You’ve finally gotten yourself to the point where you’re ready to open your own barbershop. This is a big and exciting step in your career. It means you can finally be your own boss.

The only question is how you should go about bringing in customers. Marketing a barbershop is a big job, and it’s up to you to make sure that it happens. 

So, where do you start? What’s the best way to market your barbershop?

Read on to learn everything you need to know about barbershop marking.

Social Media is King

Almost everyone has some sort of social media these days. It can be easy to feel like you’re being drowned out by everyone else’s posts at first. But the good news is that there’s plenty of ways for your social media to get everyone’s attention.

The first thing you should be doing with your social media is posting a lot. This is going to ensure that your posts are going to be seen by your followers. 

You should also be sure to post a lot of videos around your shop. These don’t have to be the highest quality videos, so recording them on your smartphone is fine. But you might consider playing with your video settings for a bit before you start posting.

You should also be using your social media to bring attention to any discounts you’re currently offering. Maybe you’re running a special for back-to-school or homecoming dances. The easiest way for people to learn about these deals is from your social media.

Also, be sure to get permission to post pictures of your work. This is the best way for people to see exactly what you can do.

Referral and Loyalty Programs

Another good way to get customers is to offer rewards programs. In many cases, these will be referral or loyalty programs.

A referral program is a good way to bring in a lot of new customers. Consider offering discounts to customers that send their friends and family your way. Even at discount prices, the number of customers these programs can bring in can essentially make your entire business.

And if the customers are satisfied, then they’ll keep coming back over and over again for a long time.

Meanwhile, loyalty programs are intended to bring in returning customers. This usually involves a small card with slots on it that can be hole-punched. Once the card has been completely hole-punched, then they can get a haircut with you for a very low price or even for free.

This encourages customers to keep coming back to you for haircuts again and again. This is the kind of customer loyalty that you’ll be depending on for the rest of your career. And even without a referral program, these customers might bring you some new customers on their own.

This customer base will be the backbone of your business from now on.

Create a Good Website 

Having a website allows people to access your business’s information at all times. This includes business hours, prices, and available discounts. 

The first thing a good website can do for your barbershop is allowing for an online booking program. Not everyone enjoys having to make that phone call to get an appointment, and if you’re busy, then walk-ins simply aren’t an option. That’s why a lot of customers will appreciate an online booking program.

This allows them to clearly see which times you have available. It’s usually best if they can see your availability for the next few weeks. That way, your customers can also be confident that they’ve signed up for the right time slot.

Another good idea for your website is to upload a portfolio. These can be the same pictures that you’re posting on social media. But this gives your customers a clear place to look at the work you have done.

When your customers can look at your history, they can usually get a better idea of what they want. This means that you can get to work quickly without too much discussion about it. 

Discount Days

When you open your barbershop, you’ll probably notice that some days are busier than others. In fact, some weekdays might actually make your business feel like a ghost town. So how do you get customers to come in on these days?

A good way to do this is to offer discount days. By offering lower prices on certain days of the week, you can encourage more people to come in for their haircuts during normal working hours.

Since you technically won’t be making as much money, it can feel like a compromise. But in the end, it’s better for your business if you offer these discount days rather than make no money on these days of low business.

And you don’t have to offer them all year long either.

Many parents will stay home with their children when school is out of session, for example. During these summer breaks, it can be practical to end these discount days since more people are available during the week.

But once school is back in session, some of these parents will also go back to work. So these discount days will once again become a motivator for customers to come in during the week.

Start Marketing Your Barbershop Today

When you’re ready to start your barbering career, these tips will help you bring in customers to your new barbershop. They’ll get your shop to be the first one on the list when someone searched “barbershops near me.” In the meantime, you need a barber school that will help you get the skills needed to begin your career. 

That’s why you should enroll at Miami’s only dedicated barber school, Miami Barber Institute. We’ll give you the tools you need to get started on your career. So when you’re ready to open your own shop, you can feel confident that your customers will leave satisfied.

Sign up for our programs today to start on your journey.