The marketing of hair extensions (part 2)
Article by Leanne Molter of Marketing Solutions, May 2012
Click here to read part 1
Create New Excitement With Hair Extension Marketing!
Creative Marketing, Advertising & PR Strategies! Do you want to become known as ‘THE Top Hair Extensionist’ in town? If you really want to become respected as the best team of hair extensionists in your area, you will need to create a complete annual marketing, advertising and PR strategy dedicated to hair extensions, while balancing it with your other services like haircuts, haircolor, nailcare and spacare. If no one has created a position for themselves as the leading hair extensionists in town, then you will need to create a marketing plan that will earn this title for you. Even if others do offer hair extensions locally, there’s no reason you cannot become respected as the top hair extensionist. There are many options and promotional strategies that you may consider. As part of our certification educational programs, we work with our salon professionals to teach them how to effectively market hair extensions as these sell-through techniques will be critically important to your long-term success and profitability.
You Must Wear Them To Sell Them! This is true! You have heard this before for creative haircolor and highlight artistry. This is really true for professional salon hair extensions. Make sure everyone on your staff wears them, especially your receptionists. You cannot effectively sell hair extensions if you don’t wear them.
Email Marketing: This very affordable marketing strategy is excellent! It should become an essential part of your annual hair extension marketing strategy! Create colorful email blasts with some of your most amazing hair extension makeovers, while educating your clients on the special advantages, benefits and options with hair extensions. Create a special computerized email database of your clients, so you or your webmaster will be able to email them hair extension news, promotions and makeover ideas.
Print Advertising: Consider advertising your hair extension makeovers and artistry in some of the best local city and regional magazines. Even if you only acquire ¼, 1/3 or ½ page full color advertisements two to three times per year, this will help to position you as one of the top hair extension artists in town. We do not recommend newspaper advertising unless they are offering a special salon, haircare, hair extensions or ‘Best Of’ section.
Internet & Website Marketing Options: Make sure your website promotes your hair extensions, sharing a complete gallery of your makeover photographs. Tell about all of your various hair extension services, products and extras. Take the time to do an Internet search of hair extension websites, where consumers can find local hair extensionists. Type in ‘hair extensions’ on your next Google Search. You will be amazed. As you already should know by visiting this website, one of the leading websites internationally is www.HairExtensionGuide.com. This website is perfect for salon clients and salon professionals alike. Here you will find all of the top professional hair extension companies. You can also search to see who is competitively listed in your area. You will certainly be able to learn more about professional hair extensions by checking updates at this website weekly and monthly. This website gives you the opportunity to promote yourself and your salon as hair extension specialists.
Direct Mail Marketing: Direct mail should become an essential part of your annual hair extension marketing strategy! Create colorful postcards with beautiful hair extension makeover photographs and your logo on the front with a personalized message about complimentary consultations on the backside. Collect the names, addresses, telephone numbers and email addresses from your clients. Create a computerized direct mail database of your clients, so you will be able to mail them special hair extension postcards, newsletters, fliers and brochures. Explore upscale Clipper Magazine, Savvy Shopper and Mint – direct mail magazines, where you can affordably promote your haircolor for less than 3 to 4 cents per home, while reaching as many as 50,000 homes surrounding your salon. They even offer detached label postcards at less than 10 to 15 cents per home, specifically targeted to the homes near your salon.
Radio & TV Broadcast Advertising Options: We only recommend cable TV and radio advertising in small city markets or if you have multiple locations in a large metropolitan city. Radio and TV are quite expensive, if you buy preferred drive time spots. It is not worth buying R.O.S. or ‘Run Of Schedule’ with odd hours in the middle of the night. Radio and TV will usually target a much larger area than you need, while most salon clients still will only drive 3 to 5 miles for their services. If you can afford it and you can put together an ongoing campaign, then do it. Your radio and TV stations will help you create the commercials, so negotiate for these as part of your annual advertising agreement package.
Pretty For Prom & Fun Bridal Party Promotions: Have fun promoting a few hair extension grafts / hair pieces to match the prom dresses, bridesmaid’s gowns or party dresses for only $10 per piece or $25 for three hair strands / pieces. You should run advertisements in the high school and college newspapers as well as to run full color advertisements in your regional bridal magazines. You can offer 3 FREE Hair Extension strands / pieces to match any prom, homecoming or bridal party dress, with complete ‘Pretty For Prom’ or ‘Bridal Party’ Packages – each with a new haircut, haircolor or highlight, upstyle, eyebrow arch, manicure and pedicure.
Seasonal Promotions: You should promote temporary sticker and clip on hair extensions seasonally with fantasy haircolor artistry for holidays with green for St. Patrick’s Day, red or pink for Valentine’s Day, orange and black for Halloween. You can promote hair extensions with team colors for the big football and basketball games.
Hair Extension & Makeover Consultation Portfolios & Stylebooks: These will be your most fun and visual promotions. Share as many of your own makeover photographs as you can in your advertising, posters and point-of-purchase materials. Create your own ‘Hair Extension Makeover Consultation Stylebooks’. Include PR Reprints as well as feature articles about hair extensions from local and national magazines. Be sure to offer Passion and other stylebooks, where hair extensions are featured.
Teens: High school and college teen women love hair extensions for added texture, length, fantasy haircolor and highlights. They love everything fun, flirty and fashionable. With teens, you can promote both temporary clip-ons and permanent hair extensions. You will be surprised at how they can afford it, with a little help from their parents. Try to create special Teen Nights with lecture demonstrations and educational events in your salon and at the local high schools. Hand out special Salon V.I.P. Cards and Hair Extension Gift Certificates to everyone in attendance. Offer a few free colorful hair extensions to the captains of the high school cheerleaders and dancers. Everyone follows the lead of these teen fashionistas.
Men: Create and market a special hair extensions program just for men with thin and thinning hair. Once you have a few men start to wear your hair extensions for volume, body, length, texture and highlights, you will be surprised at how many more men you will start to handle. Michael Baker a Di Biase Hair Extensions USA educator and hair extensionist that owns the Michael Warren Salon in Elkhart, IN – specializes in men’s hair extensions. He has perfected very small micro-grafts, so you can’t see or feel the hair extensions in your client’s hair. He has established a large clientele of local men and celebrities as well as many who drive for hours on end just to take advantage of his unique expertise.
Cross Marketing: Visit with local dermatologists, hair loss clinics and medical clinics that help teens and women with alopecia or those that are recovering from chemotherapy treatments. Drop off your cards and brochures, while offering free hair extensions and hair replacement service consultations. Be sure to offer these folks private and confidential consultations. You may be able to offer their receptionist a complimentary product or partial service, just for working with you.
Point-Of-Purchase Merchandising: Create colorful tent cards, mirror cards, counter cards, self talkers, posters, window banners and outdoor signage that will seasonally promote all of you creative hair extension services both in and outside of your salon. Share big photographs of your best hair extension makeovers on women, men and teens.
Boilerplate Hair Extension Marketing Programs: Some of the professional companies like Di Biase Hair Extensions USA offer you pre-designed brochures, posters, postcards, newspaper and magazine advertisements where you can easily add your own salon logo, address, telephone number and website information. They may offer this artwork on their websites or on CD’s. If they offer PR Reprints from nationally published feature articles, ask how you can get copies of these to use in your salon and to frame for your ‘Wall Of Fame’.
Charity Fundraiser Events: You may be able to promote your hair extensions, by being affiliated with a charity. For example, many of the professional hair extensions companies will work with you during Breast Cancer Awareness Month, using pink hair strands. You can add fun pink hair extension grafts to your client’s hair for a small $10 donation, per hair graft. This event has helped raise hundreds of thousands of dollars to support breast cancer research and education. It has also helped raise awareness of salon hair extension services inclusive of fantasy haircolor extensions.
Promote You Basic & Advanced Hair Extension Certifications: Your salon ‘Wall Of Fame’ should boast framed copies of your Hair Extension Certification Award certificates. Clients are always very impressed by well educated hair designers.
PR & Media Relations Strategies: PR exposure must be pursued by you to promote your hair extension specialties, while educating the public on these specialty services. You cannot over commercialize or ‘sell’ anything through PR via media releases and feature stories. Plan a hair extension makeover photography session, so you can share your best work with the local newspapers as well as the national consumer hair magazines. Once published, take this new found fame to the bank with posters and advertisements that scream “ABC Salon Makes National & International Headlines!” These special hair extension makeover photographs should also be used in your email blasts, reception are portfolios, regional magazine advertisements, postcards, newsletters and on your website.
Specialty Hair Extension Products: It is important that you are ready to promote how your clients should take care of professional hair extensions at home between salon visits. We suggest that you include a $50 to $75 value package of Specialty Hair Extension Shampoos, Conditioners, Hairstyling Products and a Hairbrush with each new Full Head Hair Extension Service. When clients are willing to spend $1500 to $2000 on a hair extension service, you cannot be afraid to sell a $50 to $100 home haircare regimen. For example, Di Biase Hair Extensions USA offers their own complete systems of Di Biase Haircare Products as well as a special hair brush, which each are specifically designed to safely protect any client with permanently bonded hair extensions. These same products can be used on regular hair, yet this is a wonderful addition to help ensure your clients hair extensions last for at least 6 months while also making your salon more profitable.
Create New Hair Extension Marketing Solutions: Dale Aho, COO of Di Biase Hair Extensions USA notes, “There definitely is an explosively growing market today for professional salon hair extensions. Take advantage of this opportunity by creating a complete marketing, advertising and PR program for your salon. Now is the time to use hair extensions and creative hair design accessories to make your salon known as ‘THE Best Hair Extensionists’ in town as well as one of the most fashion forward salons in your community!”
Editorial Notes:
The expert advice in this article has been provided by Vikki Parman; CEO and Director of Education of Di Biase Hair Extensions USA. Di Biase Hair Extensions USA is located at 38455 Hills Tech Drive, in Farmington Hills, MI 48331.
For more information on Di Biase Hair Extensions USA , call 248-489-8900
Photography by: The Hair Extension Guide, Di Biase Hair Extensions USA, and Marketing Solutions.
Hair Extensionist: Vikki Parman
Makeup Artist: Sigal Levine
Leanne Molter is a Marketing Coordinator at Marketing Solutions, a full-service marketing, advertising, media relations and consulting services agency specializing in the professional beauty business. For more information, contact Marketing Solutions in Fairfax, VA at 703-359-6000. Email MktgSols@MktgSols.com or visit www.MktgSols.com.
