25 ways to brand your online hair business for success

25 Ways To Brand Your Online Hair Business for Success!

Get More Sales, Clients, and Visibility.

You've been praying for somebody to spill the tea and give you the real tips you need to make money with your online hair company! I know because I get direct messages and questions regularly about how to grow this type of company. Well, I'm telling it, and I hope you see there are levels this. Congratulations because you just moved to the next level and 2018 is your year. You know what you have to do! Grab your pen and paper, get in a distraction-free area, and press play on your Brandy playlist! Let's work!

#1 Client Testimonials

Testimonials go very far when people are looking for a reliable hair business. It builds your credibility as a hair company when your customers/followers are willing to provide their feedback. Now you may hear or read some business coaches/consultants state you should not ask for reviews, but there’s a very distinct difference between where they are and where you are. Most experienced and high visibility businesses don’t have to ask for testimonials or referrals because of their established brand equity. Think about Fashion Nova or Chick-Fil-A for a second. Both of these companies have enough brand equity that their customer's comments and social media posts provide potential customers with enough information to make a purchase. You may be asking yourself “How do I get testimonials”? Try the following suggestions:
  • Ask for testimonials.
  • Give a discount for a social media post.
  • Send an email requesting feedback on a recent purchase.

Videos Are Crucial!

Create videos to share relevant information about your hair business. The following are some of the most significant stumbling blocks for business owners in creating videos:
  • The fear of being on camera is a big issue for most business owners. If you are camera shy (which you will need to get over because you will not meet your full potential if you don’t) get someone in your family, a friend, or a brand ambassador (Check out this article: brand ambassador contract) to be in the videos for you.
  • You may not have a clue what to say on camera. If you answer the who, what, when, where, and why of your business you’ll be fine.
  • If you don’t have the right equipment, this can hinder you as well. I love Shameless Maya! She has a tech talk playlist on youtube that you may want to check out.

#3 Vendor Events

Vendor opportunities allow you to gain visibility in your target market and can open you up to a new demographic you may not have thought of before. A few questions to ask yourself before paying any vendor fees are the following:
  • What are the attendee demographics? You are asking what the age range of attendees, how much do they earn annually, and what is the theme of the event is? Think about it!
  • If you are a vendor at an event for women entering the job market after transitioning from a homeless shelter (which is fantastic by the way) how will you market your products to them?
  • How many people will be attending the event? There’s nothing worse than paying money for vendor space, and there aren’t enough attendees present for you to generate sales.
As a business consultant, this is where I get tough and give the real talk to my clients. I truly believe in supporting others but traveling from event to event and not making at least three times the amount you paid for the vendor space is not good. You should ask if there will be other vendors selling the same product. I have been at events where there were multiple jewelry companies, boutiques, etc. As I plan my event for this year, I am providing exclusive vendor opportunities which means only one vendor for a specific service or product will be in attendance. The key to building a great brand is relationships. Some event organizers may not want to have exclusive opportunities because of fear of losing money but establishing long-term connections will take you further than temporary money will. You want to connect with visionaries who's dedication is to growing their companies and taking you along on the journey.

#4 Cross-Promoting

Cross-Promotion is one of the best ways to gain exposure for your online hair business while promoting a product with another company. I suggest you connect with a company which adds value to your product and vice-versa. For example, reach out to a hairstylist and work with her to offer your extensions in her salon for sale. In return, you promote her salon and styles created with your extensions via social media.

#5 Sponsorship Opportunities

Sponsorships can be a little more difficult to discover because it seems as if businesses are being a little more conservative in the money they give to companies. Make sure you research the purpose and mission of the company beforehand. If you are planning to seek financial sponsorships, there is a formal way to request sponsorships for financial support and products. To get the response, you desire you need to have your facts together, know about the company/individual you are seeking assistance from, and understand their target market.

#6 Brand Amabassadors

Brand Ambassadors can get you sales easily and quickly! To find out more about them read my article on Brand Ambassadors. Reaching out to influencers can be really time-consuming. You can also use platforms like Beauty Clout to quickly find and hire ambassadors to work with you.

#7 Amazing Customer Service

Customer service is the most efficient way to get sales, solve issues, retain customers, and get more customers. There are tons of instances where poor or delayed responses, delayed shipping, and difficulty contacting companies has led many customers to abandon companies they once were loyal to for a long time. The best thing you can do is create key performance indicators to help you track the performance of your staff and the business as a whole.

#8 Hair Packaging

The packaging you use for you online hair business will capture the attention of potential customers, educate your customers, and help them share information about your hair business. The optimal packaging you should have for your extensions is a silk bag with your logo on it. Your extensions should have a band around the top of them with your logo and company name on it. Inside the bag there should be at least three business cards, instructions on how to properly take care of your extensions, and, if you want to step it up, samples of your favorite products to use. Check out our amazing custom silk packaging here at Private Label Extensions!

#9 What's Your Tagline

A tagline can connect you with new customers. By definition, it is a catchphrase or slogan which is used in marketing for shoppers to identify your company quickly. Make sure it is memorable, is positive, helps your brand stand out, and provides a benefit of the product if you want to create your own make sure it is memorable, is positive, helps your brand stand out, and provides an advantage of the product. Great examples of successful taglines are L’Oreal’s “Because You’re Worth It” and Nike’s “Just Do It’.

#10 What is Your Mission Statement?

All companies should have a mission statement. A mission statement is used to communicate what a company does. For your online hair company, your mission statement can be a key to letting people know what you can do for customers, what you can do for employees, what it also can do for owners (if you have partners or investors), and then what you can do for the community. An excellent example of one is American Express’s mission statement which is “We work hard every day to make American Express the world’s most respected service brand.” Research mission statements of some of your favorite haircare companies to gain insight on how to create your own.

#11 Your Vision

Vision Statements are so amazing because they speak to the visionary in me. An excellent example of one is your vision statement provides the process or roadmap explaining the goals of the company and how it plans to make it happen. The mission statement speaks on why your hair company exists, and your vision statement addresses the future of the company.

#12 Who is Your Client?

Ideal Clients are not as difficult to connect with as you may think. Your ideal client is someone who finds value in the product your online hair company offers. You will need to identify their attributes, habits, and the necessary demographics of your ideal client.

#13 Create Popularity

Interviews can add validity to your hair company as well as you as a business owner. Creating a podcast or blog based on your love of the hair industry can easily position you as an authority and influencer when it comes to all the latest news within the industry. Check out our amazing podcast "Hair Biz Radio" teaching you all the ins and outs of the hair business!

#14 Let the Press Know!

Press Releases serve as written communication to the media about the launch of your hair company, as well as other notable events which occur for your business.

#15 Digital Apperance

Getting a logo and website created for a budget-friendly price is simple with Private Label Extensions' because the company offers these services. Your logo should convey what your company sells. You do not want to have a hooded dryer or blow dryer as your logo if you sell hair extensions. People may think you are a hairstylist and not a hair company. If you are a hairstylist, your logo should cover that (which adds to your credibility) and convey you sell hair extensions as well. I recommend you take your time and let the process happen. If you try to rush it, you’ll end up changing it shortly. Check out my article which goes more in-depth on creating a great logo here. Private Label Extensions creates impressive and user-friendly websites. For those of you who don’t want the hassle of creating pages or adding text and images this is a cost-effective option. If you do want to build your website, Squarespace is my favorite! You can learn how to create your site here. This is your opportunity to be creative and have fun with your company’s visual branding.

#16 Eye-Catching Photos

When people say, a picture is worth a thousand words it’s true. Your product photos convey everything you want to say in words visually. The presentation is a critical step to gaining the attention of your ideal client.

#17 Social Media

Social media plays such a pivotal role in marketing and brand awareness in this day and age. The quickest way to create a solid social media profile is for you to realize your page represents your company. If you have pictures from a party or memes you want to share (that have nothing to do with hair) leave it on your profile page! Create solid content on a consistent basis, and your following will grow over time. Please don’t pay for followers because they don’t add any value to your bottom line and focus on the platform where your ideal client spend most of their time. Get a head start by checking out my article on how to manage your Instagram!

#18 Expand Your Brand

Brand extensions are using an established brand name or trademark on new products to increase sales. Think about hair products you are using right now. Cantu haircare has shampoo and conditioner. They created a brand extension when they created their edge control. One of my favorite hair experts, Kim Kimble, has a flat iron now. Her product is an excellent example of brand extension. Here at Private Label Extensions mink lashes are growing extremely popular! Many of our clients are adding mink lashes to their hair extension brands and selling out fast! What can you add to your current company?

#19 Keep Learning!

I love continuing education because it’s a critical step in establishing yourself as a hair company industry leader and maintaining that position. The more information you can share the more people will listen to you. Saying you are a boss and being a boss are two different things. Being a boss is keeping your knowledge up-to-date and staying on top of what’s going on in the hair industry. There is a high number of people who shop online hair sites and leave without purchasing because they aren’t sure of what type of hair to buy. You can help them by using various marketing techniques to help them understand hair quality, the different types of hair textures, and multiple styling options.

#20 Go Live!

Live demonstrations are my favorite way to make sales instantly. For example, if you are a vendor you can set up a micro-sized assembly line to show how you can care for and style your hair. I recommend you get a space with electricity because you can explain how your hair stands up to heat, how well it curls, and how it looks once you blow dry it. Don’t be afraid to think outside of the box. Live demos answer consumer questions on the spot.

#21 What Are Your Competitors Doing

A competitor analysis is an in-depth evaluation of strategies used by your competitors to evaluate their strengths and weaknesses in comparison to your company. For example, the Christmas holiday was an eye opener for me! It was easy to see who was ready for Christmas and who wasn’t. A few online stores had some issues getting orders out on time, and others had significant delays. How can your company excel at those to provide an excellent shopping experience?

22. Have A Sales Strategy

Your sales strategy can make or break your company. If you can master how you get clients, communicate with clients, follow-up with clients, and deliver your hair products to clients, you will be an influencer in no time. Understanding your customers and ensuring customer satisfaction will get you more referrals which will convert into sales.

23. Have Diversified Products

Product diversity is going to get you the sales and profit you are seeking! The more options you offer (keeping in mind what your ideal client wants), the more traffic you will get to your website. The more visitors you have to your site the better your conversion rates should be. When you are trying to figure out which hair company to get your extensions from I think the company should be: 1) easy to contact 2) love what they do 3) stand behind their product and 4) stay up-to-date on trends The quality of hair you sell will make or break you. Most companies should have a sample kit to allow you to see the feel, smell, and texture of the hair. Instead of selling all types of hair zone in on your ideal client’s needs. For example, if you want to work with individuals in the entertainment industry who prefer wigs you should offer wig units. If you don’t make wigs remember the concept of cross-promotion? If you want to focus on natural texture hairstyles, you should offer options in kinky textures as well as provide clip-ins and wigs in natural options.

24. Identify Your Unique Selling Point

Identifying your unique selling point is going to separate you from your competition in no time. A unique selling point is a way to differentiate your product from your competitors. Think about why you may purchase Carol’s Daughter’s Vanilla Sulfate-Free Shampoo over another sulfate-free shampoo? Will it be the smell of the product, the amount you have to use to thoroughly clean your hair and the way your hair feels after you shampoo it? How can you set your product apart from your competition?

25. Tell Your Story

Your “I” story is what makes you different from other hair companies. It includes a brief background about you and explains why you started your online company and what your main goals are. Let's say, for example, you suffer from alopecia, and you discovered hair extensions gave you styling options. Now, you want to help other women who suffer from hair loss as well. Don’t you think other women who can relate to your story will find a connection with you and your company? The power of your “I” story can be rewarding in a lot of different ways. Whew! I know that was a lot but trust me when I tell you I just gave you your entire life and your business with these 25 tips! We are not playing in 2018. It’s time for you to get your coins, change your life and others lives, and build your empire. Who’s with me? I need a hand clap in the comments if you are going to get your whole life this year!
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7 comments

Thank you… This will surely go a long way

Favour

At first the confident was not there but after reading Des I literally gain confident, trust me I’m putting Des in practice

Best

I learnt a lot already
Thanks so much
This is so helpful

Tolulope Eniola

This is by far the marketing bible ! I will continue to read and study all of your marketing advice! Thank you I’ve honestly took so many notes and learned so much but reading this ! Time to head over to the other two articles I have open from your site !

Andrea

Now I know what to do thank you very much!

Vera

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