Have you ever Googled yourself, reviewed your website through the eyes of a consumer, or compared your social media presence with others in your industry? Just like your personal goals, it doesn’t hurt to revisit your personal brand and make sure it portrays you!
Just like with skin care trends and the treatments on your menu, your personal brand should be revisited, goals readdressed, and your social presence freshened up a bit.
Establishing your logo and business name doesn’t mean you are done. Here are 25 tips to boost your personal brand.
1. NETWORK WITH YOUR PEERS AND COMMUNITY
Connect with people in the skin care industry. Whether for meetups or through virtual groups, this is a great opportunity to share ideas, get opinions, and learn from others. Not only should you network with your peers, but you should also reach out to your community. Consider volunteering with organizations that align with your views and mission or connect with the chamber of commerce.
2. BE RECOGNIZABLE
Your logo, treatment offerings, color scheme, and even your small client gestures should all be unique to you and comprise your brand.
3. KNOW YOUR UNIQUE SELLING POSITION (USP)
What makes your product or treatment better than competitors? Do you specialize in something? Can you offer a treatment that no other spa in your area does? Research your competitors and find a niche.
4. MAKE A GOOD FIRST IMPRESSION
First impressions are lasting impressions. If you are building your personal brand, then make every encounter count. Make every consultation and treatment an amazing experience for your client.
5. HAVE TRANSPARENCY AND BE RELIABLE
Be a reliable person and a reliable business. If you have hours posted from 9:00 a.m. to 7:00 p.m., then be open during that time. If you set an appointment at 10:00 a.m., then show up early and ready to take on the day.
6. CREATE AN ELEVATOR PITCH
Consider the following when addressing your clients:
- How can you help the client?
- Why are you the best?
- What value can you bring to your client?
7. HAVE A PROFESSIONAL ONLINE PRESENCE—NOT JUST SOCIAL MEDIA
Become an influencer to your clients and your esthetics community. Create educational videos to share your knowledge, post the awesome techniques you’ve learned, and show before and after shots. Just remember to keep it professional, keep it simple, and stick to your personal brand language.
8. HAVE A VISION
Create both long- and short-term goals that you revisit often. Where do you want to be in the next 5 years, 10 years, even 20 years? Has your business grown? Have you become well known in your community? If this is a goal of yours, how will you get there and achieve it?
9. DEFINE YOUR STRATEGIC GOALS AND ACTION PLANS 
Your esthetics business will not blossom overnight. It requires hard work and trial and error to build yourself and the brand. Create a business plan that maps your goals and how you will achieve them.
10. MAKE SURE ALL EMPLOYEES AND COWORKERS KNOW AND LIVE THE BRAND
Remember what makes you recognizable and instill this in your staff. If your brand embodies aromatherapy or a special tea with each treatment, make sure your estheticians incorporate them too.
11. ESTABLISH A MISSION STATEMENT
This is an important piece to building a personal brand. What you stand for, what you believe in, and how you want to operate your business, will stand true to how your culture is built with your brand.
12. REPEAT YOUR MESSAGE
Whether you advertise on social media, through the neighborhood local newspaper, on the radio—however you display who you are, do it and don’t stop doing it. Repetition will bring name recognition.
13. LET PEOPLE KNOW YOUR BACKSTORY
People enjoy it when they get to hear about how a business started up and where it came from. Don’t be shy to share your story with your clients.
14. PROVIDE AN INCREDIBLE, CONSISTENT EXPERIENCE FOR EVERY CLIENT, EVERY VISIT
From the moment a client walks through the door, greet them with a smile, offer a beverage, a hot towel for cleansing their hands, or maybe some essential oil applied to their temples. Give the very best experience you can; after all, you are trying to show what value you have versus your competitors.
15. KNOW YOUR TARGET AUDIENCE
Whether you specialize in waxing, lash extensions, or acne treatments, know your target audience and address your marketing message to them.
16. MAKE REGULAR CONTACT WITH CLIENTS .png)
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Client follow-up is key to building your business and establishing your brand. Never be afraid to pick up the phone, send a text, or email your clients. Check how their skin is responding to treatment or find out if the products they purchased are working for them. Send a “we miss you” email for those clients you haven’t seen in the spa for a few months.
17. CONVEY A CLEAR MESSAGE
Direct your marketing message at your target audience. Make clear who you are and what you stand for. If your spa’s focus is on lash extensions and brow treatments, make sure your messaging makes this clear.
18. CREATE RELATIONSHIPS WITH SIMILARLY BRANDED COMPANIES
It may sound odd, but this is the best way to help build community. A lot of competing businesses will work together on a marketing plan/territory or to even ask for ideas on how to overcome obstacles they may encounter. Additionally, this is a great way to cross refer and gain clients.
19. WORK WITH OTHER BUSINESSES THAT FIT YOUR BRAND
Trying to build a male clientele? Reach out to the neighboring barber shop and see if they’d like to establish a cross referral program. Offer their staff a free treatment or discounted ongoing treatments for their efforts in referring clients your way looking for spa services. In return, you will send clients needing a shave or cut to them.
20. ATTEND LOCAL EVENTS AND GAIN A REPUTATION
Local fair or charity event going on? Attend as many as you can while representing your brand.
21. BECOME AN AUTHORITY IN YOUR FIELD
Are you a master at your craft? Are you the go-to guru for questions regarding specific skin techniques? Then let it be known and share your wisdom.
22. CREATE A GREAT LOGO AND PLASTER IT EVERYWHERE
Stickers, pens, shirts, hats, canvas bags . . . you name it, anything can have your logo on it. Leave a pen with your logo at a doctor’s office. Have raffle baskets of some products with your merchandise to give away. Anything with your logo that can be displayed anywhere is free advertisement.
23. BE THE SAME PERSON ON SOCIAL MEDIA AS YOU ARE IN REAL LIFE
Sure, we can have a professional page and a personal page. But clients will follow both. And if you are remarkable and professional in person but on social media you come off as rude and inattentive, you may want to rethink how you market yourself.
24. MAINTAIN CONTINUITY IN MARKETING MATERIALS, SPA DECOR, AND ONLINE PRESENCE
Be consistent in your marketing strategy and materials. If you start marketing to men and are making connections in the community then suddenly change up your brand logo and start targeting to gear toward makeup application, it will be confusing for the public and those who follow you.
25. CONSISTENCY IS KEY!
Be consistent and persistent in what you do. If you have a long-term goal to make X amount of dollars, be an influencer, or have a successful business, then be consistent and persistent in making that goal happen with how you build your brand.
For estheticians at every stage of the journey who are passionate about skin care, ASCP is your essential partner.
Not an ASCP member? Join today and get access to all the benefits we offer to support you and your career as an esthetician.
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