laneimageconsulting
I asked a question in my Savvy Stylists Online Network a while ago: what’s the easiest and quickest way for you to get clients? I was shocked that the answer was talking to people face to face and showing them a colour swatch wallet.
So why were you shocked, Aileen? I hear you ask.
Because my most successful method of getting clients has never been face-to-face talks or presentations but posting every day on social media!
Now, I’m not saying that talking to people at live events doesn’t work. They absolutely do; they just take a LONG time to work. When I first started as an image consultant over 15 years ago, I’d deliver many free talks to showcase my services, but rarely would anyone come up to me at the end of the session to get booked in. It probably only happened once or twice over the eight years I was doing it.
The quickest way for me to get new clients back then was through referrals. So, I’d get a client come in for their colour analysis, and when they saw how amazing it was, they’d often come back with their mum, sister or friends to get them done too.
Referrals continue to be a powerful way of gaining new clients to this day. Naturally, everyone in business will shout about how good they are because they want to sell themselves. Still, it’s so much more valuable if a client does it for you because they are independent of you and speak about actually experiencing your services. There’s no surprise then that the Savvy Stylists Online Network members voted referrals as the second-best way to get clients.
So why do I think social media is such a good way of getting clients?
You can show up every single day to talk about your services and how they help people and not have to bother making all the arrangements for events, which can only happen every so often. Yes, it does take time for people to get to know, like and trust you on social media, the same as for in-person events, but the beauty is you cut down on time it takes for people to say yes to working with you by showing up every day and not needing to wait for the next event to build relationships further.
Events take so much preparation. There’s the setup, sending out invitations, the follow up to encourage people to attend, all before you deliver your presentation. All you do with social media is create one post every day. You’ve got a captive audience who’s there all the time, and your workload is drastically reduced.
What else did the poll show?
There was another big surprise to me. Only ONE person voted for sending emails to people as an effective way of getting clients. It was the least popular method amongst those who voted.
Of course, if you only send one email out of the blue to people on your mailing list, then that is highly unlikely to net you any clients. However, suppose you have a strategy that includes sending regular emails. In that case, it should be another reliable way to sign up new clients as it’s additional way to build relationships with people over time.
The main problem people have, whichever marketing methods they choose to get clients is they lack CONSISTENCY. They just don’t show up often enough for people to get to know them well. They don’t post often enough on social media, and they don’t send enough emails. Potential clients, therefore, just don’t know what to expect from them. Without consistency, you’re not nurturing relationships with your audience. In other words, you’re not warming people up to the idea of buying from you.
I’m going to be straight with you now. When I say you have to be consistent, I mean you have to post every day. Posting three times a week just isn’t enough because people don’t see all of your posts. The same goes for emails. Not everyone on your list sees all of your emails. Not everyone who sees them opens or reads them. You have to email them consistently so that people notice them and get into the habit of looking out for them arriving.
I send out a newsletter every single week and often send additional emails around that. I also post across my social media channels every single day. It took between 3 to 6 months of doing that to get any traction.
How can I help you get more clients?
Members of my Savvy Stylists Success School (SSSS) have been putting in place powerful email systems to segment their subscriber lists to better target potential clients. They’ve also been learning how to set up email sequences that auto-send pre-written emails to new people who sign up for their newsletter. This starts off the nurturing relationship with no effort once the emails are written that first time.
We’ve also been creating some awesome lead magnets that bring in regular high-quality contacts from people interested in working with the SSSS members. Lead magnets are developed to appeal directly to the type of client you want to attract who give you their email address in exchange for receiving the lead magnet for free. The email addresses are then added to your email system so that nurturing can begin by sending them regular newsletters and other emails.
The beauty of lead magnets is they don’t just bring in random people who end up on your mailing list, but they bring in your ideal clients, the people you want to work with who have a genuine need and want to pay for your services.
Sound good? Learn AND implement all the systems you need for a styling business that earns you consistent income while continually adding new people to your audience who need your help. Join the Savvy Stylists Success School here.