If you’re a new reader, this article is a continuation of ‘Seven Business (and Marketing) Ideas That Are College Girl Friendly: Part One’. As I’ve mentioned in the previous article, for the next three weeks I will be discussing/going over the importance of financial literacy. I have a completed list of seven helpful ideas that college students can use to become financially stable and responsible before entering the “real world”. In part one, we left off at number four, which was to sell “Plates of Food’, and today we’re going to start with “Hairstyling”.
5. Hairstyling
This is very self-explanatory. You can either provide a bunch of different hairstyles or stick to just one. I.E: passion twists, goddess locs, wig installations, silk presses. The hair industry is full of money, but that should not be the reason you join. If you’re on a college campus, this is great because women typically don’t prefer to go off-campus to get their hair done. Also, some women tend to switch up their hair every two weeks or so which makes having an on-campus hairstylist even more convenient!
Marketing Strategy: Don’t upload photos or videos of hairstyles you’ve done on yourself. Clients already know you’re capable of slaying your own wig. They want proof that you’re good at doing other people’s hair. Remember: it’s all about trust. Consider providing free hair services to a couple of girls. This will help develop your portfolio and get the word out about your business.
6. Homemade Skincare Line
Having clear skin has been popular for years. Recently, organic products such as coconut oil, lemon, turmeric, and other household items have made their way into skincare products. You can do it too. Try not to go into this industry if you are not passionate about skincare. Also, do your research before coming up with any recipes and selling products to the public. You don’t want to harm someone’s skin. That can potentially turn into a lawsuit.
Marketing Strategy: Use mason jars for packaging your products. Make sure to take good quality photos of your inventory as well. Consumers look for cute packaging and sometimes that’s the reason they purchase it.
7. Social Media Influencer/Content Creator
I’m sure you’ve heard of these terms before, but if you haven’t: a social media influencer is someone who gets paid to take pictures with certain products. A content creator is a fancy term for a Youtuber. Now, if you have a following on social media, you have the option of being both. Usually, these two business ideas go hand-in-hand. They are also very similar to one another.
Marketing Strategy: You don’t have to have a following to become a content creator and if you don’t have thousands of followers on Instagram, it’s okay. There are many ways to get your Instagram followers up and increase engagement. Just be consistent with posting, make it aesthetically pleasing, and stay true to yourself. Don’t sell your soul or exploit anything personal for retweets, likes, comments, and followers. It’s not worth it.
I’m sure all of these sound great, but nothing is possible without a personal brand. If you’re not active on social media and you want to start a business, get active. Start posting on your Instagram feed more as well as your IG story. You don’t have to go and download every social media app out there, but just be consistent. If you’re in college, you want your classmates to follow you so they can support you.
If no one knows who you are, they won’t care. That’s the reality of it. They don’t have to know you personally, but if you portray a positive lifestyle, it will attract plenty of people.
My ultimate marketing strategy for all business ideas (even the few I did not list), would have to be thinking about who your ideal customer is and customizing your promo to that customer.
For instance: Let’s say you provide eyelash extension services. You don’t want to start your business out with a sale because you will attract customers that only care about getting a sale. When that sale is over, so is your “clientele.” Jotting down a few things about your ideal client will prevent this!
If I did eyelash extensions, my ideal client would be a girl that’s in college and prefers quality over quantity. So, when I am constructing my social media posts (picture and caption), I’m making sure to use words such as college girl, HBCU student, and beautiful. Marketing is literally everything.
And again, it’s not what you sell – it’s how you market it.