Are you at home wondering, will I be able to pick back up where I left off, once all of this blows over
or…
Are you still opened and wondering what other marketing strategies are out there that you can implement today to bring in more customers?
Obviously we’re going through a tough time, some of us have been shut down by the state, and a lot of us won’t be able to operate for another few weeks.
There are 2 things we can do…
- Do nothing, wait it out and hope for the best
- We can act, take advantage of the time off we have now and position ourselves for success when our shops are allowed to re-open!
If you’re reading this, I’m sure you’ve chosen option 2. We have to remind ourselves that this is temporary, and we will be allowed to re-open soon.
We also have to realize that when this blows over, it’s not likely that we’ll be able to pick right back up where we left off.
Keep in mind that a lot of your current clientele have lost their jobs and may not be able to afford to pay your prices as they did before this recession.
So, what a lot of barbershops are doing during this time off, is nothing. If you check their social media, it looks like they fell off of the face of the earth since their “We are closed to help stop the spread of…” post.
When in reality, this is the time to DO something! We need to take advantage of the time we have off now and capitalize on the opportunity.
Because of social distancing and self-quarantining, people are at home spending more time than ever on social media. And we need to capitalize on that!
So during this time, I came up with a few different strategies that should be able to put the odds in your favor for when it’s time to reopen.
These strategies will go over how to position yourself during this lockdown, as well as how you can earn money at the same time, let’s begin!
Let’s first outline your goals, for the first part of this strategy we’ll need to grow your audience. This way we can create a waitlist for your shop, so when it opens you’ll have an audience of people ready for your service.
In short, we grow your audience by collecting contact information, we nurture your audience by creating content and we monetize when it’s time to open. Simple.
If you already have an audience of people we can monetize a lot sooner.
Let’s start with step 1, Growing your audience.
Client Acquisition Strategy
You’re going to want to collect their contact information for a few different reasons.
Remember when Facebook & Instagram went down and people were freaking out not knowing how they’ll be able to reach their customers?
If you had their contact info, it wouldn’t matter what social media shut down because you would always be able to reach them.
Especially during a time like this!
If you have a website, send people there to sign up for your email newsletter.
You can create a post on Facebook & Instagram saying something along the lines,
“Thank you for your patience during this time. Please visit our website and sign up for our newsletter so you’ll be notified when we are allowed to reopen!”
Another great way to pull in new subscribers is to run a discount promotion. Offering a 10% off that can be redeemed later when the lockdown is over.
Most of you guys should already have a list of customer contact info either from your online booking system or POS system.
It’s important we start collecting their information now, so when it’s time to reopen we can send out an email or SMS blast telling them to see you for your service.
I’m sure you are already aware of this, but Facebook & Instagram will not show your posts to ALL of your followers unless you are running a paid promotion.
That’s why it’s so important to have their contact info, because having the ability to send a text to all your customers, ensuring that they’ll see your message is powerful!
Just because we can’t service our customers right now, doesn’t mean we can’t acquire new customers.
What better way to set yourself up for success than running an email/SMS blast to your list of clients and prospective clients right before you open?
Now that you understand why we need to collect emails and phone numbers during this pandemic, let’s move onto our next step in the strategy. Our Content Strategy.
Content Strategy for Lockdown
I’m going to say this again, a lot of barbershops and hair salons have fallen off the face of the earth with this temporary shut down, don’t be one of them.
Don’t stop creating content, don’t stop producing! Especially during a time when EVERYONE is consuming!
It’s obvious that we’re going to need to be creative when it comes to the content we’re putting out there since the shop isn’t open at the moment.
But if being creative & resourceful was a challenge, I’m sure most of you wouldn’t be barbers or hairstylists.
Creativity and art run through the blood of every barber.
So there are 3 types of content we’re going to want to put out. Socially-Conscious, Repurposed & Value-Based Content. Let’s begin.
Social-Conscious Content
This is creating content that is relevant to what’s happening to the world now.
So this is a time where you can be authentic and talk about what’s going on.
Share posts that explain the importance of Social Distancing, hygiene tips or hand washing.
Explaining why we need to help prevent the spread of COVOID-19, and what other people in our communities can be doing to help.
You can create graphic designs with your logo sharing helpful information using free online software like Canva.
It’s like photoshop for beginners. Free, user-friendly, and great for creating content for social media.
Repurposed Content
For this, you’re going to have to dig into the archives.
Repurposed content is exactly what it sounds like, it’s taking content you shared in the past and re-using it.
For example, share pictures and videos of when you first opened, or before and after pictures showcasing how your skills have improved as a barber.
This is perfect for #TransformationTuesdays, #ThrowBackThursdays and #FlashbackFridays.
Another great way to repurpose content is by taking any videos you have in your shop and cutting it into smaller clips and sharing it on your feed.
You can also edit them with special fx apps in the AppStore to give your pictures and videos a new look.
Value-Based Content
Now if you’ve been following me for a while, you’ll know that I mention this a lot!
Share Value-Based Content!!!
This is content that solves a problem or answers a question to your audience.
An example of value-based content for you would be, “3 ways to prevent dandruff”, “Best foods to eat that strengthen your hair”, or “How to maintain your beard”.
By creating content like this, you’ll position yourself as an expert in your field and a trusted source of information.
If you’re ever stuck on what type of valuable content you should create, think of all the ‘frequently asked questions’ you get from your customers while you cut their hair.
Make your content relevant to that!
Now that we have a solid content strategy in place, the next step would be your advertising strategy!
Advertising Strategy for Lockdown
Now I know what some of you are thinking, I don’t have enough cash flow to run a full ad campaign.
What I recommend you do is run video ads at $1/day on Facebook & Instagram, if you have a budget to do more, that’s even better.
Especially during a time like this, when most businesses are pulling on their advertising, this is the opportunity to double down on your advertising!
Think of it like this, if most barbershops and hair salons aren’t advertising during a time like this, the ones that do will truly be remembered!
I suggest Facebook & Instagram because it will give people a chance to see the experience inside your shop.
We want people to know that even though you’re shut down, that you are still in business and will be around when this blows over.
That way they’ll know who to call when you’re allowed to reopen.
But that’s not the only reason why we want to run FB + IG ads, it’s for retargeting.
If you’re unfamiliar with this concept, it’s kinda like you’re being followed around the internet.
For example, have you ever visited a website looking up clippers, then you leave that website and now it’s all over your Facebook & Instagram feed?
That’s retargeting!
What I’m implying is, after running the $1/a day strategy, we’ll run a retargeting campaign, retargeting everyone who watched our video or engaged with our content in the last 90 days.
This way when it’s time to reopen we’ll be able to get in front of all our customers and potential new customers. Putting us in a much better position to succeed.
Now I know what you’re wondering. What can I do to make money now? Let’s talk about it.
Monetizing Your Audience
Okay, so you’re collecting emails and phone numbers and you’re creating content that’s separating yourself from the other shops in your area.
Essentially, you’re building your audience, now it’s time to monetize.
Most brick and mortar businesses deemed non-essential are closed right now which makes it hard for our customers to visit us, and we can’t visit them, which puts us all in a tough spot.
So after meeting with my team and testing this out with a few of our clients, we found a few strategies that should help everyone make some money during this time.
Get Paid Now, Cut Later
Obviously while on shut down people can not visit your shop and pay you for a haircut.
But, what if they were to pay you now for a haircut later?
You can do this, in the form of online gift cards or vouchers!
Now, this is a much easier sell if you have an audience of people already built, or a large customer list.
If not, then I recommend running social media ads to get people to purchase your gift cards.
To incentivize people, offer them at a discount so when you reopen they can come in to redeem it.
This is perfect to keep the cash flow coming in, especially during a time like this.
Ask Campaign
A closed mouth does not get fed. If you’re familiar with this quote, you probably know where I’m going with this. Ask for donations.
Now, this strategy works well for shops that have been involved in the community or already have a strong community presence.
I’ve seen a few shops already doing this, asking for their people in their communities to show their support for local businesses by donating to a GoFund me account.
At a time like this, any amount helps.
Sell Online Products
This is the perfect time to start selling your products online if you haven’t already.
You can sell your products using a combination of ads, but I think something that would work best for barbershops is through influencer marketing.
Let’s say for example you have a beard oil that you want to sell.
I would go on Instagram and search hashtags relevant to “beard” and look for influencers in this niche.
There is no standard pricing for influencer marketing, some people charge $25 for a post, some $10k or more.
Depending on your relationship with the influencer they may do it for a free sample of your product, a flat fee or % of sales they generate.
If you’re looking for other ways to sell your products online, it’s best to sell to your own customers.
You can do so by sending an email/SMS blast or running ads to your followers.
Think of it like this, who is more likely to buy beard oil from you, your existing clientele who you’ve already built a relationship with and has given you money before, or someone who you’ve never met?
All of this information I’ve shared with you has come from my years of experience marketing and advertising in the barbershop industry.
As you may have already known, this past year we have worked with and consulted with 300+ barbers & shop owners.
If you’d like to learn what marketing strategies you can use for your barbershop, join my free group for barbers & shop owners.
