How to: Build a Lash Brand

When you enter the lash artist arena as a solo artist, you are competing with 80% of the industry—because 80% of lash artists run solo. 

So the question is: If your potential client has a choice between so many, why would they choose you instead of your competition?

While you ponder that, you need to know that to differentiate yourself from all the others, prospective clients need to somehow emotionally identify with you; they have to get a “feel” for you, and that is where branding comes in.

What does it mean to build a lash artist brand? 

Building an amazing lash artist brand means that your business aligns with the needs and expectations of the people you are trying to attract.

Branding your business—big or small—is about making prospective clients aware of what you do, and how you do it. Branding acts as a magnet to attract the type of clients you want but, to achieve that, it involves careful thought and planning.

Branding is all about coherence; making sure every puzzle piece fits. From the way it looks aesthetically to how you talk in your brand voice and the value that you provide.

Building a brand is not only for big companies; in fact, building a brand as a solo lash artist is more meaningful because it fosters trust, and trust is what sells.

Why build a brand, even if you’re a solo lash artist?

Even if you’re a solo lash artist, taking the branding approach is always going to be more sustainable. 

Instead of having a revolving door of clients coming and going and then needing to find more clients all the time, by building a brand, you’ll also be bringing sustainability to your business because you’ll be attracting the right type of clients. 

How to build your lash artist brand

In a recentUntamed podcast, Cheryl Peng, Founder & CEO at Untamed Artistry, answered 

the most common questions that lash artists ask about building a brand:

Building a brand using the four “Ws”

To build a lash artist brand, you’ll need to put pen to paper and answer some questions to address the four “Ws”: 

1. Who?
2. What?
3. Where?
4. Why?

#1 Who?

Who is your target audience? In other words, who do you want to sell to? 

This should be answered in two parts:

Part one should be answered as part of a demographic analysis. And it must be answered not from a group point of view but as a person, so that you can really get an intimate image of the ideal client:

• Who is this person? 
• How old are they?
• What clothes do they enjoy?
• Where do they live? 
• What do they love? 
• What car do they drive? 
• How much income do they make? 
• What kind of career do they have?
• Are they married or single? 
• Do they have children?

Tip!  If you have an existing business and you particularly enjoy one of your clients, you can think of her as your “who.”

Part two should focus on your ideal client’s inner thoughts, such as:

• What is their beauty perception? 
• Do they think more is more, or less is more? 
• Are they into natural beauty or do they enjoy wearing a lot of makeup? 
• What's their money perception? In other words, how do they view money? 
• Are they more practical or do they enjoy the luxury of lash extensions? 
• How do they justify spending money on lashes? This is perhaps the most important question, because it will help you to formulate your content, such as captions, blogs, the way you write your follow-up messages, and so on. Knowing the answer to this question will enable you to formulate the right language to speak to the ideal prospective client. 

#2 What? 

The “what?” addresses the problem you are solving. For example, your ideal client may desire to have lashes for the sake of convenience—perhaps lashes save her time in the morning so that she doesn’t have to apply mascara.

You need to understand what drives your clients to spend money on lashes; this allows you to create content that speaks to your target audience on a powerful level. 

Instead of giving them the technical aspects of lashes, for instance (of which they know nothing), you will speak to them on a level they actually care about. Here’s an example: If someone wants lashes because they don’t want the hassle of putting on mascara every day, then you can appeal to that aspect. 

Your copy could read something like, “Lash extensions add convenience to your life and save you time.” But if you don’t know what drives your audience to get lashes, then you won’t know how to write copy that attracts them. 

Tip! Ask your clients questions to get to know them as well as possible. You may even want to take one or two for coffee to pick their brains!

#3 Where? 

• What location do you want to market to? 
• Where is your target audience situated? The area must be taken into consideration and added to marketing material. For example, if you post an ad on Facebook but you don’t target a specific location, or you don’t have your location in your bio, you may attract people from all the wrong locations and this will waste money, time, and effort. 

And speaking of location: where your business is located needs to coincide with the type of people that you want to attract. It’s no good trying to attract sophisticated, upper-class clients when you’re offering services from the basement of your house with three noisy children running around upstairs. However, this scenario may appeal to moms who could bring their kids to play with your children, giving mom peace to enjoy the spoil.

As long as you understand where the “where?” fits into your brand, you’ll be able to provide the experience your ideal client is looking for. 

#4 Why?

Perhaps the “why?” should have been the first “W,” because the “why?” is what makes your brand authentic, true. The “why?” adds truth to your appearance and, even if clients don’t consciously realize it, they pick up any discord between what you say and what you do, and that discord is what will make them choose your competitor over you.

That is why your business must be filled with your personality, values, and passion. And that is why it’s never a good idea to simply copy what others are doing, because it removes the authenticity of who you really are and what makes you unique.

Find the reason why you do what you do. To do this, use this formula:

Begin by asking yourself, “Why do you do what you do?” or, “Why do you want to be a lash artist?” Keep asking yourself why until you either have your “ah-ha!” moment—when you finally hit the nail on the head and realize why you want this business—or when you have no more answers to the “why’s.”

When asked why they do what they do, many lash artists say, “Oh, the reason why I want to be a lash artist is because I want to help women gain confidence and feel beautiful.” It may sound good and noble, but is it authentic? Is it true of you? Is that really why you want to be a lash artist?

Be honest with yourself, because your authenticity depends on it. The more authentic your “why's” are, the easier it becomes for you to sell things. 

What many do not realize is that creating a successful brand stems from authenticity.  

In the process of answering the “why” question and creating a brand, there also lies a self-discovery journey. It's a journey for you to discover who you are as a business person. 

Why is this important? Well, if you’re going to be lashing every day, you must love it, otherwise what is the point?

Questions you may add to your “why” are:

• Who are the people you want to have around you? 
• How do you want your business to look and feel? 
• What customer experience do you want to offer?
• What are the values that you want to hold true to yourself? 

The more authentic you are, the more enjoyable building the business will be to you.

This episode is brought to you by Untamed Artistry 

Untamed Artistry is your one-stop lash biz shop: combining helpful knowledge and amazing eyelash extension products (hand-tested in our lash nerd lab). We want to make you successful by giving you high-quality products and showing you what you need to use them well. Find great products, all the education you could ever want, and a healthy dose of quirk at untamedartistry.com