How to Advertise Your Barber Shop on the Cheap

I'm going to cut right to the chase: you need to advertise your barber shop if you hope to build trust and win new customers.

Here's the deal: Advertising is no doubt challenging — even for big-time companies. But for a small business, it can feel downright overwhelming.

But don't get discouraged. There are affordable and easy ways of advertising your business consistently to help you attract and retain customers.

1. Stay active on Social Media

As a barbershop owner, you're probably familiar with the importance of social media marketing. However, it's important to remember that while it can be a powerful tool in your advertising arsenal, it's not the only one.

Social media is a great way to engage with potential customers and show the personality of your business. It's also great to share information about special events and promotions.

But there are plenty of other ways to use social media to promote your barbershop without paying for ads on Facebook or Instagram.

Here are a few ways to use social media to help advertise your barbershop:

Post pictures of happy customers. Post pictures of satisfied customers in their haircuts and thank them for coming in. You can also post photos from events like proms and weddings where your barbershop provides services for guests. This will let people know that you provide quality service that makes people look good — which is what their friends will want for themselves when they go out for a haircut!

Engage with customers by responding to their comments or messages (if they reach out). Reply within 24 hours, so it doesn't look like you're ignoring them or not caring about their needs/interests!

Use hashtags when posting content so it can be discovered by others using the same hashtags — this will help increase engagement from other users interested in your services.

Don't be afraid to encourage reviews on your Facebook page. You will probably get a lot of positive reviews. Be sure to respond to positive reviews and tell people how much you appreciate them. If you get a negative review, never fear. Just thank the person for their feedback and send them a private message asking if there is anything you can do to make the situation right.

2. Create A Referral Program

A great way to generate more business is to offer incentives to your existing clients. You can create a referral program where you offer discounts or free services (like complimentary haircuts) to anyone who refers new customers to your barbershop.

Once you receive a referral, send an email to both the sender and receiver with information about what they will receive as part of their referral reward. You can also create custom thank you cards for each person who submits a referral. Their experience at your barbershop will feel personal, giving them something tangible to remember their experience with your barbershop.

If you reward your current customer with a discount or free service and the person who was referred to you, it will help you generate lots of new business.

If you implement a referral program like this, be sure you do everything you can to tell your current clients and get the word out!

3. Develop a Simple, Professional Website for your Barbershop

It's essential to create a simple professional website for your barbershop. Mighty Sites will generate a simple and professional website for your barbershop starting at only $9/month.

This is an inexpensive way to advertise your business online and get new clients.

Here are some reasons why you should have a website for your barbershop:

Builds trust with potential clients
It gives customers an easy way to find you online
Generate leads and sales
Provides information about your services, prices, location, and hours of operation

4. Host Events At Your BarberShop

Business owners have many options when it comes to marketing their companies. From TV ads to billboards, there are many ways to get your message out there, but one of the most effective is hosting fun events at your barbershop to attract new clients.

It is inexpensive to do, and promoting your event will help advertise your business and services.

Types of Event Ideas for Your Barbershop

There are many different types of events that you can host at your barbershop.

Here are some ideas:

Free haircuts for veterans or kids on certain holidays.
Free haircuts for anyone who brings in canned food items for local food banks.
An open house where you invite anyone to come in and try out your services, free of charge.
Host a wine tasting night with a selection of wines from local vineyards
Have a chili cook-off where customers can bring their chili or food item and compete for prizes (like best chili or best dessert)
Have a movie night where you screen classic movies or popular new releases for everyone to enjoy
Have a trivia night where customers can come up with questions about their favorite topics and win prizes if they get the answers right
Parties: Have a birthday party at the shop with goodie bags, balloons, and refreshments. You can have a theme or let people come in and have fun.
Entertainment: Bring musicians, comedians, or other entertainers for an evening of fun. Please make sure you get permission from them first!
Food: Host an afternoon tea party where you provide coffee, tea, scones, and sandwiches.
Giveaways: Host a raffle or give away one free haircut to everyone who makes an appointment with you that day.
Open House: Invite customers to the shop to see what goes on behind the scenes at your establishment.

5. Create A Loyalty Program

A loyal customer will return to your business, even if there are other options. You can create a loyalty program for your clients. Every time they get their haircut at your barbershop, they earn points that can lead to discounts and complimentary services.

Reward loyal customers with discounts on services or products. If you run a barbershop, you could give them special offers on beard trims, grooming products, and more.

Reward members of your loyalty program who spend the most money at your business by offering them deal on higher-priced items or services.

Give away prizes when you reach specific numbers of new sign-ups in a month or year. These prizes could include haircuts, grooming products, or gift certificates for other businesses in your area.

You can set up loyalty programs online. An online platform will allow customers to track how many points they've earned toward rewards, view their account activity history, and redeem points.

Explore some of these barbershop software systems that include loyalty programs software you can use to create a loyalty program for your clients.

6. Update Online Business Directories

Shaving has been part of the human experience for thousands of years. The barber shop is one of those things that will never go away, as it is a necessary service for men who want to look their best.

The best way to ensure your barbershop stays in business for years is by making sure you are listed on all of the major online business directories. This will ensure that people find your business online when searching for a local barbershop.

One popular online business directory you've probably heard of is Yelp. Create a Yelp profile with information about your barbershop. Include hours of operation, address, phone number, and other details people would want to know before visiting your shop.

Check out these other popular online business directories, create a profile for your business, and fill it out with your hours, contact info, and business information.

7. Manage Your Google Business Profile

Google Business Profile is a free platform that helps you manage your online presence across Google Search and Google Maps.

The platform allows small businesses like barbershops to create, edit and manage their online listings on Google Search and Maps. It's a tool that can help you get found by potential customers in your area, build credibility and trust with customers, as well as increase traffic to your website.

A well-maintained Google Business Profile is an essential tool for any business owner seeking to optimize their online presence.

When you create a Google Business Profile, you're telling the world that you're open for business. And while the process of creating a business listing on Google is straightforward, there's room for improvement in your barbershop's online presence.

There are many reasons why businesses should update their Google Business Profiles.

Here are a few of them:

You can feature your products or services on the Google Maps landing page for your barbershop.
You can get more reviews from customers who've visited your barbershop in person, which will help improve your ranking in Google Search results.
You can add photos to your barbershop's listing that show off its interior design or exterior signage — things that aren't visible through Street View images alone.
You can add hours of operation that reflect when you're open for business.

Keeping this information relevant and up to date will help you advertise your business online for free!

Conclusion

As you can see, there are several ways to help drum up business for your barbershop on the cheap. Given how essential repeat customers and word-of-mouth referrals are to a small business (in this case, a barbershop), it makes sense to give yourself every advantage in marketing.

By implementing some or all of these tips, you'll find more customers returning to your business in no time!