Understanding Your Client’s Journey Through Your Marketing

Hello, my friend. Welcome back to the Modern Hairstylist Podcast. Today, we're gonna be talking about making sure that you're showing up for your potential new client the right way in the right places. And this is so important because it can literally make or break whether or not a new potential client decides whether they want to invest with you and actually book an appointment with you or not after first finding you.

We need to understand the customer's journey from A to Z, right? From when they first find about you t- all the way until they're actually booking an appointment with you and getting into your chair. And the reason why is because at each level of that journey, you're gonna need to be doing and saying something different to move them further along in the journey and to optimize your marketing funnel. So if you are ready to turn your marketing funnel into an ideal client conversion machine, then get ready for this bomb-ass episode.

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. And I'm Caitlin, the CMO for Team Hunty, here to offer additional perspectives and kickass marketing advice.

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. Hello, Caitlin. How are you today?

I'm so good. How are you today, my friend? I'm doing well. I'm excited to be talking about the customer journey and really making sure that we're optimizing our marketing funnels to do exactly what they want them to do.

I think that all too often as marketers, because that's what we end up being as business owners, right? Uh, in order to get those new ideal clients into our chair, we have to be marketers. We have to think like marketers. And as marketers, we don't often put ourselves into our clients' shoes enough, right?

And this is why I talk so much about the ideal client profile and really understanding who that person is inside and out and why I joke that you should understand this person like the same way that you understand your child or yourself or your partner, um, because it really will allow you to understand that person's perspective and experience and allow you to then optimize everything that you're putting out there to make sure that that experience is what you want it to be to get that person to book an appointment. So, I am going to encourage you, my friend listening to this, to think like a marketer, and a marketer thinks about the client customer journey. They think about what the, what the perspective is of that client as they're going through each level of your funnel. And so we start at the top with, with when they first become aware of you, and then they go down, and then you nurture them a little bit.

You get them to trust you, and then they have a choice to make. Do they wanna book with you, or do they not wanna book with you? And at each level, you need to be saying something different, or you need to be pushing out different content in order to meet that person exactly where they're at and say the right things to get them to click to book by you. So, I'm hyped to talk about it all today, and I think let's, let's...

We should start at the top of the funnel. Let's talk about awareness, right? Let's talk about awareness. So, at the top of the funnel, awareness is somebody just being aware of you and also we have to think about too being aware of their problem.

Somebody who is not problem-aware is not going to be looking for you because they don't even know that they have a problem that needs to be solved yet. And this is why active marketing is so important because we assume that people are only finding us when they're looking for a new hairstylist when in reality, some people aren't looking for a new hairstylist when they find you. They might just be scrolling through the Instagram and stumble up- happen to stumble upon you and get impressed by you, right? And so, so some people don't even have the problem of needing a new hairstylist because they're unaware that there are better solutions out there for them, or they're unaware that they have this problem that could be solved.

So, for example, I was just on a one-on-one coaching call with this really brilliant person who's in our masterminds, and she was talking about how she wants to... She wants to niche down and be, like, a holistic, uh, hair growth specialist, and she wants to teach people and her clients how to, uh, lean into nutrition to grow thicker and healthier hair. And so what my suggestion was be- because we have to think about the fact that people aren't walking around and thinking, "Oh, I need to eat better in order to get thicker and healthier hair." They don't...

They're not thinking that. They're not thinking, "Oh, I have gut health problems. That's why my hair is F'ed up, so I need somebody to teach me how to eat to make it so my hair grows better." That's not what this person is walking around and thinking.

What they are thinking is, "I wish my hair was thicker. My hair is so fine. Uh, my scalp is so itchy, and I'm losing hair." That is what they're thinking.

And so at the top of the funnel, we need to make sure that we are very, very much meeting that person where they're at by thinking about the symptoms that they're having of their core problem, right? So, the symptoms are the things that this person on the surface level is thinking that is happening. So, that could be... So like, for this example, it could be f- fine hair, right?

So then you would want to... You'd wanna specialize as a fine hair specialist or a hair growth specialist, not, like, a holistic nutrition specialist, right? Like, that's not w- what we wanna do because that person is not looking for that, nor will that type of language connect with that person when they first stumble upon you, right? So we wanna be thinking about when that person first comes to see you, how can you meet them exactly where they're at with the same words and thinking that they have in their brain right now?

They're not yet aware of the actual problem, so let's not talk about the actual problem. Let's talk about what they think is, is happening to them right now, right? Do you have anything to share on that, Caitlin? No, I think you really......

got the point across well, but could you, like, explain a little bit about, like, what awareness means? Like, kind of, like, simplify it even more, just in case if anyone might be confused about, like, what awareness... What constitutes awareness, if you will? Yeah, so there's two types of awareness.

So there's, like, the problem awareness, right? So, like, that's what I just talked about. So problem awareness is like, this person is aware of their problem, or they're not aware of their problem, right? That's just, like, awareness just in a range, right?

And then there's awareness of you, right? There's awareness of you. Is this person solution-aware, right? Is this person aware that th- that you exist and that you have solutions that are possible to solve their problems?

And so awareness, in a really simple way, is, is this person aware that you exist? Are they aware that they have this problem? And i- are they aware that you have these solutions? And so, like I was saying earlier, and I got ADHD'd off of it, that's why active marketing is so important, because not everybody is searching in their search bar, "fine hair specialist," right?

What they're ser- w- they, they might just find your comment on somebody else's post in your local area, happen to open up your profile and see that you're a fine hair specialist and be like, "Oh my God, I've never even heard of that before. I have fine hair. Let me see what this person has to offer." And that's why active marketing is so important, because if you didn't go out and put yourself in those spaces, that person would have never found you.

And because you put language in your bio or in your specialty or whatever, because you put language that connected to them right off the bat, they're gonna wanna learn more, even though they weren't searching for you in the first place. Does that make sense? Yes, definitely. Where would people become aware of you?

Like, is that, like, is that social media specifically? Is that, like, somewhere that they'd find you on, like, a website? Is that, like, a Google situation? Like, a- all of the above?

Like, tell me, tell me a little bit more about that. Yeah, so somebody will find you on, mm, a plethora of places, and you named most of them. So they'll find you in the digital space. They'll find you Google My Business, they'll find you on Instagram, they'll find you on Facebook, they'll find you on Yelp, um, or other p- like on other little places here and there on the digital space.

But mostly, those are, like, the main places. And then, of course, word of mouth. And then we also have to think about, does somebody drive past your salon and see the sign outside, right? That is how somebody becomes aware of you.

Those are the places that you meet those people. And so you have to think, what is, what, how do you make sure that, number one, you're visible to be made aware of in those spaces? And then we go to the second level of, how do you make it so when somebody becomes aware of you that you are building trust with them, enough trust and authority to where they're gonna continue to want to work with you and learn more about you, right? And so, like, they might find you on the Instagram, they might find you on the Google My Business, but then what is posted on the Google My Business?

What is the copy and the captions and the content of each of those spaces on your Facebook gr- page that are making them trust you more and understand that you understand their problems and that you s- have the solutions? And in this space, it's all about entertaining them, educating them, um, giving them, uh, anything that makes them truly, truly, truly feel as if you understand them inside and out. And that is exactly why, I will say it again, why we need to understand who our ideal clients are based upon real data and feedback, so that way, we can be posting the right type of content to nurture this person into trusting you. Because if you're just posting a bunch of shit that isn't necessarily connecting to that person, then they're never gonna trust you and they're gonna unfollow you or they're not gonna wanna learn more, because then you're not creating connection with that person, and it feels like you're talking to everybody else in the room besides them.

And then they're gonna go to the next person who's talking to them directly. And so when we get down to they're aware of you, now it's time to impress them and build yourself as the authority figure of their problem. That's when we need to be posting the right content. And in this content, like I said, it could be educational, it could be giving them good tips and tricks, um, and it could also be showing off your own personality brand, your own space, um, and, and those things, right, should somehow, someway be relevant to that person.

And showing, showing you and who you are is a big part of that as well too, and your personal brand and how that connects to that person. That is all, that's all has to do with how you nurture and you build trust. And so all of that is what I call nurture, copy, and content. So, like, all of the content and all of the, uh, the captions that you write and everything that you say in those Reels, right?

That's what I like to call nurture, copy, or content. And that's a lot different, a whole lot different, than what we need to be doing at our next level, which is our decision level of a marketing funnel. At our decision level, we need to be doing conversion copy, like sales copy, okay? And our sales copy comes from your ideal client's pain points and objections.

Your client has gone through your awareness. They're now pr- they're now aware of their problem. They are now aware that you exist and that you have solutions. Then they have gotten enough content from you, read enough from you to be able to trust you as an authority in this space.

Now you need to sell them into actually wanting to spend money with you.At this level, what's super important is understanding what is stopping somebody, what would stop somebody from spending money and time with you, right? At this level, they've already trusted you, they're interested, they want your solutions. But now, it's time for them to actually commit, right, by putting a credit card on file, by filling out your new guest application, whatever it may be, and it's going to take a little bit of convincing and overcoming their objections and rehitting their main pain points, that they actually give a shit about, to get them there.

So, nurture content and copy and conversion content and copy is a whole lot different, and we lack a whole lot on conversion copy. What we end up doing on a- a lot on our websites is we talk a whole lot about us. We talk a whole lot about our brand and how amazing we are, right? Instead of- instead of exemplifying the excellence of the experience and the solutions that we're providing to the person.

We don't make somebody the hero of the story, we make ourselves the hero of the story, when what we wanna be doing is making ourselves the guide to creating that person's hero story, right? That's straight from Donald Miller, Building a StoryBrand. If you wanna read that book. It's very, very helpful.

And so this is why it's so important to have a documented visual process that you can see, that you can visually see as you're creating content or as you're making decisions about what you're gonna be putting out there with your branding, to be able to make strategic decisions on what you need to say at each level of that funnel. I know for me, like, it was really difficult for me to come up with copy and understand what and where I needed to say certain things until I was able to actually visually look at what my customer's journey was all the way down. And on your website, you have to remember, y- your customer's going through an entire website journey as well too, right? So, like, it starts on the homepage and then they go to your service menu and then they go to the new guest page, right?

And, like, so what do you need to say considering that there's- there- that entire journey as well too? What do you need to say on the homepage to get them started in that website journey? What do you need to say once they get to your service page to make it so your services make sense, that they're marketable, that this person is going to, uh, justify those prices, that they look valuable enough, right? And then on the new guest page, what is going to attack their objections and what is going to make them really wanna push the Book Now button, right?

So, understanding this journey inside and out from A to Z will allow you to optimize your conversions and get those lurkers and those ideal potential clients that, like, just have never booked the Book B- Book Now button with you before, although they've been following you for a long time. It'll get them to actually book now, right? It'll get them to click the button. So, I have a question for you then, Hunter.

So I personally, I have always, when I was behind the chair, struggled with sounding salesy. Like, it's something that I feel like we talk about a lot. So, if our person listening to this right now is also in that same mindset of like, "I don't wanna sound salesy," could you give, like, a small example? Like, I'll use myself.

I have super fine hair like we were talking about earlier. So, if you could use my fine hair, low maintenance color desires in your sales copy, could you give us, like, a tiny little example of like how you would attack that on your website? What allows you to be salesy, like what justifies you being salesy, what allows the person on the other side of the screen to be cool with you being salesy is when you've built the trust and you've made it- made the conversation rele- relevant to them first. You can't expect somebody to actually take action with you unless you call to action.

I'm all about, like, having people attracted to you and do the action without you having to do anything or say anything. And that just goes to how well you've built up your foundation and your fundamentals and your marketing. But at the end of the day, some people really just do need that action step to take, especially on your website. Like, buttons everywhere.

It should be very clear as to what the next step is to take and what actions that you want them to actually take. If we're talking to somebody who has finer hair, right, an example could be, like, let's say this was, like, an Instagram post or let's say this was some sort of copy on your website somewhere. You could say something like, "If you feel as if you can never get your hair to look volumized enough without it feeling dry and crunchy and looking- making your ends look thin, then I have the perfect solutions for you in which we will teach you how to use the right product and the right styling techniques in a short amount of time when you come to see me, and I will provide you with a post-visit email that has all the instructions for you to remember and take home with you. So, if you would like to finally achieve the thick, voluminous hair of your dreams, then go ahead and click the Book Now button, and I'm super excited to work with you."

That's a kind of, like, a crappy example, but that structure is how I would normally structure some exci- some sort of conversion copy, because it has a very clear call to action and you're hitting the main pain points. You're not beating around the bush. It's like, "Okay, it's fucking prime time now, girlfriends. Like, let's go."

You know what I mean? And I'm hitting objections too, because I'm saying, "Don't worry, I'm gonna be teaching you everything. Don't worry, we're gonna give you volume, but I'm not gonna make your hair feel dry and crappy. Um, don't worry, I'm gonna be giving you a post-visit email with every single piece of maintenance instruction that you absolutely need."

And again, this goes back to understanding this person's thought process when they're look- It's like, "Okay, this person's gonna teach me how to style my hair. I'm not gonna remember shit," right? "Oh, this person gives me this post-visit email. I'm gonna be good."

So, thinking about being proactive in your copy and thinking about what per- what somebody's potential thoughts could be as they're going down this funnel and then attacking it right then and there will get somebody to press the Book Now button, period. So, my friends, if you enjoyed this episode of The Modern Hairstylist podcast, and if you wanna make sure that you have a visual documented process where you're confident that you know what copy that you need to be writing and what content that you need to be putting out there to connect with your ideal client based upon real data, real feedback, then you can join us in Chief Marketing Hairstylist, which is our four-hour marketing intensive in which I'm gonna hold your hand in creating an entire marketing funnel from the very beginning. We're gonna help you find a very clear strategic vision of what your ideal client profile is, what your customer journey actually looks like, come up with content structures so you can post consistently and make sure that that consistent content is actually speaking to the right people so you can grow your business and get the clientele of your dreams. You can go to hunterdoni.

com/marketing if you would like to sign up, and it's only $97. And we're giving you our caption template vault for free with that and our website copy foundations workshop with that. And you're gonna have the chance to get your funnel audited by me and peers, and we have a four-week Facebook group experience so that you can connect with peers and work with each other and help us revolutionize this industry together. At the time that we're releasing this, we are closing the cart.

Therefore, you will not be able to get tickets until 2024, next year, if you don't sign up right now. So, I really don't want you to miss out on this opportunity, so go to hunterdoni.com/marketing. And I cannot wait to see you at Chief Marketing Hairstylist.

Thank you for tuning in to The Modern Hairstylist podcast. Peace out, girl scout. Bye-bye.

End of transcript. © 2023 Hunter Donia LLC.