Marketing Advice

[redsadie]

What Persianista said!

(Sorry, on my Blackberry :/)

Xx

 

[VelvetPatch]

Agreed – and I’d extend...
to a more effective & accountable structure of governance across the industry
.....with many outcomes namely ridding landscape where learning/accreditation is linked to insurance (which is *mostly* driven by commercial motivations not maintaining & raising industry standards!)

 

[Rubytues]

I would eradicate the tacky 'beauty bars' I.e walk in and out in no time at all, with no consultation or no knowledge, all for a quick buck

 

[elliebee]

I am devouring this thread.

Just a little tip for those of you who are posting so you can find the thread later....... If you want to keep track of it, simply use the "thread tools" option at the top of the box and use the option "subscribe to this thread"

Looking forward to the next instalment

 

[jolie69]

Hi,
Sorry only just found this AMAZING post and read all the threads.

My 3 words would be home-from-home, convenient, caring. Most of my clients have either never been to a high street salon due to time constraints/work or family commitments or have been put off by bad experiences.

And I would change the way the industry can sometimes favour big business over small eg. having minimum orders and expensive carriage costs which are crippling for a small at home salon business such as mine still trying to establish itself.

Thanks Craig- I'm totally subscribed!!

x

 

[amyloutay]

Ok, I would like my brand to be seen as creative, bespoke, unique.

My name is Pearl and Flamingo. I think (and hope!) this starts my brand on the right footing as it is quite quirky and unusual? I know on its own it says nothing about what I do, this is because I have sub headings...Pearl and Flamingo Nails, Pearl and Flamingo Jewellery, Pearl and Flamingo Tiaras etc and so it leaves me open to add other skills.

All of these things I design for the individual client, I am arranging a photo shoot so that I can have photos on display showing how I adapt designs for individuals, for example the frog themed wedding I did recently.

I rely on word of mouth and most of my ladies find me because they are looking for something unusual and saw a friend of a friends nails.

I am home based and need to add professional my list as it is something that is important as clients are always surprised at how professional my little nail room is, maybe they should expect that and not be surprised.

 

[Verve Designs]

One thing I wanted to add is-

It's a good exercise to try and express our brand as adjectives. It give's us an aim and an objective.

But What if thats not how we are seen?

I think they're pretty useless (and dangerous) if we're not being perceived that way by clients or potential clients. We could just be arrogantly giving ourselves descriptions that aren't being seen in the real world.

So- would it be worth asking some friends or trusted clients (one's we can rely on to be brutally honest and objective) to do that exercise for us? even if its a case of giving them a slip of paper, asking them to fold it over (unsigned!) and popping it in a piggy bank.

I've said this over and over, because it was drummed into me as a student, and its become apparent as I've grown a few small businesses- "if you can't measure it, you can't manage it".

If we've no idea of how we're being looked at as a brand/business we've no chance of keeping standards if its good, or rescuing it if its bad.

 

[BotoxBoy]

That is a fab idea... I'm gonna try this.

I was also thinking for those of us who are a 'one man/woman band' you could get friends to write down three if your strengths or personality traits which can then translate into the business values.

I also use mine as a tag line on my business cards and all my printed literature to reinforce the idea/connotations.

X

 

[suwiexx]

this is ace thanks x

 

[BizGirl]

Hi, an excellent idea to ask your clients how they perceive you. This would give you some great information to start from in terms of where you are at, where you want to be, and what the gap is - if there is a gap. You could also ask some prospective clients too. In terms of "brutal honesty", you could develop a very short survey (say 5 key questions) and make it confidential. That way, people might feel more inclined to give you the truth. I know that clients appreciate being involved in this sort of thing - this was the case in my salon and it worked really well.

 

[jackieegan]

fantastic Craig I am useless at marketing

 

[Craig Fulton]

I would change everyone who uses inconsistent branding, grammar and paperwork.

I would also like to make my business as least medical as possible despite the medical nature of some of it so that clients feel as relaxed as possible.

I would also like, and am determined, to be paper free!

X

Adam

Hi Adam,

Inconsistency is unfortunately a trap that many businesses fall into. It is good that you have identified this as something you would look to change.

I also agree with moving away from medical themes. When this happens it opens salons up to consumers comparing their treatments with medical clinics. These clinics 'sell' a doctors reputation, even though such treatments like IPL are performed by NVQ level 3 (or equivalent) 'nurses'. You can see why consumers, who will often pay more, will opt for the medical environment (the clinic) if the 'sell' is also medical within the beauty salon/spa. With a little consumer re-education through our marketing we can change these perceptions from 'medical' to 'beauty' treatments. I do feel this is where many beauty system suppliers do not help salons through their often medical related marketing materials.

Great start with these Adam

 

[Craig Fulton]

I would like evry person who does hair/beauty for money to have at least two years training. No more messers/benefit bandits. Make it exclusive to the true professionals.

Hi Persianista,

This is something I have came across before and can see a few other geeks share this passion. It would certainly raise the standards across the industry and benefit the consumer as a whole. This also aligns well with your brand values of knowledge/education and is certainly something that people can rally behind. I will come back to this shortly.

 

[Craig Fulton]

Ok, I would like my brand to be seen as creative, bespoke, unique.

My name is Pearl and Flamingo. I think (and hope!) this starts my brand on the right footing as it is quite quirky and unusual? I know on its own it says nothing about what I do, this is because I have sub headings...Pearl and Flamingo Nails, Pearl and Flamingo Jewellery, Pearl and Flamingo Tiaras etc and so it leaves me open to add other skills.

All of these things I design for the individual client, I am arranging a photo shoot so that I can have photos on display showing how I adapt designs for individuals, for example the frog themed wedding I did recently.

I rely on word of mouth and most of my ladies find me because they are looking for something unusual and saw a friend of a friends nails.

I am home based and need to add professional my list as it is something that is important as clients are always surprised at how professional my little nail room is, maybe they should expect that and not be surprised.

Hi Amyloutay,

I like really like your name, as like you have stated, it is transferable as you develop your skills. I also like your innovation with your themes. Word of mouth and brand advocates is our main marketing tool that we will discuss. It is superb if your customers are surprised in any positive reflection of your business. Keep that up!!!

 

[Craig Fulton]

One thing I wanted to add is-

It's a good exercise to try and express our brand as adjectives. It give's us an aim and an objective.

But What if thats not how we are seen?

I think they're pretty useless (and dangerous) if we're not being perceived that way by clients or potential clients. We could just be arrogantly giving ourselves descriptions that aren't being seen in the real world.[QOUTE]

This is what we are trying to solve. Identifying our brand values is the very first step in transgressing these ideologies over into brand behaviour. Too many businesses react without thinking “why am I reacting like this”, “what am I trying to communicate”, “am I consistent in my messages” etc. I am almost certain that 95% of us on here will not currently have our brand values aligned with our staff perceptions, never mind our consumer’s perceptions. First we need to have our internal culture focused on our core values so our external interactions are believable. Without the blue print and consistency of brand values then we would not have a chance in altering consumer perceptions. Not to stress the importance of planning would be highly irresponsible of myself and to lead in blind would be even more dangerous, which unfortunately too many businesses are currently practicing.

[QOUTE]So- would it be worth asking some friends or trusted clients (one's we can rely on to be brutally honest and objective) to do that exercise for us? Even if it’s a case of giving them a slip of paper, asking them to fold it over (unsigned!) and popping it in a piggy bank.[QOUTE]

Consumer feedback is always a useful exercise as the inclusion always helps in building strong relationships. I will come to consumer centred and idea centred tactics as both can be fruitful working together.

[QOUTE]I've said this over and over, because it was drummed into me as a student, and its become apparent as I've grown a few small businesses- "if you can't measure it, you can't manage it".

If we've no idea of how we're being looked at as a brand/business we've no chance of keeping standards if it’s good, or rescuing it if it’s bad.[QOUTE]

I can understand this presumption as I myself had this drummed into me. Companies, however, often fail to adopt certain positive activities without hard means of measurement (such as relationship building through social networks). If you cannot prove it works, with hard figures, then we won’t try it. It’s interesting because the way to test a hypothesis is, after all, not to prove anything, rather though to disprove it. Yet companies become so obsessed with activities that are measurable even when the performance is extremely poor, on the verge of disproval, yet the element of control seems to satisfy.

I know if we could find a method of measuring such activities as ‘fame campaigns’ or complex relationships then we would be rich. It is an interesting debate though I am guessing I will start to side track :biggrin:.

 

[Craig Fulton]

Hi All,

Sorry for the delay in replys and for not posting the next update yet. I have been a little tied-up and just couldnt find the time . The next step will be our internal culture and how to bring your staff into the brand value selection proccess.

I will post this up as soon as I can and there are some good activities to get everyone in your business involved and how to look at your market from a different perspective. This will aid you in selecting solid values that will be your foundations for years to come.

Again if you have any questions dont hesitate to ask away!!

Thanks everyone :biggrin:

 

[amyloutay]

Hope we get the next installment soon! ;-)

 

[MrsHBeauty]

Not sure how I stumbled on this thread but it's been a while since it was last commented on. I have found reading it very interesting but it's not finished! What a tease

 

[LorraineE]

Hi Geeks

Very interesting posts - why did the post stop?

Lorraine


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[Peter D]

Just had a read through all the posts, very interesting stuff and something I am passionate about for my wife's business as branding and marketing is such an important part of the business and something that many business owners don't get to grips with, probably because they are so busy getting on with the job in hand or because they just haven't got a clue how to go about it. It is easy to throw good money after bad on expensive advertising tools when really you can save money and time and get much better results with some creativity and thought.

We sat down a couple of days ago and went through what we wanted to achieve over the next 12 months and one of the things we wanted to do was put an "aim" for the clients to see. It is clear what products and treatments we supply and what experience and qualifications there are so we decided to go along the lines of the client and how they will benefit from their time out from a hectic and stressful lifestyle when coming to the salon to spend quite a lot of money (hopefully :wink2 for an hour, 2 hours, whatever is that they know the products and treatments will be top notch, but most importantly that the experience will be an absolute joy for them so that they have such a positive experience that when they leave they feel relaxed and looking beautiful and can't wait to come back for their next visit. It is all about the client and the service they get. It sounds obvious, but as we know it is something that is easier said than done, we have all experienced awful service in many different ways, if you can get the basics right and get the ambience right then you are well on the way.

Bit of a rant, but we are determined to get it right and it takes hard work to do so.

I also agree with Persinista (spelling? Persi from now on!! :biggrin re her list of things she would like to see changed. To get to the top of the game in this industry it takes hard work, skill and dedication and there are many who want to get on the train and expect fab rewards instantly without doing any of those 3 things.