Great lengths' coffee talk: how to market hair extensions
Published
03rd Apr 2021
by
kieran
Great Lengths’ kicked off its all new Coffee Talk series by chatting with Beverley Rosser, a salon owner who has recently found success by embracing hair extensions and understanding how best to market them.
Beverley is the owner of Rosser Hairdressing in Liverpool – a salon which has gone from zero to £50k in hair extensions business since partnering with Great Lengths, becoming a Platinum rated salon in the process.
During the Coffee Talk session– the first expert-led business seminar held by Great Lengths– Beverley shared how she transformed her business, and the marketing techniques she has used to change the mindset around extensions and make them an integral part of her business strategy with an audience of 200 hairstylists and salon owners.
How did you turn extensions into a massive part of your business?
“I could see that there was a gap in the market. People had the wrong impression about hair extensions and thought they were all very fake and over the top, but I knew that wasn’t the case. I wanted to show how versatile they could be for clients of any age and with any type of hair, and what you could achieve by using them. I think that’s what really set us apart. Plus, I have a really talented team of hairdressers who are open minded.”
How did you change that mindset amongst clients?
"I wanted to show the world my vision – everything we could achieve that wasn’t just the same old results. We started to showcase a lot more on social, like showing extensions properly with the different applications, the results and how hair could be worn. We brought it to life with lots of imagery and lots of videos which people weren’t doing as much at the time. Not all our clients are 18 with a full head of 22” extensions – we have people with hair loss, stress-related hair loss, alopecia. They’re things that people don’t talk about, but which you see daily in the salon. Identifying the problems which we could solve and sharing that opened a lot of doors for us."
What was your marketing strategy?
"My brain is constantly ticking and I like to do things that other people aren’t doing. Our most extravagant marketing campaign was a digital billboard in Liverpool city centre, which drew lots of attention – we had so many people contacting us off the back of that. We’ve also used traditional billboards, advertising on the roundabouts and working with a videographer to bring the salon to life and get people excited about what we’re doing.
"Getting in the public eye gets you noticed, especially as a salon. We all know how valuable hairdressers are and lockdown has shown us that even more, but people still don’t always see you as the kind of business you’d see on a billboard. Setting yourself in that light and showing people you mean business makes the public realise you’re doing things differently – and we love being different."
How much time do you spend planning your marketing strategy?
"I’ve got two young kids, but the salon is also my baby. You do have to dedicate yourself and your mind to it. I’m constantly observing, researching and thinking about it – looking at petrol stations, buses, taxis, bus stops. I’m always seeing things and noticing what people aren’t doing in the industry. I’m also a geek for spreadsheets and love to analyse what’s working. It’s addictive!
"I like to see client numbers, visits, average bill, service sales, retail. It’s nice to watch it come together. It can be scary – especially during lockdown – but if you don’t analyse your business and break it down into small segments, you can’t identify where the problems are."
What advice would you give someone who wants to become a Platinum Great Lengths salon, like you?
"Go back to your salon on 12 April and get the first two weeks out of the way – you’ll be crazy, so don’t stress! Then, book a day off in May on a busy day and just sit in reception and watch, watch, watch. Analyse what’s going on around you. You will see and find a lot of things that you don’t usually notice: you’re often too busy working in your business to work on your business. Then, sit down and address what needs to change. It’s time consuming, but you can break it down and start with baby steps. Take one step at a time – even moving a bin to a better position is a first step in the right direction."
