9 Ways To Stay Connected With Your Clients During Covid-19

I think it’s safe to say that this period of studio closures is less than comfortable for many of us. We are all trying to do our parts by abiding by the government rules, and social distancing as much as possible, but let's be real, it's hard being away from work.

We wanted to take a bit of time today to compile a list of ways to stay connected with your clients during this time and create a positive work environment to come back to once this is all over.

1. Get online, and yes that means social media.

Although this tip might seem obvious, getting on social media is crucial to staying connected with your clients. Everyone is spending more time on their phones and computers right now. Creating continuous content and interacting with your clients is a great way to stay at the forefront of their minds.

Our favourite platforms are Instagram, Facebook and Pinterest as they rely heavily on pictures and videos. This is a great time to post photos of your previous work, videos of piercings you have done, or updates on when your studio will be reopening!

2. Supply inspiration, and get your clients excited to come back.

Although not being able to pierce isn’t ideal, this is a good time to focus on the other side of the industry, your jewelry selection. Get your clients excited by posting pictures online of pieces you will have in the studio for when they return! Suggest pieces that complement one another to sell together.

We noticed that some of our best performing posts have been ear projects that follow a theme or specific style of jewelry. While we cannot physically pierce right now, we can utilize silicone ears to curate these looks and get your clients inspired for when you reopen.

In addition to online inspiration, if you have access to your studio take the time to revamp your physical displays. This will give your studio a fresh look for when you’re able to open. At Junipurr we always find it therapeutic to brainstorm new ideas and focus on what's coming for the future. These steps will not only get your clients excited to come back, but they are also a great way for YOU to get reinspired and curate new looks.

Another place to look for inspiration is your own client’s feedback! With Instagram’s new polls, questions, and stickers; it is easy to ask your customers what they want to see, and what current jewelry trends they are loving. This makes market research even easier and will allow you to order exactly what your clients are looking for.

3. Open up an online store.

Moving jewelry sales online can feel overwhelming, but it can be a great way to continue business, and reach clients that are not local to your shop.

One online store we really like is Isha Body Jewellery (https://ishabodyjewellery.co.uk/).

They allow clients to shop for jewelry based on brand, material, piercing type, or style making it very easy and straightforward to navigate.

Even just offering a few pieces online, gift cards, or aftercare can keep a steady flow of income that you wouldn't normally have, and increases the number of visits to your shop's website! Plus depending on how far you decide to ship, you will be able to reach a whole new clientele that would not normally have access to your shop based on their location!

Having an online store also allows you to sync up your inventory on your social media platforms, and push products through there. This will enable you to use the “tap to shop” product tagging method on Instagram, along with shopping through Facebook.

4. Book for the future and remain one step ahead.

Offer appointment times for when you return. You’d be surprised at how many clients are eager to get their appointments booked for when we return to a state of normalcy. Whether you want to set up an online booking system on your shop’s website or take bookings via phone call this is a great way to ensure that you will have business once you’re able to reopen! Just make sure to let your clients know a realistic timeline, and that they may need to be pushed back depending on your government’s mandates.

Clients can pay a deposit to keep their appointment time held. This will help keep your clients accountable and ensure that you don’t have any no-shows when you return to work!

5. Offer online services.

Not all piercing services have to be offered in person. There are a lot of services you may do in the studio, that can absolutely be done via email, or even Instagram or Facebook direct messaging. A few of these include Ear Curations! Have your clients send you a photo of their ear, and curate a look for their unique anatomy. Once a client sees a visual they are much more likely to get excited and book a future piercing or buy a piece of jewelry you’ve recommended online. We saw the team at Pierced (@pierced & @pierced.conceptstore) do this recently, and they have told us they received an overwhelming amount of people interested in receiving an online curation, which has the potential to lead to online sales for the jewelry they sell online.

Check out their webpage for inspiration: https://pierced.co/pages/virtual-ear-curation

We have also seen Ryan Dreyfuss (@ryandreyfuss) share some of his own before and after online curation photos on his Instagram stories that have definitely piqued our interest! Allowing other clients to see your process will get them wanting to participate as well, and hopefully get them booking in with you for the future!

In addition to this we have seen some studios offering limited anatomy checks via facetime, or even troubleshooting piercing questions through an Instagram Live question and answer session!

6. Reach out and support others in the community.

Unfortunately, a lot of us are in the same boat right now but there can be comfort in knowing that a lot of us are in this together! Reach out to your co-workers, other piercers, front desk, and jewelry staff you may know. Check-in on them, and share any tips you may have for coping with the current climate!

Maybe connect with a few piercers in your area and share one another’s work online to increase your reach! Or suggest other shops that may have a different jewelry selection from yours or offer different services.

7. Participate in online challenges.

There are a lot of people posting online challenges right now that can really help with your reach on social media! These can include posting a piercing you’ve done and tagging a couple of friends to post their own, completing things like our Junipurr bingo sheet and reposting it to your stories, tagging other businesses that you have supported during this time! The more your share, the more likely you are to get reposted, and the more people that will look at your profile. Every little bit helps, and it's a free way to get your name out there.

Check out our bingo post we shared last week for some inspiration: <https://www.instagram.com/p/B-csZYanXQx/

8. If you’re able to, hold a giveaway or contest.

Obviously finances are a little tighter right now, but if you have the means to do so, try holding an online giveaway! Recently we saw Tribal Expressions (@tribalexpression) hold a giveaway where they had clients adorn their pets in our Junipurr Instagram jewelry stickers, and share their creations on their stories for a chance to win a free piercing and piece of jewelry. They received over 100 entries, which we reshared on our stories as well! This helps to increase your reach on social media, gain new followers, and keep your current clients excited for the chance to win a prize.

9. Answer your direct messages and emails!

I know that many of you may not feel up to opening your inbox, and that's okay. Give yourself the time you need to digest what is happening and focus on small goals every day.

If you’re feeling up to it, dive-in on those direct messages or emails you have been avoiding about an “infected piercing” or the dreaded “red bump”.

Your clients are looking for answers, and being able to calm their anxieties during this time is priceless.

We guarantee they will appreciate the personal response, and will likely keep that in mind when they are ready for their next piercing!

Although social distancing is incredibly important, but we must stay connected with our peers and clients. We hope that this blog post has eased some nerves when it comes to what type of content you can post right now, or where to even start when it comes to diving back into work. Just keep in mind that we’re all in this together, and you’ve got this!