As people are being advised to stay home and industries are being orderd to temporarily close, barbers, hair salons and nail salons are facing an extremely hard time. Clients are not making appointments, appointments must be staggered to ensure client and worker safety, and some states are ordering barbers and salons to temporarily close.
This article provides specific guidance intended to keep your business afloat and in your client’s mind.
How To Position Your Business
Your business helps people look their best, express themselves, feel confident, and feel beautiful. This is a great marketing position to be in. Just because people are staying at home, it does not mean they do not want to look and feel their best. You provide the expertise to accomplish this, at a distance.
You may also think about how your business may be different once this passes and start moving your business towards that position.
What You Can Sell
Whether your business is closed or open, think about alternative ways to provide services and products to clients.
- Ship existing inventory of hair products to clients
- Offer porch delivery of your existing inventory of hair products
How To Build Your Social Following
Building your following now will help build brand recognition and turn followers into customers once you are able to re-open.
- Invite clients to follow you on Social. Your clients already love you. Invite them via email or individually invite them through Facebook or Instagram.
- Invite people who have liked your Facebook page to Follow your page. This is available through Facebook Business.
- Post video demos using Facebook Live or Instagram Live. The best videos feature something unique that your followers and clients aspire to be able to do. For example: creative beard styling, detailed nail art, fishtail braids.
- Post video product how-tos. How to use beard wax. How to use nail paint pens. How to use root touch up.
- Update Social banners and About sections. Let followers know if you are open, selling online, etc. through banner images and About sections. Use Canva.com to create graphics for free.
How To Use Your Time
Likely after all of this you still have some time on your hands. If you need to take a short break to recharge from the past month of events you’ve supported, do it. Then get to work, this is not a time to relax, this is a time to hustle and grind.
- Watch demos and practice new skills or designs
- Work on anything you have let slip-your website, social media, finances, inventory, etc.
- Build relationships. Call your best customers just to check in on them
- Start a YouTube channel
- Create your online directory listings (Bing, Google My Business, etc.)
