053 The changing role of marketing and the opportunities a hairdressing career presents

Hairdressing is a career that starts for most of us behind the chair, building a column of clients, and for some people, they only ever want to work behind the chair, and there is absolutely nothing wrong with that, and it can be very rewarding at every level.  But for others, their career branches off in different directions, and they seek other opportunities but still within the industry.  My guest on today's podcast is Sophie Hill, who is a former salon hairdresser who transitioned through various areas of the industry and eventually formed her own successful P.R. company and has now morphed once again into the head of marketing with London based salon group Headmasters… In today's podcast, Sophie and I talk about:   The opportunities there are in a hairdressing career How the skills you learn as a hairdresser can help enormously if you choose to transition into other career paths  We also talk about the changing role of P.R. and Marketing and how Social media is impacting on that And we also talk about what salons should be focusing on as far as marketing and P.R. goes as we come out of lockdown …   In This Episode: [02:41] Welcome to the show, Sophie! [03:05] Sophie shares her background and journey to where she is today. [04:40] Sophie speaks about what has driven her to reinvent herself over and over. [07:32] She was a technical consultant for two years with L'Oréal. [10:50] Listen, as Sophie discusses the different roles with P.R. marketing and social media. [14:08] Sophie believes that social media hasn't replaced P.R or marketing. [15:57] Do fewer salons have a P.R company now than they did ten years ago? [18:42] Sophie says to try a social media platform and see which one works best for your clients. [20:48] Sophie speaks about her company's email marketing campaigns. [23:08] What three things would you suggest a salon owner focus on when it comes to P.R.? [25:14] She shares a survey her company did, asking why people visited a certain salon and the results. [27:54] Listen as Sophie speaks about where salons should focus their marketing during this pandemic. [31:33] Sophie says that if you are an independent salon owner, stay in touch with your clients during the pandemic closures. [33:32] What are the top three things that Headmasters have done consistently to grow to 56 salons? [37:23] Antony believes that loyalty is a major part of being able to grow your company. [41:00] Sophie speaks about the guidelines that Headmasters uses with their salon staff around social media. [44:40] How do you see the retail model changing in the future? [46:07] Sophie shares what her company is doing to cultivate e-commerce for selling products. [47:24] Sophie discusses what she thinks will permanently change in the salon industry once the pandemic is over. [50:25] Thank you so much for being on the show!   Links and Resources Grow My Salon Business  Find Sophie Headmasters LinkedIn