Once upon a time, clients heard a stylist was great through word of mouth and that was enough to build an incredible business.
But in today’s world, word of mouth is not enough anymore.
Today’s consumer is wary and careful with their money. They only want to spend it with people they trust.
Meaning, it’s more important than ever to build that trust long before they ever come in to see you. How? Through your pre-visit experience, specifically digital messaging and communication.
Let’s dig into the top 5 ways to build trust in your pre-visit digital communication and messaging.
Speak client (not stylist)
Speaking stylist turns clients off. Full stop.
For example, probably less than 20% of clients know what I-tips, hand-tied, or tape-ins are. If clients don’t understand your verbiage, they’ll go where the language makes sense to them.
That doesn’t mean you need to talk down to your clients, but to speak their language. Notice what your clients say when they’re in your chair, in your DMs, in emails. Look through your website and social media for any place where you could speak client more.
Create clear service names
Let’s say you’re a session-based who works in dimensional color. You have a package on your website called “The Blonde and the Beautiful.” But maybe a brunette client who wants lighter pieces around their face wants to book with you. That package might be what they want (partial highlight, conditioning treatment, haircut, etc.), but the title might turn them off.
And if you’re saying, “Well, they could DM me,” or “They should book a consultation,” yes, they could. But today’s consumer generally doesn’t want to reach out if they don’t feel like you’re the person for them. They don’t want to tell you that you’re not the right stylist for them or have any type of confrontation.
If you skip the clever names, and instead describe the service in the title, it’s easier for potential guests to shift from “just looking” to new clients! (P.S. It also makes it easier to set up your online booking and cut down on potential wrong bookings.)
Set transparent prices
Make sure your pricing is clear and understandable.
If your prices are confusing or misleading, you’ll lose clients way before they end up in your chair. Why? If clients don’t understand what their total would be, they’ll leave without booking. A few rare clients might ask, but generally speaking, clients will go somewhere else.
Have an effective, branded website
If you don’t have a website, you’re losing a significant amount of clients.
Really. It makes that big of an impact.
If you don’t have a website, but feel like business is good, think about this…
Do you want a business that lives up to its full potential?
If the answer is yes, then you need an actual website. Not an online booking page, not a landing page, not an Instagram directory. A website.
Because a website is your best salesperson and it works 24/7. It can draw dream clients or team members in and helps them envision what it’s like to be part of your business.
If you want to build an incredible website fast, check out Website Academy Templates! They’re the industry’s only pre-designed, fully customizable website templates!
Clarify your booking process
Make sure that it’s crystal clear on how to book an appointment or become a part of your business.
And listen, we think we’ve made it easy for clients, but we’ve got to be honest for you: many of us can’t see the forest for the trees. If you want to nail your pre-visit process, you have to look at it through clients’ eyes.
Make it clear where to start, what the steps are, and how to start. (We walk you through how to do this in Thriving Stylist Method!) When you do, you make them feel safe. When they feel safe, they trust you…and when they trust you, they book an appointment.
Check your pre-visit guest experience. Dive deep into your online presence, including your website. Look through it with open eyes to see what’s missing. Review your marketing funnel. What isn’t clear, confusing, broken, or missing?
Work through those steps to level up your pre-visit experience. If you want to create even more trust in your online presence, grab the Website Academy Templates to set up a tried-and-true website fast!
