From analog to digital: How to improve the visibility and competitiveness of your hair salon

I remember when I first opened my personal Facebook in order to make my barbershop visible. It was quite a discovery. I met colleagues who shared their jobs and other friends who motivated me with their experiences, like Julian Gijon or Luis Miguel Vecina. I, in turn, also shared my hairdressing and barbering jobs, having a positive impact and achieving my goal: making myself visible, attracting more clients and strengthening my personal brand, The Barber Shop by Paco López.

A lot has changed since then...

Today, in addition to Facebook, there’s also the Web, Instagram, Twitter, LinkedIn, TikTok, management software, online dating, Google My Business and artificial intelligence (AI).

Tips for managing your online presence:

1. Social Networks (RRSS):

Being present on all platforms is ideal, but it is important to choose those where your customer profile is located. In our sector, Facebook, Instagram, TikTok and WhatsApp are usually the most used. You can manage them personally or hire a company specialized in marketing, like the Jumpers agency in Seville, which helped me a lot to learn about digital marketing. You can also use applications like CapCut, PicsArt or Lightroom to create quality content. Remember that in our sector, "we sell image", so take care of the content you publish.

2. Online Appointments:

"Booksy" was a before and after for us. We implemented it in 2018 and it has become an essential tool. It offers 24/7 availability, improves customer service, organizes work, allows you to charge for the service before the customer arrives, and offers detailed statistics. In addition, you can send emails or SMS with news to your clients.

3. Google My Business:

Make sure you have a complete file on Google My Business. This will improve your visibility, help you reach more customers and increase your sales. Add information such as hours, business description, photos, links to your website and online appointments. At The Barber Shop by Paco López, we have had very good results using this tool.

4. Online sales:

While we would all like to sell our products online, it is important to take into account the infrastructure necessary to be competitive. Some companies in our sector have implemented personalized online stores for hairdressers and barbers. They take care of the logistics, and we only have to promote the link for our customers to buy. We receive a percentage of the sales generated from our online store.

5. Artificial Intelligence (AI):

AI has arrived to revolutionize everything in our sector. For example, there are mirrors that use AI to allow customers to see different looks and thus help them choose the best one. In addition, AI is used to make adjustments to our collections, taking our creativity to another dimension. Chatbots help us answer questions interactively with our customers, and with AI we can recommend personalized products taking into account hair texture, skin, age, etc.

6. Online training:

There are several platforms, such as ModumB or The Hair MBA, that provide online training with the best professionals in the sector.

Conclusion:

Tehnology is advancing by leaps and bounds and we must be present in it to become more visible and competitive. However, there is still much to do in our sector in terms of digitalization. According to STANPA statistics, only 40% of hair salons offer an online service, such as reservations or a website, and 4 out of 10 hair salons are one- or two-person businesses, which limits the time and budget allocated to managing the social networks.

Paco López
Artero International Ambassador