to discourage me though. I learned back when I did hair extensions that it didn’t really matter how many artists were already dominating in the area. My clients were out there and I just had to make enough noise for them to find me. So, I put on my blinders and took steps to let people know I was in the area. And when I did, new clients started rolling in and I was able to start making money fast.

Here’s the first step I took prior to the move to make that happen.

ESTABLISH A DIGITAL FOOTPRINT

The first and most important thing I focused on was establishing a strong digital footprint. Now I know what you might be thinking… What in the heck is a digital footprint?

Well, let me explain.

A digital footprint in short, is your online presence or your reputation that people can see on the internet. For example, your website, social media, articles, etc. It’s wherever clients can find information about you and your business.

Whenever I start a new business, look to grow an existing business or help other artists establish their business, this is the first place I start.

We are living in a digital world. Gone are the days where you can print up flyers, hand them out and get a steady flow of clients… (I used to do that back in the 90’s and it worked great, by the way.) These days, if people can’t find you online, and in multiple places, your business may as well not exist.

CREATE A WEBSITE

The first place I start in establishing my digital footprint is with a website. Many people may think of social media as a starting point but there are a few reasons why I don’t start with social media. The main reason being, there’s a lot of what I like to call “noise” on social media and when you put up a profile there, it’s really hard to be found there and stand out from everyone else hanging out on the platform. Not only that, there’s a lot of distractions for the clients you’re looking to attract so it’s difficult to keep people’s attention there.

For the most part, clients start with a search engine like Google to find what they’re looking for. When they look on search engines like these, social media profiles aren’t the first things to show up in search results. Instead, review websites, brick and mortar locations and local business websites are the first thing that potential clients see. So this is why it’s even more critical that your first step is building a website rather than focusing on social profiles first.

While social profiles are easy to get set up, putting in the time and effort to create a website pays off more when clients are trying to find you. Even moreso if you’re starting out with a very small budget.

What’s great about having your own website is that you control the narrative. Everything your potential client sees is what you want them to see. There are no distractions for the client to look at and nothing to pull their attention away from your messaging. I like to look at a website like it’s my own personal billboard. Once potential clients are there, all they can do is see content that I’ve created just for them.

There are a few basic things I like to have on my website.

HOME PAGE

Many people look at a home page as an opportunity to talk about why their business is so great. But that’s not the best approach to take. If a potential client lands on your site, they’re looking for a product or service that’s going to benefit them or make their lives easier. So, your home page should be focused on your potential client and the benefits they’ll receive if they choose to work with you.

This is your opportunity to really sell your services and let your potential clients know how your services are going to change their lives for the better.

SERVICES PAGE

The next page I like to focus on is my services page. Here, I outline the services I provide and I also include my pricing. I like to do this because clients tend to appreciate when a business is straight forward and doesn’t try to hide their price. It also works to repel clients that don’t want to pay my pricing and are looking for a lower pricing. Ultimately, it’s a time saver for me.

On the services page, my approach is to sell each service I offer by helping them see the transformation they’ll get if they choose that particular service and why they need what I’m offering. Remember, clients haven’t received the training that we’ve received. They don’t know how we do what we do and what the names of our services mean. For example, if one of your services is a classic set, explain that this is a natural looking set where you apply one extension to each natural lash. Describing your services in this way helps them visualize what you do and what it’s going to mean for them.

CONTACT PAGE

This page should be short, sweet and to the point. Here’s where you want to let clients know how to get in touch with you. If you have multiple ways to connect with your clients, spell it out for them here. Email, text, phone call, walk in, direct message (DM)… make sure your potential client knows every way they can get in touch with you.

Another thing you want to include which a lot of business owners miss… is to let your potential client know the average time it will take for your to respond when they contact you. Is it 2 hours, 24 hours, 48 hours? Whatever it is, let them know. Because if they’re left in the dark and don’t know when you’ll get back to them, they may go on a hunt to find someone else.

There are several more pages you can add to your website such as a blog or online booking, FAQ’s and testimonials. But these three pages in my opinion are the first to get put up so people can start getting to know you and your business.

These days, there are so many web service providers that you can use to create a website with little to no budget. A few that come to mind are GoDaddy, Wix, Wordpress and Squarespace. Personally, I use Squarespace because they offer a huge selection of templates with gorgeous designs and all I have to do is select the template I like and plug in my information. And within a few hours, I have a website that’s fully functional and beautiful.

So there you have it. The very first thing I always start with when I want to build a profitable and successful business. I hope this helps you to get started.

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