Local Search pays off for small businesses

Adding and updating your local search listings can really boost your bottom line, bringing qualified customers to your door.

Read the following article and contact me if you need help getting your local search listings to work for you!

From the San Fransisco Chronicle:
Amateur reviews changing approach of small businesses / Online ratings: It started with restaurant.. http://bit.ly/biXVIM

Building a day - The Essential Self Branding Guide for Beauty Salon and Spa Professionals (BP's)

As a new beauty professional or one trying to build a clientele, you have many tools to reach people via the internet. If you are a little bit tech savvy, you can quickly build a name for yourself using social media.
Check out the following article for a few tips!

Building a day - The Essential Self Branding Guide for Beauty Salon and Spa Professionals (BP's)

Free, effective online marketing for Small Business

Directory listings are a free, easy and effective way to begin marketing your business on the Internet. Put your brand messaging to work by taking some time to keep these free listings up to date and you will see results.

Not sure what a directory listing is?  Take a look at the article below for more details.
Integrating Directory Listings into Your Marketing Strategy - Big Solutions for Small Business

If you need help setting up your listings and keeping them up to date, contact me. I can help you get set up, develop your mission statement and motto, come up with promotions and coupons, and place pictures and video on your listing!

I'm Back!

Well it has been a minute...ok - months - but I'm back on the job. Writing this blog started out as a way for me to share the things I was learning in my beauty store business, mistakes and achievements. Now with more experience under my belt and a masters degree in Internet marketing on the way (Feb. 2011) I have even more to share!

So stay with me as I get going again...!
Blessings in all you do!
Crystal
http://beautifulhealthybodysoul.blogspot.com
http://justhairbycrystal.blogspot.com
http://trevihairbodyface.com

The Red Pump Project - Women and AIDS

Karyn of the Red Pump Project says:
Today is National Women and Girls HIV/AIDS Awareness Day, and there's a whole lot of talking and educating happening all over the country in honor. Luvvie and I each have our own reasons for fighting AIDS, but most importantly, we simply agree that something has to be done. I mean, if we could just encourage women to talk about it and educate themselves and others, we'd be making a difference.

Go to their blog to find out more! Get the stats! Get informed!
Crystal

4 Important Tips for building your Hair Extension Business

The following tips are for the professional stylist who wants to add extension services to their list of service offerings.

These four important tips are for building a successful and lucrative hair extension clientele.

Tip #1 - Consulting with your client
The Client Consultation is the most important first step in building your extensions business. If a client’s hair and scalp are not suited for these services, you may find yourself inviting unnecessary problems for your business. You must be sure the client has a healthy scalp, the hair is not easily pulled from the scalp and there is sufficient length to cover the extensions. Ask questions about the clients health –we have found that most clients will quickly volunteer issues they are having with excessive shedding, breakage and health problems as they are eager for solutions and are coming to you as the professional for advice. A fairly confidential atmosphere may be required for this consultation if you have such a space available. You may also want to generate a Client Questionnaire with a waiver for these services. If a client is having any of the problems mentioned above, you will want to decline them and offer other solutions, such as wigs and hairpieces, educating them on how natural these additions can look when properly selected and fitted. As a rule, your best extension candidate will have healthy hair and scalp, at least 3 inches of length and be educated on the process, care & maintenance of the extensions. It is your job to ensure these pieces are in place.

Tip #2 - Setting your prices
There is a wide range of price points for extensions services. How you set your prices is going to depend on the local demand and availability of the services, what prices you feel your potential clients will pay, and your level of expertise with the techniques. Advanced training is going to set you apart from other stylists and allow you to put a higher value on what you offer. If you emphasize the expertise you have in areas such as custom color blending, and providing a higher end hair for the extensions, you can put a higher price tag on your services. How much control you take over the process is going to also determine what you can charge. If you just want to provide the service only, allowing the client to buy their own hair and supplies, your price should be a bit lower. If you provide the hair, materials for the process, and supply products for after care, you are truly providing top shelf service and thus should price at the high end of the scale, including your costs in the price of the service. Again, however it is important to gauge what the market will bear and position yourself to accommodate as many potential clients as possible.

Tip #3 - Custom Blending Hair colors
The beauty of your training as a professional is the ability to use your talent in creating beautiful color compositions for your clients. Your customer can buy hair in solid colors and mixed colors, but you can use the tools at your disposal to create custom masterpieces. With wefts, you can combine the colors, split the tracks to regulate the amount of color, and position the hair where you want it for highlight and low light effects. With fusion you can mix the strands for a truly custom creation and at Just Hair, only buy the color you need in the amount you need.

Tip #4 - Care and maintenance of extensions
Extension hair is usually hair that was healthy when it was cut from the donor. It no longer receives nutrients from the body or natural oils from the scalp. As a result, the hair does need special care. While it is best to avoid products that can strip the hair, have a lot of alcohol, silicone and petroleum based oils, the hair does need moisturizing shampoos, conditioners and styling products to stay healthy looking and beautiful. We recommend Ionix products for cut hair and for the client with some damage to their own hair. Also recommended are salon quality products that are pH balanced and sulfate free. Botanical and natural oils that simulate the body’s oils should be applied to condition the hair—but sparingly so as not to weigh the hair down. A maintenance spray can be used throughout the day to help maintain the moisture balance in the hair and prevent brittleness and dryness. Hair extensions require more care than your clients own hair—it is important to stress this and to experiment with different products yourself so you can make accurate recommendations.

No matter what hair extension technique you decide to use, these 4 tips will help you to quickly develop yourself into the local expert, building your clients confidence in you, and making your business very profitable!

Wig Business News

Here is a terrific article about the wig industry as reported in Beauty Store Business Magazine. We have accounts with several of the vendors in the article. Check it out!

Lucrative Locks