About as Seasonal as an Easter Egg in Winter
As the marketing world accelerates towards Xmas with the speed and alacrity of a crashed-out office worker dragging themselves home from the annual party, it is customary to reflect on the seasonal highs and lows.
So, if you have exhausted the annual check list of :
- discussing the John Lewis Ad at the water cooler √
- heard the line “are you hanging up your stocking on the wall” so many times that your sensory organs are closing in on their elastic limit?√
- waited in all morning for an Amazon prime delivery for the box to arrive at 9.30 pm√
…then all that is left is a return to a traditional Dickensian Xmas where the spirits of the past, present and future collide to ensure we embrace peace on earth and goodwill to mankind!
This year though, this particular Xmas fable has a bit of a twist or should that be a swirl – as the subject matter in hand is the barber’s shop.
As more and more high street retailers continue to close their doors, we have seen a proliferation of barber’s shop opening throughout the retail centres of the realm. At this point a barber’s shop quartet should fire up the dulcet tune of Joni Mitchell’s The River , one of the few Xmas songs where the lyrics “cutting” appears and Barber Ann (sic) would have been simply too summery!
In the Middle Ages barbers often served as surgeons and dentists, in addition to hair cutting, they performed surgery, bloodletting and leeching, earning them the name “barber surgeons”. The barber’s pole as depicted, is a middle age throw- back which was originally just red and white and offers another desperate and tenuous link to a Xmas based piece! These colours indicated the two crafts, surgery in red and barbering in white. It wasn’t until surgeons joined the British army that the two occupations saw a divide. The blue was added in the 18th century probably by the Americans to represent the full spectrum of colours on their national flag.
For years the barber shop was seen as a refuge for male grooming offering a range of products from confidential conversation, through hair gels through to the seedy purchase of prophylactics (nudge, nudge, wink, wink – say no more!)
In recent times some enterprising marketing initiatives have emerged….
Playing to the stereotypical demographic – the Jolly Barber in Kingston offers a free pint of cold beer to over 18’s seeking a haircut! They have reward programmes, usually centering around drink, which promotes client loyalty. Hopefully enabling them to walk home (or to the nearest pub) afterwards!
Also, the role of social media cannot be underestimated once again returning to demographics, it is worth spending some time and research, to evaluate where customers and potential future clients may hang out either in the local area or online and pander to their demand stimulants. Facebook and Instagram in particular are excellent vehicles for this.
This shop in Ealing clearly has a niche persona in mind… represented perhaps by modern day Hipsters, clinging on to the spirit of the Hells Angel movement from yesteryear.
Clearly creating a brand must lie at the heart of any barber’s marketing strategy along with an eye-catching logo and strap line.
So, what does the future hold for this industry?
Hooking up with potential influencers especially those who have significant following on social media, or specifically “YouTubers”. Start by offering them incentives such as free cuts in return for an Instagram post with the long-term view of getting them to become the face or should that be head of your burgeoning brand.
To move beyond getting clients solely through word of mouth, once you have a fully functioning website, getting found online in your local area is an excellent marketing opportunity. Here SEO works really well as customers who need a haircut are turning to search engines more than ever before. Ranking on the first page will bring in new clientele but you need to ensure that you have operational capacity to make this a success. To this end online scheduling is also worthy of consideration through an app or your website. Creating convenience for clients by making your barber’s shop more accessible will go a long way to steal a march on the local competition.
So, there we have it… a razor-edged tour through the past, present and future of barbering, closer than a shave and further than a wet towel thrown in a wet towel throwing contest.
Have a great Xmas!
