1. Sign Up to The Shortlyst
Well, we might be bias, but we think the best thing you could do to increase your client list is to sign up to The Shortlyst. Either as a free listing, or a premium subscriber, teaming up with us will introduce you and your services to new future clients.
2. Are you cross sharing your social platforms across all channels?
Take a look at your Shortlyst listing and make sure you’ve linked all your social profiles. The directory is a great way for future customers to find you and have all the information they may need, all in one place.
3. Get your branding right
Does your branding show off your talents they way it should? Does your branding match your public face and does it encourage trust and loyalty from customers old and new? Does your branding match across different socials, website and The Shortlyst? If not spend some time getting great graphics that demonstrates who you are and the type of clients you want to attract.
4. Pictures say more than 1000 words (in our opinion)
We know a thing or two about photos, Instagram and websites. Poor lighting, busy backgrounds and obscure angles might be turning away more potential clients than you realise. We’re not saying you need to hire a professional photographer for every before and after picture you take but stepping back and looking at your works photo albums might showcase some areas for improvement.
5. Celebrate your clients like friends
It might just be us, but a great therapist or hairdresser also can double as our therapist, friend and confident within a single 90-minute appointment. Switch that around and stay in contact with clients through your social channels after the appointment has ended. Share their treatment progress and photos with your audience and tag them in (with their permission obvs). Ask them to share your content on their feed, leave them feel-good messages on their photos and they’ll be a client – and friend – for long after their roots have grown out.
6. Follow up after appointments
Okay, okay – hear us out here. We know it can be time consuming but following up with clients a few days after their appointment can leave a lasting impression they remember and share with their friends. We’ve seen in time and again, one great appointment for a single customer can quickly escalate to their entire social circle due to their reviews.
7. Content, content, content
Take a minute to consider who your current audience is. Now think about who you’d love it to be. Now, working backwards, what do you think your desired audience wants to see on your social feed? Is your content useful to them? Interesting? Engaging? If not, perhaps come up with a 30-day plan to start and tailor your messages to your future clients. For instance, our social media partners, JaxPR, suggest having a 12-month view of your social calendar, and then a detailed schedule for 30 days in advance. Keep in mind national holidays, trending events or actions and tailor your content constantly. Social packages from them can cost as little as £200 a month, so get in touch if your page could do with a little help.
8. Google, SEO and your website
By simply having your Shortlyst directory you’ll be more findable on search engines, but there is always more to help improve your ratings. SEO – or Search Engine Optimisation – is how google ranks you amongst your competitors. Having a website is obviously where you should begin if you don’t already have one, but if you do, take a look at the content and how well that speaks to potential clients. Have you created your key words and repeated them throughout your website? It can be a job in itself to keep you findable, so speak to an expert, like our friends at Jax PR, if you want some support.
9. Don’t make it hard work for people to get in touch
The best decision you might make today is to ask a friend to look at all your social channels and see if they can quickly find out all the important pieces of information about you. E.g. Where are you based? How much do you cost? How do I get in contact with you? What does your previous work look like? When do you open? If you spot any gaps, on any of your channels, try and fill them in in places which are easy to find for a new customer.
