After working in various barbershops and gaining experience, almost all barbers dream of owning their shops. Many succeed in making this dream a reality, only to shut down within five years. One of the most common reasons for this decline is ineffective barber shop marketing.
While this reason might sound unconvincing, it has a tight grip on your business’s success. You can’t keep going without customers. Therefore, you must always keep your shop at the top of your customers’ minds.
Suppose you’re wondering how this article will reveal barber shop marketing ideas to you that are simple yet proven. Let’s dive right into it!
From Fiction to Fact: What Happens if You Don’t Market Your Barber Shop?
Opening a barbershop is easy if you know how to do it. The real challenge pops up when it’s time to maintain and grow the business. People might desire change and innovation. Therefore, you must stay ahead of the curve.
They must see exciting ideas from your barber shop marketing communications and feel that they chose the right person. For example, if you haven’t posted on socials for months, it might give the impression that you’ve lost your craft.
However, barber shops have become more than just a place for grooming. They have become a symbol of community where men relax and spark meaningful conversations.
Hence, you must keep this spirit up and introduce ideas that encourage such a setting. For example, you can open a small refreshment counter in the shop and let people enjoy while they wait. Even better, you can give a discount if their bill surpasses a certain amount!
This isn’t a direct marketing strategy, but it will spread good word about you. Consequently, more people will want to choose you over your competitors.
How To Create a Barber Shop Marketing Strategy That Works in Your Favor?
Now that we’ve established how important it is to market your barber shop let’s talk about creating a strategy. Jumping directly into creating content can have the opposite effect on your barber shop marketing.
You must know your needs to avoid going overboard and eventually losing money. So here’s how to create a barber shop marketing strategy.
- Market Research: Start by researching the market and analyzing what your competitors are doing. This step isn’t to encourage copying and pasting the strategy. Instead, it’s about differentiating yourself.
- Vision and Goals: Anyone who launches a business has a goal. Ponder upon yours and decide whether you want to become the best in town or just make a small name. Your barber shop will have light years of better marketing with a vision and set goals.
- Know Your Intent: Do you want to attract new customers, create brand awareness, or encourage loyalty? Depending on it, you need the right tools and tactics. Your strategy will lean heavily on your intent for marketing.
- Create Personas: A marketing campaign is only successful if it resonates with your audience. Therefore, create profiles of your potential clients to learn what they like and dislike. Note down their demographics and why they value you.
- Brand Messaging: People don’t buy your “what.” They buy your “why.” In simpler terms, your audience wants to relate to you. This is unattainable without unique messaging for each of your customer persona. So, make your message convey that you’re there to listen to your audience.
Convert the Strategy Into a Fruitful Barber Shop Marketing Plan
A strategy alone won’t make much of a difference. To kick it into action, you need a barber shop marketing plan. Both terms may sound the same, but they’re not.
The strategy gives you information and a direction to create the plan for your barber shop marketing. So here’s how to convert the strategy into a plan.
Start by writing an executive summary of your barber shop. This page should cover your mission, vision, key performance indicators, and business overview. Next comes the barber shop business plan and description. Here, you must state general information about your barber shop, like its location, services, etc.
The marketing plan is the center of attention. Here, give a basic outline of the types of marketing campaigns you’ll launch and how you’ll keep your customers engaged.
You can’t expect to create an evergreen marketing strategy without investing some money into it. But an epic campaign requires trial and error. Therefore, you must set a limited budget for your marketing plans.
However, using the wrong medium can fail even the best campaigns. Who will pay attention to it if your target audience doesn’t exist on that platform? So, assess where your clients are and choose those platforms.
A cohesive experience across all marketing channels can tip the scales on your side. Hence, accompany your decided messaging with a set tone that can resonate with your audience.
Lastly, plan for your branding elements like logo, color palette, etc. But you’re a barber, not a designer! So, either hire a designer for your team or consider a branding agency to assist you with this.
How to Market a Barber Shop With 6 Practical Yet Simple Ideas
From 2022 to 2026, barber shops will grow at a CAGR of 11%, making it a $1.11 billion industry! With such tight competition, you must think out of the box to stand out.
However, that’s simpler in theory than in practice. The best ways to market any business are common knowledge. But applying them to your particular industry is where things get challenging.
So, are you ready to learn how to market a barber shop? The following sections will reveal six barber shop marketing ideas and their implementation.
Barber Shop Marketing Idea #1: Get Into the Spotlight Through Google
When you hear of a new business in your area, what do you use to search for it? If your answer is Google, you’re on the right track for your barber shop marketing.
Now the shop or company doesn’t get there by itself. The business owner creates a Google My Business account to appear in the local search results. This is one of the simplest yet most neglected marketing ideas.
Don’t make the same mistake, and create a Google My Business account as soon as you launch your barber shop. You’ll only have to enter your shop’s details, such as location, pictures, address, etc. and verify it. This information makes it easy for people to find you.
However, just creating this account won’t be enough. You must appear in the special corner that lets searchers know your shop is one of the best. You can also achieve this through Google Ads.
This is local SEO, where Google ranks businesses according to relevance, positive reviews, and distance. It is a big deal because if local people don’t visit your business, then what’s the point of launching it? Therefore, your shop’s reputation must also be on the spot.
Believe it or not, your online reputation is in your hands. Managing it the right way is a little hack that takes your marketing to the next level. So, do your best to get more Google reviews. Reply to both positive and negative ones by expressing your gratitude or apologizing and trying to solve the problem.
This way, other people will see that you care about your customers, and you’ll have new fans.
The other place your audience searches for your business is social media. People are less likely to trust a business without a social media presence. This is a clear instance of why digital marketing is important for small businesses.
You’ve probably seen videos of barbers transforming people’s hair and playing with it. So, take a page from their books to show off your skills on Instagram, Facebook, TikTok, etc.
And while before and after pictures impress people, they will get bored if you keep showing them the same thing. So, switch up your barber shop marketing by providing grooming tips and updates in between.
Moreover, winning something from their favorite brand gives people a high. Spark the competitive spirit by launching social media contests and giveaways. Besides that, consider paid advertising, as it can help you reach a wider audience.
Remember, social media marketing isn’t just about posting pictures. You must also interact with thought leaders in your industry and let your customers know you care about them.
For that reason, comment on other people’s posts and respond to the ones on your posts. Active businesses are more likely to attain customers through social media.
Barber Shop Marketing Idea #3: Create the Appropriate Atmosphere
Making your establishment inviting and enjoyable is yet another barber shop marketing technique. As mentioned earlier, barber shops aren’t just about shaves and haircuts anymore. They’ve turned into a social hub.
Since people are after ambiance now, you must make an effort to create the right atmosphere. But the real question is how?
Firstly, decide on the type of music you will play in your shop. Classical music will fit best with vintage decor, while a vibrant interior calls for rock or pop. The right music will entertain your customers and encourage conversations.
Secondly, adapt to the weather. Keep the atmosphere cool during summer and warm during winter. It’s the small things that help you stand out and make your current customers feel welcome.
Moreover, keep magazines and newspapers for the entertainment of waiting customers. Make small talk with them so they don’t get frustrated. These gestures play a big role in a good customer experience, encouraging word of mouth.
Barber Shop Marketing Idea #4: Make WiFi Marketing the Ace up Your Sleeve
We have WiFi marketing after creating the right ambiance and getting on Google and social media. Free WiFi is one of the things that makes a barber shop’s ambiance more inviting.
Moreover, it can give you valuable insights about their likes and dislikes for barber shop marketing.
It also helps you get reviews and feedback about how you can improve your services. But how do you market through it?
Firstly, use WiFi marketing software to incorporate a captive portal and allow people to authenticate themselves. While they’re entering their details, you can display ads and promote your offers and updates. Furthermore, these details help you build an email list to send personalized emails that convert better.
Secondly, ensure your brand elements, like your logo, colors, and messaging, are on your WiFi advertising page. And lastly, send personalized push notifications to connected customers.
Barber Shop Marketing Idea #5: Don’t Underestimate Loyalty Programs
Some people think that discounts and loyalty programs limit their revenue. However, there’s a need to see the bigger picture here.
Because, in the long run, these programs will prevent your loyal customers from going anywhere else. Think about it; who doesn’t like saving money?
Also, when customers can join a program, they feel attached to the business. Therefore, you must incorporate loyalty programs in your barber shop marketing.
The best plan is to go for something simple. An example would be a free beard trim once the customer has completed several visits. Do not overcomplicate it. Customer loyalty for small businesses is about small gestures that repeat over time.
Barber Shop Marketing Idea #6: Use SMS Marketing To Provide Value
The last barber shop marketing idea is to use SMS marketing. One major reason for its popularity is the personalized feel of a text message appearing on your phone. However, don’t spam your customers with texts about updates and service offers. Instead, take it as your chance to provide value and gain customer loyalty. Here’s how.
Start by sending tips to your customers. Let’s make an example. Suppose a customer tells you he has never waxed his beard but now wants to. This is his first time. Take this chance to be extra careful with your service. After a few days, send a message to ask how he feels and tips to get rid of the redness.
This will help the customer, and he’ll feel listened to. Not only will he spread good word about you, he’ll never choose another barber shop again!
Moreover, send appointment reminders so people don’t forget to show up. Customers don’t like to arrive at your shop only to find you closed. So if you’re on holiday, let them know through a text.
Marketing Is the Cornerstone To Take Your Barber Shop Soaring Through the Sky
Barber shop marketing can contribute to your business growth. It can bring in a lot of customers willing to fill your pockets if executed correctly. However, the best marketing campaigns think out of the box and create a connection with the audience. It might take time to master the craft. However, in the long run, the rewards will be awesome.
If you provide free WiFi to your customers, make sure to get the most out of it. With Beambox, you can scale your marketing campaigns and increase your revenues. Use Beambox to manage your online reputation, email and SMS campaigns, and secure your network.
Over 12,000 venues are using Beambox to grow their business. Do you want to be next? Start your trial today!
Get Started With Free WiFi Marketing
Beambox helps businesses like yours grow with data capture, marketing automation and reputation management.
Sign up for 30 days free
