3 minute read
BUILDING YOUR BRAND
Brand new you
What is a brand and how can you start building it from the start of your career and throughout your career journey? Journalist and hairdressing PR expert, Emma Summersby, has the answers.
EMMA SUMMERSBY
Journalist and hairdressing PR expert
Agreat starting point for building a brand is to ensure that everything you do is aligned – you need a brand to offer consistency. People need to know what your brand stands for and that it will always deliver to the same standard. Once you have this, you will start to create trust, recognition and loyalty.
WHAT IS A BRAND?
A brand doesn’t have to be a giant company. Sure, there are some massive brands in hairdressing, but there are plenty of successful hairdressers, young and old, who are doing a great job of creating a brand out of themselves. You can be your own brand!
WHAT TO THINK ABOUT
Later in your career you may well decide to invest in your own salon. Knowing what your brand values are will be crucial to its success. If you’re trying to build a salon that specialises in high-end, expensive colour, for example, then everything about the salon from the very first touch point that the customer has, must shout this message. You’ll need to make sure the people working for you are completely clear who their customer is and what the ethos of the company is. They need to dress and present themselves in the right way — in short, they need to look the part and reflect the brand.
Everything about the salon will need to reflect luxury – the logo, the magazines in the waiting area, the coffee that’s served, the message on the answerphone – literally every single touch point matters when you are building a brand.
Continued…
BUILDING BRAND YOU
Building your brand as an individual is no different. The rules are the same. Think about the brand you want to be known as and stick to it. Ensure that every element of what you do reflects your brand. If you want to create a high-end luxury brand, then you need to look polished, well-groomed and have impeccable attention to detail. The language you use, the models you use, the hair you create and the teams that you work with all need to be aligned to your brand. Equally, if you’re all about cool street style, you need to portray this at every step of your hairdressing journey.
GET SOCIAL
Your social channels are probably the easiest way to build your very own brand these days. It’s a free platform to showcase your expertise and can get you noticed in a major way. However, think carefully about everything you post. Your colour pallet, your logo, the way you interact, the language you use, the images you publish on your platform – these will all contribute to building your brand.
DON’T BE AFRAID TO SPECIALISE
You need to master as many skills as possible to be an all-round hairdresser, but that doesn’t mean you can’t specialise further down the line and become known as the expert at something. This can be the core of your brand.
Whether you’re the curly hair, extensions, blondes or men’s expert – stick to your path and try not to mix it up too much along the way. Remember that everything that can be seen or heard contributes to your brand.
TOP TIPS
1Look at brands both inside and outside of our industry such as @daisy_goord @marcusrashford and @mollymae. You don’t have to buy into the values of any of these brands, but they are examples of how to get it right!
2Remember to be consistent across all areas of your brand — consistency creates loyalty
3Don’t be afraid to specialise. Your speciality can become the core of your brand
4Make sure your social media channels reflect your brand.
career journey
@emmasummersbymedia
In The Know
1Professional hairdressing products in the UK are worth around £445m, according to market research agency IndustryARC.
2Brands will be interested in how many social media followers you have.
3Build your social presence and attract a brand’s attention.
4Becoming an ambassador for a major brand, could mean your total earnings exceed £100,000 per annum.
