How to Market a Tattoo Business

There is no successful brand that doesn’t rely on a carefully constructed identity. All your marketing efforts and brand promotion campaigns revolve around your brand identity. Let’s put it this way: it’s impossible to succeed in any niche and industry and build a long-lasting relationship with customers and clients without having a powerful, attractive image. 

But what does brand identity include? There are certain components that should be factored in, including a clear mission statement, values, and unique selling proposition that set your brand apart from your competitors. These are central aspects of your business and not only help customers have a clearer picture of your brand but also help direct your marketing efforts.

Your mission statement can be something like providing clients with high-quality, customized tattoo designs, reflecting their unique personality traits and lifestyle. Your values are intangible assets that distinguish your services from those of competitors, which might include originality, creativity, professionalism, etc.

And the combination of your mission statement, values, and quality services will create your selling points. You can, for instance, provide your clients with one-of-a-kind designs that are individually designed for each client to match their unique style and vision. This is how you set yourself apart in a competitive market. 

Everyone loves to get a tattoo, and you certainly would prefer to target the largest audience segments in your proximity. But the point about marketing is that your brand promotion, advertising and marketing campaigns can never be designed to satisfy every single person. That’s why you need to identify people with the highest possibility of conversion.

Depending on your artistic style and the area you live in, there are certain audience segments that might be worth more attention and investment. For instance, many millennials now have a thirst for self-expression and creativity which can provide you with a great opportunity to promote your body art.

Moreover, musicians, artists, sports enthusiasts and athletes, and travellers are also potential customers for your business. Identifying these groups not only allows you to deliver a customized message and tailor your marketing efforts towards them but also significantly increases the possibility of growing your customer base.

Social media advertising spending was estimated to be roughly 230 billion U.S. dollars in 2022 and studies indicate it will exceed 300-billion-dollar by 2024. Wonder why? Because social media has repeatedly and continuously proved its effectiveness in enhancing brand awareness, gaining potential customers’ attention, and building a supportive community for brands. 

And these are precisely what you need to successfully market a tattoo business. Simply put, these platforms offer you an exceptional opportunity to create a robust social media marketing plan and run a successful brand awareness campaign with maximum flexibility and effectiveness. 

To start, you need to identify the perfect platform that gives you features and freedom to market a tattoo business to high-value audiences. Moreover, you need to design your marketing plan according to your budget, resources, time, and objectives. Posting a few random articles on your account doesn’t bring you the enormous benefits of social media marketing.

If there is one online asset that could be considered the primary contender of social media platforms in terms of effectiveness in marketing, that’s your business website. Many business owners today imagine social media can replace websites. Nothing could be further from the truth.

Each of these online assets has its own benefits, and only by keeping both updated, you can maximize your brand recognition. Notice that once people search for your business online, there is a good chance that the first thing they encounter is your website. And you have only one shot at making a memorable “first impression.” 

Here are some of the best practices that allow you to maximize your website’s attractiveness:

• Make sure you have well-written, clear, and straightforward messaging on your website that allows you to establish a personal connection with clients and viewers.
• Each web page must contain an attractive, compelling, and well-placed call-to-action (CTA) that helps viewers know what they need to do next.
• Make sure you hire an SEO (search engine optimization) expert to help you optimize your website and rank higher on search engine results pages (SERPs). This is one of the most effective ways to drive quality leads to your website.
• And finally, like any other business, you need social proof, including customer reviews or testimonials, to build trust and credibility with potential customers and showcase your creativity, unique style, and dedication to deliver perfection.

You spend enough time around marketers, and sooner or later you will hear the expression, “Content is King!” You wonder what has given content such a prominent position? Well, first of all, content marketing is one of the oldest brand promotion practices. It has probably been one of the first methods people have used to build brand awareness. 

Secondly, if you think about it, everything is content. From social media posts to ad copies, blog articles, CTAs, introductory videos, and images you post on your account. And finally, content is your way of talking with your audience. And you want to make sure that your method of communication is effective. 

High-quality, original, and relevant content is the centrepiece of the content marketing campaign. Each piece of content, whether it’s text-based, video, image, or any other form, must address the needs of your potential clients. So make sure to take time and get to know their personality and preferences. 

Another great way to market a tattoo business is by setting up a referral program. Referral marketing is a relatively new practice but it’s a surefire way to increase customer loyalty, attract new customers, and grow your business. Studies show that this method increases your lead generation by up to 500 percent!

And the best thing about referral marketing is that it’s a very simple practice. All you need is to incentivize your existing customers to refer their friends and family to your business and secure a growing customer base without having to spend a lot of money on traditional advertising.

The core principle in running an effective referral campaign is to find an incentive that’s attractive to your existing customers and doesn’t cost you a fortune. For instance, you can offer a huge discount on their next tattoo, a free t-shirt, or anything that motivates them to come back and bring their friends and loved ones.

The next step is to promote your referral program on every communication channel you have, from emails to social media platforms, websites, etc. Write a well-crafted, compelling copy that includes all the necessary information your audiences may need to know about the program.

If you want a fast and effective increase in your brand awareness, running a paid advertising campaign is a great place to start. There are numerous platforms that allow you to run paid ads, targeting specific demographics, locations, and interests. This is important because you need your message to reach the right people at the right place and at the right time.

But you also need to do some preparation. The first thing to do is find the platform you want to invest in. You should choose a platform where you already have a strong and active presence so that people can engage with your brand once they see the ad. You can also consider Google Ads to bring in customers in your proximity.

Next, you need well-crafted content to capture the attention of potential customers. Use your best works of art here. Visual components, whether it’s photos or videos, have a considerable impact on creating an unforgettable online experience for clients.

And finally, make sure you keep tracking your ad performance. After all, this is an investment and you must ensure that your money goes to the right place. So analyze your ad efficiency based on metrics like click-through and conversion rates and don’t hesitate to make adjustments if you don’t get optimal results.

Marketing doesn’t happen in a vacuum. Today’s market is all about networking and finding the right people who can help you promote your brand. That’s why influencer marketing can become a powerful way to market a tattoo business and bring you more awareness, more conversion, and more revenue. 

Influencers are characterized by having a large social media following and as we mentioned earlier, social media is the future of marketing. By partnering with influencers in the tattoo industry or those who are interested in getting a nice, stylish tattoo in your shop, you can tap into their audience and showcase your business to a whole new group of potential customers.

There are a few points to consider before trying influencer marketing. First, you should do your share of research and find influencers who have a follower base interested in your services. Then you must reach out to them and give your brand a professional, well-deserved introduction and explain why you think your offer is mutually beneficial.

Once you set the scene, you should get on the same page about how to deliver your offer. You shouldn’t forget that unless the message feels authentic to its audience, you gain nothing from this collaboration. So, make sure you give them some creative control to showcase your business in a way their audience is used to.

Here’s a method that most business owners don’t typically consider: collaborative marketing or co-marketing. This is a very simple technique. All you do is find local businesses that are interested in a partnership and start cross-promoting each other’s services.

Although you should identify businesses that have more than interest in common with you. In other words, you need brands and businesses that complement yours in one way or another, like a clothing boutique, a hair salon, or even a barbershop. This is a perfect way to build deeper connections in your local community.

Like every other marketing technique mentioned above, you should always track the results of your partnerships and make sure that this joint experience is worth the time and resources you are spending.

Finally, if you want to market a tattoo business in a competitive environment, you need a well-trained, professional team by your side who can manage your brand promotion campaigns and meet your expectations. 

Partnering with a marketing agency can provide you with access to a team of marketing experts who have experience, knowledge, and advanced skills in a variety of marketing channels and can help you develop and execute a marketing strategy that is tailored to your specific business objectives.

Moreover, not every business can afford to hire an in-house marketing team. If you are looking for a more cost-efficient solution, you can easily find a marketing agency and scale up or down your services as your business needs change. Here is a quick interview with one of our clients, Omkara Tattoo, in South Philadelphia.

Marketing any business is challenging. But when it comes to marketing a tattoo business, there are some unique differences to keep in mind. Your job is all about personality and emotions and self-expression. Your marketing approach should not highlight this exceptional aspect of your job and reflect it in every effort you make to promote your brand.

Aside from using the above-mentioned strategies and devising a well-thought-out marketing plan, you also need to find a seasoned team of experts that can help you implement your ideas. Contact us today and let our experts help you build the most effective plan to market your Shopify store.