Social media is undeniably a large part of our lives in the 21st century – but does it also need to be a large part of your barbering career, and does it determine your level of success? Two barbers share their thoughts…
Leif McCreery
Leif says: Whether or not a large social media following is essential for success in barbering today depends on your idea of success. If you want to get sponsored or cut hair on stage at shows, then yes, I think you need to have a social media following. Brands want people to see you using their products, so the more followers you have, the more eyes. However, if you view success as being fully booked, I still think a large social media following is important – but the following doesn’t need to be quite as large. Before social media, word of mouth was enough to attract new clients, but now I guarantee that if one of your customers recommends you to a mate, they’ll look at your Instagram before deciding to book or not.
A few months ago, Auburne Enkel said we should be teaching social media in college, but some people didn’t agree. When I was at college I was taught business with barbering, so as times have changed why not teach social media? It puts your work out there and gets you somewhere. We have to move with the times; if you've already ‘made it’ in the world of barbering, I invite you to delete you Instagram and see if the sponsors are still there.
I actively share my work on social media. Just the other day I had three new customers explain that they came to me because their friends said to, and then they checked my Instagram to check if I could do scissor cuts. Sometimes a client may come to me because they like what I do outside of work and that's something they can chat to me about and build a bond.
I think clients choose barbers based off both their Instagram feed and word of mouth – from experience, word of mouth only goes so far, and that’s when Instagram comes in. People want to see what you can do or even what you look like; I have business cards that link to both my booking system and my Instagram and found that people seeing who I am and what I'm about helps. Social media is your portfolio these days, and that’s not just the case for barbering.
What does success look like to me? Obviously I want to say a full book of happy clients – that's a huge one. I feel successful because I have clients that have followed from different shops, stayed with me for years and have become good friends. I'm successful because I wake up everyday and enjoy this job where I get to have fun and work with friends and cut friends’ hair. It's an awesome job to have and it pays the bills. But I also feel successful being on stage and being able to teach and showcase what I do. Teaching at college, I feel successful when one of my students is happy with their finished product. Everyone loves recognition so when a cut of mine is shared, or someone talks to me about brand ambassadorship, that makes me feel successful.
Neither is a right or wrong answer, but what's the point of being on stage if your customers aren't happy with their last cut?
James Massa
James says: While I do think social media is beneficial to barbers, I don’t think you need a big social media following to be successful – as long as you’re engaging a consistent amount of your target audience. To do this, you have to understand the bespoke nature of your business and services, so you can create content around it to draw people in. Just because a person appears on Britain’s Got Talent, and has therefore been seen by millions of people, it doesn’t mean they’re a ‘success’, because the people watching might not have any interest in them once the show ends. Likewise, people can follow you on social media, but if they’re not liking your posts, or watching a reel and being encouraged to book in, then they’re not serving you and your business.
I would consider myself to be active on social media, often setting myself goals. This not only leads to clients seeing my work, but it also helps develop a narrative around the level of service being provided.
I think social media and word of mouth referrals both have their place when it comes to attracting new clients; the most common pattern I’ve seen if word of mouth referrals which are then supported by my social media portfolio.
Success to me is to have the right balance of all the opportunities barbering has to offer as a career.
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