Whether you start your career as an independent practitioner, or work in a spa and see a few of your own clients on the side, you’ll want to think carefully about the image you project. A professional image tells clients that you have high standards, strong professional ethics, and a commitment to the therapeutic benefits of the treatments you provide.
1. Name Your Business
Choose a name that clearly communicates what you do and makes you stand out from your competition. Avoid gimmicky or cutesy names that may confuse potential clients or come across as amateurish. Use the Yellow Pages online to research other business names being used in your community (not just skin care businesses), both to avoid consumer confusion and to eliminate legal challenges if you use a name too similar to that of a competitor.
2. Create a Logo and Marketing Materials
Your logo should be incorporated into everything emerging from your business: brochures, business cards, emails, mailing labels, menu, signage, and website. The goal is to communicate the image you want to convey: serious and clinical, earthy and all-natural, fun and casual, or something else. Don’t try to create a finished logo yourself. Homemade artwork almost always looks unprofessional, even if you believe it fits the image you want. If you have a specific logo concept in mind, take it to a professional graphic artist as a starting point.
When you have a logo, choose a limited number of colors and fonts that go well with it, and try to use these consistently in your business materials. As a member of ASCP, you have access to customizable brochures, client newsletters, Website Builder, and more. Not a member yet? Join today, or learn more about student membership.
3. Be Contactable
If you work from home, get a separate phone line for your business. Nothing will tarnish your professional image faster than answering a business call with an anonymous “Hi,” or having children or other family members answering your phone. Answer the business phone with your business name: for example, “Good morning, this is Serenity Skin Care; Linda speaking.” Your voicemail message should identify your business, briefly mention your business hours and website, and invite the caller to leave a message to schedule their appointment or to book online. A generic voicemail message (or worse, no voicemail at all) makes a business seem very amateur.
A professional-looking email address is just as important. An address like “cutiegirl93” or “bigdogsrule” will be self-defeating.
Whether or not you want to set up a Facebook page, Yelp account, or other social media presence for your business will depend on your goals and preferred marketing methods, but there is no excuse for a modern business to be without a website. ASCP provides you with a free, fully hosted website that comes with a variety of design templates, pre-loaded content, and unlimited pages that you can customize as needed. Start building your free website today.
4. Dress for Success
Take your cues for clothing from the standards set by your peers in the esthetics business. Consider buying a spa uniform, if that suits the image you want, or create your own “uniform” by buying several simple, professional-looking tops in a solid color that goes with your design theme. If you don’t go the uniform route, at least think carefully about what you wear from your regular wardrobe (including makeup and jewelry) and decide whether you should keep your personal and professional style separate.