smartichoke

4 Reasons why reviews really do matter for your Salon & Barbershop

Thu, 22 Oct 2020 09:01:04 GMT

How do hair salon reviews affect your bottom line? Is it really worth it to pursue barbershop reviews for your business?

If you haven’t used reviews in your business before, they can seem like a lot of work. And you’re not wrong. It’s another layer of marketing that many choose to go without. But that’s to their own loss.

Hair salon reviews and barbershop reviews are really worth it.

In this article, we’ll explore 4 reasons why reviews for your salon or barbershop really do matter!

1. They build a good reputation online

2. Reviews complement your marketing efforts

3. You can learn a lot from reviews

4. They act as a teamwork tool

Compared to a personal referral or recommendation, testimonials are the next best thing. And since you can’t rely on every single customer to refer a friend to your business, hair salon reviews are definitely worth pursuing.

1. They build a good reputation online

In this day and age, when someone looks for a review of your salon or barbershop online, if they see nothing available, that is a red flag. It means that either no one has been to your business, you no longer exist, or you don’t care enough about your business to build your online presence.

Reviews help to instil a sense of trust amongst your clientele, especially for such a personal service. Clients need to know they can trust you with their appearance! Ever received a bad haircut? It’s not fun. In fact, getting a hair cut causes a lot of anxiety in some people.

By reassuring customers with glowing reviews of your salon or barbershop, you’re ensuring more customers will book with you compared to someone with fewer reviews.

2. Reviews compliment your marketing efforts

Hair salon reviews are often used in marketing campaigns because they show trustworthy service and say volumes about your business.

Share good reviews on social media, through email marketing, or on posters/in frames at the salon. Share them everywhere!

When a stranger has a good experience and writes about it online, other new customers will see your business and are more likely to think of you over your competition.

About 4 out of 5 customers say that helpful reviews are as good as a personal recommendation from friends or family. The proof is in the pudding for this one!

3. You can learn a lot from reviews

Some reviews can teach you a lot about the staff at your salon or barbershop, or the products that you sell.

By paying attention to the reviews that come out on a regular basis, you can rectify concerns and maybe even save wavering customers by offering a discount or answering a question before your competition gets to them.

Receiving feedback and being open to it can ultimately make or break your business. Responding to negative reviews with style and grace can also make your business look even better than one with entirely 5-star reviews!

Remember a bad customer experience is a great opportunity to showcase your incredible customer service to win them back.

4. They act as a teamwork tool

Sharing hair salon reviews directly with your team can help recognize good work, and improve mistakes. Celebrating good work as a team is key to the success and overall health of your salon or barbershop.

By incentivizing your team to get the most amount of 5 star reviews each week, can create a healthy sense of competition that benefits everyone involved!

Ready to start getting reviews in an app?

Hopefully, this article has demonstrated the importance and power of hair salon or barbershop reviews, and you will consider implementing them in your business in the near future.

For more information on how to grow your business by using our in-app review feature, click here to start your 30 day FREE trial.

Why online appointments are more important now than ever

Thu, 22 Oct 2020 09:01:02 GMT

Being in the hair & beauty these days is certainly challenging. From mandatory closings, to limited capacity re-openings with strict rules. It can seem difficult to navigate this ever-changing landscape of services, but the good news is, we’re all in the same boat and there are many ways to take control of your business again.

In order to efficiently reopen and organize your salon or barbershop business moving forward, while minimizing the number of clients in the store at one time, implementing a salon booking system is the way to go.

These systems aren’t overly complicated (there are many options available) and allow clients to book an appointment when they know it is safe to visit. Salon booking systems also allow you to communicate with clients and prospects and estimate volumes for staffing purposes upon reopening.

But there are a few more reasons to consider a salon booking system:

1. Predicting income

A salon booking system allows you to view anticipated income instead of waiting for walk-ins.

This way, you can forecast your cash flow to get back on track quickly, and the salon or barbershop will run at a more steady pace as opposed to overbooked on busy days.

This can help you to plan when to have certain staff available at the shop, too.

2. Convenience of booking

Let’s face it, appointment booking systems are super convenient.

By implementing a booking system, clients can view your schedule openings and select an appointment that works for them from the comfort of their own home or whenever suits them.

Not only does this reduce the risk of having too many people in the shop, but it helps avoid long wait times and spreads out appointments for a more consistent schedule.

3. Scheduling flexibility

Salon booking systems typically allow for anywhere from 5-15 minutes of padding time between appointments to account for late clients, cuts/appointments that go longer than they’re meant to, or simply so you can have a quick coffee or water break between clients.

A priority now would also be sanitizing salon stations between appointments!

This way you can ensure clients you are taking the most possible precaution with regards to their health and safety when they visit your salon or barbershop.

With the Smart Scheduling system within our apps, you can set the padding time around any service to whatever you like - putting you in control.

4. Building value

Something many salons and barbershops have not considered before implementing salon booking systems is that building a client database will help your business immensely.

A salon booking system is an easy way to keep track of this and communicate with all your clients at the click of a button.

Things like sending automatic email reminders to clients before an appointment, or being able to make notes about each client after an appointment for future reference

All of this is possible straight "out of the box" with a Smartichoke app, making it easy for you to get started.

Ready to start taking online bookings?

We specialise in building apps for small businesses in the hair & beauty industry and can get you set up with online bookings quickly and easily.

We're excited to share our knowledge and help you take this step!

Click here for a no obligation, 30 day FREE trial.

How to sell more products to your Salon or Barber Shop clients?

Thu, 22 Oct 2020 05:00:01 GMT

For small businesses like salons and barbershops, generating additional revenue sources should be top of mind.

One simple way to add an additional revenue stream to your salon or barbershop is by selling products to your clients.

These products could be anything from brushes and combs to shampoos/conditioners, at-home treatments, and skincare. Just make sure the products align with your brand values and are at a price point that would be suitable for your customers’ demographic profiles.

In this article, we’ll examine a few different ways of selling products in the salon or barbershop.

1. Use the products you sell

2. Only sell and use products you enjoy

3. Apply product knowledge

4. Consult with your clients

Here are four ways to help your customers extend their salon and barbershop experience into their own hands by offering products available for sale after their appointments or through your website.

1. Use the products you sell

Now, this doesn’t mean you should be using the products in your own hair, but by all means, if it helps you to sell the products, go for it!

Using the products you sell in your barbershop or salon means to use them while the client is in the chair. If you have a superb product for ultra-curly hair and you use it during the appointment to create the desired result for the client, these products will sell themselves.

Showing someone how a product will change their hair game for the better, will also change your salon or barbershop bottom line for the positive ��

Just be sure to mention how to use the product (educate the client), and at the end of the appointment if they don’t ask about it, casually mention the product is available for sale. It helps if you’re an exclusive distributor and the product you’re selling isn’t available elsewhere.

2. Only sell and use the products you enjoy

This one seems self-explanatory but that’s not always the case. Selling products in the salon is SO easy if you’re only selling and using products that you truly believe in and enjoy using.

Have you ever experienced a super awkward sales pitch where the salesperson didn’t really seem to care what they were talking about? That shouldn’t be you. You live and breathe hair, so let your products reflect that!

Only choose to sell and use products that can provide the salon experience for your customers at their home. This doesn’t mean they’ll leave you and become their own stylist. It just means you’ll be giving them a happy experience every time they use your products on their own. Positive associations for the win!

Again, it helps that if you seek out products that perform well and aren’t readily available elsewhere, to help set your salon apart.

3. Apply product knowledge

In addition to applying the product, be sure to apply your product knowledge!

Brand reps for these salon-quality products are also equipped with education pieces on every item they’re selling, so take advantage of their knowledge and learn all about the products available for sale in your store.

Passing this knowledge on to the consumer will help them when they are using the product, and they will feel they got more than they bargained for from their appointment. Selling products in the salon or barbershop should be an educational experience (not a “salesy” one).

Ironically enough, this will help you sell much more than if you turned on the hard sell at the end of the appointment.

4. Consult with your clients

Again, this might seem obvious to some but it’s SO important to consult with your clients before, during, and after the appointment.

You can do this a number of ways, but the easiest is to ask how they would like to style their cut once it’s completed. If they want to wear their hair curly, use products that complement curls, and make it easy to style. They’ll be more likely to purchase the products if they’re easy to use, of course.

Commenting on the weight, viscosity, ingredients and excellent smell of the products you’re using during the appointment is another easy way to create some positive associations between the client and the product. If they are educated and interested in how it works, they will buy!

Finally, connecting with your customers after their appointment is another way to sell products in the salon or barbershop. Following up with a friendly email or text message saying “thanks” and offering a deal or showcasing the products they used during their appointment will likely remind them of the good experience.

More positive associations and friendly reminders mean more sales in the end!

How to sell products to clients between appointments?

So, what we’ve learned is that selling products in the salon shouldn’t be a complicated experience. It should be pleasant, educational, consultative, and overall, quite a natural flow.

Demonstrating the products in-use during the appointment is the only demo you should need, and explaining the “why” behind some of the products or tools being used can help change someone’s mind or “plant the seed” that it’s something they should own at home.

And, of course, if you want to increase the likelihood that your clients will buy your products, or buy them more frequently.... then you should sell them online.

This is one of the most significant ways you can increase the lifetime value of your clients, and is easy with our Salon & Barber Shop Apps.

We provide an easy to use shop feature, which allows you to upload the details of the products you sell. Your clients can then purchase those items through the app, using our safe & secure payment system.

If you'd like to learn more about selling your products online through an app, start your FREE trial here.

3 tips for writing great salon employee bios

Wed, 21 Oct 2020 12:55:04 GMT

Hairstylist bios are one of the most underrated features of your app or website. It’s one of the first things that hook potential clients in and makes them want to do business with you.

That’s why mediocre and ineffective employee bios won’t cut it.

If you’re wondering where to start, you’ve come to the right place. In this guide, we give you three easy tips for writing employee bios that will increase your clientele and grow your business.

1. Highlight staff qualifications

The most important step to writing a great employee bio is to mention their qualifications. This establishes the stylist as being trustworthy.

Here are some things to include:

Education
Years in the profession
Past work experience
Awards
Certifications

2. Make it simple and personal

Potential customers don’t want to read a long-winded bio. That’s why you must keep it short — 100 to 200 words of text.

Shorter blocks of text are easier to read and won’t leave the visitor overwhelmed with information.

Another thing your employee bios should have is a personal touch. This includes a fun fact or short anecdote.

The purpose of adding a personal touch to employee bios is to make them relatable. You want to ensure that you make a connection between the stylist and potential client.

Not to mention, adding personal details to your employee bios will be more engaging and memorable.

3. Include the services they offer

Lastly, you want to include the services the stylist offers. You can add this as a conclusion or under the employee bio. This helps the potential client understand what the stylist can be booked for.

It also helps to have a call-to-action at the end of their bio. This can be as simple as a button or a link that reads “Book Now”.

You can even include client testimonies under their bio. This element provides social proof that your stylists offer high-quality service.

Display staff profiles in a mobile app...

Don’t just include employee bios on your website, add them to an app for your business.

An app will help you manage your salon business effectively. It will also make it easier for potential clients to find information about your stylists and book an appointment.

Not sure how to build an app? We’re here to help.

Our salon apps include engaging employee bios, a streamlined appointment booking system and a way to sell products to your customers online..

Ready to try it for yourself? Start your 30 day FREE trial here.

Should your business have a mobile app?

Mon, 12 Oct 2020 10:34:50 GMT

If you’re here, you’re probably wondering whether it is actually worth it for your business to have a mobile app.

Well, the good news is that technology has never been more advanced! This year is a great time to start building a mobile app for your business.

And yes, we’ve got the stats to back that up, so read on!

Mobile apps are the land of opportunity. While there have never been more apps in the App Store (2.2 million apps) and Play Store (2.8 million apps) than there are today, creating a useful and popular app is extremely hard to do. You have to wade through a lot of bad ones to get to the good, and then you need to convince users your app provides enough value to download.

But don’t let these hurdles intimidate you. With the right team, it’s definitely possible to create an app that works for your business. After all, 57% of digital media usage comes from mobile apps and the average smartphone users use over 30 apps each month. There’s definitely an opportunity to become one of their 30!

So, here’s where you need to weigh the pros and cons to decide whether it is actually worth it for your business to have a mobile app.

Start with "Why"?

Why do you want to create an app?

Maybe its the cool factor or maybe you want to make money. Either way, your “why” needs to justify the value of the app you’re about to embark on creating.

Here are some of the top reasons people create apps:

Increase sales / bookings
Improve the user experience
Remain competitive
Build a community
Strengthen the brand

Of course, the cost of building an app needs to be justified in the potential return on investment.

Mobile apps for businesses deliver ROI in a number of ways:

They can make you more efficient (saving time and money long-term). Though, this can be hard to measure and often isn’t measurable until after the app has been created.

Mobile apps can also enhance the customer service and community aspect between your customers and employees. Allowing you to provide a better experience for your community, leading to happier customers and more profits.

Apps can also directly generate revenue through a number of methods like selling products, charging for app upgrades with special features, and improving your brand reputation with more facetime (leading to more purchases).

If you have an eCommerce store and your customers are already browsing on their phone (they are!), creating an app could provide many benefits for your business.

Apps have a direct impact on the purchasing behaviour of consumers.

Just look at the facts:

App users view more products than mobile website browsers

App conversion rates are 3x higher than mobile site conversion rates (1.5x higher than desktop)

App orders are 140% higher average order value than mobile sites and 130% higher than desktop

Whoa!

If those aren’t good enough reasons for eCommerce sites to consider apps, we don’t know what are.

That said, if your average order value is currently £10, an app would increase this to £24. Just consider how that would positively impact your sales!

Which brings us to our next question....

What are the options for developing an app for your business?

It’s true, more small businesses than ever before are creating apps.

But they’re not all created equal. The way we see it, there are three options for app development for your business.

Custom
Code it yourself
Smartichoke

Each of these options has a different impact on the cost of the app development process.

Custom app development

This is by far the most expensive option and one of the most time-consuming options. Typically, custom app development can take anywhere from £50K into the hundreds of thousands of pounds range. And on average, will take anywhere from 7 months to multiple years to create.

If there are absolutely no other options for your business and you’re at the point where this can only improve your sales, we say, go for it!

Prices will vary depending on who you get to develop the app for you. You could go with a development shop, a freelancer, or a team of freelancers. Either way, hiring a project manager or appointing one to research and manage this project is probably a good idea.

“Code it yourself” app development

Whether you already know how to code or you want to learn, this option will probably take the longest (unless you have a team helping you).

It’s the least expensive cash-wise, but remember, you’re paying with your time.

Learning to code is certainly a neat experience and will be a useful skill if you plan on completing more projects. However, learning to code your own app properly could take years.

You may also need to hire an expert to help with any problems you encounter.

Consider, can you wait that long?

Smartichoke

The costs associated with a mobile app for your business comes down to two key factors:

The development time it takes to build your app
The ongoing data storage and processing costs of running your app

We've already broken this down in this article for you: How much does it cost to build an app?

But here's the thing... Most Apps have 30% common functionality.

We know that most apps will require a user registration system, a profile management tool, a directory for holding data, managing relationships between data.

So we've invested heavily in our business to build all that stuff up front, which means it's ready "out of the box".

And most importantly.... you don't have to pay for the development of features we know you're going to need - which keeps the cost affordable for your business.

Is it worth it for your business to have an app?

We say, yes!

Need help figuring out the best option for your businesses’ app? Give us a shout here.

We’d love to help walk you through it.

Top 7 reasons your business needs a mobile app

Mon, 12 Oct 2020 09:58:06 GMT

“There’s an app for that”

One of Apple’s early campaigns for the App Store is still relevant today. But App Store growth has only accelerated since 2009. And yes, it’s been more than 10 years since that commercial first aired.

But with a growing number of apps available for download on a daily basis, does your business really need one?

The short answer is, “yes”.

In this article, we’ll go over the top seven reasons to consider investing in a mobile app for your business this year.

The top seven reasons to build a mobile app for your business include:

Provide more value to customers
Build a stronger brand
Connect with customers on another level
Boost profits
Remain competitive
Utilize user-generated content
Direct marketing channel

1. Provide more value to customers

While this may not be the case for all customers, many of them don’t mind downloading an app as long as the value outweighs the cost. Keep in mind, your app doesn’t have to cost actual money… it could cost memory space on a customer’s phone! Phone real estate is valuable too.

But if your costumers are asking for it and you already have something that would be valuable (a rewards system for example), ditch the stamp cards and get on an app to keep track of and redeem their rewards.

You could even offer an additional reward for downloading the app. This could even attract more customers if your loyalty program is better and more convenient (i.e. in their mobile wallet) than your competitors’. There’s a reason so many people use the Starbucks app to mobile order ─ why would you order in person when you can order on your phone ahead of time and receive free drinks, snacks, and other rewards?

Plus, then you never need to speak the words “grande iced non-fat, no whip pumpkin spice latte with an extra shot” ever again.

2. Build a stronger brand

Imagine this, your customer opens their phone and sees your logo on their home page. They remember your business and how it’s been a little while since they paid you a visit or ordered their favourite product. Boom! Instant sale.

All just from having an app icon trigger a fond memory! This is called brand recognition and it actually improves the likelihood of a customer making a purchase.

The more they interact with your brand and product, the more likely they are to buy.

3. Connect with customers on a different level

I magine if you could reach your customers directly and instantly whenever you have an interesting offer that might be applicable to them? As long as they have their notifications enabled you can send out messages with valuable offers, in order to remain top of mind.

But beware. Be sure to only send useful notifications. If your notifications become annoying or bothersome in any way (not providing enough value) your customer may turn them off or even delete the app.

4. Boost profits

T his one seems obvious but only works if you build an app that makes it easy for customers to make purchases.

Creating an app can help boost profits and while the cost may set you back some in the meantime, having an app for your business can increase your sales and even provide entirely different sales channels than your previous business model.

Through things like in-app sales, paid service or app upgrades, or retaining customer data to increase conversions (using things like the Apple wallet to store credit card information) are all achievable through a mobile app.

5. Remain competitive

D o all of your competitors have apps? Download them and take a look at what they’re doing, so you can have an idea of how to structure your app when you invest in developing one.

Notice how we said “when” up there? That’s because if you’re in an industry where all your competitors have apps, you’re already behind.

Don’t be too discouraged by that though… being late to the game in terms of app development isn’t necessarily a bad thing. This way, you can look at what your competitors have done (and failed at) and make sure you don’t make the same mistakes. If you improve the experience you could even win over some of their customers, all because your app is better.

6. Utilise user-generated content

You get extra points if you’re considering creating a community component to your new app!

You don’t have to make the next Instagram, or anything like it, to have a good community though. Apps like Kindara have a bustling community where members share questions about their app results, or how to actually use the app properly, that are answered by other members. So you don’t even need a community manager if you structure it in a way that it self manages.

Once your community is strong enough your members will defend your brand and help others to use the app, ensuring they get value from both the technology and the community experience.

Another benefit here is that you can use the user-generated content in your marketing strategies or on your social channels to share what a great time your community is having.

7. Direct marketing channel

B uilding an app provides a direct marketing channel to reach your most dedicated and loyal customers. Reward them by providing value through your mobile app.

You can do many things with your app for your business like provide general info, pricing, reservation/booking forms, messengers, news feeds, and communities.

However you choose to structure your app, it allows all the information your customers will need to be easily accessible in one place. You also get a direct connection through things like push notifications for sales or special offers.

Ready to get an app built for your business?

You're in the right place!

Our approach to delivering unbelievable technology in a short space of time, means we can get your app launched in a fraction of the time.

Click here to start your FREE Trial, and let us deliver you an app in days, not weeks!

10 ways a mobile app beats a website

Mon, 12 Oct 2020 09:28:19 GMT

If you’re like us, you’re probably glued to your phone more than you should be. But to be fair, it’s hard not to be attached to your device when they can do so much.

As the need for these powerful devices continues to grow, more and more businesses are realising the necessity of a mobile app for their business.

Whether it’s to attract more customers, build a community/better brand, or increase revenue, mobile apps for businesses are here to stay. You can embrace them or you can be left behind.

It’s easy to blame your lack of success on the fact that large companies have more resources to build super custom, powerhouse apps while spending marketing dollars to attract customers and downloads. Sure, that’s one theory.

But if you play the blame game and never try building an app for your specific audience (even with a limited budget), you’ll never know if it works for you.

Plus, the stats don’t lie. Research shows that users now prefer mobile apps more than mobile websites. So, even if your site is responsive optimized to be used on a phone, it’s not the preferred choice.

The following are our 10 reasons the mobile app will win over the website:

Personalisation
Notifications
Device features
Offline capabilities
Freedom of design
Branding
Amount of time spent on apps
Positive impact on conversions
Brand presence
Speed

Read on to learn a bit about why an app is the best choice for your business.

1. Personalisation

Can you personalise a mobile responsive website for each user? Is it even possible to know exactly who is using your mobile site at any given time? The answer is no.

Apps offer a way to tailor communications directly to the person using them.

Users set their preferences and let the communications begin! It’s up to you to add value to them by creating a unique and beneficial experience to your app with customised content.

Ultimately, the opportunity for conversions will be much greater using an app.

2. Notifications

Just like you can never know exactly who is on your site at any given time, you never know how to directly reach a potential customer when they’re considering making a purchase.

With notifications, you can!

Through both push notifications and in-app notifications, you can beat email by directly communicating with your customers when they need it the most and are staring down a checkout page ��

The clickthrough rate of notifications is much higher than emails, because they are intuitive and (if done correctly) non-invasive.

3. Device features

M aking the most of the features of the device the user is browsing on is unique to mobile apps.

Increase conversions simply by having an app that allows users to pay with their mobile wallet! They don’t have to go get their credit card and won’t linger at the checkout because typing the credit card numbers makes the purchase more “real”.

Therefore, reducing the actual effort it takes to make a purchase.

4. Offline capabilities

To access a website, you need an internet connection (or you need to be willing to sacrifice your valuable data from your mobile phone plan). To access an app, you just need to have downloaded the app previously on your device.

That means users can access most of your valuable information in the palm of their hand.

Basic features can work without an internet connection. Even the GPS signal works without one! Try it on Google Maps or Apple Maps sometime!

5. Freedom of design

Unfortunately, even if your website is mobile responsive, there’s only so much you can do to make it attractive and perform basic functions.

Mobile websites rely on the mobile browsers for features like “back button”, “refresh button” etc. which is why sometimes support clerks will tell you to use the website in a different browser. Talk about annoying right?

Mobile apps don’t have restrictions like these because the entire thing is designed and coded specifically for your business.

Along with completely customizing the aesthetic design, you can customize the user experience through intricate gestures like taps, swipes, pinches, flicks etc.

6. Branding

As we mentioned, you can completely customize the aesthetic design of your mobile app depending on your brand style and preferences.

Offering yet another way to reinforce your brand recognition on your audience.

Some apps also allow users to customize the appearance depending on their preferences, like Twitter’s “dark mode” for example.

7. Amount of time spent on apps

Let’s face it. Users just spend more time on apps. Period.

In fact, up to 86% of mobile users’ time is spent on apps and a mere 14% on mobile websites. We’d say that’s a clear winner.

While a lot of this time is on social media and gaming apps, it’s still a strong case to create an app for your company that provides value. Starbucks’ customer loyalty app comes to mind because of the convenience and free snacks/drinks you earn for ordering ahead.

8. Positive impact on conversions

If you have an eCommerce store and are looking to increase conversions (who isn't?!) a mobile app is the best way to go.

Mobile apps increase conversions and average order size if they are intuitive and easy to use. They also use device features like your mobile wallet to facilitate easy payments and order addresses.

Mobile apps are also much more targeted, as we’ve seen, so users will feel more value in finding the things they need through the mobile app.

9. Brand presence

Phone real estate is valuable. Because our devices have limited storage, if a user chooses to download your app, you must continue to provide value either through information, community, convenience, or rewards.

In turn, you’ll be rewarded with higher brand recognition and increased brand presence. The fact that users are just seeing your app icon/brand logo on their phone’s home screen is increasing your brand presence every time they open their device, whether they know it or not.

Think of this as a mini advert that gets seen up to 100 times a day!

10. Speed

Okay, at this point it’s just a fact that apps are faster than websites.

If you want to improve the user experience for your customers, give them an app. The customization aspect and non-reliance on browser-based commands alone saves a lot of time for users.

This creates a good user experience and positive associations for your brand.

So, what’s the verdict? A mobile app or a mobile website?

Obviously, both is the correct answer… but if you had to choose one or the other, we hope you will now see the value in creating a mobile app over a mobile website.

It’s a more pleasant experience for the user and offers many benefits to the business including increased order size, direct marketing channels, and “free” advertising on users home screens.

If you have questions about app development for your business, start a conversation with us here.

7 ways to engage your salon clients in the event of a second lockdown

andyspeight06@gmail.com (Andrew Speight) — Fri, 02 Oct 2020 11:32:33 GMT

Editors Note: Always follow Government Guidelines

Marketing is an essential part of owning a salon, especially given the current global health crisis. The first round of lockdowns left salon owners and employees desperate for business, and clients in dire need of service. Understanding the concept of salon marketing and how to target your current (and new) client base will keep you from sinking financially in the event of a second lockdown.

The connections built through marketing tactics

W hen it comes to salon marketing, we want to play on your clients' emotions while asking them to remember why they love your services so much.

It's hard to keep a connection during separation, especially when that time is mandated due to public safety issues.

If lockdowns go into effect once again, it's essential to maintain relevance in your clients' lives, prompting them to schedule appointments or recommend you to others.

Luckily, it's likely that your clients are currently exhibiting higher internet usage than they ever have in the past, which means getting in front of them is easier than ever.

If you don't have an online presence, get one ASAP

Most salons today have an online presence, whether it be a simplistic website or multiple social media channels, salon marketing comes in many forms. Over the past six months, most people have formatted their lives to fit entirely online.

They work and shop online, and they prefer to book their appointments online. An online presence means making yourself and the schedule of your services available right away.

Make sure that your business is easily found on Google, and don't be afraid to dabble in utilizing local search engine optimization.

Perfecting these two aspects of your online presence will appeal to your current customers while allowing new ones to find you.

Engage your social media followers

Engaging social media followers by producing quality content that encourages them to click and share will significantly boost your social media presence, making your salon a real force to be reckoned with.

Use social media outlets to let your clients know what's going on, pandemic rules, and regulations as they pertain to your salon and tidbits of your sought-after expert advice.

Letting them know that you're thinking about them and wishing them well is a beautiful way to get them to log-on and schedule their next appointment, no matter how far out it has to be.

Share your excitement with your followers, and you'll find that it starts to spread.

Create business hours that accommodate your clientele

Your clients likely have schedules that look very different than they previously did. Peaks hours don't exactly look like they used to, so be sure to flow and change with the times.

Clients are likely helping their children with remote-learning, dealing with impromptu zoom meetings for work, and juggling everything else that goes with our "new normal."

If you can, work with their schedules. You won't regret the extra time it takes to make them feel special. After all, they're what makes you successful.

Spruce up your window space

There is much to be said for good, old-fashioned visual marketing.

Department stores have thrived off it for more than a hundred years, and it's still relevant today. Give your window display a pick-me-up, and let everyone know that you're still in business and ready for clients.

Sure, if walk-ins aren't welcome due to safety issues they cause when complying with COVID-19 restrictions, but there are plenty of people out driving and walking by. It's a;so great content to share on social media like Facebook & Instagram.

List your services, business hours, and safety regulations on your window as well.

Now is the time for special offers and VIP discounts

If there's one thing consumers love, it's the feeling of exclusivity.

If you're looking to grab attention from your clients, all while attracting new ones, a special offer or discount is the way to do it.

Perhaps you can advise them to sign up for your weekly emails via your website, and offer them a discount code for £10 off their next appointment. An offer for discounted services may fill the quieter spots that you've got open on your schedule.

You may wish to consider selling gift cards and vouchers, to maintain cashflow. If that's something you're interested in then contact us today as we have a few solutions we can recommend to you.

Maintain the client connection

It's vital to have a plan in place that keeps you in contact with your clients if the world shuts down again.

Please don't risk the losses that come along with failing to stay in touch with them.

They are the lifeline of your business, and it's easier than you think to keep them involved. Whether you share personal stories or business-related information, make some concrete plan to keep them close.

If you're considering getting an app for your business, you can click here to learn more about our Salon Apps.

How (and why) you should get more reviews for your salon.

andyspeight06@gmail.com (Andrew Speight) — Mon, 28 Sep 2020 16:40:14 GMT

All businesses run on positive reviews, and your salon is no exception.

Did you know that 96% of unhappy customers might not say a word to you, but go ahead and tell 15 people about your bad service? Now, add online reviews to the equation. This is how important a customer’s opinion is when it comes to making (or breaking) a business.

Why your salon should strive for those 5-star reviews

You’re the perfect example for this. Take a look:

Whenever you’re about to buy anything; clothes, books, or someone’s services... what’s usually the first thing you do?

You check the product/service reviews.

And you’re right! No one wants to buy something or hire someone who isn’t trustworthy. Whether you’re checking how many “stars” the product or person has or the feedback they’ve received, you’re protecting yourself as a customer by choosing the best options for you.

If your salon’s positive reviews overpower the negative ones, rest assured you’ll get a steady stream of paying customers. Why? Because most of the people who went in loved your service, and the feedback is there to prove it. Reviews are nothing but FACTS that’ll keep them coming.

Now for the million-dollar question…

How can you get more reviews for your salon?

You’ve probably noticed I didn’t fit the word “positive” in there. That’s because negative reviews are inevitable, and even encouraged.

It’s the same thing as when someone says “you can’t make everyone happy”. It’s true, you can’t. But 20 negative reviews when compared to, say, 100 positive ones is a huge step. That’s what you should strive for--improvement, not perfection.

So, how to get those reviews in the first place?

Step 1: Offer great customer service

Most “how to get reviews” articles focus on the reviews only, and not on what comes before them. And that’s outstanding customer service.

Make sure you and your team are trained to give all of your customers the best possible experience. From quickly replying to any doubts on social media to being professional and kind throughout their treatment, that’s the kind of conduct they value.

Great customer service also entails:

Investing in and using high-quality products.
Never (ever!) arguing or lacking respect with your customers.
Replying to their messages and e-mails as quickly as possible.
Making them feel valued and special.

Follow good customer service guidelines, and 5-star reviews and testimonials will be the rule for your salon.

Step 2: Be strategic when asking for reviews

Won’t you come off as desperate if you ask for reviews?

The answer is no!

Truth is, if you don’t ask for the review, you’ll probably never get it. Your customer might not even be aware you’re collecting them, so it doesn’t hurt to let them know.

Still, there’s a right and wrong way to approach your customers.

The wrong way: “Could you leave a 5-star review and a nice comment on our site/profile?”

Now that sounds desperate. What if the customer didn’t feel like the salon deserves 5 stars, but rather 4? What if they want to leave a line of constructive criticism instead? It’s their call, not yours. By doing that, you might discourage them from leaving any comments at all.

The right way: “Hey, could you leave us a review whenever you get the time? It means a lot to us.”

And there you have it. A kind, honest approach they’ll likely remember. If they don’t, don’t nag them. You can get reviews from other customers.

Another tip is to never rush them or ask more than once. Wait until you’re done with their appointment to let them know you’d love to get a review from them.

Step 3: Make reviews accessible and quick

Whenever you ask a customer to leave you a review, be sure to let them know where (and how) they can do it.

Will they fill out a form in your salon? Will they have to access your website? Whatever you choose, you need to make it ready and simple.

Of course, you won’t make them answer pages of questions. Something simple like a star-rating system and a small section for comments will do. If you’d prefer, add a small optional section for constructive criticism, but keep it at that. Remember that customers might be in a rush!

Did you know...

Our apps for salons & barber shops can come with a review system, that is quick and simple for your customers to share feedback and rate your service. More importantly, you're in complete control, able to publish, unpublish or even delete reviews with just a few clicks.

Click here to learn more about these apps and the review system.

Step 4: Don't be scared to flaunt your reviews

Got one or more sizzling 5-stars? Use them. They’re your most powerful advantage.

If you can, create a highlight section on social media dedicated only to your best reviews. This will help potential customers find them easily and immediately know they’re in the right place.

If you have a website, it’s a great idea to reserve a testimonial section to your homepage. Add the best reviews as a slideshow, or create a separate page for them. Believe it: they play a crucial role in prospects' decision-making process.

Step 5: NEVER reply rudely to bad reviews

It’s tough. No one likes to have their work publicly diminished. But hey, it happens. And the sooner you learn to deal with it, the faster you and your business will grow.

Some bad reviews will contain good advice in disguise. In this case, it’s a bonus. But some of them will be downright awful, and maybe even unnecessary. You’ll be mad and frustrated, and want to reply at the same level.

DON’T.

Potential customers will read that, and in their heads, you could treat them just as badly. So, it’s a no-no.

Your approach should be to remain classy. Apologize, and tell them you’ll do better next time. Finish off by telling them their comments help your business improve, and that you’re thankful. Is that hard to do? You betcha. But that’s also how you win.

You can also help you customers give you better feedback. If you see a negative review, you could reply by saying "If you had told me about this at the time, I could have done something about it. Next time, please ask for me personally if you're not 100% satisfied"

Earning reviews for your salon will get easier the more you do it. In fact, customers might be so happy with your service, you won’t even have to ask them in the future.

5 ways barbershop owners can save money without sacrificing customer experience.

andyspeight06@gmail.com (Andrew Speight) — Mon, 28 Sep 2020 14:38:16 GMT

Every pound that you save is a pound that can be reinvested into your business. However, it’s important to make sure that you don’t sacrifice customer experience while cutting costs. So how can you reduce expenses while keeping your customers happy? Here are five ways to do exactly that..

#1 Automate appointment scheduling

Does this scenario sound familiar:

Customer books an appointment. They forget about it and don’t show up. You are now left with an empty slot in your schedule.

You are in the service business. Time is money. And missed appointments mean lost revenue. You can’t let this go on.

Fortunately, this problem is easy to solve: invest in an appointment scheduling software.

An app like that should allow customers to:

See available slots online.
Book their appointments online.
Cancel their appointments online.

And, most importantly, it should send them an automated reminder on the day of their appointment.

You may be surprised how effective appointment scheduling software can be at reducing missed appointments.

A lso, customers tend to appreciate the reminders, so it’s a win-win

#2 Create Standard Operating Procedures

Standard Operating Procedure (SOP) is a checklist that tells you how to do a particular business task.

You may want to consider creating SOPs for:

Opening and closing your barbershop.
Cleaning and maintenance.
Managing the inventory.
Each service that you provide.
Handling finances.

It makes sense to optimize these tasks, then turn them into SOPs.

This may seem weird at first, but the reality is that without SOPs, we all make a ton of small errors that add up to a lot of wasted time.

And, once again, time is money in this line of work.

#3 Optimise inventory sourcing

Inventory is a major expense.

Even seemingly insignificant price differences will add up to a substantial amount of money over the lifetime of your business.

That is why it makes sense to do everything in your power to get the inventory you need for the best prices possible.

And don’t be afraid to negotiate. You may find that suppliers are more open to it than one might expect. You won’t know until you try, though.

Just make sure that before you do, you learn the basics of negotiation.

You can start with the book “Never Split the Difference” by Chris Voss.

#4 Learn online marketing

Marketing may seem overwhelming.

It was easier back in the day when pretty much all you could do was put flyers into people’s mailboxes.

Now there’s SEO, there’s social media, there’s paid advertising...

Well, the goods news is that it’s probably safe to say that the vast majority of barbershop owners feel just as overwhelmed as you do.

This means that investing in learning online marketing can give you a tremendous competitive advantage. But where should you start?

You can search for “barbershop marketing”, but you are unlikely to develop a solid understanding of online marketing that way.

Do this instead:

Read through Taylor Pearson’s list of best marketing books to build a foundation
Read through Backlinko archives to learn about search engine optimization (SEO).
Read through Sumo archives to learn about a wide variety of online marketing topics.

Once you have done these three things, you will be light years ahead of an average barbershop owner in terms of marketing knowledge.

At that point, you should be able to create and execute a marketing strategy, evaluate the results, and make adjustments as needed.

And yes, getting there will require time, energy, and perseverance. But you should see this as an investment in your business.

Or would you rather keep burning money on haphazard marketing efforts that never seem to work?

FYI...

If you don't have enough time to figure out online marketing, let us manage it for you!

#5 Spoil your customers

Attracting new customers isn’t enough. You need to retain them.

That’s why you should relentlessly look for ways to improve customer experience.

Here are some ideas:

Create a pleasant environment in your barbershop.
Show genuine interest in your customers.
Offer a free service on their birthdays.

You can also look at barbershop reviews online and discussions in relevant forums to better understand what your customers are looking for.

Be prepared to go that extra mile to provide excellent customer service.

After all, it’s your regular customers that keep your business afloat, so it makes sense to show some appreciation.

Conclusion

You should never sacrifice customer experience in an attempt to cut costs. That would be penny-wise and pound-foolish.

You can reduce expenses with the right software, better business management practices, and online marketing knowledge.

Don’t be afraid to invest in these three things. It will pay off in the long run. And the long game is the only game worth playing.

How to promote your salon through partnerships

andyspeight06@gmail.com (Andrew Speight) — Fri, 11 Sep 2020 07:51:38 GMT

Does this sound like your salon business…

You deliver a great service, but you want to grow the number of clients for your salon or barbering business?

You struggle to balance your time between finding new clients and serving your existing ones?

You’re bored of reading generic articles on how to promote your salon business that don’t actually give you any practical, step by step instructions?

Wouldn’t it be nice if….

There was a clear and simple plan that was easy to follow?

You didn’t need to spend money on advertising?

You put the effort in once, but benefit time and time again?

You have a constant source of new clients for your business every month?

Then this partnership guide for promoting your salon business is for you!

What do we mean by partnerships?

It sounds like a fancy corporate word, but it’s actually pretty simple. And you may have already executed one in your business without realising.

In this article, we think of a partnership as providing something valuable to an organisation, and in return, they promote you to their audience.

That’s it.

You may not realise it, but you’re not just a stylist or a barber. You’re in the content creation business too. Your knowledge, your experience and your skill is valuable. Capturing that and sharing it with organisations that have a large audience of your target client is the aim of the game.

By partnering with organisations that are not your competitors, but still have a large audience of your perfect clientele, then you have an opportunity to acquire new clients month after month, without having to spend a fortune on advertising

Here’s a quick example:

Sam runs a small salon that caters for men and women.

Sam is struggling to find new customers.

Sam creates a helpful, 2 minute video that teaches men how to prepare their skin before shaving.

Sam shares this video with all the local Football and Rugby clubs, offering a 10% discount on any booking before the end of the month.

Collectively, 1000 people see the video and 10 people book an appointment to get a haircut.

For just a few minutes of recording a video, and the time it takes to contact 10 sports clubs, Sam has acquired 10 new clients.

By the end of this article, you’ll learn everything you need to launch your first partnership.

The PEB strategy:

The PEB strategy outlines three key concepts, to help you set this up the right way:

Partnerships
Education
Bookings

Partnerships

This strategy is based on your ability to find local organisations, that already have an established audience, that contain your perfect clients.

You will not be partnering with other salons and barbers, you’ll be partnering with non-competing organisations that just happen to have the audience you want.

Another important factor is to identify organisations that are already sharing content with their audience via social media and email on a regular basis, which we’ll learn more about later in this guide.

Education

The key to making this work, is to deliver educational content to other audiences, that is actually helpful and valuable.

You’re not going to try and “sell” your services to them because that won’t work. In general, people are extremely good at identifying sales messages and ignoring them.

You’re going to create useful content, they delivers value straight away.

Bookings

By sharing helpful and educational content, you’re demonstrating authenticity and building trust.

Once the viewer realises you’re based in the local area, the relevance of your content increases significantly. As long as you’ve targeted your partners correctly, a percentage of that audience will make an appointment with you.

We want to create a “rinse & repeat” strategy here, so that for every piece of content you create and share with a partner, it leads to a constant source of new customers for your salon or barbering business.

Step 1: Create a “wish list” of your top 20 ideal partners

What makes a good partner?

The partner has to have an audience that’s local to your business. There’s no point in partnering with an organisation whose audience is in London, if your salon is in Birmingham.

The partner should have an established audience that includes your target clientele. If you specialise in women's hair, don’t target a partner with a predominantly male audience.

The partner should not compete with your business. This is a creative way of getting your business in front of potential customers, and that won’t happen if the partner risks losing theirs.

The partner should already be sharing content with their audience via social media and email on a regular basis. Creating content for an audience consistently is hard, so if you approach an organisation that already does it, you’re making their life easier, and they’ll be much more receptive to your pitch.

Partnering with an organisation that doesn’t already share content on a regular basis, will be more of a challenge as it’s not something they normally do.

Don’t go for the biggest partners straight away

The size of the partner you approach must be similar to the size of your business or smaller.

If you’re a one person business, then it’s unlikely a large organisation of many thousands of followers will respond to your request. They will probably want to work with an established salon that has multiple locations, and lots of staff.

Although it’s tempting to go for the biggest opportunities first, you’re actually more likely to succeed if you start with lots of smaller partnerships and build yourself up from there.

Create your list

As the old saying goes “It’s not what you know, it’s who you know” and this is the perfect opportunity to look at all your friends, family and contacts and see if there are any partnership opportunities available to you through the people you already know.

The next best solution is to focus on your contacts, contacts. Who are your friends and family connected to, that they could introduce you to? A warm introduction is going to make this process far easier and enjoyable.

Research potential partnership organisations through the following:

Local social media accounts (Food bloggers, local influencers)
Local social media groups (Buy sell groups, local business groups)
Local clubs, societies and membership organisations

Be sure to identify the relevant persons name and contact information (Email, phone number, direct message etc)

Keep researching until you have a list of 20 potential partners to contact.

Step 2: Create educational content

From your research in step 1, you’ve identified partners who need content to share with a local audience, that could become your customers.

You should create a short piece of content that is useful, practical and relevant to your target audience.

You don’t want it to appeal to everyone, you want it to REALLY appeal to a smaller subsection of that audience

Ideas:

How to prepare for a shave properly
Quick tips to style your hair for after work drinks
How to freshen up post workout hair
Etc

With videos becoming the most widely shared type of content, this is the preferred medium. Don’t get hung up on production quality, just take out your phone and create a quick video that helps people.

At the start of your video, introduce yourself and be sure to state what the viewer will be able to do if they watch it all the way to the end

At the end of the video, be sure to tell your viewers how they can stay connected (E.g. Visit our website on www.something.com to book an appointment or follow us on Instagram @yourprofilename)

If you’re not comfortable with creating and sharing a video, then create a written article that can be shared.

Once you’ve created your content, make sure it’s shareable with partner organisations. If you’re using video, consider uploading it to YouTube or if you’ve created an article, send it in an email or direct message.

Step 3: Pitching your first partnership

Your goal is to establish an ongoing relationship, with a number of local organisations that are happy and willing to promote your content to their audience.

To do this, you need to pitch this to potential partners the right way.

How to write your partnership pitch

There are three parts to a successful partnership pitch:

Setting the relationship
Win/Win benefit
A clear ask

Setting the relationship - This is where you explain how you’re connected to the partner, so there’s a legitimate reason to get in contact with them. Even if you don’t know them personally, you can say you’re a fan of their work or have friends that are connected to them in some way.

Win/Win benefit - This explains why this will benefit them and their audience.

A clear ask - A final question, that is very easy for the partner to say “Yes, I’m interested” or “No thanks”.

An example partnership pitch

Here’s an example where an owner of an independent salon, pitches a local Rugby club:

Hi Simon,

Sam here from the Elegant Salon on the high street in town.

This might seem random, but a friend of mine shared your recent Facebook post about your win on Saturday (Congrats!)

I couldn’t help notice that most of the team in the picture have beards, and I wondered if some male grooming tips might be something they’re interested in?

Here’s a link to a short video I made, that teaches men how to prepare their skin before shaving to reduce cuts and shaving rashes (you want the team to look good before your next match!)

As a special offer, I can give members of your club 10% discount cards and a free beard trim if they book an appointment before the end of the month.

Is that something you’re interested in?

Sam

Setting the relationship

You’ll notice this message doesn’t start with “To whom it may concern” or “Dear sir/madam”
The message starts by setting the relationship, so the recipient understands how you’re connected
By congratulating the recipient on the recent win, it demonstrates friendliness and relevance
This increases the chance of the recipient reading and responding to your message

Win/win benefit

The letter highlights the players on the team all have beards
People who have beards may or may not want some help in keeping it well groomed
For those that do, some free help and information is valuable
You’ve made it easy, because you’ve already made the video and shared it straight away
You’ve delivered value, before you’ve asked for anything in return

A clear ask

The second to last sentence outlines an offer that is better than most people get, just because they are members of that rugby club
The offer is extremely clear
The final sentence ends with a straight forward Yes / No question, which makes it an easy decision for the recipient

Step 4: Pitch all of your partners

Now that you’ve done this once, it’s time to send this pitch out to all of the partners on your list.

Adapt the wording each time, to make sure it’s relevant, and ticks all the boxes that we’ve talked about in this article.

By the end of this process, you will have created a valuable piece of content that will get shared by a percentage of partners on your list.

More people will be aware of your salon, which will lead to more enquiries and more appointments.

Step 5: Rinse & repeat

Everything covered in this article can be repeated on a monthly, weekly or even daily basis. It only takes a few minutes to record a helpful video on your phone and is limited only by your creativity.

It might take a bit longer to research different partners to contact, but they’re out there.

You only need a few partners with large enough audiences that are happy to share your videos on a regular basis.

This will bring in a steady stream of new clients for your business, without the need to invest in advertising, month after month.

And if you really want to impress your clients…

Why not take a look at our affordable salon and barbering apps, that provide powerful features such as online appointments, email reminders, team profiles, price list, a style swiper tool, reviews and an online shop and more!

Check out our Salon and barbering apps here.

How much does it cost to make an app?

andyspeight06@gmail.com (Andrew Speight) — Mon, 07 Sep 2020 13:27:41 GMT

How much does it cost to get a mobile app built for your business?

This article will help you get your mobile app idea out of your head and launched to the world in the most cost effective way.

By understanding how mobile app development is priced, will help you make more informed decisions during your research. This will help you define the most important requirements you need to launch your app in a cost effective way.

Estimating the cost of your app:

When it comes to estimating the development cost of your mobile app, you need to consider the two main factors involved which are:

Development time
Data Storage

Most mobile app development agencies will not quote you on the value of the end product, they will calculate a development cost based on how long it will take to build, and how much it will cost to run on an ongoing basis.

The more complex a mobile app is, the longer it will take to design and build, therefore the time cost will be higher.

Likewise, if your app only requires a small amount of data, the hosting and storage costs will be significantly lower than if you were to build a mobile app like Instagram (Just think of the millions of photos that are uploaded every day!)

You also need to consider how your app will be distributed. There are additional costs associated with distributing your app, whether that's direct distribution or via the Apple or Android App Stores.

On a scale of 1 - 5, ask yourself the following questions:

How complex is your app idea?
How much content/data will your app need to store?
How do you want your app to be distributed, and if that includes the Google Play store or the Apple App store?

Once you understand this, then you are able to explore different mobile app development solutions and discover how much each app development agency will charge you to bring your app idea to life.

What options are available to make an app?

As with most things in life, you can do it yourself, or you can pay somebody to do it for you.

If you have more time than money, then learning how to build an app yourself might be the right option for you. But if your app idea has any level of complexity, then it may take you many months or years to deploy a high quality, professional mobile app that "Wows" your intended audience.

If you're ready to invest in your app idea, then working with a professional app development company to handle the entire project management process will be the right option for you, and that's what the rest of this blog post is all about.

How to find the right development agency for your app?

Most people start with a search on Google, and explore the first few results.

You'll probably discover that most app development agencies won't display any information about how they price their app development process, because they provide a completely bespoke solution, and will need to quote for each individual project based on their hourly rate.

Here are some key points to discuss when talking to potential development teams:

Define your budget

As the saying goes within the tech industry "Anything is possible if you have enough time and budget". If you can think it, then it can probably be built as an app. But your time frame and budget will dictate how it gets built. By understanding your budget and price range, the development team should be able to outline the best way to calculate the development cost.

Outline your objectives

There are always multiple solutions to any project, and the one you have in your head may not necessarily be the best course of action. By outlining your objectives of the app with the development team, you will give the relevant context needed, to align with the vision of the project. This will help everyone involved in the development process identify your starting point, understand the end goal, and then work collaboratively to get there in the best way possible.

Features

Make sure you're clear on all the features you want to include in your app and what the user experience should be like. More importantly, you should rank those features in order of importance. If you create a dream list of 10 features, but your budget only allows for 8 of the 10, then you need to be confident in what stays and what goes on the road map for a later date. You should also be aware that different features have different levels of complexity, so talking to the app development team about which ones take longer than others is important. For example, a messaging system within your app introduces complexity and hosting costs, so a viable solution might be to link to a social media messaging system or Whatsapp to start with.

Look & feel

What will your app look like? The visual design process is critical to the success of an app development project, making sure your users have a beautiful user interface that's easy to use. Talk to your app development team about how the design process works, and if it's included as a key milestone of the project.

Where is your money being spent?

If the app development company you're talking to is building you a custom mobile app, then you should find out where your money is being spent. For example, most mobile apps require a user profile, sign up and log in feature. Are the other app development teams coding this from scratch? Here at Smartichoke, we've invested in building tools that allow us to deploy the most common features quickly, resulting in less development time and reducing the average cost to launch. Ask yourself if you want to allocate 20% of your budget on things that almost every app needs.

Ongoing costs

As mentioned earlier in this blog post, you should discuss the ongoing costs associated with hosting your app. Generally, this is priced on a per GB of data, per month fee. It may seem expensive compared to the amount of data you get with you smart phone contract, but you need to remember that you're investing in a robust infrastructure that hosts your app securely.

Similarly, if you want your app to be made available to download from the Apple and Android App stores, then these companies charge a fee for that. At the time of writing this blog post, Google charge a one time $25 fee to make your app available to download on Android phones from the Google Play store and Apple charges a $99 per year fee to make your app available to download on iPhone's from the Apple App store.

In addition to hosting, you need to be clear on the support and maintenance costs. Clear communication with your software development team to ensure your app is available, working and secure is a must, so make sure this is something you talk about.

Project timeline & key milestones

The app development teams you talk to, should outline a clear project timeline and milestones. This should give everyone involved a clear understanding of who is doing what, and when. Payments should be tied to milestones that have been completed successfully, so that the project progresses, is managed well and launches on time.

It's common to outline projects in the following way:

Sign contract & pay deposit
Design stage
Build stage
Client Quality Assurance Stage
Project Completion
Launching an MVP

In technology, especially when launching an app, it's important to be aware of the concept of "Minimum Viable Product" or MVP for short. This is where you launch your app as quickly as possible, to get it into the hands of your users, and then adapt and make changes to the app based on their feedback.

Most app development companies will be eager to build exactly what you ask for, using up all of your development budget on the V1 of the app, leaving you without much flexibility to make changes. Here at Smartichoke, we're focused on your success and want to develop a long term partnership. This means we'll help you understand what your MVP should look like, launch your app quickly, and help you reach product market fit.

Yes, but how much will it cost to build my mobile app?

We know it can be confusing, but application development costs are very much based on "it depends".

We want to make it easy for you, so if you're interested in having a relaxed, informal chat to discuss your idea then please schedule a call with us here.

In the mean time, here are some average costs to help estimate your development budget:

Typical application development hourly rates *

Small team = £50 - £100 per hour
Medium team = £100 - £150 per hour
Large team = £150+ per hour

Typical time to build an app *

Low complexity app = 10 - 12 weeks
Medium complexity app = 23 - 25 weeks
High complexity app = 35 - 38 weeks

Typical usage of 1GB of data *

614 photos (Based on 1.5mb per photo)
18,874 word documents (Based on 50kb per document)
3146 PDF documents (Based on 300kb per document)
3860 Powerpoint Presentations (Based on 10 simple slides per powerpoint)
230 songs (Based on 4mb per song)

*Source

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