by Tracey Middlekauff
Think your web site isn’t that important? Think again. As your virtual calling card, it’s often your only chance to make a good first impression with potential clients, business partners, and employees. As such, it’s crucial that your web site convey the right message about your salon.

WHAT’S YOUR POINT?

The first thing to consider, according to spa and salon business expert Andrew Finkelstein, owner of the Beauty Resource, is to ask yourself what your site should do for you. In other words, what are your goals with it? “It’s either there for you as a vanity plate,” he says, “or you intend to attract and retain clients and/or other people associated with the business, such as staff or agents.” You may also decide that you want your site to sell product. “The cult of personality site is okay if you decide that you don’t need the site to work for you,” he says. “If it’s just there for vanity, that’s fine as long as you have the time and money to spare.”

But chances are, you do need the site to work for you. If you’re trying to attract agents, book jobs or photo shoots, and appeal to other high-end salon pros, then slick highly-designed sites such as those used by Aldo Coppola (www.aldocoppola.it) or Biguine (www.biguine.com) are perfectly appropriate. If, however, you’re a smaller business looking to attract and retain clients, you may want to consider something a little less grand and a tad more functional.

Kimberly Acworth, owner of the Indulge Salons in York, Pa., (http://theindulgesalon.com) says that her goal in creating an attractive, simple, and user-friendly site was to make money and drive customers to her salon. To that end, her site is all about the client, including pages dedicated to problem solving by hair type, pages with coupons, and a coherent message throughout. Her site, she says, “Is just one more way to support my customer and [tell them] why they should continue to come to our salon.”

David Spagenthal, co-owner of the Timothy John Salon in Manhattan (www.timothyjohnsalon.com) says that he and fellow owner Timothy John intended the site to be used in part for advertising, and also “to convey the feeling of the salon on the page.” They both wanted the look of the site to mirror the quality of the work performed in the salon. The site’s clean lines, warm colors, and easy, intuitive navigation certainly work together to inspire confidence in new and returning clients. “It’s definitely helped our business grow,” he says.

For Aura Mae, owner of Azarra Salon (www.azarra.com) in Tacoma, Wa., a successful site for her small, four-employee salon “is going to minimize the time we have to spend on the phone. All questions should be answered online.” To that end, Mae’s site is a simple, stripped-down model of pure functionality.

To further connect with clients, Mae maintains a blog as part of her site. “Why not? It’s free!” she points out. Plus, she says, this helps potential clients get a taste of the salon. “Pre-screening the client means you’re more likely to attract repeat customers,” she says.

MUST HAVES

Sure, goals can vary — but to effectively communicate with your intended audience there are some basics that every Web site worth its salt should contain, and it all starts with the home page. First and foremost, make sure that your contact information is there (and on every single page). After all, no matter how elegant, functional, and innovative your site is, if no one can figure out how to get in touch with you, it’s all for nothing.

It’s tempting to make your home page all about you, but as Finkelstein points out, your future clients don’t care about you they care about themselves. What can you do for them? Are you the right fit? “You have to speak to [your potential clients] right up front,” he says.

As Aura Mae points out, even if people don’t find you online they’re probably going to research you there. “Every salon needs at least one page, with your phone number, address, hours, and general pricing information,” she says.

You should also include photos or video clips of your work so that potential clients can get a sense of your aesthetic. General pricing information is important as well. “I like transparency and authenticity,” Finkelstein says. “The client wants to know how much it’s going to cost — why not let them know?”

As long as you have a Web presence, consider adding an online appointment feature. While some clients will still prefer to call and speak with a live human being, the convenience of online booking is attractive to many.

Always remember what you want your site to convey, and stay on message. Keep it simple, keep it easy, and above all keep it user-friendly.

MISTAKES TO AVOID

It can be tempting to get fancy and show off, but slow-loading sites, complicated Flash pyrotechnics, and just about anything that needs a plug-in are huge turnoffs for many people. “Flash is great, but the purpose of getting someone to your site is to get them to stay awhile, and Flash stops that,” Finkelstein says. “You’re saying, ‘I’m going to take your time, I’m going to make you wait, and that sets a bad tone.”

Adds Spagenthal, “We live in New York, and people don’t want to wait. They want the information now!”

It’s also important to be accurate. David Ranson of Basement Broadway (www.basementbroadway.com) designed the Timothy John Web site, and says, “Things like a poor design, spelling errors, or an outdated price menu can undermine a client’s confidence in your ability to help them look their best.”

NOW WHAT?

Once you’ve figured out your goals and gathered ideas, it’s time to actually design the site and get it online. Before you reach for the nearest DIY template, however, you may want to reconsider and find a real designer. “You’d probably agree that it’s not such a good idea for me to cut and color my own hair,” Ranson points out. “Technology changes rapidly — and it’s not just computer hardware that becomes obsolete. Web browsers and browser plug-ins are constantly being updated in ways that can affect site operation or performance. Commonly used software programs like Adobe Photoshop and Adobe Dreamweaver are expensive to purchase and upgrade. And who do you call when you hit a snag or your site crashes?”

When shopping for a designer, make sure to look at sites he or she has designed, and speak to other clients about their experiences working together. The perfect designer might be right under your nose in the form of one of your own clients — if you’re on a budget, maybe you can even work out a barter arrangement for services!

While it is the designer’s responsibility to help you create the right look, it’s your job to provide the appropriate content. To help clients stay organized, Ranson encourages them to think of the site in outline form, “with each page as a Roman numeral and each page’s content as points under that Roman numeral.”

Filmmaker, web marketer, and educator Yianni Stamas maintains that strategy is even more important than design: “The more keyword specific each page is, the more likely it will be indexed by Google.” Stamas recommends taking one of his online Web marketing classes at www.videofilmweb.com/takeaclass. And Finkelstein suggests checking out the Web Site ToolKit, available at http://www.actionplan.com/mkttools.html, which he says will help you learn how to create a site that really works for you from a marketing standpoint.

Of course, once the site is launched the work doesn’t end — you have to keep the site current and updated or risk losing potential business. “It’s alive and organic,” Finkelstein says. “If you haven’t updated the site since 2005, what does that say about you?” You can either have your designer do updates for you (of course you’ll provide the content) or you can do them yourself. If you go that route, Ranson suggests you hire someone to customize a content management system for your salon.

Sure, getting a web site up and running is a lot of work, but do it right and it will be worth it in the end. As Kimberly Acworth points out, “Is anything worthwhile ever easy?”

by Tracey Middlekauff
Stylists, it’s time to get your blog on. Blogging is a perfect — not to mention inexpensive — way to increase your name recognition, get your message out there, and communicate with both current and potential clients. Simply put, it’s one of the best bang-for-the-buck marketing techniques around. Go the extra mile and incorporate vlogs — video blogs — into your strategy, and you’ll reach an even wider audience.

Dr. Scott Testa, professor of marketing at St. Joseph’s University in Philadelphia, points out that the end product in the hair business is visual: “So ultimately the idea is to effectively communicate these visuals to your audience.” And what better way to do that than with a blog that’s peppered with great photos and interesting vlogs?

Elline Surianello is the founder and CEO of LeMetric Hair Center, Inc.,a New York-based salon and affiliate network that focuses solely on women suffering from hair thinning or hair loss. She initially began blogging and vlogging (www.lemetric.com & www.youtube.com/lemetrichaircenter) because she wanted to share the story of her own struggles with alopecia with other women, but it turns out it’s helped her business as well.

“I wouldn’t say that my vlogs result in a direct conversion of clients, but they have certainly contributed to and enhanced my brand’s reputation,” she explains. “These videos support what I do, what I’m promoting next, and they legitimize me. Women see the real me and know who I am before they walk through my door. … How do I talk about something like women’s hair loss, and women’s hair loss replacement, without showing the women what I mean?”

And the best part is, it doesn’t have to seem like work at all. “The videos are so much fun,” she says. “I love it because I am a total ham! Vlogging gives me a platform to speak out on something that may be a hot topic on any particular day, and that is just so me!”

Another reason to blog is to get a higher search engine placement for your salon. Cookie Cutters and Haircuts for Kids is a chain with over 40 stores in the U.S. and Canada. Before they began their companywide blog (http://blog.haircutsarefun.com/blog/cookiecutters), they showed up on the third or fourth page in online searches using relevant keywords. But according to company VP Larry Shelton, that’s all changed now.

“Blogging with Compendium Blogware (compendiumblogware.com) has been very helpful in moving our brand up in search queries without having to redo our site in an expensive search engine optimization scheme,” Shelton says. “Blogging basically got the same or better results.”

And sometimes it’s just nice to blog to help educate and inform. Ava Gardner began her blog, coiffedchaos.blogspot.com, because she wanted to share her “experience and expertise with fellow colleagues as well as women looking for an honest and open conversation about their hair,” she explains. “What blogging does for me as a 22 year veteran in the business is that it allows me to express my feelings on different aspects of being a hair stylist from a behind-the-chair perspective. … It is imperative that women have access to information that can help them make the best decisions for their hair if they care for their hair at home and don’t have access to a professional hair stylist. My goal is to provide comprehensive information about caring for your hair with a twist, by providing topics that are cool and interesting that are meant to spark open and honest conversations about hair care.”

And getting started is pretty low stress, thanks to blogware (blog software) such as Wordpress and Blogger. Shelton doesn’t recommend embedding photos and videos until you’re comfortable with the basics, and if it gets too technical for you, you should definitely hire someone to show you the ropes.

Surianello — by her own admission initially very tech-shy — says, “My advice is to find someone who you can trust, to be a part of your team, and to handle the admin, tech, and maintenance side of this, so that everyone is being most efficient at what they do best. If you’re scared to get started, find someone who knows what they’re doing and can walk you through this one step at a time. Gradually the lingo and the methods become clear, and over time, as you adapt, there is more and more you can take over on your own. Eventually, it becomes fun to log on and see who’s doing and saying what. The reach and return is just so vast.”

Just as in real life, there are rules and etiquette in cyberspace — at least if you want your blog to be effective. Dr. Testa says, “You want to represent yourself in a professional fashion. Don’t write something you wouldn’t want Mom and Dad to see!”

If you’re an employee and you want to start blogging, Dr. Testa recommends running it by your boss first, or at least putting a disclaimer on your site. And it (hopefully) goes without saying that you need to spell check your text, and whatever you do, don’t neglect your blog. “You need to either be in or out,” Testa says. “You should update 2–3 times week.”

Don’t worry about how you’ll generate enough content: Your inspiration is all around you in the form of your clients. Post before and after hair photos. Talk about interesting articles you’ve read and new styling techniques. Share the scoop on products that you’re passionate about. “Questions that your customers are asking you are starting points for what you should talk about,” Testa says.

And Surianello offers this advice: “If you talk about what you know and what you love, your message will flow naturally and you’ll be fine.”