Barbershop Ads: 7 Strategies to Promote Your Business

These barbershop advertising ideas will help you develop personalized messaging that can scale with your business

You’ve got the location, you’ve got the skills — now it’s time to get people in the door. If you’re wondering how to promote your barbershop, the following strategies will ensure you get the most reach out of your barbershop ads, build word-of-mouth momentum, and develop barber promotion ideas that speak to each of your clients’ needs.

Showcase your skills with barbershop ads on social media

Social media remains one of the most important advertising avenues for all kinds of self-care businesses. People love to browse their feeds for styling ideas and tips, and it’s easy for folks to connect with your brand when you can feature that expertise.

Speaking of branding, it’s crucial that you maintain a unified presence across all social media platforms. Use the same logo, try to get the same (or similar) handles, and keep a consistent voice across all platforms while ensuring your graphics or videos are suited for each network’s delivery method. For example, you can create a slideshow of some of your best before and after pics from Instagram to make a great TikTok video. Use the voiceover script for your YouTube tutorial to write a step-by-step How-To guide for Facebook. 

If you’re unsure which network to start with, consider sending your clients a survey to find out which platforms they use the most. However, if you only have time to use one social media network, Instagram is usually the safest bet for displaying barbershop ads as it’s where most people go to look up hair and fashion tips. If you can expand beyond that, don’t forget about networks like Facebook, Yelp, and Google My Business, which are invaluable resources for gathering new leads. 

Win eyes with a well-maintained website

As important as it is to develop your presence on social media, you shouldn’t neglect your website — it’s one of the most essential barbershop advertisements you have. And if you don’t have a website, you should build one ASAP.

Your website is a digital extension of your physical shop, and it’s one of the few places where you’ll have complete control over your branding and content. It’ll act as the single source of truth for contact information or hours of operation, which many third-party online listings pull from. With online self-booking integrated into your site, clients can schedule appointments whether you’re there to answer the phone or not.

Don’t forget about search engine optimization (SEO), either. Be sure to use keywords leveraging popular search terms and craft helpful blog articles, which can help juice search engine results to favor your barbershop over the competition.

Create a referral program to build word-of-mouth

Studies have shown that a vast majority of people trust the opinion of their friends and family over any other source of information when making a purchasing decision. With a bit of creativity, you can transform your current client base into one of your most reliable advertising methods.

Referral programs are a great way to expand your client network through incentives like discounts or free products. For example, if one of your clients brings in a friend for a cut, you can reward both of them with a 20% discount on their next service. Or you can implement a progressive referral program that increases the reward value for each additional client referral. Lean on your barbershop management software to help — tools like Boulevard can help you track referral sources to ensure everyone gets rewarded. 

Share the love by partnering with local businesses

When you’re figuring out how to advertise a barbershop, you don’t have to go it alone. Explore partnerships with nearby local businesses like restaurants or retailers and offer to go in on a combined discount. For example, you could offer 10% off a haircut when they bring in a receipt from a local menswear store while providing a similar reciprocal offer. These partnerships aren’t just a way to get your name out into the world; they show that you want your business to be a crucial member of your community.

Make clients feel seen with personalized marketing emails

Personalization isn’t just an essential part of modern marketing; your clients expect it. According to studies by McKinsey, nearly three-quarters of all consumers expect personalized interactions from the businesses they frequent. It’s not just a one-way street, though — companies that make an effort to personalize their marketing can see up to eight times the return on ad spend. 

Luckily, it’s easier than ever to personalize messaging with powerful email marketing tools like Boulevard. Create a campaign goal, craft your emails, and then automate delivery to the client segments that are most likely to respond. Boulevard will send reminder emails to clients who are due for a return appointment or who haven’t stopped by in a while. It’ll even automatically send birthday wishes! These automated messages are a perfect way to provide a personal touch for each one of your many clients, whether they’re spread across a single location or a dozen.

Nail the timing around seasonal events and functions

Sometimes, a special occasion needs a special haircut. Find the local events in your community, or plan around the major holidays, and leverage them through targeted social media campaigns and offers. Also, be sure to monitor the “big event seasons” for opportunities. For example, prom season usually falls between April and May, and wedding season typically falls between May and October. 

Never stop measuring your progress 

You’ll only know if your promotional efforts are paying off if you’re regularly analyzing sales reports. Use your social platforms’ reporting capabilities to learn which channels see the most engagement, whether through social media, email, or other sources. Then, reconfigure your advertising budget to lean into the channels with the best results. That way, you’ll optimize your ad spend to work its hardest for you. Be sure to monitor sales reports in your barbershop software; you can likely correlate an uptick in sales and visits to all the great marketing you're doing.

While there’s no single way to figure out how to promote your barber business, combining these tips can help set your business up for success. Don’t be afraid to experiment; the best marketers try many different ideas to determine what resonates most with their audience and community.