(This is the second of a three part series from Stephen Wiggins, about the struggles of beauty business marketing)
In my last post, I spoke about my online marketing conundrum and the importance of branding. When our company began marketing online, we consulted with marketing experts. These experts told us we needed a clear and cohesive message to gain any traction. So I thought ‘well that’s easy, we sell software so my message is that ProSolutions sells software’. Looking back, all I can do is shake my head. How naïve!
Running with the idea that we were only selling software, I figured all we needed to do was make sure that if people type “professional salon software” into Google, they would find us. So our sales team made social media pages and listed our business on various websites. When I took over as lead marketer, I discovered that we could be found numerous times on Google pointing to all different websites and social media pages. Some of these pages and listings had old logos, or forgotten slogans, or ancient imagery… some even had old ownership information!
Unfortunately, these pages and listings were forgotten about shortly after they were created and never updated. This left a maze that customers would need to navigate to find our ‘real’ website or social media pages. But now that the majority of people do their web searches on their phone, your online presence must be succinct and cohesive.
Now I had the task of correcting information, updating online listings and deleting social media pages so I could present our business in a manner that was consistent and “on-brand.” Of course, even if done correctly, this wouldn’t totally solve our online problem because people aren’t interested in a company that is just ‘selling software’. We have to sell our vision.
We aren’t just ‘selling software.’ We are selling ProSolutions, a company with a 15 year average clientele. (The national average for small businesses is only 3 years). A company with decades of beauty and wellness business experience. We are selling a business partnership that drives revenue, reduces workload and create stability for salons and spas. We are selling a professional brand built by industry experts and customers, not an equity backed ‘app’ with emojis that prioritizes style over substance.
This was our rebrand: an honest representation of our company to potential customers, clear and cohesive online. In my next post, I will discuss how we solved the site listing and social media page quagmire.
About the Author
Stephen is Head of Product at ProSolutions Software with over 15 years experience working directly with salon and spa owners.
