I'm Tired of Face Painting Myself on Saturdays..

So I was wondering if you'd help me come up with some marketing ideas? Bleh, I'm all for random, creative marketing, but homework is really frying my brain lately, so I was wondering if you'd be willing to help me. (:

I already have a deal with my art teacher that I would come to the school during my eighth grade art bell (which I am in) and stay after-school a few days for the sixth and seventh graders because she wanted to do a face painting unit and asked me to teach it (I'M SO EXCITED). So, I'd pass out my cards there and such.

Other than that though, I have a business card at my pool, I paint for free at my old elementary school's carnival in the spring (that's one of my only free charities), and that's it, so, help me please?

What's your budget? I swear by direct mail of postcards. If you are able to get some postcards (apparently you CAN get free from Vista Print... I think?) and then mail to any potential customers that would do a lot. It always works great for me.

I like that idea. Hm, my budget is really what I save up right now, but I'm going to have to set one. Right now, I'm working on getting real business cards (like from VistaPrint) but postcards sound like a wonderful idea!

This afternoon I took my little ones to the park, set out my face painting supplies, and as soon as I painted my daughter I had a line that never let up. Of course everyone got my business card (with removal instructions on the back) and a few asked whether I do birthday parties (which I love to do). I do this about once a month now. Great for both practice and marketing. It might work for you too!

ps: I really admire you. I wish I was that smart, focused, and dedicated when I was 13! Keep going after your dream, girl!!!

You just.. went and started painting?

That's bloody brilliant!

Thank you so much! That really means a lot (:

is kijiji something that people do in your area? it's free and around here people are on there like crazy. It's www.kijiji.com in the US and www.kijiji.ca in Canada... check for your city and see if it's active at all. I post OFTEN in the Entertainment Services section and I get a lot of business from there.

I got started by attending flea markets and trade days as a vendor. The crowds were hit and miss, but I got practice, built up a small customer base, made some money, and gained confidence. Normally the cost of an event like this is very small, and you'll get lots of experience for what works well and what doesn't as far as selling your services. Have FUN!

Do you have a farmers market? That might be a good place for you to paint at & make some money.
Do you have a facebook account yet(if mom & dad say it's ok)? This is a great place to market.
You could market to friends & family & market to your parents friends & co-workers. Do your friends have younger siblings with birthdays coming up? Maybe their parents would hire you?
Charities are always looking for face painters & as soon as you hit highschool you're gonna want volunteer hours(most state run college scholarship programs want 75 or more volunteer hours). My daughters face paint & twist balloons for charities in exchange for their community service hours. The reward of free college is much greater than the reward of a few dollars!
Think outside the box.... corn mazes, pumpkin patches, haunted houses, etc. I found most my Oct. empty due to a big cancellation & so I've spent the last few weeks seeking business(normally it comes to me). It took determination but I finally got my schedule filled.
Oh, and keep the school work as your #1 priority! Only work your face painting as much as you think you can handle. At your age, working once in a while can be considered successful!

See if any local moms clubs have events that you could paint at. Maybe you could offer some small discount to try and get people to book you from those events.

I've even offered gift certificates for a reduced rate at silent auctions. It's a good way to get lots of people to see you're out there, and I've also gotten referrals from auction winners. *Sometimes you even get a goody/treat from whoever is holding the auction if your donation is over a certain dollar value.

Psalmbook wrote:Do you have a farmers market? That might be a good place for you to paint at & make some money.
Do you have a facebook account yet(if mom & dad say it's ok)? This is a great place to market.
You could market to friends & family & market to your parents friends & co-workers. Do your friends have younger siblings with birthdays coming up? Maybe their parents would hire you?
Charities are always looking for face painters & as soon as you hit highschool you're gonna want volunteer hours(most state run college scholarship programs want 75 or more volunteer hours). My daughters face paint & twist balloons for charities in exchange for their community service hours. The reward of free college is much greater than the reward of a few dollars!
Think outside the box.... corn mazes, pumpkin patches, haunted houses, etc. I found most my Oct. empty due to a big cancellation & so I've spent the last few weeks seeking business(normally it comes to me). It took determination but I finally got my schedule filled.
Oh, and keep the school work as your #1 priority! Only work your face painting as much as you think you can handle. At your age, working once in a while can be considered successful!

I already have a facebook page (https://www.facebook.com/funkyfacespainting ) the problem with it is just that i don't have too many adult friends, they're all my age, and no one my age is really goign to care, they're just there for support. And, I never thought to check out the farmers market, hmm.

I think with you, the birthday party route may be WELL worthwhile, and lucrative... the pay is excellent, the atmosphere is relaxed and fun, and the gigs are mostly on Saturdays!

The key is to get your first few - after that, they build on themselves - so far, every single birthday party for me (except one) have resulted in bookings for future gigs. And the one where I did not get a direct booking in the week or two following, well, I still think someone might call from those... really!

So you need to find your first few bookings. MOM's clubs are an excellent idea. Flyers in your neighborhood. Free painting in the park or at a restaurant, and making sure to HEAVILY advertise. Just some ideas.

Keep it up, the hard work will pay off...
Barbie

Izzy, I started painting at our local farmer's market about six weeks ago. I contacted the market manager and offered to paint for free, just so I could get some hands-on practice. After the first week, the manager said I should ask for tips, so I added "tips appreciated" to my "Free Face Painting" sign. Since then I have made some money, not a lot - usually about $15/hour, but it is enough to pay for my materials. And a lot of people have taken my cards, so maybe I will get some work from it. (I just bought blank sheets of perforated cards from the dollar store and printed my own at home, for now. Soon I will be getting real cards done up but I didn't think it was my #1 priority.) I am just going to finish out this season doing it for free; next year I may work something else out. I really enjoy doing it but there isn't that much traffic so I don't think PPF would work and they don't have the budget to pay me to be there. I may continue to do it just because I like doing it, it's a nice community thing!

As for just setting up somewhere and starting to paint - I love the idea but some municipalities might require you to get a busker's licence or something. I would check with your town hall or municipal office first. I read about some kids' lemonade stand getting shut down!!

Think about places that parent's go to, or their kids go to - fast food restaurants, the YMCA, sporting events - and see if they will let you put up flyers. Our mall has a community board that allows people to put up advertising.

Good luck!

Hazel - but my real name is Isabelle too!!

I've been doing the farmer's market here for two years now (june to october)... it's a new market (it's only been around for those two years). The first year was a little shaky, but I at least broke even... this year has been really good.

I pay for my booth, which is $20 per week. And I charge for face painting and balloons. There is always some variation, but June, July and August were pretty steady averaging $60/week... Sept. and Oct. haven't been quite as good because the weather has been cold and wet most weeks, but I have regulars that come looking for me, so I'm there because I said I would be. I've also booked 3 parties from the contacts I've made there this year, so I definitely feel it's been worth it. My name and photo have also made the newspaper 3 times just from being at the Market.

In case you're interested in seeing my set up and a quick pan of the market from my perspective (I didn't walk around the whole thing)... you can check out my latest video (the market had a visit from Red Green that day, so there's a little bit of me with him too )
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mtQcY-FjO78

Red Green?! I love his show!!!! Is it still going? I haven't seen it in a while. I'm so jealous of you, Perry. You got to meet a real celebrity!

Librarys, churches, day cares, elementary schools, sporting events(especially the younger leagues), pumpkin patches, malls at Christmas, political rallys, flea markets, art festivals, air shows, look up all the military events local to you, girl and boy scout troups, camp grounds and try and hook up with Ashley Picken. http://picnpaint.com/

She is in your neck of the woods and WONDERFUL! I am sure she can give you some wonderful advice!

-Metina

Thanks everyone (:
Kind of off topic, but I was also wondering, do you think I need a business license?

I don't have a business license. I just registered with my county's register of deeds (I think, you might want to check which office to go to) by filling out a DBA (doing-business-as) form. I think it cost $11. You could call your local jurisdiction (look in the yellow pages in the government section) and see what they say. I'm also not sure how/if it applies to minors.

You might see if your city requires what is called a Privilege License. Here in Asheville, NC they do. I don't know how it applies to minors but most cities want their piece of the profits (err, taxes) for anyone doing business within the city limits. You can fly below the radar unless you are going to start doing events and become more visible. Also, if your parents are supportive maybe they would join meetup.com and find appropriate meetup groups to participate in that would get you exposure (again, mom's and ladies groups). It's all about networking and referrals!