Salon: How You Are Failing Yourself

I recently sat down with a friend who was really upset that his business was not doing well. He said since last year his business had gone down and not as many people were visiting his store. He was so upset at his employees, the companies he was purchasing his store items from and even his customers for not coming in as often as he would have liked. I asked him point blank what he had been doing to market himself and his business. We sat for a moment in silence and that is then it dawned on him. He had not been doing anything to help himself. 

We tend to get comfortable in our jobs, with our clients and even in our day to day life. When we become complacent and stop working for it, we just float and floating is not the state you want to be in. We want to be making progress and moving forward. One thing I asked my friend about was his social media presence, There was not much on his instagram since about a year ago and his Facebook feed was full of sad stories and political debates. At this time he did not have a Facebook page for his business which wasn't the worst but it wasn't helping him. 

There are a lot of other things you can do to market yourself or put yourself above the rest. It is in the customer service and in the way your portray yourself on social media. 

For example in salon experience is very important to a lot of guests. If you offer your clients a beverage every time they come in,  that will stick with them as part of a good guest experience. If you offer french press coffee and cream, that might make you stand out in comparison to other salons. I used to go to a nail salon that offered wine as soon as you sat down. I will NEVER forget that nail place and sadly I moved away so it is not easily accessible anymore but I would still be going there if it weren't for my move. It's all about the little details that create a lasting effect.

Be consistent when you post on your social media. Some people prefer to get their posts done in the beginning of the week and if that is your preference I would recommend an app for that. Hoot Suite is a wonderful app that will help you schedule your posts so you do not get behind. If you are a daily poster, then I recommend setting aside some time during the day, preferably the same time every day. When people see activity and you interacting with other people, you  look busy and that eventually generates business.

The moral of the story here is, no one is failing you when it comes to your business. If your business is not successful it is YOUR FAULT! You are in charge. So take control and stay a step ahead of the rest. Keep moving forward and stop floating.