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A simple step for branding that most stylists aren’t doing

A good domain name and a proper email address will generate more customers, increase traffic, and make your beauty business look more professional. Still, the majority of salon and spa professionals don’t have either of these things. Only a fraction of people who post salon jobs have taken the steps to create a proper branded email address. Most people use email accounts from websites like Gmail or Yahoo.

What gives?

Here’s the kicker: Using an email address from one of these websites is risky. Using an email address from a service provider like Comcast or SBC Global could also jeopardize your business. Remember, these companies could cancel your service or merge with another organization at any time.

The domain name you choose is just as important as your email address. Pick the wrong one, and you could lose out on customers.

Forget everything you’ve been told in the past. Here are the things you must do if you want to increase the visibility of your beauty business online.

Keep Your Domain Name Short and Simple

A domain name is the name of the website you type into the address bar in your web browser (Google.com, for example). It’s made up of unique characters, and no two domains are the same, just like no two phone numbers are the same.

Here’s a simpler explanation:

“A domain name is your website name. A domain name is the address where Internet users can access your website,” says Website.com [1].

Got it? Good!

Once you have a domain name, you can put your website on marketing material and business cards. You can then create a branded email address that looks far more professional than a Gmail or Yahoo address.

Here’s an example: Salina Carter, a hair stylist in Brentwood, CA, uses the domain name www.hairbysalina.com. It’s short, simple, and it’s easy to remember. Salina uses a branded email address, too: [email protected]. Like her domain, it looks credible. Every time a client sends her an email, they will get a small glimpse into her branding.

Choose a Domain Name and Branded Email Address

How many times have people asked you, “Do you have a website?” Or “What’s your email address?” Your domain name and email address are important elements of your marketing strategy. They can help you create a presence and credibility when you communicate with customers and clients.

Here’s the good thing: Creating a domain name and branded email address is cheap and easy. The hardest part is choosing the right name and email. Don’t overcomplicate things, though. Use your first name and your beauty niche, just like hair stylist Salina did (Hairbysalina.com). It’s probably a good idea not to use your last name in case this changes in the future.

If you are a salon owner, you will take a completely different approach. You can just use the name of your salon in your domain — www.avedasalon.com, for example. If someone has already chosen your preferred domain, don’t worry. You will need to get a little creative!

You might want to include the name of your salon and your city, like Avedasf.com. If you have multiple salons in one area, incorporate the region into your domain, like Avedabayarea.com. Finally, if you have a salon name that’s hard to spell, create a domain with your location — www.saloninsf.com, for instance.

Try and keep your domain as short as possible. More than 70 percent of websites have domain names with eight or fewer characters [2]. Stay away from hyphens, too. And numbers.

“Remember, one of the biggest keys to success for your domain name is you want your customers to easily remember your business name, and be able to type it out quickly,” says Business.com [3].

Also, consider branded email addresses. You might need to create multiple branded emails for all your employees, but this is an easy process.

Once you’re done, you need to register your domain name. There are plenty of places to do this, including GoDaddy.

Why These Steps Are Important

All businesses need a domain name and branded email address to create an online presence. In fact, someone should be thinking about these details as soon as they enroll in beauty school. It’s never too late to create a killer domain and branded email address, though. There are plenty of tools to help you: Shopify has a domain name generator, for example. Once you have these details, you need to include them on business cards and flyers, so your network can link to your web address.

Domain names and proper email addresses don’t just look great on marketing material, mind. They can make it easier for potential customers to find you on search engines like Google. This is a process called search engine optimization (SEO). In short, choosing the right domain name and email address could improve your search rankings.

Once you have chosen a domain name, you will want it to match your social media profiles. This makes you look even more professional. You need to be quick, though.

“It’s pretty annoying when you dream up the perfect brand name, get hold of the domain name, and then find out someone has taken that name on one of the social media platforms,” says Search Engine Journal [4]

Follow the tips above and create an awesome domain name and branded email address that will drive your business success and increase the visibility of your beauty brand online. Good luck!

Sources:

[1] https://www.website.com/beginnerguide/domainnames/8/1/what-is-a-domain-name?.ws

[2] https://buffer.com/library/the-ideal-length-of-everything-online-according-to-science

[3] https://www.business.com/articles/the-perfect-domain-11-important-facts-about-domain-names/

[4] https://www.searchenginejournal.com/how-to-choose-domain-name/252285/

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