Hair Salon Industry Is Perfect Fit For On-The-Go Consumers Using Smartphones and Tablets to Find Fast, Convenient, Recommended Hair Care

BIRMINGHAM, MI, November 11, 2013 – Now more than ever, consumers are using the power of the web to find a hair salon, see what other customers think and have experienced , and also share their own experience with a salon. In a market chock full of hair salons all competing aggressively for business, salon owners need to use the marketing power of the smartphones and tablets in every purse, pocket or computer bag to put their best face forward and be as competitive as possible on the digital marketing front.

Visibility is Everything: Be Seen!

Today’s consumers, including salon customers, have become skilled at searching for the exact products and services they desire, in the exact location they desire, using technology resources literally at their fingertips. When it comes to searching for services like hair salons, using web or mobile to find them has become virtually a reflex; searching by phone or tablet has become a “no-brainer”. Researching hair salons on web or mobile is a common practice for those seeking a fresh haircut or quick trim nearby with a chair available. For the terms “hair salons” and “hair salons near me”, there are approximately 101,000 searches performed on Google per month. With that in mind, hair salon owners can now exploit that consumer behavior and become highly visible to more new customers quickly and more often.

With the help of a knowledgeable digital marketing partner, salon owners are able to take ownership of, verify and manage their presence on local business listings. A digital marketing partner can quickly and affordably assist salons in getting the most accurate and highly visible information about their business into the online local business listings and databases including location, maps, directions, reviews, promotions and more. Consistent, optimized business profile information will greatly help boost ranking results across web and mobile platforms. Melih Oztalay, CEO of SmartFinds Marketing, says, “Business owners that only focus on listing their name, address, phone number and website and then add occasional updates miss out on the new business that grows from an automated ongoing online marketing process. It’s the steady churn of new information that boosts search ratings and increases visibility.“

Find Success A Cut Above the Rest: Be Competitive

Once a hair salon store owner creates an identity in their local business listings, they are then positioned to take full advantage of the freely available branding and marketing opportunities the listings have to offer. The local listing profiles allow salons to upload a store logo and photos, offer special coupons and promotions, and reward customers with loyalty programs that can often be integrated directly into the listings. Customers are more likely to look at a business listing that is colorful, has an eye-catching logo, store photos, and enticing offers rather than a dull, a bland, nondescript listing with no flair or consumer interest.

These important details increase the chance of being seen and building new foot traffic. Mr. Oztalay points out, “If salons pursue a strategic marketing process that is specifically based on the local geography of each salon, then our steady stream of marketing material updates and managed analytics will help ensure the success that salon’s local store marketing program.“

Look who’s talking: Managing Ratings & Reviews

A popular misconception that hair salon owners often have is that word-of-mouth recommendation is their best form of marketing. Oztalay says, “That’s always been true. But put word-of-mouth recommendations online and you’ve got world’s most effective marketing on steroids. The sky’s the limit.” Salon owners don’t dare overlook the importance of what is being said about them on the web, positive or negative. Unlike direct word-of-mouth, access to information on the web is almost instantaneous and immediately far reaching. With just a few clicks, one bad online review can continue to proliferate and multiply across many search engines for months.