You’ve mapped out your game plan, done all your training, and scoured your favorite beauty blogs and magazines for tips and inspiration. 

Now, the time has come to launch your career as a professional esthetician.

But how about those clients? Knowing how to get clients as an esthetician is one of the most critical parts of the job. From crafting a master portfolio to building credibility, we’re here to provide tips for estheticians that help you do just that! 

1. Create a Profile to Showcase Your Work

Whether you’re a facialist or a massage therapist, part of how to get clients as an esthetician rests in creating a killer profile that stands out. A strong profile/portfolio helps to showcase your work and services and also builds credibility among potential customers.

Portfolio Tips

If you’re an esthetician looking to craft an eye-catching, engaging portfolio, try implementing some of these tips.

• Incorporate high-quality, clear images to draw your pintail clients in.
• Whether it’s hair removal or chemical peels, own your specialties.
• Know your brand — right down to the words you choose and the color scheme you use.
• If you don’t have content, ask friends or family members to model for you, so you can show off all your best skills.
• Ask existing clients for testimonials, so you can include a “praise and accolades section.”
• Utilize StyleSeat, which allows you to create a professional profile for free and gets you visibility in our booking platform.

2. Develop Relationships in the Beauty Industry

Across all industries, an important part of building your client base is networking. Luckily, in the beauty industry, relationships can start in esthetician school — sometimes even sooner.

Not sure who to turn to for a collaboration? Begin by jotting down a list of people you know who offer different beauty services. Think of hairstylists, nail technicians, massage therapists, and other skin care specialists. What do they offer that you don’t, and how can you work together to refer clients to one another?

If you need more connections, here are some ways to network.

• Reach Out Online: Whether it’s through StyleSeat profiles, Instagram, or email, reaching out is the first step toward connecting and collaborating.
• Attend Events: Peek around for events that may be happening in your local area. These can be beauty business events or simply, events where other like-minded professionals may be present. Don’t forget your business cards!
• Hit up the Beauty Counter: Sure, it may be a little old school, but what better way to meet fellow skin care professionals and beauty industry folks than a chat at the beauty counter? 

3. Build Credibility with Positive Online Reviews

Online reviews saturate the world wide web. And whether they’re buying a pizza or booking a facial, a new customer is going to turn to online review platforms to assess a business’s credibility. 

If you’re a spa owner or licensed esthetician just getting started and working toward how to get clients as an esthetician, don’t sweat it. Gathering a nice collection of online reviews can take a while. Thankfully, your loyal clients (even if it’s just one or two), your family, and your friends will be happy to help you build a positive online presence. 

Whether they’re putting a review on Yelp or your StyleSeat profile, here are some tips to mention to your crew so that they can craft an effective online review.

• Share Photos: Did they snap a shot of their stellar eyelash application or that stunning selfie of that facial you gave them? Perfect. 
• Keep it Cool: An overly promotional review might sound like a sale’s pitch. It’s okay for mom or your best friend to gush a bit, but try to add in details that give the review value to the reader.

4. Run Creative Promotions

A good sales promotion can do so much for your esthetician business. Not only will it help drum up some word-of-mouth marketing, but it will urge new clients and potential clients to buy.

Need some sales-spiration? Here are some creative promotions and esthetician marketing ideas, all of which will help you on your quest for how to get clients as an esthetician.

• Seasonal Promotions: Fall into relaxation? Spring into luxury? Seasonal promotions are the perfect way to entice your clientele and get them excited to buy.
• New Year, New You: Every year in January, the beauty industry buzzes with promotions for the new year. Hop on the new year, new you bandwagon, and offer up your beauty and skin care services.
• Happy Birthday, Beauty: From facials to waxes, the beauty industry is all about treating yourself to something special. And who doesn’t want to feel extra special on their birthday? Encourage your clients to indulge in a birthday treat by giving them a percentage off or free service on their special day.
• Weekly Specials: Whether it’s Manicure Monday or Facial Friday, weekday specials are the perfect way to fill your treatment room and build weekly client retention. 

5. Reward Your Clients

When you’re fine-tuning your plan for how to get clients as an esthetician, you can’t go wrong with rewards. Rewarding your clients for visiting you and referring others to do the same, is a fantastic way to build a new business and become a successful esthetician.

As a business owner, there are plenty of ways to reward your clients. Here are a few of our favorite ways to show your clients some love.

• Loyalty Cards: Loyalty cards are one of the most popular client rewards out there and for good reason. They’re easy to create and they keep your clients coming back for more. You can structure your loyalty cards in a way that works best for you (i.e. with every nine visits for a laser treatment, the tenth service is free or after four facials, get the fifth for 50 perfect off). 
• Referral Program: Did your existing client refer their best friend to you? Perfect! As a reward, offer a free eyebrow wax on the house.
• Life Milestones: Maybe your long-term client just had a baby and you want to reward them with a relaxing massage. Perhaps it’s your client’s 30th birthday, and you want to gift them a set of lashes to celebrate the big day. When you’re a professional esthetician, celebrating your clients’ milestones with them will help to maintain relationships for years to come.

6. Focus on Client Retention

Cosmetology and the esthetics business are all about client retention. Maintaining your relationships with clients and keeping them happy ensures that they’ll book you for their weekly or monthly services. 

Here are some ways to keep your clients coming back to your beauty salon time and time again.

• Follow-Up: Mastering the art of the follow-up is a necessary tool for how to get clients as an esthetician. Whether it’s a one-time client or a client from the past, checking in shows you care. It also keeps you fresh in their minds, which means they’re less likely to venture to someone else in the beauty industry for their next service.
• Focus on Their Needs: Being a business owner is all about following your passion. But it’s also about focusing on the individual needs of your clients. A good place to start with every new client is to have them fill out a client intake form. These consultation forms can help you understand your client’s skin and how you can help them achieve their goals with your services. 

At StyleSeat, we understand the importance of building a loyal client base which is why our platform makes it easy for your existing clients to rebook with you.

7. Use StyleSeat

We know it can be tough figuring out how to get clients as an esthetician. That’s why we’ve made it our mission to not only help you run your business but to help you grow it. If you’re looking to learn how to make good money as an esthetician or need esthetician bio examples to spruce up your profile, we have the tips and tricks you need to implement today on your path to success. And you can do it all with StyleSeat’s platform! Maximize your income potential and get visibility with a StyleSeat profile.

When you set up your business on StyleSeat, we’ll get you exposure to millions of clients and keep your regulars coming back all for a zero monthly subscription cost. 

Here are some of the reasons why our users turn to us as their #1 beauty and grooming marketplace.

• Touch-free payments: Use our app to easily charge your clients (no swipers needed).
• Full schedules: We keep your schedule full by alerting your existing clients when you get a last-minute cancellation.
• Get paid for no-shows: As a professional esthetician, we know how frustrating a no-show can be. That’s why we help you enforce your cancellation policy or charge a late fee.
• Earn more during your popular time slots: Using data science, we’ll analyze your most popular time slots and raise their prices to match those slots accordingly. 

Whether you’re rewarding your clients with a birthday surprise or asking your friends for positive online reviews, there are plenty of effective ways for how to get clients as an esthetician. 

At StyleSeat, we’re happy to be part of your journey to a successful career in the beauty industry.