Between running your beauty business and perfecting the art of makeup application, we know there’s a lot that goes into a successful career as a makeup artist — that’s why it’s especially important to fine-tune your marketing plan.
Thankfully, from social media makeup tutorials to branded partnerships with local businesses, there are tons of creative ways to get yourself out there! So if you’re asking, “How to market myself as a makeup artist?” — we’re here to help.
Whether it’s before-and-after images or a stunning online portfolio that gets you excited, let’s take a look at the five best ways for how to market makeup artist services.
1. Marketing on Social Media
Improving your social presence goes hand in hand with makeup artist marketing. And the good news is, when you’re in the makeup business, there’s plenty to share! Here are some things to consider as you fine-tune your marketing strategy.
Tag Your Makeup Brands
If you’re in the makeup business, chances are you’re enthusiastic about products. From mascara to eyeshadow, brow to lash tints, when you post to your Instagram account or other social media outlets, get familiar with tagging each specific makeup brand.
This type of cross-promotion is a great way to get yourself out there, especially if the brand reposts your content! The more views your images and videos receive, the larger number of potential customers you’ll attract.
Post Before-and-After Images
When you’re in the makeup artist business, before-and-after pictures are key to a successful makeup artist marketing plan. Essentially, potential clients want to see what you do with a clean slate. Think of your customers as your canvas and don’t be afraid to ask them if it’s alright if you snap some photos. In many cases, they’ll be happy to help and proud to show off your artistry!
There’s a reason why you’ll see lots of before-and-after pics on StyleSeat profiles, as well as other social outlets — they’re effective and easy to execute.
Be Consistent
One of the critical components for how to market makeup artist services on social media is consistency. For a freelance makeup artist, social media can be a fantastic tool to help you spread the word. The more consistent you are, the more chances there will be for you to see and be seen. For more information on attracting clientele, see our article on how to get makeup clients as a freelance makeup artist.
Use Hashtags
Whether you’re hashtagging something simple like #makeup, or something a little more details like #lashartist, utilizing hashtags in your marketing strategy puts you in viewers’ hashtag feeds. You can also use hashtags to organize your own content — think #lashesbyash or #briannabridalmua. When a viewer clicks on these hashtags, they’ll be taken to a gallery of associated content that falls within those categories.
Focus on Makeup
Although it can be tempting to post unrelated content, if you’re serious about getting the attention of new clients with your makeup artist marketing plan, it’s a good idea to focus on makeup and makeup products. Don’t be afraid to share what you love — like that set of makeup brushes you can’t get enough of or that coral-colored lipstick that’s oh-so-perfectly-hued for the season.
Sharing Makeup Tutorial Videos
Makeup tutorials are another excellent way for how to market makeup artist services. As you teach your makeup tutorial, your clients learn, and you’re able to add value by showing them exactly how to execute a technique. This helps you get exposure and builds your audience (of course, we totally get if there are magical tricks and tips you like to keep secret, too).
Social Outlets to Consider
It’s easy to get overwhelmed when it comes to social media, especially if it’s a new makeup artist marketing strategy for you. Remember, with social media, you don’t have to focus on all the outlets (after all, there seem to be new ones popping up all the time, and it can be hard to keep track).
Instead, choose to use the social outlets that excite you and ignite your creativity. For some, this may mean posting an image and a short piece of text to Twitter. For others, connecting with past, current, and future clients on Facebook may be the way to go. You can also post pictures on Instagram with current makeup trends!
2. Create & Build an Online Portfolio
An online portfolio or profile is one of the best ways to showcase your work and build your brand. Part of the marketing strategy of a successful makeup artist is to build a portfolio audience.
Think of it this way: the more eyes that are on your work, the further your brand reach.
StyleSeat Makeup Pro Profiles We Love
At StyleSeat, we like to make it easy for our Pros to come up with a makeup artist marketing plan that works. Part of this plan involves displaying your services and images with a stellar online profile and portfolio.
Although there are many profiles we love, here are a handful to give you some inspiration!
Celia Hudson from Portland, OR gives us all the glam! What we love about her profile is that she makes it easy for potential makeup clients to see her artwork. A quick browse through her images shows you just how talented she is with eyeshadow techniques and application. Then, when you take a peek at her service section, she lists out all the glam services she offers, making it easy for clients to browse and book with confidence.
If you’re looking for easy and free freelance makeup artist advertising, StyleSeat has you covered.
Located in Monterey, CA, Beira Beas utilizes professional images to strut her stuff — think makeup, fashion, and awards ceremonies colliding. If you’re looking for unique ways of how to market makeup artist services, think outside the box of traditional studio-style photos.
Where have your clients taken your makeup services? Whether it’s the runway or their wedding, clients will love seeing your art in its element.
Brian Dean is an incredible professional makeup artist located in NYC. From a marketing standpoint, his service list is concise yet detailed. Whether it’s bridal makeup, on-set makeup, or personal makeup classes, he makes it easy for a new client to see his specialties.
That, in combination with his stunning, eclectic, and professional images, makes his profile a good reference when you’re asking: how to market yourself as a makeup artist.
M’Dior Hair & Makeup Artistry has an assortment of marketing images that not only showcase her art but her service list, too. When you’re working to elevate brand awareness, part of how to advertise makeup artist business is getting creative with your promotional images.
In addition to images of her service list, this makeup artist also shows in-progress shots and before and after shots to give her clients a good range of her work.
3. Partner with Local Photographers
Partnering with photographers or influencers in your area is another one of our favorite ideas for how to advertise makeup artist business. These kinds of collaborative traders are not only a fun way to get yourself out there and build brand awareness, but they also allow both you — and the photographer or influencer — to tap into one another’s networks.
When it comes to successful partnerships with your fellow local businesses, the more the merrier. As a good rule of thumb, try to seek out partnerships that complement the aesthetics and voice of your brand.
4. Loyalty Cards for Makeup Services
As you fine-tune your marketing strategy for makeup artist services, don’t forget about loyalty cards. Loyalty cards are a fantastic way to both entice your prospective client and boost client retention.
There are a handful of ways you can structure your loyalty cards, depending on what appeals to you as a small business owner.
- Buy X Amount: Get One Service Free
This is a popular method among professional makeup artists. Clients buy X amount of services (say, nine makeup applications) and they get the 10th for free.
- Buy X Amount: Get on Service X% Off
This is another popular way to go with loyalty cards. Your client buys X amount of services and gets one X% off. Do a quick search for local makeup artists’ price ranges and packages to see what’s working well for competitors.
5. Offer Client Referral Discounts
The makeup artistry business is an intimate one, which is the main reason why client referral discounts work so well! If a current client is comfortable with you and pleased with your work, they’re likely to refer you to a friend or family member.
Add a referral discount, and they’ll be even more likely. This is not only a good way to work with your network’s target audience to get more clients, but it’s a nice way of saying thank you to those existing clients, too.
Now that you know some of the best practices for how to advertise makeup artist business, you can start implementing them into your daily work routine. If you haven’t already, make sure to check out StyleSeat’s marketing program and set your business up for success today.
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