After you’ve logged your hours in esthetician school and fine-tuned your creative craft, it’s time to get started on your esthetician marketing plan.

At StyleSeat, we know there’s a lot that goes into creating your marketing strategy. From advertising to social media, loyalty cards to referral promotions, we’re here to help you dive into the details of esthetician marketing so you can focus on what you do best — your art.

1. Localized Marketing For Your Esthetician Services

Geo-targeted advertising is a specific type of advertising that utilizes location data to help you get a message to your ideal customers. For beauty professionals, this can be an invaluable tool, as much of your business is location-based (i.e. potential customers who live in Los Angeles will most likely be looking for esthetician services in Los Angeles).

Wondering how to use geo-targeting for your esthetician marketing? When you run a paid ad, like promoted Facebook ads, for example, you can use geo-targeting to make that ad show up on the feed specifically of people in your area. With Facebook, you can also target additional specifics, like age group. 

Interested in more tips? Learn how to use geo-targeting Facebook ads for your salon.

2. Utilize Loyalty Cards

As a business owner, think of loyalty cards as your marketing plan no-brainer. Essentially, you hand over a small card with some form of reward — a percentage off or free facial service — and this encourages your salon clients to keep coming back.

In the cosmetic, beauty, and skincare business specifically, the world is ripe with esthetician promotion ideas. You can also think about launching a more advanced loyalty program to keep your customers motivated and excited to book your services. With tiered loyalty programs, a client might be able to become a member for free. From there, the more money they spend, the more money they get back. 

You can add on additional value by throwing in benefits like a discounted service on their birthday or early access to promotions and sales. 

3. Maximize Referral Promotions

If you’re wondering how to get more clients as an esthetician, a referral program is a great idea. When it comes to esthetician promotion ideas, a referral program is an incentive program that helps you spread the word about your beauty business. It can get you new clients and also, keep your current clients happy.

The way a referral program works is that you incentivize a current client to refer you to a friend or family member. When that friend or family member books your esthetician services, your current client gets a percentage off their service or an extra service, like a blackhead removal, added on free of charge. And you get a new customer! Overall, referral programs are a win-win opportunity and an easy idea to implement into your esthetician marketing plan.

4. Build Your Social Presence

Brands and social media go hand in hand. And with our current digital age, the need for a strong brand presence on social media is only growing for people in the skincare industry. Luckily, if you’re looking to improve your brand presence digitally, there are some simple tricks you can start today that will help you exponentially. 

• Grow Your Following: Posting consistently, engaging with your audience, and posting multimedia content — like a stellar Instagram story of your facials— are all good ways to grow your following.
• Ask for Tags: When gals and guys come in to achieve the perfect complexion with a facial, they might be posting about it. And when they do, you want them to tag you! Asking for current clients to tag you in your esthetician work is a great way to build your presence on social media.
• Use Hashtags: Quality, relevant hashtags are key when it comes to getting your social media accounts noticed. Look for popular esthetician hashtags based on your area of specialty.
• Content Ideas: Creating interesting educational content about your esthetician services, posting engaging snippets of copywriting or client stories, and sharing high-quality images are all good content ideas for esthetician marketing on social.
• Brand Collaborations: Know a spa owner or someone else in the esthetician business? Brand collaborations are a great way to build both of your brands. Additionally, you can also reach out to content creators or a beauty influencer for a trade or paid partnership. 
• Showcase Before & Afters

Everyone loves a good before and after photo, and this is especially true when it comes to esthetician marketing promotion ideas. Once you start gathering up a collection of your before and photos, it’s important to have a place to showcase them. 

Your StyleSeat profile is a great spot to post your images and drum up some business. And, you can add a bio to create the perfect portfolio online. For more tips on how to craft the perfect bio for your portfolio or StyleSeat profile, check out these esthetician bio examples. Better yet, with our digital marketing program, not only do we help you to advertise your business — we help you grow it. 

5. Hand out Business Cards

There’s a reason why people say when you own a small business, you should never leave the door without a business card. Handing out business cards to your potential clients is an important way to spread the word and drum up some hype about your services. 

Whether you’re a massage therapist or a facialist, investing in some good business cards will go a long way in your esthetician marketing plan. The best part is, getting quality business cards these days doesn’t have to break the bank. There are plenty of companies out there who offer beautiful cards at a reasonable price.

Business Card Tip: Make sure your cards aren’t falling to the bottom of your purse. This is a prime place where things like crinkling and gum-sticking can happen. Not only do you not want to waste your precious cards, but you don’t want to appear unprofessional and unhygienic, especially as an esthetician.

6. Focus on Visual Branding 

By using colors, materials, shapes, and fonts, visual branding helps build your brand and is an important component of your overall marketing strategy. Here are some places where your visual brand can help tell the story of you, your services, and your unique passions.

Salon Decor

Salon decor might not be the first thing you think about when it comes to esthetician marketing promotion ideas, but it’s an important one. How do you want your clients to feel when they come to your spa or beauty salon? A serene environment might be created by subtle colors and cozy textures and signify that your visual brand is all about peaceful serenity. An energetic salon environment, on the other hand, might be decorated in bright yellows and teals, the perfect compliment to those flashy, vibrant business cards you just purchased.

Social Media

Social media doesn’t just help spread the word about your brand, it helps to build it visually as well. What kind of mood are you trying to cultivate on your social outlets? Bright and cheery or edgy and artsy? Although you can always change your visual vibe, it’s a good idea to have an idea of who you are and what you’re selling from the get-go. In esthetician marketing, social media visual branding helps potential clients connect.

Promotional Collateral

From flyers and e-blasts to business cards and store signage, when it comes to promotional collateral, your visual branding is key. 

7. Try Email Marketing

Email marketing is a critical component of your digital marketing strategy as a licensed esthetician. Running the right email marketing campaigns ensures that your clients know when all the best sales and promotions are happening. It can also connect you to your customers and make your messaging feel personalized and targeted. 

When it comes to email esthetician marketing, a good rule of thumb is to not overdo it. After all, whether it’s massage services or facials, no one really wants to be receiving multiple emails a day that inevitably end up in the junk folder. 

Instead, keep things intentional with your email marketing. Use it to build brand awareness and share relevant pieces of information with your audience — like new blog posts, holiday info, or an upcoming promotion on one of your esthetician services.  

Before clicking send, always ask yourself, will this add value to my salon clients? If the answer is yes, then send away!

8. Sign Up with StyleSeat 

One of the easiest, most effective esthetician marketing ideas you can implement today is to sign up with StyleSeat. Utilizing on-ground marketing, we connect you with your ideal clients and provide you with an abundance of tips for estheticians. 

Think of us as your online appointment booking software and your salon website wrapped into one. We know that filling your schedule can feel like a full-time hustle, so we’ve created a marketing plan that builds long-lasting, beauty-bonded relationships for you. 

When a new client books through our program, we keep a percentage of the first appointment, then we invest that money back into more esthetician marketing for your business.

From maximizing referral programs to promoting your esthetician services across social media, we fully believe in your and your power as a small business owner and we’d love to be a part of your journey.

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How to Make Good Money as an Esthetician