The shift from relaxers to natural hair, often referred to as the natural hair movement, is the source of many of the potentially major changes occurring in the Black hair market. The following are key changes:
- A desire for authenticity as well as efficacy: More and more products that specifically cater to natural and/or transitioning hair have entered the market. Among those new products are products from several brands who previously sold relaxers, like Naturally Silk Elements and Dr. Miracles. However, the ingredients of products from brands who have or also sell relaxers have been met with critical reception. Black women with natural hair, colloquially known as naturalistas, are wary of brands merely seeking to exploit the huge business opportunities that exist in the Black hair market, especially the natural hair segment. They’re not just looking for efficacy but also authenticity. As can be seen in this round-up of Black-owned natural hair product lines.
- Birth of “kitchen hair chemists”: There’s a growing demand for products with natural ingredients since one of the main drivers of going natural is keeping harsh chemicals out of your hair. Consequently, and in tandem with a growing DIY (do-it-yourself) Black hair culture, some women are choosing to create their own hair products using all natural ingredients. A small convenience sample of 20 YouTube videos regarding homemade hair products shows over 980,000 collective views. Women are replacing shampoos with Apple Cider Vinegar washes and deep conditioners with egg, mayo and honey mixes.
- Forgetting their hair stylist: Speaking of DIY, YouTube and the Internet in general, has played an important role in the growth of the natural hair movement, allowing more women to gain access to natural hair care information and inspiration. As a result, more women have begun foregoing hair stylists for their own self-styling and care. Natural Hair site, Black Girl Long Hair, asked their readers: “When it comes to natural hair, are you DIY (do-it-yourself) or do you depend on natural stylists?” 47% responded DIY, 23% try DIY methods but are struggling, 25% go to a stylist on occasion, and only 5% said they still use stylists regularly.
- Changing Purchase Patterns: Another consequent of the Internet and the still-evolving natural hair movement is changing purchasing patterns. Most Black women purchase hair products in Beauty Supply stores, which offer a wide range of Black hair products. But now with the wealth of information online about these products, as with products outside of the hair category, many consumers are researching and deciding about a product before they get to the store, whereas in the past a purchase decision was made in the store based on brand recognition and/or word-of-mouth. While word-of-mouth is still a major decision factor, (per Mintel, 42% of women are very or somewhat influenced by blogs/message boards/internet) many women are buying hair products online because often times the products they want, like Obia Natural Hair Care line, have limited retail distribution. Meanwhile, natural hair beauty subscription boxes like CurlBox, allow women, whether they be self-proclaimed product junkies or new naturals, to try new products on a monthly basis.
- A changing aesthete: One of the most exciting changes in the Black hair market is the notable change the natural hair movement has had on the Black beauty aesthete. As naturalistas flood social media networks like YouTube, Tumblr and Facebook, documenting their natural hair journeys, experimenting with different hairstyles and scrounging for hair inspiration from natural hair icons and sites dedicated to black hair, the kinky curly haired beauty has become a woman other women aspire to be. So much so that women are buying curls and kinks and weaving them into their own hair. A new extension hair line, The Heat Free Hair Movement, specializes in kinky, curly and coily weaves. Their aim is to offer protective hair style options through their extensions for women with or without natural hair. Daris Mathis of For Harriet wrote about the brand saying, “If enough women have embraced the natural hair aesthetic to the extent that they have created a market for Afro-textured virgin hair, the war has been won. Remember when Chris Rock did Good Hair and said that nobody is buying African-American hair? Someone tell him, ‘Thank you.’”
The Black hair industry is going through an exciting period. The changes that are occurring are leaving the market open to potentially big shifts—shifts in tastes and in market share. The market is in a state where it can potentially take a whole new direction and it’s also fertile ground for new entrants who have a genuine interest in meeting the unique beauty needs of Black women.
For the full article or for more information about trends in the Black hair industry, follow http://un-ruly.com/the-changing-business-of-black-hair/#.VZBA4e1VhBc.
While some are still struggling to figure out the Millennials, Generation Z is growing up behind the scenes. Is your salon ready to market to this new and emerging crowd, let alone to hire them?
Born after the mid nineties, Gen Zers are very different than their Millennial counterparts. They are an upbeat and passionate group that wants to take an active role in their communities and their futures. Gen Zers are also independent, entrepreneurial and resourceful, courtesy of growing up during a recession.
Gen Zers are the first truly mobile-first generation, so they place a big emphasis on personalization and relevance. They seem to prefer in-person to online interaction and are educated in emotional intelligence from a young age.
These kids are so mature and eager to listen that they learn fast. Gen Zers are also curious and driven, investigating how to obtain relevant professional experience even before college.
Businesses, including salons, will have to rethink their recruiting and marketing practices to attract this group both as clients and as future salon professionals.
Those who want to take advantage of the Gen Z market need to develop relationships with teenagers in grades seven through 12. To cater to a new set of ever-evolving style trends and to always offer a fresh approach to any services, promotions or events.
On the recruiting side, the suggestion to salon owners and managers is to get into the schools, provide mentorship and education, and put themselves in a position to help shape the career decisions of Gen Zers. To harness the excitement high-school-age kids have about their careers and help them explore their options in the salon industry.
Here are some interesting facts about the next generation of workers and spenders:
Do you find yourself at a loss when it comes to effective ways to promote your services, sell product and build your business? The truth is that learning how to do effective marketing promotion is essential to keep the salon doors open and to maintain a clientele hungry for your salon’s offerings.
Own it
Before you start promoting anything, make sure to choose an idea, product, or service that you really believe in—not something that you just find interesting or that a product manufacturer is pushing.
Also be certain in whatever you promote before you start singing its praises. If you’re not ready to believe in what you’re promoting, then how can you expect anyone else to believe in it?
A Better Offering
One of the best ways to make marketing easier is to offer something that is simple to promote, and if you’re lucky, sells itself to some level. Consider enhancing an existing salon service, adding to your color line to accommodate trends or expanding your retail – all simple ideas that build on existing offerings and increase your value to your clients.
Value First
If you want to be a great promoter, start by showing clients how your product or service can provide value.
For example, you want to bolster your referral business (and bottom line) and you are willing to offer a free conditioning treatment for every referral that leads to a booking. You don’t start by asking your clients to serve up their friends and family as referrals, instead lead with the reward or benefit, in this case the free conditioning treatment. Something like: “How would you like a free conditioning treatment? Simply refer a friend and I’ll add it to your next service.” Simple stuff!
Problem Solve
Instead of offering a service or product and looking for a way to sell it, be on the lookout for problems to solve. Listen to clients when they mention an issue they are having with their hair and then find a way to offer a solution.
For example: You are having an especially humid season and your clients complain about frizz. The solution may be to amp up your promotions for smoothing services and to offer more retail products to smooth and seal hair. Use the problem to your benefit with well-positioned “Frizz-Busting Solutions” in your advertising and salon promotions. Consider aptly designed point of purchase (POP) displays, mirror decals or signage at each station, mentions on social media, as well as in direct marketing pieces such as email blasts. In such a case, you effectively identified the problem and offered a solution, not get the word out there! 
Surprisingly, few salons take full advantage of social media and its potential reach. In today’s day and age, that’s simply shocking! It just takes some time, effort and upkeep to allow it to work for you.
Although most salons do have a website, their social media presence usually remains scattered at best. Too many times an old Facebook page sits dormant, twitter account remains tweet-less and Pinterest goes unpinned, while younger staff dabbles instead on Instagram and other platforms for their own benefit. In such a case, there may be an occasional makeover or up-style posted, but those are usually found on personal accounts mixed in with food posts, cute puppy snaps or what should be private rants. Not exactly the most professional presence for a business!
If your salon does not already have a social media presence, it’s time to step up with one. And if they do have social media accounts, it may be time to fine-tune the existing presence to be more professional looking and effective. Here are a few suggestions:
Handle This
Much like a business is all about location, location, location, social media is about being found, liked, followed and, hopefully, shared. In order to be shared, your business profile must be easily found. If you don’t already have them, set up accounts on all major social media platforms using easy to remember and, if possible, consistent handles (@YourSalonName).
Brand Power
Consider setting up your profile with your actual logo, not just a picture of your logo, and a “hero” or beauty shot of your salon or the benefits from your salon (hint: it’s great hair). Align your profile if possible with brand colors and make sure your logo and or signage appears occasionally in posts to keep the profile / page branded.
In the case of your salon Facebook page, fill in the section that allows you to post your salon hours, location, summary, etc., and then swing around and add pricing information as a note. If the salon pricing changes, be sure and update this section right away. In addition to the summary “about us” for all social platforms, be sure and add links whenever possible to other social media platforms, as well as your salon webpage. That way everybody can find more information about your salon, maybe even book an appointment, with little effort.
Consistency is Key
Once a presence has been established, set up a regular schedule of posts at least a few times a week. Don’t just wait for something to happen…Plan ahead: Like a month at a time. Also, assign others the task of keeping up the presence if you are too busy. It can be the regular duties of your receptionist, a responsible assistant or anyone on staff who has the desire. Or, perhaps you assign it on a rotating basis so you get the benefit of multiple admins. You can also hire an outside social media specialist to do it for you. Regardless, just remember to set standards and to give them the needed ammo to keep up the posts.
Here are some ideas for possible social media posts that salons may wish to consider:
Whether you are just launching your website or have been online for years, here are some ways you can easily take your business to the next level.
Continued from
So, you’ve finally decided to create a salon website. Good for you…And welcome to the 21st century, by the way. Having a website for your business is a valuable tool that not only informs existing clients, but is also a draw for potential clients.
Here are some suggestions for getting the project going and marketing it once the site is up and running.
Research
Prior to building your website, check out what your competitors are doing for their online presence. Analyze what does and does not work and then, short of copying the look and feel of what they are doing, draw on the experience to make your site the best it can be. After you’ve launched, revisit competitor websites at least once a month to see if they’ve updated.
Simplicity
Today’s web user wants information quickly but does not want obstacles on the way. Instead of an elaborate site that has many levels and a ton of information, consider a simple structure that’s easy to navigate with visuals that speak to your market. In addition to pretty images of hair and even shots of your salon, be sure and include the following information on your site: Salon contact information including how to book an appointment, a simple “about us” statement, pricing for your services, and access to press pieces, testimonials and reviews.
If you want to include information about the talent within the salon, do individual headshots of your crew and assemble a quick bio or statement for each one. Be sure and list experience and areas of specialty for each one.
Access to social media is also important on your site. Be sure to include a “follow us” or “like us” button and link for each of the various social media platforms in which you have a presence for your salon.
Copy
Although there needs to be enough written information to make your site useful, avoid the temptation of long blocks of copy or a writing style that does not suit your market. Since the wording is how search engines call up information, you want any wording on your site to be readable (versus just in a graphic) and well targeted so your salon can be found. In addition to using a voice that your market will appreciate, make sure you are using terms in the copy that reflect how a client might search for your services.
Market
Your salon website will be useless unless your market knows it exists. To attract visitors, market your site through search engines, on your business cards, in your salon (like at the front desk, on receipts, etc), and on every business listing or form of advertising you do. To reach further, consider setting a budget aside for online advertising and or to consult with a digital marketing professional.
Monitor
To monitor traffic on your site, be sure and use any number of free web analytics tools such as Google Analytics.
Update
There’s nothing worse than building an online presence and then, no matter how beautiful it is, not updating it. Your salon’s website is a valuable tool that needs to be kept up to be truly efficient. Set up reminders on your schedule to revisit and update your site on a regular basis.
Looking for ways to help market your site? Check out part 2 here!
In today’s market, having a successful business has less to do with basic marketing and positioning (although you do need those things) and more to do with building a lasting impression so that others want to share the experience.
Chances are that at least once in your life you’ve had such a great experience at a local business that you felt the need to tell others about it. Why not position your salon to be so share-worthy that clients can’t resist telling others about your service?
Word of Mouth Influence
The great thing about word of mouth influence and people talking about your salon positively is that it the most influential form of marketing available to you. It’s easy for you to talk about your business being great, but when someone else does it, it carries a lot more credibility.
Social Sound Off
With the vast array of social media platforms in use these days, people have the ability to easily talk about what is on their minds. It’s a perfect platform to sound off about how great your salon is, so why not make it easy for them to do so.
Opportunities for Impressions
Salons are a service-based business, so if you make your service exceptional, people will remember and comment accordingly. The moment they step foot in your salon, they are critiquing everything: The first impression of the facility, the way they were greeted, the coffee that was served, music that was played, the conversation, the cleanliness of the stations, and, yes, even how they liked their hair. It’s not just about the service they came in for, it’s the attention to detail that they remember. It’s all the little things combined that matter…And how welcomed and comfortable they felt while in your salon.
Be Memorable
Make sure that your entire salon is on board with this service-first attitude so that your team can work together towards the common goal….Great comments, reviews and LOTS of shares!
What are some ways your salon works hard to ensure a memorable experience? Do tell!
Many salons have branched out in the retail arena and have included much more than just hair care or even beauty products. Wander into some establishments and find a full array of everything from candles to jewelry, scarves, clothing and even handbags.
Some salon owners swear by the merchandizing tactics and have dedicated a fair amount of retail space for salon clients to browse. Many have found great success with offering other wares and some have even branched out and added onto the salon or even eliminated a few stations to make room for merchandise.
Other salon owners claim that it’s a waste of time, space and selling opportunity for hair care or even hair services. They feel the real opportunity is with more busy stations and simple shelving packed with hair products and tools to support the craft.
What’s your take? Would your clients like to see a wider range of products beyond just hair, skin and nail care or would additional offerings simply gather dust?