Want to know how to get more PMU clients in the door and significantly grow your business? The answer is: Marketing. Unfortunately, some common misconceptions about marketing permanent make-up can fill talented artists either with self-doubt or an over-confidence in their abilities to market their services and products alone. Worse, PMU artists can end up investing resources into the wrong strategies due to unrealistic expectations around marketing and advertising.

The good news is that you don’t have to do it on your own. There are marketing experts who can help you at any stage of your business. First, let’s clear the air about some common marketing myths, so that you can separate the real from the fiction and make better decisions regarding your business.

Myth #1: I Can Do It on My Own

Your instincts, likes and dislikes towards different marketing approaches, service experiences and product designs definitely make for great starting points for ideas, but a professional marketer has the knowledgeable skills to take your ideas to the next level and make them even more profitable. Approaches such as polling, collecting feedback and maintaining an online presence are just a few examples of expert strategies designed around maintaining a client base and uncovering what your clients think, what they love about your business and what could use improvement.

Marketing may sound as easy as placing an ad, running a few promotions or writing a post on social media every now and again, but it is actually much more involved. Marketing is time and timing. It is an investment of your resources to include your labor, energy and creativity or that of your employees. Done improperly, you could either miss out on opportunities that could give your business a life-saving boost or create a profit-draining waste of time and labor.

If you are a new entrepreneur, you may be tempted to think you’ll save money by being your own marketer, but you are not too small or too budget-constricted to benefit from professional marketing services. With the proper marketing partner, you can generate a significant return on a minimal investment.

Myth #2: If I Know Advertising, I Know Marketing

PMU marketing is not the same as PMU advertising. Rather, marketing refers to the whole brand experience. Advertising your services and products is definitely part of it, but marketing is an ongoing, creative project lasting the lifetime of your business that involves a variety of pieces that fit together like a puzzle. For example, your logo, salon design, client experience and service implementation would all fall under marketing’s reach. It marries your company vision with your mission and values, creating one unified brand that appeals to clients.

Myth #3: My Service and Products Will Speak for Themselves

You can have the best service, pricing or luxury experience around, and still be the best kept secret in town. To drive word-of-mouth advertising, you must first establish a revenue-generating client base. Retaining those clients will lead to a steady revenue stream and busy business.

Effective marketing can help you garner initial clients and then give them something memorable about your business to recall and share, leading to more PMU advertising through referrals. For instance, after a great experience at your business, a client may be more inclined to share a social media post of yours to their own social media page or send it to a friend. A marketing professional can help you establish a client base and then keep you fresh in their minds so that loyal clients advertise for you.

Myth #4: Marketing Is Only For New Lead Generation

Many people have the misconception that marketing starts and ends with lead generation. As stated above, marketing develops brand loyalty with past clients by allowing you to develop a relationship with them. Marketing creates engaging opportunities such as real-time contests and ways to accept and respond to feedback. It keeps your name and service fresh in their minds for repeat business and referrals.

Myth #5: I Can Borrow Strategies I See In Other Businesses

You and your brand are unique, requiring a tailored marketing strategy. Connecting with your clients in just the right way is highly valuable. Marketing is a continuously evolving process that takes time and experimentation over the lifespan of your business. Someone else’s tried-and-true methods are not guaranteed to produce the same results for you.

Myth #6: I Should Target a Wide Audience

Many people believe that they must market themselves to a broad audience for marketing to be worth the investment. That is not the case, however. Your excellent service and knowledgeable expertise will not appeal to everyone or be considered as valuable in other markets. Casting a wide net in an attempt to capture an untapped market sector may not be a wise investment in your case. Knowing the clients your services appeal to allows you to better target your marketing campaign to your audience and helps win you more clients.

Myth #7: Marketing Is All About Targeting the Millennials

“Millennial” refers to those born between 1981 and 1994-96. Those clients would be 26-41 years old today, and a lot of entrepreneurs new to marketing think they can gain traction by appealing to this age group. However, marketing aimed just at Millennials excludes other potential clients. Billions of people interact with at least one form of social media daily, making almost any age demographic accessible through social media platforms. The average age of visitors to social media and mobile-friendly sites continues to grow as earlier generations discover the potential uses and benefits of these social connectors.

Myth #8: Change Any Strategy that Doesn’t Immediately Show Results

We know you are eager to see the fruits of your efforts and resources, but long-term results require consistency and repetition that can only be realized over time. Results can start rolling in slowly and then eventually begin to snowball. Significant results could take anywhere from six months to a year, so patience is key.

There is way more to marketing than we can ever do justice in just one blog (or even a handful). We hope we have encouraged you to ignore the most common misconceptions and explore marketing options in a new light. An expert marketing agency can help elevate your PMU business in ways you may have never thought possible. Click here to learn more about finding your exceptional marketing partner.