The salon industry is a buyer’s market.

There are more stylists available to do hair than there is hair to be done.  Therefore, marketing becomes pretty important.  Clients, potential and current, have to be convinced that you will bring them more benefit for their money than the stylist in the next salon – or the next chair.

To do this, you don’t just need talent, you need a brand.

You’re probably familiar with the concept of branding.  When you think of great or well-known brands, it’s hard to deny Starbucks.  We like this example simply because only a great brand could charge $2.95 for something you can make at home for ten cents.  So, let’s stay with this one.

We think you’ll agree that Starbucks is about more than the taste of coffee.  They scour the world for the best and tastiest beans, and make sure you know about it.  They create an environment where you can relax by yourself, work, or enjoy your friends.  The staff, or “baristas”, are encouraged to know your name and your drink.  In fact, they’ve even developed a way of talking that’s tied into the brand experience.  We don’t actually know what the hell a decaf double tall skinny extra-dry cap is, but you can bet a Starbucks barista will.  Now, they even provide music advice.

All with the goal of proving that they’re different from other coffee shops and making lots of money.  Though they’ve slipped a bit recently, it’s hard to deny that they’ve done it.

So, how do you take a lesson from Starbucks and brand yourself as a stylist?  It’s easier than you might think.

Find the one thing.  What’s the one thing that’s special about you?  In our experience as salon owners and in interactions with a variety of different stylists since launching stylistPRO this year, the one thing for almost everyone seems to be education/advanced training, customer focus or convenience.  If you can come up with something truly unique, so much the better.  Write it down, then…

Build it out.  How do your customers benefit from the thing that’s special about you?  If it’s education, maybe it means your customers benefit by always being in style because your train yearly with educators to conincide with fall and spring fashion changes.  You should have a list of three or four things that build from your one thing to benefit your clients.  To use us as an example, stylistPRO users benefit because they can take a call from a client at Starbucks and book the appintment right then, without carrying around a paper appointment book or making a note they have to transfer later.  The feature that allows this is stylistPRO’s portability.  Your clients really only care about benefits.

Keep it real.  Make sure that your benefits are menaingful and make sense to your clients.  The best way to do this is simply to ask them.  “What do you like best about seeing me for your color?”  If their view doesn’t match yours, one has to change.  If you’re going to try to change the clients’ view, it will take time and dicipline on your part.  Follow the next few steps.

Give it life.  A brand is about experience and about stories.  Apple runs right at Dell and other personal computer makers in its brilliant Mac-PC commercials by using little stories to illustrate the benefit of a Mac.

Make it pretty.  The logo you use and the appearance of your marketing materials are generally the least important aspects of building a brand, but they’re an opportunity for stylists because there’s so much unprofessional work out there.  Trade some services for desing help for your business cards and web site (or even MySpace or Facebook page) with a local designer.  Make sure the material, including the look, aling with your message and benefits.

Influence the experience.  Think about all the interactions your clients will have with your brand.  How will they hear about you?  Who will book the appointment?  Who takes their money?  Just like at starbucks, each of these interactions is part of the overall experience, and will reflect positively or negatively on you as a brand.  Decide how you want these experiences to go for your clients and do what you can to insure that your vision is consistently applied.  A cup of coffee and a conversation with a receptionist can go a long way.

Finally, remember that your biggest brand champions are going to be your clients.  If you brand yourself right, they’ll have the experiences and stories to convince their friends and families just how much better than the next stylist you are.