A Salon Refit - but the front door is closed...

A salon I know has just opened. Inside it is incredible, every single element from the workstations to the backwash to the reception area has been exclusively created by leading designers. The furniture too has been especially commissioned, so have the lighting fixtures. No design detail has been left untouched.

It all sounds great, but the salon has not been promoted in anyway. The front windows are covered up by shutters, there is no signage up above the salon. The front door is locked, again with a shutter down, clients have to go round the back to even access the salon .They have not notified the free directories, Yellow Pages, Thomson nor the online directories either. They have not spoken to the local press about the opening nor have they have not contacted their old clients from their old salon to say where they have moved to. They have not even spoken to the shops in their area to tell them they were opening a new salon.

It is pretty quiet inside...I am sure by now you have cottoned on to the fact this is not a real salon. I mean it would be crazy to go to all that expense and not properly promote and signpost people to the salon. But this is exactly what many small businesses do with their websites. They spend a small fortune on them, get them beautifully designed, but then do nothing to make it easy for people to find their website online. Every small business should promote their website as much as their business. It is a great way to attract new clients and grow your business, by offering online booking and a shop where clients and non-clients can buy products. Salon marketing and spa marketing must be about marketing the company and the website!

There are many, many different ways you can promote your website online, and many of them very low cost.

Online listings - Your salon will be listed in Yellow Pages Directories I am sure, your website needs to be listed in similar online directories (including Yell.com) such as UKhairdressers.com, Touch Local Business Directory, Hot Frog and many more.

Search Engine Optimisation – Search engine optimisation (SEO) is the process of improving the number of visits to your website. There are companies that specialise in this, and it can cost relatively little – and it will be money well spent!

Pay Per Click – this is a type of advertising online. I would only recommend this if you have online booking or you sell products online, so you can promote these services and generate extra revenue. Again there are many companies that offer this service and Search Engine Optimisation.

These are just three ways, there are dozens of other ways you can ensure people find your website online. With all these options there is only one option that you should ignore, and that is doing nothing...