I know many of you are trying to grow your clientele, find the right clientele, or worry that once you get licensed, you will struggle to find clients.
I’ve been in all 3 scenarios, trying to build one, trying to find one that genuinely valued my work, and consistently generating more and more prospects.
After working with over 1000 clients, I learned there are two ways to build a clientele… by chasing around to find or attract one.
When you chase a clientele, you will feel a weight to actively go and find a clientele. And so you will print a ton of business cards and flyers, feel the need to find people, and just simply feel as if you’re not actively doing something right now to grow your business, then it simply will not grow.
And that simply is no longer the case in this day and age. If you have access to the internet and a good phone, all you have to do is do awesome work, capture it to display it, and optimize it for search so that the right people find you.
And look, even though there is absolutely nothing wrong with printing extra business cards to be ready for just about everyone that inquires about your nails, other more casual ways attract your ideal clientele.
Those clients who enjoy your style of doing nails will go nowhere else to get their nails done.
Today I’m going to show you 3 things you can do right now to attract your best clientele, even if you’re not yet in or done with nail school.
These 3 strategies will help you start attracting a clientele that will be counting the days until you are officially licensed to take your first client.
Let’s begin!
Here are the 3 Things You Can Start Doing Right Now To Start Attracting Your Best Clientele:
Tip #1 Have your nails on point- always!
Dress your nails to the exact style of nails you would love doing in the salon. That style will have you jumping out of bed every workday. Are they short, long, fun, vibrant blingy? Whatever style of nails you wish to major in as a professional, you need to start conveying it in the nails you wear right now.
Any time someone compliments them, let them know you do them and, most importantly, where you are in your journey, i.e.: hobbyist, nail student, or newly independent. If you’re newly independent, meaning licensed and in your own space, then hand them a business card. If you’re a hobbyist, let them know you just do them for fun and do them donation-based. If you’re in nail school, share your school hours when they can come and get their nails done.
Tip #2 Practice Taking Great Pictures
I often tell my students when they submit portfolios to me for grading… you can have the best set of nails, but if you cannot convey that in your photos, your prospects have nothing to reference.
Every photo that goes up on the world wide web, including social media, should be intentionally your best work.
An easy great photo can happen just with natural lighting. To capture it in the best light, find the sun and take your photo in the opposite location of where the sun is located. You’re using the sun to illuminate your picture. It should be behind you, but make sure not to obstruct it from hitting the nails. If you can capture a photo on a gray day or from a window, you’ll notice how much softer and diffused the lighting will be.
In the salon, every appointment was booked with a bit of extra time so that I had time to get up and shoot my client’s nails outside. It was worth it to me because these pictures continued cultivating the clientele you desire on auto-pilot, like even while you sleep… And, of course, it forced me to get up at every service.
Totally recommend it.
Tip #3 Starting A Dedicated Instagram Account
Naturally, as you spark conversation with people when you’re wearing your awesome set of nails and when you’re photographing and archiving them … you will need a digital business card.
A digital business card can be in the form of a website which may be more than you need as a beginner or a social media profile, and there is no better place to build and attract prospects than Instagram.
On this dedicated Instagram Profile, ensure that you only share your nail work 98% of the time. In other works, ensure this is not a mix of mostly your personal life sprinkled with some nail work.
Having a dedicated Instagram account for your nail business will have you create a name for your business and display the information on your specialty of nails, and the type of work you can do, based on your pictures.
Whether or not you have a booking link right now is not super necessary, as someone can always direct message you to inquire more about your business.
And remember, even if you’re not set up quite yet for legal business, it is still a great opportunity to tell that prospect where exactly you are in your journey. That transparency will go a long way, and I will further ask them if it is ok for you to contact them back as soon as you’re set up to take them on. Remember, you can legally take clients in nail school. You don’t have to wait until you’re on your own.
Alright, if you enjoyed today’s top 3 tips, I go over additional strategies, including how to grow your clientele while still in school and what to do once you’re booked out at capacity (because it is only a matter of time with the right strategies) inside my course, Client Booster Camp. I’ll drop a link to it in the description box below, or you can also wait to sign up for it as part of the Master Gel Nails Pro program. I’ll drop information about these courses down in the description box below.
It’s never too early to start treating your time like money, by taking the guesswork and saving you time from hunting and pecking for the transformational information you need that is found in an organized online course.
Share your thoughts on today’s topic in the description box below. Which will you be implementing?
#1 Having your nails done on-point always.
#2 Practicing taking great pictures
Or
#3 Starting A Dedicated Instagram Account
Thank you for joining me today, and I’ll see you in the next one!
Content written by Paola Ponce.
Loved this blog? Then I think you’ll love learning more about my journey as a specialized gel nail solopreneur in the nail industry. Click here to get instant access to my free masterclass. These blogs are copyrighted material, and any use of this blog is not permitted without written concern first. Some of these blogs contain affiliate links that give us a small commission when qualifying purchases are made. Thank you for being so supportive, which helps us to continue creating valuable resources and content like this.
