This may be stating the obvious, but one of the most important things to do before you set up business as a makeup artist in your hometown and area is to confirm there is a market for your services. It pretty much goes without saying that if there is no demand for you locally, you are setting yourself up for a very slow climb to success. And (perhaps ironically) something that can help determine whether you’re going to be successful is checking out the competition
Don’t worry, as you’ll learn in step 3 your competition may also be your collaborators or friends – but for now let’s keep things all business and look at them with a critical eye. All you’ll need is an internet connection, Google and the following questions…
- Who are the current local makeup artists?
- How many makeup artists are in my area?
- What net are they casting (Are they hitting more counties than one)?
- Are the artists mobile or stationary in a salon?
- Do the other artists provide more than just makeup?
- What are their prices?
- What do their websites look like?
For example, you may find there are about 5 artists in your area. If your hometown has a very small county, this could mean that you need to make sure your work is up to the same/better standard as your ‘colleagues’ and that your prices are competitive. Because there will be a lot of you in a small area. You may find you will need to advertise to more areas than your hometown. If so how far are you willing to travel?
It also helps to record this information such that you can return to it at a later date. That way you can see how your competition has changed, whether people have changed they offerings and prices and indeed whether you’ve crept into the google rankings! To help you do this we’ve created a free spreadsheet that you can use. Just sign up at the bottom and we’ll send you a link. Chris has also made a short video on how to use it!
Once you have sussed out your area and what’s happening locally you can use this information to make yourself as attractive to customers as possible. One (often tricky) aspect of this is pricing. The key is don’t overprice yourself and most definitely don’t underprice yourself. Again use other local makeup artists as a guide. Consider a bottle of wine – you don’t want to be seen buying the cheapest, you probably can’t stretch to the most expensive and so the middle option looks about right!
(If you can’t find any prices then one option is to contact your colleagues for their prices – this also helps you to get a feel for their customer service. Okay it’s not strictly above board, but needs must sometimes.)
In summary, try to take as much as possible from your research and apply it to your business. Think about websites, services, styles, customer service. Use the best bits and avoid the worst. Take what you’ve learnt and make your business stand out!
