The Skinny on Hair Salon Marketing
I have been thinking lately about hair salon marketing. Not that I’m a big marketing person. I’m not, yet I do have an interest, especially when it comes to matters of the hair. How many times have I heard the question, “Do you know of a good place to get your hair done?” I’ve asked the question numerous times myself. How do you go about finding a place you like, that will do your hair the way YOU like, without you having to tell them what to do every step of the way? After all, I’m not a hairdresser. I have little experience in this venture, except for the occasional bang trim: or the few times I whacked off the hair on my Barbie dolls.
Right up front let me just say that finding a GOOD Mens Haircut Los Feliz salon requires a little luck. Conventional marketing doesn’t come into play, in my opinion. Convenience is oftentimes the deciding factor when choosing where to have your hair done. Not necessarily a good way to choose, but a way, nonetheless, and I should know as I’ve been there a time or two myself. Convenience, however, does have a part to play depending on the services you desire, i.e. perms, coloring or straightening; and how often you need these services. I’m just saying…
The question still remains…how do you find a good hair salon? There seems to be one on every corner, much like McDonald’s or Starbucks. But unlike these fine institutions of tasty-goodness, there is no system in place to ensure the same service every time you visit. Thus the topic of conversation…hair salon marketing.
The yellow pages of your local phone book seems like a logical place to look. There are ads, locations and phone numbers all listed in a handy manner. And I’ve used this method more times than I care to admit. One time sticks out in my memory. It was several years back and I had young children at the time. I was in desperate need of a hair cut. Life was simpler then, before I waged the battle on aging – gray hair being public enemy number one. I pulled out the phone book, found a few convenient locations, made a couple of phone calls and went with…. the hair salon I could get an appointment with the quickest. The woman who did my hair, and if I recall correctly, she was the owner of the hair salon, after completing the hair cut, hands me a mirror, spins the chair around and loudly proclaims for all to hear, “Oh, you look so much better”. I looked THAT bad? Of course I didn’t go back. When the time came around for another hair cut, I pulled out those yellow pages and buckled up for another random hair-salon-choosing ride.
I fondly remember my favorite hair dresser, as I’m contemplating hair salon marketing and how to simplify the process. Her name was Diane. Still is as far as I know. She was a good friend of mine at the time. She was, and I say this with great honor and respect, a hair design artist; the only person up to that point that I could go to, have my hair done, and not have to rush home and immediately restyle my hair before somebody I knew saw me. She was THAT good. The only problem I had was the fact that I didn’t like going to the salon where she worked. It was a total dump! As luck would have it, however, the owner sold the salon to my friend, Diane, and she made some changes. She made it hip, she made it current, she made it relevant…she made it her own. (I been watching American Idol far too long). I was good there, though, I felt comfortable there.
A new problem soon arose, however. She was SO good at what she did that you had to make an appointment six weeks in advance! God forbid you came down with the flu the day before your next appointment because you were flat out of hair luck until you could get another appointment…in six weeks! We soon said goodbye to our love/hair relationship and it was once again back to the yellow pages. I know, right?
Hair salon marketing…a subject worth pondering. My luck wasn’t changing and I needed a new system, preferably before the next hair cut came due. Not to mention the fact that during this time the gray hairs starting rearing their ugly heads. No pun intended, if that is indeed a pun.
Once again, my good friend Lady Luck was on my side. I found a gem of a hair dresser. No yellow pages, no hype, no commercial marketing. I asked a friend where she went to have her hair done. She told me. Simple as that. Don’t think I hadn’t tried this before, I had, but this time…THIS time I hit the mother lode. I walked into the salon, sat in the chair and heard those words I once dreaded as much as a high school math test that I hadn’t studied for… “What are we doing today?” Those words no longer caused fear and trembling or my heart to beat wildly out of my chest; no sweat dripping down my back because I don’t know the correct answer. No, this time I knew I could answer with a confidence, I could answer with an assurance I never had before… I could boldly proclaim: “What ever you want, it’s only hair.”
When Stephanie finishes with the product she has just created, she will hand me that mirror, spin the chair around and ask me what I think. I will smile a say “Very nice. I like it”, because I will be sporting a cute, trendy, suitable hairstyle that will take me through the rest of the day without having to do a thing to it.