So you've opened the doors of your new barber shop or hair salon and are ready for business. Your clientele is steadily building but you're looking to take it to the next level. Word of mouth and traditional advertising are very important to support your business, but without a presence online you're missing out on a significant opportunity for growth. We all know how much time is spent online, so making sure your salon or barber shop is visible is very important. As a relatively new company we recently had to tackle this obstacle, and I wanted to take the time and share what we did to make our online presence known.
"HERE ARE A FEW OF OUR NEW SALON MARKETING TIPS YOU CAN TRY WHEN TIME IS PLENTIFUL BUT MONEY IS NOT."
"Instagram communicates in pictures, so what better way to show off your creativity than to let your work speak for you."
1. Website - Having a website is very important. It's your online storefront. When customers look for your services, having a website helps build immediate trust and legitimacy. Even though having a Facebook business page can pass as the same thing, a proper business site is still valuable. When we first started we used Wix. Signing up for their free site is easy and you can build your own site in an afternoon. Spending $1000s of dollars on a new, flashy site isn't necessary at first but eventually, you might want to upgrade.
2. Directory Sites - Secondly and probably more important than the first point are directory sites. Listing your business name, hours of operation, and services on these sites are paramount. This is how you get found online in your local area. The more times you're listed, the better the chances you will be found in a search so make sure to take the time to fill them out. Listed below are a few but not all of them. Ten listings should be your minimum.
"Instagram communicates in pictures, so what better way to show off your creativity than to let your work speak for you."
3. Claim your business online - Whether you like it or not your business will be listed online at some point. Either you will do it or someone else will, so it might as well be you. If you've been in business for a while sites like Google and Yelp will create a business page based on customer feedback. Go online, find these listing and claim them as the owner. Make sure you tell your business story online before someone else does.
4. Social Media Sites - Social media has quickly become an invaluable tool to growing business. With so many platforms like Facebook, Twitter, Snapchat and Instagram it can easily become overwhelming looking for your audience. What we have found is even though Facebook is where everyone is at, and great conversations are being had on Twitter (lol). Instagram is the best space to be for stylists and barbers. Instagram communicates in pictures, so what better way to show off your creativity than to let your work speak for you. Take the time to learn a good hashtag strategy and go for it. It adds to your online presence and it's a fun way to make friends in the industry.
5. Start a Blog - Ok, to be honest, we're not sure how well blogging helps your online presence but it can't hurt. Everyone has a story to tell and your story is unique to you, so tell it. It is even easier than ever to get your voice heard, so dust off those old High School writing skills and go at it. Stylists and Barbers give advice all the time, so write it down, it will last longer.
Thanks for reading and Love your cHair,
Daniel
