Websites, Digital Marketing & Business Development
Websites For Hairdressers & Beauty Salons
I’ve always considered hairdressing to be one of the most fortunate of professions, because you have an almost unprecedented level of loyalty from your clients.
People, particularly women, will return to the same hairdresser for many years, once they find someone they like and trust with their hair. As you know, there’s often a close and personal relationship between a hairdresser and their client.
However this loyalty is a doubled edged sword.
Even though a client may be less likely to leave you once you’ve had a chance to get to know them and give them a great haircut – it can be harder to attract new clients in the first place.
Despite this there are always people looking to find a new hairdresser – and therefore opportunities.
You just have to remember that these days the chance to WOW! your prospective new client begins before they even sit down in your chair. It’s where they WILL be looking to make an initial decision about whether they like and trust you – on the world wide web.
The Benefits Of A Website For Hair and Beauty Salons
The truth is that virtually every serious business should have a way for their customers, or potential customers, to find out any details they need to know before making a decision to ‘do business’ with them.
And whether they’re looking for your business by name or for the service you provide, they’re almost certainly going to be looking for this information online.
Here is a mixture of both the benefits of having a website for your business and, on the flip side, the negatives of not. Most of them are really just common sense and I’m sure you will be able to relate to them as a customer of other businesses yourself.
- Having a website is a sign of a professional business that recognises the importance of being easily accessible to it’s customers in our modern day, online world
- Having a website is not just about attracting new customers, it’s one sign of you providing great customer service for your existing clients too
- It allows you to present all the information your client and prospective client is likely to be looking to find out about you – and all the information you want them to know too
- It allows you to express your personality and individuality, and to create a connection with your customer before they even walk through the door
- You have total control of the content you present and the way in which you present it – enhancing your ‘brand’. Unlike Social Media accounts and online listing directories where everyone looks pretty much the same
- You can show examples of your latest work & restyles etc, new products, special offers and any other news that you’d like to share
- You can link it to any social media accounts you have – and also link it to any online directory sites you’re listed on (simply Google your business name to see how many that may be). Your website is your virtual business premises online
- It makes it easier for people to recommend and refer you – “Check out their website…”
- There is an expectation now that every business will have a website – and frustration if it doesn’t because we can’t find the information we want
- Having a website helps you to stand out above all your competitors who don’t yet have one – and attract that customer who may become a very loyal client for years to come
So What’s Holding You Back?
I would say it can only really come down to one or two things.
Either you haven’t seen the benefit for your business until now, or you’ve been put off by the cost of having it created in the first place.
By reading this far I believe you are not only now starting to see what the benefits are, but also how you may well be missing out by not having a website.
When considering how much you could and should pay there really are too many factors to be weighed up to give a true ‘ballpark’ figure. You could quite literally get quotations between £500 and £5000 depending on the quality, type & size of the site, styling & design, functionality required, size and experience of the company you use, etc
Aftersales support is a HUGE factor so it’s important you get to know, like and trust the person or company you choose, rather than just going for the cheapest price. I’m sure you know the saying about a ‘cheap’ haircut!
All websites are NOT equal. Having said that I will give you a broad guideline price.
Something between £1200 – £1500 should provide you with a modern, mobile and Google-friendly website, with everything you need to make your business stand out and WOW clients new and old. At the upper end, this would include having an online appointment system, preferably linked to any salon management software you may have.
Why Customology?
I’ve had experience of working with the hairdressing industry for over seven years now.
It was in 2011 that I created my first website for a local hairdresser, started working with a Yorkshire-based scissor company called Scissorhands – and got to experience the ‘full-on’ world of hairdressing close up, on the Scissorhands stand at Salon International at Excel in London.
(I went on to do nearly 20 hairdressing trade shows after that and have genuinely had dreams in which I was able to cut hair with a pair of layering scissors!)
Apart from my experience and knowledge of the hairdressing industry, I’m not just a website designer, but someone from a business background with lots of ideas that can help to grow your business. A website is, or can be, only just the beginning.
Please do check out some of my previous projects and testimonials and then why not get in touch for a free, no-obligation chat on how creating a professional online presence for your salon can help in growing your business?
Give your clients what they want and move your business into the 21st Century today.
