Business Cards
This is probably the easiest marketing tool to attain especially with all the companies that offer printing services. You can order business cards using Vistaprint, Moo.com, 123prints, or Overnight Prints. I know some business Costco's centers offer business card printing as well. Make sure to list:
-Name
-Title
-Phone Number
-E-mail
-Website
-At least 1 image of your work (if you have 1 image)
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| The back of this card has all the info I listed above |
I usually order mine at 1,000 cards at a time I never order more because I am constantly getting new images of work so I like to change up my cards as I get new images. 1,000 may seem like alot but I think of it as a numbers game the more people that have my business card, the more people that could possibly hire me for work. I usually go through 1,000 in a few months I'll explain why below..
Ways That I Use my Business Cards
- I keep stashes everywhere! I keep cards in every purse I have, in my car, on my desk, in my boyfriends wallet, on the fridge at my families house, in my gym bag, in my makeup kit. There's not a worse feeling than missing an opportunity because you are cardless!
- Every time I go to a restaurant I chat up the waiter/waitress, leave a decent tip, and leave my business card behind
- If I see someone who I think is beautiful I will let them know and finish by saying "I would love the opportunity to do your makeup I love (favorite feature) about you"
- Anytime I have a makeup job I take them to give to the models, photographers, stylist, hairdressers, and other makeup artist
- I place them in wedding planning books at Barnes & Nobles
- I send Thank You cards to clients, send my cards, and ask if they would give my card to people as wonderful as themselves.
GOLDEN BUSINESS CARD RULE:
ALWAYS, ALWAYS, ALWAYS,
INVEST IN A BUSINESS CARD CASE THERE'S NOTHING WORSE THAN A DIRTY OR WRINKLED BUSINESS CARD
On that note although I do carry physical cards I also have a digital business card. I created my design using photoshop. If you do not have photoshop a great online editor is Pixlr.com and its completely free. You can edit images, add text, and more. If you are not creatively inclined feel free to email me, reach out on social media, or hire someone using Fiverr. Once I was happy with the design I emailed the front of the card to myself. I opened the email on my iPhone and saved the photo to my camera roll. Now that it is saved in my camera roll I can easily text the image of my business card to anyone in my contact list. I would say 75% of the time that I meet someone I get person's contact info and text them my business card. I love it because A. It is cost effective and B. As long as they keep my message they have my all my contact info in one place. If you need a business card designed both for print or digital don't hesitate to email me for a quote: brandiecarlos@gmail.com
Website
One of the biggest tools you need to have available is a website. I know that the idea of having a website can seem daunting and intimidating if you aren't very tech savvy. Luckily right now there are many websites that make it easy for you to create a low cost website using templates. I've used Wix for my personal website for years. It's always looked professional, I have been using Wix for over 5 years and have never encountered any issues with their service. You can also sign up with carbonmade, squarespace, or hire a freelance web designer using Etsy or Craigslist. You can again email me for a quote I specialize in MUA websites.
The Importance of a Website
- It gives you credibility and makes you look professional. I believe a website is a MUST a domain can run as little as $10/year
- Most decision makers don't have time to find you on Facebook and then find your makeup album and they definitely don't have time to wait on a printed portfolio.
- A place for clients to view your work and decide if you are the MUA they are looking for. For example a bride wants to see other brides on your website not the zombies you did last week.
- If you have good SEO in your website you may be able to land clients simply because they found you on a Google Search
Social Media
I feel as though the amount of success I have had as a Makeup Artist can be sourced from one thing - my social media efforts. I have combined my website with Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest, Instagram, Model Mayhem and a few other online websites to build my presence online and connect with the people that can open doors for my career.
I am going to continue to build on social media and write a few detailed post for each platform. For now I will touch the surface, for those of you that don't know I freelance as a social media consultant and a makeup artist. The reason I became so knowledgeable in social media is that I have always represented myself as a makeup artist I have never had an agent or a rep. I had to learn how social media works to level the playing ground for myself as a makeup artist. I really believe that everyday social media plays a bigger role in our lives especially for those of us that freelance.
I will list a few platforms that I feel are of benefit for you to have as a makeup artist. The most important part of your social media success is consistency. For example I usually post a makeup tip daily on my Facebook page. I've done that for so long that people expect to see my post. You must be committed fully for you to see results.
Platforms
Facebook
Twitter
Pinterest
YouTube
Instagram
Beautylish
Model Mayhem
ModelxChange
Along with consistency it is better to be fully engaged on 1 platform that half engaged on 4 platforms. Use social media to build relationships with people do not spam people, whine, or be pushy because you are behind a screen. As big as our industry feels you can quickly be labeled that person that no one wants to work with.
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