Get Your Halloween On…..

Get Your Halloween On…..

Whether you love it, or hate it, the Spooktacular season is on its way!  I thought I’d write my second blog about my top tips for getting through those few crazy weeks unscathed.  Halloween is probably our busiest time of the year, and the earning potential in these few short weeks is huge!!  To maximise this there are lots of things you can do….



Boost your Bookings
If you are still becoming established, or want to ensure that your diary is nice and full over the Halloween period, now is time to start drumming up that business! Make sure you’ve got some fabulous spooky designs that you can use as examples (and have permission to use them) – if not, now’s the time to start turning friends and family members into skeletons, zombies, witches, etc – and it’s time to get your art out there!  Use social media to advertise your business on local community groups and ask for people to share and share again.  Contact play centres and local businesses and try and think outside the box - lots of companies get involved in Halloween now -hairdressers, nail bars, any public-facing businesses.  Approach these with your knock-out spooky designs and a professional email and see what they say!


Managing your bookings
When the bookings start flooding in, whether you base yourself at home, or are mobile - it’s essential that you manage your time well.  Better to do the legwork now, than in the midst of all the craziness!!  So:

• Know how long each design takes you, and allow an extra 10-20 minutes for a quick intro,  any time you run over and taking payment at the end.
• Get a deposit- or booking fee, no booking fee= no appointment!  I always take 50%.
• Ask for photos of the type design they would like.  This is REALLY important.  In this day of computer generated images, filters and airbrushing we may need to aherm ‘manage’ a clients expectations.  ‘No I’m afraid I can’t make you look like an airbrushed picture of Taylor Swift, but yes I can do a ‘corpse bride’ design with a two special fx wounds..’
• Send a contract with every booking, and in that contract stipulate that if that client is late then they may not get painted – remind them politely to be on time in the email too!

In the contract also include removal instructions so you don’t have to run through this on the day, plus your cancellation policy etc.These little time saving measures will allow you to fit in an extra person or two each day = more buck for your bang!


Pricing
My main piece of advice on pricing is DON’T SELL YOURSELF SHORT.  You are a skilled professional, who can create amazing looks for your clients.  Decide on your prices and stick to them -  believe that you are worth every penny of what you are charging (I know, this isn’t always easy, but it’s something I’ve learnt to do).  I never negotiate with people that try and haggle with me over prices – I just honestly tell them that I understand if they go for a cheaper option but that we are worth every penny.  Don’t forget to take your travel time and costs into consideration,  and as per usual parking etc.


Networking
If you haven’t already, now is a great time to reach out to your local network of Professional Face Painters, either through social media or just by picking up your phone and calling them!  My links to the other face painters in my area have proved absolutely invaluable, we are able to share jobs around, reach out when we need cover, and at busy times of the year -like Halloween-get together and support each other when only another face painter knows how you feel!!

So, that’s it for this week – I hope you can use some of this practical info to help you on your way to prepare for the Halloween season.  Next week’s blog is going to cover some of my go-to essential products for Halloween,  and will include a step-by-step using some of the gorgeous products in my bloggers box from the fabulous Face Painting Shop.

See you then!

Kate xxx