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1. Background

This article presents findings from extensive research conducted by Powderbrows.io involving over 3,100 clients and artists. The research examines various aspects of starting a career as a pigmentation artist, covering the period from 2016 to 2024, encompassing pre- and post-Covid times. Sales and marketing have been significant focus areas in these studies, some of which are ongoing. This article will focus on a topic that has surfaced in multiple studies: brand development for Lip Blush, Powder Brows, and microblading artists.

The Objective

This article aims to identify the most effective and cost-efficient branding strategy for pigmentation artists. We aim to understand how emerging artists can align their branding efforts with the needs and preferences of their target audience. In simpler terms, this article seeks to provide the most efficient approach for beginners to begin their branding journey.

2. Personality or a Brand?

The Role of Personality in Branding

Our comprehensive research has highlighted that a strong, reputable brand is crucial for building trust with potential clients. This trust is linked to the artist's authority, greatly enhanced by association with a well-known brand. This raises a question: Should artists focus on personal branding, incorporating their personality into their broader branding strategy? Notably, the best earners are not anonymous.

For many artists at the start of their careers, using their personality in branding might seem challenging. However, leveraging personality can significantly reduce customer acquisition costs, making it a more economical approach. This aspect is particularly important for top earners in the field.

These outstanding artists, who collectively earn over 82% of the industry's total revenue, constitute only 3.5% of all students in training programs. For these high-earning artists, potential clients often value their brand as much or even more than the pigmentation brand they are affiliated with. Interestingly, this trend tends to reverse for artists who are active in the field but are not among the top earners.

3. Third-party Brand vs. Personal Brand

A Nuanced View on Career Progression

When examining artists who remain active in the field 18 months after training completion, a detailed picture emerges. For those who view pigmentation services as a secondary income source, aligning with an established brand in the industry proves more beneficial. However, for those dedicated to specialized pigmentation services like Lip Blush, Powder Brows, or microblading, personal branding is equally, if not more, vital than their association with a pigmentation brand.

From this analysis, we can infer two key conclusions. First, associating with a reputable brand suffices if pigmentation services are more of a side venture. Second, a dual strategy is essential for those aspiring to be top earners in this industry: aligning with a recognized brand and capitalizing on your unique personality.

1 on 1 Practical Steps for Personal Branding

The necessity of personal branding varies based on your career goals in the pigmentation business. However, it's always prudent to establish your brand as a safeguard for the future. Begin with three practical actions: a) register a .com domain in your name, b) secure an Instagram handle featuring your name, and c) create a Facebook business page under your name.

4. .Com Domain Name

Securing a .com Domain Name

You can check for a .com domain with your name on platforms like GoDaddy, Namecheap, Sav.com, or regional providers. The fee is usually around USD 10. If your desired domain is available, it's wise to register it quickly. There are compelling reasons for this.

Search Traffic and Exact-Match Domains

Despite varied opinions among digital marketing experts, we've found "exact match" domain names to be highly beneficial for search rankings. An exact match domain could offer a significant advantage if you expand your business and people search your name. Websites with domain names exactly matching your name tend to rank higher in search results than those with variations or derivatives.

The Risks of Not Registering a Domain

Not securing your .com domain can lead to significant risks. We've often seen others register an artist's exact .com domain, usually resulting in a missed opportunity for the artist. Worse are cases where the domain redirects to unrelated or damaging content.

Challenges of Reclaiming a Lost .com Domain

Reclaiming a .com domain matching your name can be difficult and often requires a substantial budget. Legal options are limited and typically involve de-ranking or removing compromising content from search engines, with unpredictable success. Even skilled professionals find it challenging if the domain's server is in Asia, Russia, or post-Soviet states.

The Importance of Branding with Your Name

Registering a .com domain that matches your name is crucial for building your brand. Your given name is a key part of your branding efforts. A domain matching your name is more impactful than a modified version, so securing it as soon as possible is a priority.

Matching Handles: Important but Secondary to Domains

Matching handles on Instagram and Facebook is beneficial but less critical than a .com domain. Social media platforms allow more flexibility with handles. For example, if you own [yourname].com, you could use [yourname]com on Instagram and the same on Facebook.

Dealing with Handle Misuse

Resolving unauthorized use of a handle matching your name is generally more straightforward on social media platforms like Facebook and Instagram. Meta's customer support, despite sometimes being slow, acknowledges international law and takes corrective action. In contrast, dealing with a black-hat hacker demanding a high price for a matching .com domain offers no guarantees, emphasizing the importance of securing your domain name.

5. The Role of a Brand

A Critical Element for Success

In the pigmentation business, associating with a reputable brand is not just an option; it's necessary for those aspiring to be top artists. Studies confirm that providing pigmentation services without the support of a well-known brand is significantly more challenging.

The Trust Factor

When comparing an artist starting without any brand association to one aligning with a reputable pigmentation brand, the difference in gaining customer trust is substantial by a factor of 6.3. Trying to market services without a brand identity is generally unsuccessful.

Impact on Pricing

The trust gap in the pigmentation services industry influences pricing abilities. Aligning with a recognized brand increases trust and allows for greater pricing flexibility.

Two Approaches to Brand Association

Two main methods of affiliating with a brand are collaborating with an existing brand or creating your own. New artists should carefully consider this decision to avoid hastily becoming a mere "marketing ambassador" for a third-party brand.

PocketBrand or Real Brand - Due Diligence

When evaluating pigmentation trainers and their brands, focus on three aspects: a) Instagram reach, b) Google image search, and c) trademark check. These steps provide insight into the brand's influence and whether it's a superficial "pocket brand" or a well-developed one.

Instagram Hashtag Post Count

Check the hashtag #[academy] on Instagram. A low post count suggests that aligning with that brand might not be advantageous, while a high post count indicates a beneficial association.

Google Image Search

This helps assess the brand's real-world associations. The brand might not offer significant marketing benefits if the search reveals weak local reach or unrelated images.

Trademark Search

Checking for a trademark gives an idea of the brand's legitimacy. Lack of trademark registration can indicate a lack of investment in the brand. Search for trademarks in the European Union at the EUIPO database (https://euipo.europa.eu/eSearch/) and in the U.S. at the USPTO database (https://www.uspto.gov/trademarks-application-process/search-trademark-database).

The Power of a Generic .com Domain

Owning a .com domain with generic terms relevant to the pigmentation business often indicates substantial investment in branding. These domains are typically expensive and suggest a serious commitment to the brand.

When to Associate with a Brand

Linking with a brand is beneficial if it enhances your own. If a pigmentation brand has limited reach, unrelated Google results, and no trademark, consider creating your own "pocket brand."

6. Creating Your "Pocket Brand"

Starting Your Brand: Simpler Than You Think

Creating your brand may seem intimidating at first. However, you'll often find that the process isn't so different from what your brand owner did. It's like the saying about outrunning a bear: you don't have to be the fastest, just faster than the slowest person. This often means a small difference. Practically, this implies that your "pocket brow brand" could surpass your trainer's brand quickly if you strategize well.

First Step: Using Brandsnap.ai for Naming

A great starting point is Brandsnap.ai, a free AI-based naming service. Many artists have successfully used it to generate better "pocket brand names" than those of their training academies. Brandsnap.ai analyzes information semantically and lexically, leading to brand names reflecting your pigmentation business's essence.

Second Step: Setting Up Your Website

A website can be done swiftly on platforms like Squarespace, Wix, and Webflow. These platforms offer customizable templates and user-friendly features. Wix, for instance, is known for its high-quality logo maker that often surpasses the logos of training academies' brands.

Third Step: Leveraging AI for Website Content

Using AI for text involves copying content from various sources, refining it through AI models like ChatGPT, and then incorporating the polished text into your website. This process, usually taking about an hour, often results in content superior to existing pocket brands.

Launch Quickly

Surprisingly, some artists have created a brand, built a website, and filled it with content within a lunch break using their phones. These brands frequently perform as well as, or better than, their trainers' brands, especially regarding search rankings on platforms like Squarespace, Wix, or Webflow.

Remember, speed is critical in this process. Don't wait for the perfect opportunity; start now and take proactive steps to establish your online presence.

7. Conclusions

If you aim to build a career in the PMU business, your chosen strategy should align with your goals. If pigmentation services, such as Lip Blush, are a supplementary income for you, associating with an established brand, like an academy, might be enough. But if you aspire to be a top earner, developing personal and pigmentation brands that resonate with you is likely necessary.

The base of your brand begins with securing your name as a .com domain, if available. This improves your search rankings and prevents others from misusing your name, strengthening your brand identity.

Before aligning with a third-party brand, it's crucial to assess whether it's legitimate or just a "pocket brand." Conduct due diligence by examining the brand's presence on Instagram through hashtag searches, performing Google Image searches, and checking for trademark registration.

If the brand meets these criteria, partnering with it can boost your marketing efforts. Conversely, if it's a "pocket brand," you might benefit more from creating your brand. A streamlined method is using Brandsnap.ai for brand naming, registering that name as a domain, and setting up a website filled with AI-optimized text, such as ChatGPT. This approach enhances your marketing efficiency and provides a more attractive alternative to being a "brand ambassador" for another pocket brand.