With so many barbershops on the high street it is important to make sure your business stands out from the crowd. Promote your high standards and skill in allures of barbering. Always display your qualifications, awards and certificates.
Your own Fully Branded Mobile App
We partnered with Appmonkeys over 4 years ago to offer British Master Barber members a 25% discount off the cost of their mobile app solutions for barbers. Get in touch now to find out what they can do for you. With over 200 members benefiting from their services they are definitely worth a call: 02922 402 639. When you call quote ref: BMBA25.
Social Media
Taking time out to ensure that you have a good social media presence allows you to keep in touch with your followers. This is a good way to keep both regular clients and new clients up to date on any special offers, business updates, upcoming styles and last-minute appointments. How you conduct yourself on social media can affect your business. keep your private life and ranting off your professional pages.
Website
Your website should clearly reflect the image of the barbershop - if your shop has a vintage feel for example then your website should reflect this. Make sure that it has a clear layout and is easy to navigate – not everyone is comfortable with technology or being online, so keeping things simple ensures your website is accessible to everyone. Make sure that you include essential information such as contact number, location, opening times, and prices.
Appointments
Traditionally barbershops only offer walk in appointments, but a growing number of men now prefer to pre-book, over the phone or through an app or website. Few barbershops currently offer appointments, so this could be a good way to offer something your competitors do not.
Music
Music in the barbershop is all part of the client experience, so choose wisely. Music is important in creating the right atmosphere and therefore should match the brand image you are trying to build. It also needs to suit the environment! If you use, play or listen to recorded music in your shop, the chances are you will need a music licence. The Music Licence allows you to legally play music for your staff or customers in your business through the radio, TV and other digital devices. PPL PRS Ltd is a new company, equally owned by PPL and PRS for Music. It has been created to provide customers with a streamlined music licensing service – TheMusicLicence – with a single point of contact to make it easier to legally play and perform music in public. Previously, businesses and organisations would have had to purchase two separate licences from PPL and PRS for Music instead.
Alcohol
It is a growing trend in the industry for salons and barbershops to offer a free beer, or a glass of wine or champagne with the haircut. However, you need an appropriate licence to be able to include alcoholic drinks as part of the service. If the supply of alcohol is linked to a sale – even if the client is not specifically being charged for the drink - then a licence is needed. So, if you’re not giving anyone who walks past the shop a free drink then, strictly speaking, the cost of the drink is included in the service and they are paying for it.
The British Master Barbers recommend that before providing any alcohol within your barbershop that you contact your local authorities to make sure you fall within the legalities required as rules differ between.
Personal appearance
A professional appearance is essential to success – no one wants to walk into any business with staff that look a mess! Uniform in the barbershop can vary drastically from shop to shop. A shirt and a bow tie is often seen in high end barbershops; some barbers prefer branded
t-shirts, or smart uniform aprons. Whether you opt in or out of having a uniform, the important thing is that the staff’s image compliments the shop’s image.
The British Master Barbers would like to thank
Mike Taylor Education and The Great British Barbering Academy
for all the support and assistance in creating this course.
