"You should never think you have perfected the art of branding, or know everything there is to know about branding and marketing. In fact if you ever do, you need to get out of business because you are no longer growing."

In today's day and age, it seems that to have a successful brand online, all you have to do is post aesthetic pictures and quotes/memes on a regular basis. After all, that’s what it looks like to the average viewer, but it’s FAR from that simple.

Creating your personal brand means committing to finding out what your mission statement is. A statement that defines your values, who you are and how you define success. It needs to let clients know how and why you fit into this industry. Maybe it’s your business practices, your social media presence, or your work in the community - every angle you look at, your brand has to create the same impact.

Having a consistent message and theme to present to your audience is a key factor in having a recognizable brand. You need to be thinking of the bigger picture – don’t just focus on gaining likes, reach or followers - a personal brand is what you can deliver to your client on a consistent basis and what is going to build that much needed trust between you and that client.

So, where do you start when creating your personal brand? This is where you figure out your story to tell.

What's Your Story?

When it comes to crafting your personal brand, followers are far more likely to book an appointment with you if they feel like they connected with you in some capacity. If potential clients don’t feel like they know anything about you from your online presence, they might just find another stylist who they can relate with.

It’s not just your current clients that are visiting your online platforms and will come across your brand. People who’ve received referrals, friends of clients, or random visits from a search engine or hashtags. Potential clients need to connect with you on a personal level, your “story” to book with you, so make sure your own story is out there for consumption.

You have a lot of competition out there who are trying to gain your client’s business and the client knows this. Make sure you’ve given them a good reason to choose you.

So, What Makes A Good ‘Story'?

You want to make sure you keep it short but simple, almost like a cover letter of a resume. The point of your story is to explain why you’re the most qualified choice for them to choose. Your social media presence should let them easily see why they should follow you, using short videos and pictures of you doing hair.

In order to capture a nice video/picture, make sure the background is clean, bright, and clutter free (don’t let potential clients focus on the wrong thing). You want to dress your best, wear makeup and as always…make sure you are in good lighting!

We suggest adding a testimonial spotlight to your highlights section on Instagram. It's a great tool for you to be able to showcase your credibility, showing new clients that your current clients stand by your work.

This is critical, be honest and authentic. You need to tell your audience exactly who you are, what you do and WHY you do it. You should be writing the way you speak, avoiding fancy terminology that no one would actually use in a regular conversation. If you like to use slang ( for example “Yassss” or "Gurrrl") just make sure that the phrase is easily understandable. The last thing you want is for someone to wonder what “icymi” or “on fleek” means.

You want to make sure you keep it brief, and stick to the point. Like I mentioned earlier, think "cover letter." Your potential clients aren't ready for the whole resume yet. It's not the time to share that your family are hairdresser royalty.

You shouldn't expect your customers to read about your grandmother braiding your hair back in the 60's. Instead, you should be telling the "whys"- letting them know that they need you. Use your key selling points to keep them reading, and make sure to have a CTA (call to action) so that they know to book you.

Your Specialty: Extensions!

You specialize in a particular type of hair styling – extensions – and that’s a very good thing! It would be advantageous for you to make sure that your platform really emphasizes this, and don’t stop there…

For example, if you specialize in nanos, add videos that show how your method differs from other extensions and post it on your socials. Do this, and you will set yourself apart from the competition because you are providing proof that you do what you say you can do.

Tell A Story With Photos

If you've scrolled on Instagram, a lot of hair extensionists, and stylists will post before and after looks- which is great. But, if you really want to stand out even more, show the good in between stages too! Show off the perfect sectioning, or maybe even the progress of your clients hair from when they first started wearing the extensions to 6 months later (letting you advertise healthy hair growth). You can also show close ups of the beads you recommend, or photos of products you swear by using with extensions. You want to make sure you add your personality while keeping not going too far away from your brand.

You could short reels explaining the different types of hair you're selling. Tell people its 100% cuticle intact European Hair (explaining what that is, and why that matters). Clients are not going to be educated like you are, so they need to know "what's so special and why should I even care." Include why you choose that kind of hair rather than another, while emphasizing the importance of adhering to proper maintenance. The goal is to be getting them excited, while showing that you're knowledgeable about what you do, and that they're making the right decision.

Your Hair

Now, whether you work from a salon, or your own home suite, make sure your hair is done whenever you're present in your salon or open for business.

Yes, I understand that you work with hair for a living and your business/family life is hectic, so you might have no interest in doing your hair and rather just let your work speak for itself. However, you cannot expect people to buy into your brand and book a service if your hair looks undone or not flattering.

You want to be presentable at ALL times. You, your salon and your products are all a representation of your personal brand. You might be thinking, "well, I'm just working from home in my small town, does it really matter all that much if my clients see my kids toys all over the place? I'm not working at a high end salon, after all." YES, it matters! No matter what location you're working, you should make everything is clean and organized. If you have only the highest of standards for the appearance of your home or salon, clients will think you have high standards in other aspects of your life.

Regarding wearing the extensions, I'm sure you have all at once time or another been asked during a consultation, or even when you're out for the night "are you wearing extensions right now?" followed by "can I see/feel them". Suffice to say, you should be practicing what you preach.

Charge What Your Brand Is Worth

If you believe that your product and/or services are priced reasonably, please feel free to ignore this.

A lot of times, businesses that are just starting out feel the pressure to offer lower than fair prices to gain a clientele.

Or, there are those who take their city or neighbourhoods into this equation, and price their products and services lower than it should be. STOP THAT!!! Just because you have a shop in a specific part of the country that may have a lower cost of living, doesn't mean you should undercut the price. Likewise, if you're new- be confident and sell your brand. You worked really hard to get your certification, and know you're great at what you do. Trust me – I know it may sound appealing at first to drop your profit and get bodies through the door – but clients who are interested in low cost before all else, are not the type of long term clients you are going to want.

You want to think of it like this, new clients may correlate pricing with hair quality. Now, some women do not care at all about their natural hair nor the hair extensions quality or may think “it’s fine.” We know our hair is superior, but you don’t want to get sucked into dealing with those types of women. They're not loyal, they will bounce around to whomever gives them the best deal, never mind their work. They may even blame you if something goes wrong, demanding their money back, leaving bad reviews, and generally making your life miserable.

Offer Top Notch Service

To build returning clients,(and not one time customers) you need to serve whoever is in your chair and keep that thought process first.

Don’t think about how much you’re getting paid or how much of a tip you may get. Build your personal brand by delivering quality and going above and beyond to service your customer, that is what they will remember.

A great example of this, would be to ask them if they would like their hair straightened or curled after the install. If you notice some gray hairs, spray it with some root touch up spray. Make sure to cut and blend the extensions before they leave. This shows that you care about their hair, its health, and their look as a whole.

This helps show that you’re not just focused on the money. You will get a client who continues to come back to you, because they know that you care about them and they know that you care about their hair. This client is completely different from a one-time customer, who may be coming to you because they want long hair for two seconds for a night out – a spur of the moment want and nothing more.

Relationship Building & Reputation

You should make sure to invest in your relationship with both previous clients, and new ones…even if you perform a simple service for a presumed “one-time client”. For example, a client who needed a removal of someone else’s work, could come back to you for a more expensive service like a full new head install, and their future maintenance. It’s a win/win because it not only means more money, but you’ve earned a client who becomes a repeat customer that you can bank on.

Clients will come back for two main reasons - You did your job so well the first time, and you keep in touch. If your client is satisfied with their service, they will come back, but you can speed that up by keeping in touch with confirmation texts/emails for upcoming appointments.

You should definitely have your clients following you on your socials. If you're afraid of asking them, take a good before and after of the client and tag them as a little nudge. You could also have a cute little chalkboard or letterboard with the Wi-Fi password, along with a “don’t forget to follow me on Instagram @hair_flair_extensions" (or something along those lines).

Today, tools like Mailchimp are a great way to create newsletters that look super professional, and keep in touch with your client database. It doesn’t have to be anything fancy – you could send a newsletter once a month featuring for example, your favourite shampoo/ conditioner combo to use with extensions. You want to make sure you add a couple of good photos and a paragraph about why you like it. Go above and beyond!!! As mentioned earlier, but you should be building a relationship with them via communication because with that relationship, and that repeat customer, could surely mean referrals.

So, because you’ve spent time sourcing a high-quality product, you invested in a relationship with your future customer. You wanted them to come back, and now you keep up a correspondence with them through emails, texts, social media and newsletters. At the end of the day, they will become a repeat customer who buys into your brand, as well as helps to grow your reputation of having a high-quality extension line, are knowledgeable, and professional.

Quick question, what are you currently doing to better your relationship with your current clientele?

Invest In Your Brand

Merriam Webster defines the word optimize as, “to make as perfect, effective, or functional as possible.”

Branding your business needs to optimize all of its features. If you have a website (which if you don't, that needs to change ASAP!) it should have great photos (you can purchase awesome photos on websites like shutterstock.com) an easy to navigate flow, and should be user friendly.

Invest in your brand, and be willing to spend the money that your brand needs to put its best foot forward. Even the little things, like good lighting in the studio, candles to give a welcoming ambiance, fresh cut flowers, even coffee or donuts for those early morning clients. Doing these little things helps you set yourself apart from other extensionists.

Remember, getting extensions, for most people, is a big chunk of money to be spending on themselves. So, make it a really nice and relaxing experience for them. Whenever they want to get their hair done, you want to be the first place they think to go, even if you cost a little more, or aren’t as fast as someone else.

Think about it, would you want to pay for an hour-long massage in a chaotic setting? Maybe some of you wouldn’t care, but I bet given the option between a calm, clean atmosphere with white towels and mineral water; versus a messy, loud or unprofessional space, you'll not be going to the latter.

Picking Favourite's

Who is your ideal client? Have you ever thought about this?

It's understandable wanting to cast out a net and reel back in all the fish. However, with your hair extension business, you're catering to women in a specific niche. With nano extensions, your clientele are women who typically have medical hair loss issues, thinning hair, girls who want you to do something “crazy and fun" or even women who just want to look like a Barbie doll.

Or just maybe, you don’t like blondes because they are always saying the hair looks yellow. (love you blondes, btw). It's important to figure out which clients are your favourite to install?

Maybe, it's the ones who never thought they would be able to have beautiful hair, tearing up and hugging you? Or the clients who give you complete creative control to make a customized masterpiece? It could be clients who want them for that special occasion like their wedding or graduation, or helping women while they struggle through chemotherapy?

It is crucial to know the types of women you want in your salon, so that you aren’t marketing to the ones you don’t want.

Client Reviews And Testimonials

Do you have your extension business listed on Google? It’s a great and free way to have another platform on which to be discovered. Also a nice tool for your clients to quickly find something, like your address, if they’ve forgotten.

You can ask some clients to go ahead and leave a Google review. The same thing goes for Yelp or other reviewing websites. These are vast platforms that people go to when looking for a new service provider in their area. If you have reviews on these platforms, potential customers don’t have to go hunt for your website to know about the services that you provide.

These sites act as the middleman between you and your potential client. If you ask a current customer to leave a 5-star review, you can almost guarantee that others take in that feedback and use that to seek you out and grow your business. Try to get them to not only leave the star rating, but a brief review (ex. “Always a pleasure dealing with Melanie”, or “This girl really knows her stuff”).

Also, have the client add a selfie of them with their hair looking amazing. You should always be commenting back when this happens, even if it’s a mere, “thank you so much”. It will increase your SEO ranking, and help you appear higher up on the page when someone googles "Hair extensions."

It's All About Connections

When growing your personal brand within the beauty industry, it is a good idea to associate yourself with a couple of girls/businesses to refer to each other's clients too - who want information on your respective specialties.

You could send out a newsletter, or maybe make a post about an exceptional colourist you know who is familiar/knows to work with the nano method (with a great photo of her work) if you do not colour hair or extensions. You could even keep her business cards in your salon to pass along. In return, she would be doing the same. Networking like this can really help to put your name out there, and help associate you with a brand that is reputable and trusted.

Let people know that you have some affiliation with other businesses, and that know how to treat people and are credible. In other words, you are what you eat.

Your Portfolio

At the end of the day, your work should always speak for itself. Having high quality images, and ideally video too, of what you do online is crucial. Be honest with yourself, are your current photos a proper representation of your work, or do you feel the need to tell people “It looked so much better in person, I wish you could’ve seen it in real life!”

Whether you have everything compiled on one Instagram account, one Facebook account, a gallery on your website, on Pinterest, or “look books” printed in your waiting area, you need to show your quality of work.

With mobile platforms like Instagram, it’s never been easier. You can even use a high-quality cell phone camera to take good images, just have your client or model against a clean solid coloured background. If you can do this in front of a window, let sunlight hit them – this should take the place of an expensive light. Also, take a lot of photos. Not just a couple that are “good enough.”

If you are rushed and don’t have time, it would almost be better of you to forgo taking a photo altogether. Instead, just ask the client to take a good selfie in their car (usually car lighting is really good) and send it to you.

Communication

When you’re interacting with potential clients or current customers who have questions or concerns, try to answer them within 24 hours. There are ways to set up automatic responses on email and facebook, so even if you can’t get back to them properly at that time, a message will be sent letting them know you will be in touch as soon as you get the chance. You need to let them know that their correspondence with you is important, by appreciating their time and getting them the information they’re asking you for.

Let's say, If you’re open from 9am-9pm and a customer comes in at 8:55pm to ask about your services/ hair extensions, help them! It may be slightly annoying, yes, but you are open for another 5 minutes - you can do a quick consultation, book their install, and get them on their way. You ca even offer them a beverage, so they don’t feel unwelcome or rushed. Most people don't come in last minute to be jerks – they're obviously very interested in your business and this was probably the only time they could see you.

Make sure to keep your word, so that you can create dependability and consistency for your customer base.

Conclusion

Let your personality shine in how you operate your extension business. You can’t please all of the people all of the time, but the ones who love your business, will love you too.

We hope you take these branding tips and find pieces of information that really resonate with you. You should never think you have perfected the art of branding, or know everything there is to know about branding and marketing. In fact if you ever do, you need to get out of business because you are no longer growing.

Business is always growing and evolving, just as you are always going to grow and evolve too. As the saying goes, change is constant. So, look back at this blog often to mold your brand and hold yourself accountable if you slip up!

You can do this, we believe in you!