Back in 2007, building a clientele was all about referrals, networking, and providing a phenomenal guest experience.
Guess what? Times haven’t changed all that much.
Now we have social media and email marketing, which makes it easier than ever to build a clientele.
But even with all these handy tools and features, building a clientele comes down to one thing: getting in front of your potential dream clients.
It’s important to get out and make intentional connections with your target market because they are your bread and butter, your dream hair, and the key to making your business boom all wrapped up into one.
Today, we’re diving into the top five places where your potential clientele is hanging out and, more importantly, how you can get in front of them.
Social media
Yep, we’re talking Facebook, Instagram, TikTok, Snapchat – anywhere where people log in to share about their lives and get social.
The average adult spends two hours and 23 minutes a day on social media…
…so why does it feel like your target market doesn’t see you?
It’s so easy to feel like you’re sharing your message, your brand, your phenomenal work on social media, but nobody’s hearing it.
Think of social media like a cocktail party. You can’t just stand in the corner, slipping your glass of pinot grigio all night, right? You have to get in there by the cheese platter and strike up a conversation.
First, make sure you’re at the right party. Look for hashtags that clients would use, not stylists. Stop using #[brand you love], #[affiliation], or any other hashtag that speaks only to stylists.
Then check your captions. Make sure you’re writing to – again – your clients, not fellow stylists. Give them tips, how-tos, about yous. Things they actually want to learn about. (For more ideas, check out our post on how to finally banish caption-itis!).
Finally, get out there and network. Leave authentic comments on other posts, respond to your DMs, and leave a genuine thank you to each comment on your post (even if it’s an emoji!).
Clients are out there on social, and they’re looking for you. It’s up to you to get in front of them.
In the community
If you think local networking is dead, thanks to social media, think again. In this crazy technology age, true human connection is bigger than ever.
Luckily, local networking has evolved way past leaving your business cards tucked on the coffee shop bulletin board. Instead, take advantage of holidays like Small Business Saturday or other local events to make a major impact on your community.
Depending on your target market and area, make sure you’re using local, relevant hashtags. Chances are, you won’t find clients using #balayageartist, but #chicagobalayage has potential because only Chicago-based guests are going to look for stylists using that hashtag.
Referral programs
Speaking of referrals, let’s get real here: if you don’t have a true referral program in place, it’s doomsday for your business. And if you aren’t reminding your clients at every appointment about your referral program, you might as well not even have one.
Think about it: where is a better place to expand your clientele than with clients that you already know and love? Wouldn’t it be amazing to have more clients like Stacy, who always bring in that phenomenal energy? Or like Emily, who is always on time and tips generously?
Make a point to talk about your referral program to bring in clients like the ones you already love.
Search engines
We know there’s a lot of potential guests out there who are checking out your website or social media right now thanks to one thing: search engines.
But those clients aren’t finding you by looking up your or your salon’s name. Sorry, babe. They’re finding you through SEO.
SEO, or search engine optimization, isn’t as complicated as it sounds. Instead of forking over cash to an SEO company (they’re out there), narrow down on the top keywords you want to be known for. They might be your specialty, your location, anything that your dream client would use to find you on Google.
Use those keywords in your online presence. Don’t just load up your website with those words though – search engines hate that. Instead, add them to the conversation, as if you were introducing yourself at a networking event or explaining your services to a new client.
The more you use those keywords warmly and naturally, the more clients will find you from SEO.
Yelp
Technically, Yelp is a social media platform, but since there are so many feels around it, let’s talk about it separately.
Yelp can either be doomsday for your business or a huge help. Why? Because today’s consumers rely on word-of-mouth – even from strangers – most of all, when it comes to picking a new stylist, restaurant, nail salon.
Yelp scares us because, with one review, someone can totally destroy our online reputation, right? Well, sort of.
What really destroys online reputations is how you respond to those comments. If someone writes a horrible review, don’t respond in kind with saying how difficult they were, and they’re never allowed in your chair again. Instead, offer to make it right. Potential guests want to see how you respond and if you respond negatively, that will hurt your business a lot more than a professional response.
Yelp is the chance to get out in front of your clients where they’re already looking, showcase your skills, share your business info, and show them your personality.
Finding those dream clients feels downright impossible sometimes, but if you know where your clients are coming from, you can target them better. Notice where guests find you on your new client intake form. Pay attention to your social media DMs – are they dropping or increasing? If you pay attention and live with eyes wide open, you can build up your funnel so you have exclusively dream clients in your chair every single day.