The business of fashion will always be fashionable, as well as profitable. You can’t go wrong by attaching yourself to some part of the overall beauty industry. As long as the universe stands, people are going to want to look beautiful to themselves and others. No amount of encouraging people to stop obsessing over how they look is going to actually stop most people from doing it. We each have a self-image that is hard to shake. When we pass by a mirror, we can see how far away the reality of our appearance is to how we think we should look. When the two don’t match, it is easier to fix how we look than to fix how we think about how we look.
That said, body image standards have shifted for the better. People are starting to come to the realization that their body is just fine the way it is. They are also realizing that there are many different ways to be healthy. It cannot be summarized strictly by body shape. It is time that the beauty industry catches up to that fact and stops perpetuating unhealthy body image standards. If you work in hair, nails, skin, fashion, or any other facet of the beauty industry, market your business in body-positive ways. After that, do the following.
Transit Advertising
People are not beating themselves up as much over how they look. Another thing they are not doing as much is driving. In cities where public transportation rules, you have a new advertising option: transit advertising. The first step is to familiarize yourself with the types of transit advertising available to you. This is the actual advertising outside and inside the busses. You can have more information-dense advertising inside because people will be on the bus long enough to engage. The outside of the bus is display advertising that should be treated more like a billboard.
You also have the advertising opportunities found in and around bus shelters. People could find themselves waiting in one of those shelters for a long time. When they get bored, they will read anything, including your ad. Make it interesting and they will be happy to engage. From there, you have opportunities inside terminals such as the New York Port Authority or Penn Station. Thousands of people are moving in and out of the terminal at any given time. This is a good opportunity for fashion and beauty.
Court Controversy
When it comes to beauty and fashion, it is quite alright to court controversy. It might be a color controversy. It might be a controversial or polarizing hairstyle. In the beauty industry, the old axiom holds true: Good press, bad press — it’s still press. What you want is attention. And nothing gets attention like controversy.
It is all about being opinionated. You have to have a style about which someone else will care. You have to be unique and stand out among those who would rather play it safe. Beauty and fashion are not safe. They lead the way. Just remember the other old saying: One step ahead, you’re a leader. Two steps ahead, you’re a martyr. You have to be careful not to get too far out in front of the people you hope to lead. Your beauty business will not survive that. But it will also not survive if you try to play it safe and avoid controversy.
Develop Brand Ambassadors
There is no better advertising than happy clients spreading the news through word of mouth. If you don’t have any clients, it can be hard to get them. So do some free work for a select few people who will be your brand ambassadors. It will be the least expensive advertising you will ever do. Offer an outrageous and difficult nail treatment that gets people asking where they got it done. Beauty is the kind of business that breeds a loyal clientele. With a few brand ambassadors, you will quickly fill your client list to capacity.
When it comes to the beauty and fashion business, nothing is guaranteed. But you will greatly increase your chances by utilizing transit advertising, courting controversy in your domain of expertise, and recruiting brand ambassadors.
