If you’re in the Melbourne tattoo industry, the good news is that business has never been better. The stigma of getting inked is dissipating and the demand for quality tattoo businesses seems to be on the increase. With that in mind, it’s also the perfect time for prospective tattoo artists to get in on the action.
Setting up a tattoo business starts with consulting the insurance brokers Melbourne companies use for business cover. From there you need premises, staff and equipment. Once all that’s done, there’s the question of how to market a tattoo business. Fortunately, our marketing specialists have a few clear ideas about that.
Getting Your Tattoo Business on the Map
When you’re setting up your tattoo business, the correct marketing is needed to grow revenue. That said, let’s take a look at the top suggestions from our marketing team.
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Familiarise Yourself With the Industry
Marketing always starts with researching and understanding the statistics, requirements and trends of the industry at the moment. Knowing what your target audience wants will help you design your business structure and marketing plans with enough relevancy to customer needs.
Understanding the industry will help you decide if you’re just going to be doing tattoos or if you’ll be including other services gaining popularity in the industry, such as:
- Custom designs for tattoos
- Body piercings
- Sale of piercing-related jewellery products
- Inscribing permanent make-up tattoos
- Aftercare for tattoo and piercing services
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Create a Professional Business Website
Aside from investing in tattoo insurance, creating an effective website should be at the top of your to-do list. No matter where you open your tattoo shop, chances are your target market is made up of a large number of netizens (people who are active in the internet community). So, if your audience is hanging around on the internet, it makes excellent business sense that you meet them there.
A website provides potential clients with photos, testimonials, prices and available products on offer. It’s also the ideal place for existing customers to leave reviews and provide ratings. To make your website effective, consider enlisting a digital marketing company to optimise it and look after SEO.
Consider adding a blog where you (or your digital marketing company) add weekly blogs about the various aspects of your business. This can include tips to care for your tattoos and piercings and even current trending design suggestions. Quality content proves your expertise on the topic.
Additionally, ensure that your website has a call to action as well as a list of the various contact methods potential customers can use to reach you. Check your website’s message box daily to ensure speedy interactions with customers and resolve queries as soon as possible as this will add to creating a positive business image.
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Create Detailed Social Media Business Profiles
No matter how old-school you may be, the reality is that your potential customers are searching for you on social media. They’re on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, Tik Tok and a bunch of other apps looking for the best tattoo artist to give them the ink of their dreams.
Here are a few pointers that are must-haves on your various business profiles:
- Geographical location
- Essential details such as services provided, trading hours, appointment scheduling and contact numbers
- Photos and updated testimonials of recent work—update this daily or weekly
- Instore promotions
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Set Up a Business Profile on Google
For some free marketing, set up a Google Business Profile to make your business accessible every time someone in the area searches for options such as “tattoo shops near me.” This type of profile can also be added to Google Maps, making it easy for customers to find you. The information you will be required to provide for your Google Business Profile include:
- The business name as it appears on the shop
- Your website URL so that customers can easily click to access more information
- Services on offer
- Business hours as well as whether or not your store is open on weekends and public holidays
- Map location that assists customers in finding you
- Activate the message option for customers to send you query requests
- Photos and videos where possible
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Opt for Print Media
Despite the world being focused on digital, there is still a space for traditional print media. Don’t underestimate the effectiveness of business cards and flyers. These can be distributed around your store and given to customers to share with friends.
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Merchandise
When you’ve built up enough revenue, consider having merchandise with your brand logo on it. Employees and existing customers can wear t-shirts and caps to advertise your business. You could also include items like aluminium water bottles and backpacks to provide variety for possible customers.
Final Thought
It’s estimated that one in four Australians has some ink work. That means, if you commit to active and engaging marketing, you can have a lot of people queuing at your door. Putting your business out there will put customers in your chairs!
