Microblading can be a very profitable profession which can earn you up to 6 figures a year – provided that you get a steady flow of clients and your schedule is relatively full. But getting clients has become more challenging in the past couple of years, with the increase in the number of artists who do great work.
Growing your clientele is one of the most important aspects of running a business, but it can be tricky. In case you’ve tried every trick in the book, like taking advantage of social media and investing in marketing, but clients still seem sparse, perhaps it’s time to start perceiving the other half of the population as clients – men.
Microblading can be an excellent treatment for men, and male clients who do go for it love the results. So a very clever business move is targeting them at least as much as female clients. Here are some tips on how to attract male clients to your microblading salon.
How Do I Attract Male Clients?
Men care about their brows too, especially if their brows are thinning for whatever reason, or they have little to no brows due to various conditions. But why are there so few male clients booking microblading?
The beauty industry has only started opening up to men a few years ago, when men started getting more interested in it. But it seems like the industry is still predominantly female-centered, and even treatments that can be done on anyone, regardless of gender, are advertised more heavily to women.
Exhibit A – microblading.
The truth is, many men would love getting microblading, but they’re reluctant to do so because they feel like it’s not something men do. In turn, artists are reluctant to advertise their services to men thinking it’s not something they’re interested in.
Here’s how you can break this cycle.
Master Male Microblading
The obvious prerequisite for getting male clients is to do male brows well. To get more male clients through the door, you need to master the creation of natural-looking, realistic microblading that looks like there was no work done at all.
Providing a quality service is the basis of attracting clients, but you need to be aware that male microblading needs to be done a bit differently from female microblading to achieve the best possible results.
What Should I Know About Microblading Men?
First off, you need to have a completely different approach to microblading men. Male clients usually don’t want the perfectly on-point, Instagrammable brow you’re probably used to doing. They want more subtle, natural-looking results, and that implies going for a more laid-back, not-too-dressed-up look.
So when you’re microblading men, follow the natural pattern of brow hairs. Don’t do a perfectly shaped outline but rather for a more casual shape. You can even add some stray strokes to add to the illusion of natural brows. Don’t go for the thinnest blade available – male brow hairs are usually thicker than women’s.
For more tips on microblading men, read this guide.
Image source: Instagram @lurestudioaz
Build Your Male Microblading Portfolio
So, mastering male brows is impossible without actually doing male brows. Just like it took you several models to get the hang of microblading women, you’ll need to find a few guys to microblade.
With every pair of male brows you do, you don’t only gain priceless experience – you also get something even more valuable, and that’s before and after pics.
To persuade men to book with you, you need to show them examples of your work on previous male clients and break through their skepticism or prejudice. So do a few pairs of male brows for free and post those before and afters all over your social media.
Image source: Instagram @priscilaiwama
Brand the Service Differently
The idea of makeup being reserved exclusively for women has long been subverted as an outdated social construct, but some men may still be reluctant to get something called permanent makeup, especially in more conservative areas.
How do you sell a PMU service to such clients? Call it something else!
There are many ways you can get around calling microblading permanent makeup. Cosmetic eyebrow tattooing is the most neutral way to go about it, but you can also get creative and call it something like guybrows or manblading.
Reconsider Your Salon Decor
The decor in your salon should make your clients feel welcome. All your clients. So as much as you may feel tempted to decorate your salon in traditionally girly tones (not that colors have genders) like pinks, purples, or the classic black and gold combo, you might want to go for something more neutral.
Men may not feel comfortable in a salon clearly decorated to appeal to an all-female clientele. They may not feel welcome or worry about being seen in a leopard-printed waiting room. Another pet peeve many men have is strong-scented air fresheners, so go easy on the vanilla cupcake – go for something fresh and clean-smelling instead.
Learn Beard Microblading
Here’s a controversial idea to wrap things up – have you ever heard of beard microblading?
Now that’s a service developed specifically with male clients in mind. Artists have been experimenting with microblading strokes and decided to try them out on the facial hair area. And it works! Well, sort of.
Strokes can be blended into a beard to add density or camouflage sparse patches, and most attempts will look good right after the procedure. The problem with this spin-off is a high chance of the strokes blurring, as well as the fact that the client can’t really shave off their actual facial hair or they’ll have stray strokes all over their jaw and cheeks.
But as the industry is progressing, this is something you might want to look into. It will take you very little effort transitioning to this service (although if you can find a course, training for it is definitely advisable), and it could attract all those guys who love the facial hair look but have bald patches.
For more information on beard or mustache microblading, check out this guide.
Image source: Instagram @fiyah_beauty
Final Word
Sooner or later, all microblading artists will realize what a huge pool of potential clients they have in men, and they’ll start adapting their marketing strategies to attract them. So make sure you’re the first in your area to specialize in men’s microblading and get a head start with our tips on how to attract male clients to your microblading salon.
Cover image source: Freepik
