How To Make Marketing A Whole Lot Easier For You

Hello, my friend. Welcome back to The Modern Hairstylist Podcast. Not too long ago before the release of this episode, we released an episode that was something called Five Ways to Grow Your Clientele on Autopilot, and those were all passive ways that you can make your marketing work for you on your behalf. And in this episode, I'm gonna be talking to you about how you can take the things that you have to do actively to market and grow your clientele and make them a whole lot easier.

I'm gonna be giving you really nice tangible ideas today to make it so you showing up and doing the damn thing is going to be a little bit less stressful, take you a little bit less time, um, so that way we can do it more consistently and as much as we need to to achieve our business goals, right? Because marketing is so absolutely important. It is the bloodline of your business. It's the only way that your business will survive and succeed.

But it can be really tough and really time-consuming, especially for you solopreneurs out there that are listening to this. And so my job is always to, uh, make your jobs a whole lot easier in any way, shape, or form, and this episode is no exception to that. So if you are ready to hear how you can make your marketing so much easier, then let's get into it. Let's go.

What's the tea, friend? My name's Hunter Donia, industry business educator for hairstylists, but my friends just call me Hunty. Whether it be growing your clientele, making more money, or automating and streamlining your systems, in the next 20 minutes or so, you'll be hearing realistic, actionable strategies to create a beautiful career for yourself behind the chair. So if you're ready to get into it, welcome to The Modern Hairstylist Podcast.

All right, guys. You know, in a lot of my episodes, I like to just jump right into it. I don't like to BS you very much. So I have a list of ways to make your marketing a whole lot easier, and I'm just gonna go by them step by step, break them down a little bit, and I hope that you're taking notes for this one, because truly these are gonna be juicy and very, very helpful for you.

Maybe some things that you've heard before but you forgot about, maybe some things you've never heard before, maybe some things that you really should be doing but you're not doing right now. So my very first one is going to be instead of trying to show up in all the different places, show up and spend the majority of your energy in the place where your ideal client and ideal services are hanging out already. So all of us, if we have done the good work of setting up marketing fundamentals and foundations in our business, we should all have some sort of ideal client profile. We should understand the type of person that we're trying to attract to our business, and we should know what platforms they're normally hanging around in, whether that be digitally or even in-person, right?

Um, where, where that ideal client is most likely to stumble upon you or hear about your business and potentially want to work with you, right? You wanna know where that person is naturally hanging out in their day-to-day lives so that way you can put yourself in that same place. And what ends up happening is, is when we try to be omnipresent, we try to spread ourselves really thin across a bunch of different platforms, and we end up completely depleting ourselves of the energy that we need to make one platform work really well for us, and it really stresses us out and burns us out really quickly, especially if we're trying to do something different on every single platform. So a lot of the times you'll hear that, you know, the way that you post on one platform, maybe such as Facebook, should be different than the way that you use Instagram to grow your clientele.

And yes, that is true if you truly wanna optimize both the ways that you're posting on both of those different spaces. However, maybe you never get clients from Instagram but you always get clients from Facebook. Then why are we spending a bunch of time trying to make a completely different post that could work on Instagram if it doesn't even work for you in the first place, right? So you can totally, like, repost to other accounts and, like, post across a bunch of different platforms, but that doesn't mean that you should have to adjust every single one to every single platform and it shouldn't be easy for you.

Like, pick one place to show up, one or two places to show up where your ideal client is normally hanging out, and then post on those. And then if you can very easily and automatically post those things to other platforms, then that is fantastic. Go ahead and do it. But I don't want you to overextend too much of your energy or time, because it's not gonna be worth it if, uh, in, into being omnipresent and making unique content for every single platform.

It's just way too much. And then if you show up where your ideal client is showing up, then getting clients into the door is gonna be a lot easier. It's gonna require a lot less effort to be able to make, uh, those results happen. So that is my number one tip for making your marketing a lot easier.

My second one, and this kinda goes hand-in-hand with this, is do more of what is already working. Do more of what is already working. How are you getting clients into the door right now? And if you had systems in place that allowed you to track this on a consistent basis, such as my Pre-Visit Pathway students do and my Modern Stylist Movement students do, then you would know exactly where all of your new client referrals are coming from and you'd be able to statistically see, okay, for example, 80% of my clients come from Google My Business and 20% come from word of mouth.

So then if you are somebody who is getting all of your referrals on a consistent basis from these two platforms, then why are we trying so hard to make these other platforms work, right? Like, if you're getting the majority of your referrals from Google My Business and word of mouth, and yes, if they're actually working. I'm not just saying that, like, oh, you get a sprinkle and it, they only come from them, if they ever do. I'm saying, like, no, you get a fair bit of requests right now from Google My Business.

You get a fair bit of requests right now from word of mouth, right? Why are we trying so hard to make another thing work just because we feel like we have to or that's what other hairstylists are doing? What I, I'm gonna be talking to you about this a lot in, probably on the podcast, probably in my classes, if you're a part of my classes. This is a big concept for me in my business right now, is doing more of what works instead of trying to make something not work, be better, or trying something new.

'Cause if you can take something that is proven to already work for you and then you pour your 100% energy into that, imagine the beautiful optimal results that you'll get, right? And sometimes I think that we get a little bit bored or impatient, and so we want to look into other things.Um, or we just get sick and tired of dealing with the thing that is actually ge- making us the most money and getting us the most results, so then we get distracted and we like, disra- distract ourselves with these other things. But in reality, your time could be much more wisely used and things could be a lot easier if you just focus on the thing that is already working for you.

So, you should understand where your new clients are coming from already right now. What is getting you a new client into the door and how can you absolutely spend all of your energy and time maximizing the shit out of that, right? Is it pouring dollars into that? Is it, uh, getting more education on how to optimize it?

Is it posting on it more frequently, right? How can you take what's already working and absolutely optimize the shit out of it? My next tip is going to be take advantage of low-effort and high-impact trends. So, anything, let's say if you're posting on social media and that's how you get your clients, anything, trends that roll arounds that take you a low amount of effort but a high return, such as those B-roll reels, right?

B-roll reels are really big right now. Um, any trends, such as those, are really helpful for you to lean into and to get inspiration from because they're very quick and easy for you to get together and post it and you can use pre-recorded content that you have just sitting around, right? So, for example, the B-roll, uh, uh, uh, reel trend right now is literally just taking a video of you doing whatever, like doing hair, pouring coffee, cleaning up the salon and then putting maybe some text over it and then making a short little caption for it, right? So, no voiceover needed.

A voiceover would be helpful, it could make things more engaging if you wanted to, but you don't have to do a voiceover, you don't have to take new pictures. You're already using pre-recorded video content. It's just typing in some words and a concept. And these B-roll reels are doing really, really, really, really, really well, um, on Instagram right now.

So, as you see, t- uh, typical engagement trends come around and reels trends and social media trends come around that you see other guys working for other people really well and you use that same platform to get clients into the door, take advantage of those things and don't think that it's so far away from you. Give it a shot because you may be like, oh, I really love making content in this way. I could do this all damn day. Or, oh, this is not taking me much effort at all.

I could post all of these things, right? Lean into those trends as they're here, because they won't always be here, right? They may not always work. So, if there is a low-effort, high-impact trend rolling around right now, hop on it while you have the opportunity.

Four, repurpose your content. Oh my God, repurpose your content. And this is goes into a couple different, uh, uh, ways. So number one, and this is a classic one that everybody has probably heard about before, but repost your old posts.

Repost your old posts. Of course, refresh them a little bit, um, maybe change around the caption a little bit. But if you had a post that did well for you historically, why not repurpose it and then post it again? Because I guarantee you, your existing clients have mostly forgotten about it by now and your new clients, your new followers have not seen that yet, right?

And maybe that's exactly what those new people need to see a- if- need to see for the first time to want to actually work with you. So, take old content and repost it. If you're down in a- in a slump and you just, it's really hard for you to show up and you can't think of anything new, take what's already working and repurpose that. And now, that also brings me into another thing where take inspiration from your content that has worked for you in the past and do more of that So that way, you can take that and you can take the same idea, the same concept, the same setting, and then that way, you- it, you know, it removes a lot of the figuring it out, what you're actually going to create or post, a- and from the process.

And then that way, you can just kind of reframe it in- into a different way and do it again, but in a more updated and polished way that's more relevant to right now in today's day and age and more reflective of your work, et cetera, et cetera. Then another thing with this is make sure that when you have opportunities to get content, that you take the absolute most advan- uh, advantage of it. So for example, if you're taking a picture of a client, take a million pictures. Like, take a thousand million pictures.

Put them in so many different places, in so many different poses, put different jackets on them, put them in different settings, have them pose in so many different ways. Get as many different pictures with many different angles as possible. If you're doing a branding photo shoot, try your best to get as many outfits and as many locations and as many vibes and props in there as possible. When you have the opportunity to get content, maximize the shit out of it, because then you have a huge library of content that you can work with, that you can pull from when you don't have any new content to be able to post or when we're in a pandemic and you aren't getting any new content at all , right?

Um, so yeah. And even, like, even, like, making breakfast, like even, like, videos of you doing normal shit or while you're doing hair behind the chair, why not just set up your phone and have you record it- ha- uh, have it record you for a little bit? While you're mixing up cover- color, why don't you have your phone record you for a little bit? While you're going on a walk, like, genuinely, like, why- when you have the opportunity to get content, get the damn content, get as much as you possibly can And then that way, you have a huge bank to work with whenever you want to, whenever you're uninspired, or whenever you are inspired and you just need something quick to be able to post.

Next thing is use AI. Oh my God. Ugh. It really is a shame to me how many people are not using AI, especially ChatGPT, to make their content better, um, and to help them with their marketing.

It's genuinely mind-blowing to me how people aren't utilizing this very, very, very, very, very powerful and helpful tool. Um, particularly what will be really helpful for you, this is the best tip I can give you. If ChatGPT has not been helpful for you and, um, uh, you're looking for ways to really optimize it, then I highly recommend paying for it. It's only 20 bucks a month and their higher level version of it, so instead of 3.

5 at the time of recording this, instead of 3.5, ChatGPT-4.0, or they just released 4.0, is much more creative, advanced, and that you can make it sound a lot more natural and a much more- and in alignment with what you're trying to get out of it.

You could upload PDFs, videos, pictures, text documents, et cetera, et cetera. You can give it so much information to help you get the best answers possible and to be able to help you write your emails, to be able to help you even come up with ideas, help you come up with scripts, um, help you come up with captions, et cetera, et cetera. ChatGPT should be in every person's toolbox right now. If you are an entrepreneur, you should be using ChatGPT, period.

I don't care what your concerns are about it, I don't care what your worries are about it, I don't care whatever the hell everybody's saying about it in a negative light. The tea is it's here, everybody's using it, and you are at a disadvantage if you're not using a tool that's going to absolutely speed up your process, period And it's just gonna become more and more prevalent. AI is absolutely adapting and evolving as fast as possible, like, I mean, in a crazy, unimaginable way. And you're just kinda gonna get left behind if you- if you- you're not gonna be able to keep up with the pace of your competition, um, if you aren't leaning into ChatGPT or just generally any AI tools that are gonna help you make your processes more efficient.

So, start using ChatGPT, dude. Like, it genuinely, like, the cheat code. Like, it's the answer for you, my friend. All right, number six, stop worrying about the bullshitOh, my God.

Stop worrying about the bullshit. We need to stop looking at social media from such a, a biased perspective, for a lack of a better term. Like, I think that we just get so wrapped up in, like, what's right, and what's wrong, what you should do, what you shouldn't do, et cetera, et cetera, that it completely paralyzes us and overwhelms us when we really need to look at Instagram or Facebook or just marketing in general from a very, very logical and analytical perspective. Like, we need to think about every single action that we're taking on there and every single metric and every single option from a very literal, logical perspective.

For example, I've seen some people talk about how, like, hashtags are no longer the tea, like they're not the trend anymore, they may not work anymore, and it's like, what the fuck do you mean hashtags aren't the trend anymore? Why the fuck would you not take advantage of using all 30 hashtags to increase the chance of somebody possibly stumbling upon your content? It does not make any sense to me why we would just, we would just do five hashtags because that's not the trend right now. Like, that does not make any sense.

Like, I want every single hashtag on there that is going to make it so I am more likely to be found by my ideal client, right? So d- who cares about whoever's telling you to use five hashtags? Screw them. Use all 30 freaking hashtags, right?

Another thing is, is l- stop looking at likes and comments as your form of success for if the post did d- did well or not. Yes, sometimes they are relevant, but not always. What I really want to know is, is did that, did that post get you a butt in your chair directly, right? You can track that through website clicks, you can track that through a lot of different other ways, right?

You can track that through if you're setting up things in previous pathway and you have data points along the new client's journey with you that you can always reference. Um, you'll be able to see what actually matters, and I, that's what I really want you to take in consideration. And then, like things such as what time of day is the best to post? Should I post when my clients are most on, uh, on Instagram?

No, you should not. You should post whenever the hell you want to because that's not how the algorithm works. The algorithm is showing me shit four days later, so just stop worrying about all the rules. There's no more rules.

Just fucking post and make good quality content, utilize the, the tool that you're using and all of the options within it to maximize your visibility as much as you possibly can. Post for your ideal client, t- talk to them about what they need and the journey that they're having with you right now to be able to trust you and want to work with you further. That's all you have to do in your marketing. It is that simple.

Particularly, I know I'm speaking a lot to social media, like particularly Instagram, like stop stressing your out- yourself out so much with all of these stupid little things. Just fucking post. Post! And yes, there is strategy behind what you should be doing.

I'm not saying that you should just, like, randomly post shit. I'm just saying don't let the little bullshit hold you back from actually posting good quality content such as, oh, I need to post at a certain time, or oh, I need to make sure this caption is perfect, and oh, I need to make sure that I'm following the, the latest trends, what's right and what's wrong, what's working and what's not, et cetera, et cetera. It's just like just post good content, all right? Okay, my friend.

This was a short, tangible one. I hope that that was helpful for you. I hope that this will help you make your marketing a lot easier. Marketing sucks, I know, but it's one of the things that we just have to do as business owners and entrepreneurs.

My best advice to you is just prepare yourself as much in advance as possible to set yourself up for success later for your marketing. Okay, so, so much love to you, my friend. Hope you enjoyed this episode of the Modern Hairstylers podcast. See you in the next one.

Peace out, girl scout.

End of transcript. © 2024 Hunter Donia LLC.