So you finished makeup school and have decided to branch out and start your career. You should be proud of yourself for committing to your passion-congratulations!
One of your straightforward goals as a makeup artist is to book clients. You can be amazing when it comes to makeup, but what is that worth if no one can see it? Last week’s blog post was centered around how important it is to have a social media presence. Now let’s talk about creating and establishing a professional name for yourself everywhere for people to recognize.
CREATING A WEBSITE
In addition to social media, having resources where you can be found is important. It is how people will get their first impression of you. If someone likes what they initially see, they will keep looking. If not, they will go on to the next one.
When someone Googles your name, the goal is to not only have social media show up but also a website. A website allows a better introduction to who you are, your portfolio, background, experience and also pricing range. Many people who are serious about quality services want someone who will give them 100% effort and attention. Having a website allows for your personality and style to show through before a potential client can meet or contact you.
Having a website also gives room for you to include a mini biography. Showing people that you are passionate about your craft and giving them some background on yourself and inspiration will go a long way. If you include how many years of experience you have, the certification, skills or makeup training you went through; these are all examples of things that will make you credible.
MAKE BUSINESS CARDS
In addition to having a strong social media presence and a website, business cards are extremely important. You never know when you will run into someone who may be interested in your services. Even a friend may carry one around and refer you to someone they met. A business card is an excellent way of leaving a brand imprint.
In the vast world of networking and interactions, you shouldn’t leave the house without a business card. Having a short conversation with someone and leaving them with a business card shows that your services are legitimate and that you take yourself seriously. When you represent yourself with confidence and professionalism, people will be interested.
HAVE A CONSISTENT, PROFESSIONAL NAME
Having a professional name for yourself is very important. For example, if your name is Melanie Brown, you would ideally want to keep your official name simple and let people know that you are an artist. For that name, something like Mel B Makeup or Melanie Brown MUA would be great. Something like Melxmakeupx3 is not so professional. Avoid unnecessary letters and numbers to keep your presentation clean.
Adding to that, if you are on social media and you have a website, keep the name consistent. You don’t want to be melanie345 on Instagram then melbmakeup on your website.
The name on your website, Twitter, Instagram, and business card should all be the same. If someone wants to identify you, they should be able to do that with ease. Keep a name that you know you will like and stick to. Once you have established clients and relationships, it will be a difficult shift to change it. Make sure you are comfortable and happy with your professional name.
Being able to have an established, consistent name will ensure that people will find you immediately if they have to. Looks are very important, so if your outlets of communication are clean, cut and professional, clients will assume you are too.
HAVE A STRONG WORK ETHIC AND VALUE CLIENTS
Be sure that in everything that you do, you are implementing your strong work ethic. Always arrive early to bookings, stay on top of any emails and work that you have to complete. Also, always leave room for inspiration. The time you spend not actually working on clients is also an example of work ethic. Being inspired by everyday things such as paintings, people, and even colors can all be used for inspiration. Having goals and always striving to better your craft are important examples of strong work ethic.
Having a strong work ethic also means that you hold significance to the interactions and people that you meet.
When you are first starting out, it is understandable that you may want to grab as many opportunities as possible as a stepping stone for your career. By all means, keep working hard. However, from the beginning, you should not only be focused on working but making it memorable to both you and the client. Having a lasting impression on clients and people is what will get you valuable relationships. It is a waste of time if you do not make all of your experiences memorable and create relationships.
BE ASSERTIVE YET PROFESSIONAL
Being kind, attentive and accommodating when necessary with your clients is very important. You should value them and their trust in you.
However, there will be times when potential clients will try to take advantage of you or devalue you. This can mean trying to bully you into working a day when you are off, or even asking for a lower price.
While still being professional and kind, make it known that you know the value of your work. Make it known that the policies that you create for yourself and your business are not wavering and are to be respected. If you would like, you can even implement a policies section on your website and always refer to them there. Staying professional and standing by what you say will show that you are serious business.
These are just a few tips on branding your name in the world of makeup artistry! Finding your personal style, a name that fits you and your craft and presenting yourself in the best way possible are all great steps!
You can show your personal style by the way you set up your website, portfolio and even the style of your Instagram account.
Our Master Makeup Artistry and Extensive 5-Week Program both include a business, branding and marketing class that gives you in-depth guidance on how to build your website, how to network efficiently in the beauty industry, a guide on freelancing and much more!
