Unmissable Product & Technique Education at Passion to Profits 3.0

After showcasing all 10 brands over 7 different stands at Beauty Expo in August, Professional Beauty Solutions returned for more unmissable product and technique education with Passion to Profits 3.0, Monday Masterclass – a day designed to help salon owners grow their business and their skills.

Held at the International Convention Centre, Darling Harbour in Sydney on Monday 28th August, Passion to Profits 3.0 was a jam-packed day of education, with PBS flying in industry experts from two of the most innovative skincare and mineral makeup brands in the industry! Speakers included Philip Luque, Director of Artistry Global & Domestic Senior educator for Youngblood Minerals Cosmetics and Dawn Clifford, Senior Director of Education for Image Skincare.

The day kicked off with a Youngblood ‘Look & Learn’ Mineral Masterclass from Philip Luque where he demonstrated the “The Art of Youthful Makeup for Mature Skin”. In this class, Philip highlighted the fact that mature skin has characteristics and needs that other skin does not, therefore the products you use when working with mature skin need to be adjusted to ensure skin is left glowing, without emphasising fine lines. During the second half of the class, Philip showcased another beautiful makeup trend, “Draping – The New Contouring”. Similar to contouring, draping follows the natural bone structure to define, sculpt and create a flawless cheekbone. However, cream blush is used (in two different shades) to achieve a softer, more natural look without the standard brown tones used in classic contouring. 

Guests then joined Image Skincare’s Dawn Clifford for an afternoon of skin peel demonstrations and in-depth training on the newest ingredients and delivery systems which help take Image Skincare’s products and treatments to the next level. They were also treated to a sneak peek of IMAGE MD – a NEW range that incorporates cutting edge ingredients and delivery systems and utilises the latest advancements in skincare technology. Unlike other skincare programs, this collection can be used as a daily, ongoing skincare protocol and will be launching early 2018 in Australia.

PBS prides itself on not only providing leading brands, but also giving professionals the education and marketing support they need to truly succeed. With a gift bag from both events in hand, attendees walked away with a wealth of new knowledge they learned from these two leaders in the beauty and skincare industry. 

For further information on brands distributed by Professional Beauty Solutions, please call 1800 625 387.

Video Marketing and How it Can Benefit your Salon

Video marketing is huge. Creating interesting and fun video content today is quickly becoming one of the most important strategies in your marketing plan, with Facebook’s 4 billion daily video streams having anything to say about it. Whether your forte is Facebook Live, Snapchat, Insta stories or fully fledged YouTube videos, simply said the content you need to be creating and promoting for your salon is video.

Not only are Facebook’s news feed videos gaining more daily minutes watched than any other platform (including YouTube), but video has also taken over Snapchat and Twitter.

YouTube.

Firstly, YouTube is essentially where it all began. Every day people have create careers on YouTube by filming themselves doing something that people will enjoy watching, like discussing their monthly beauty favourites and creating makeup tutorials. This is a massive avenue for salons to leap and take hold of, as therapists not only have immense amount of skill and knowledge that viewers will want, but it acts as a promotional service for your salons and what you offer. Our favourite marketing guru, Gary Vaynerchuk even says that “YouTube is a library of content, 300 hours’ worth of video content are pushed to YouTube very minute”. And it is religiously watched by some of your potential clients.

Facebook.

As you know, Facebook is the leader of all things social. For reaching your clients and potential customers on a large scale, Facebook is key! But not only does Facebook Live work to get people watching and engaged, consider investing small amounts into video ads for your salon that show people what you are all about. Right now, Facebook’s infamous algorithm is focusing heavily on videos, organically improving your reach through these posts. In addition to this, you can target your videos about your latest services and promotions available specifically to; people in your area, people who love beauty salons, have a disposable income for pampering treatments, and so on. Automatically you have gained an audience you may not have reached before and they are already interested, WIN.

Instagram.

Instagram’s new video capabilities, including Insta stories, has changed the way people use the platform. How often do you now find yourself watching the stories of the Instagrammers you are following? Video on Instagram is much more social than it used to be and is great when connecting and engaging (pulling) with your followers, rather than just pushing and promoting. The ability to reply to stories with a video of your own or create an Instagram Live is personal, visual and engaging.

Time for you to kill it at video and become the ultimate marketing machine. Which video platform is your favourite to use?

What is the Digital World Doing to your Skin?

While we all love a good selfie, and can’t get enough of the joys of scrolling through Instagram, can there be such a thing as too much digital dependence?

Credit: Professional Beauty

Essentially, we are spending more time looking at our screens than we do sleeping now, what a comparison!

We champion the idea that social media, and the digital arena is fantastic for your business, as this is simply where the world is living, no doubt about it. But with the growing popularity of staring at a screen for a generous part of the day, comes with some side effects.

Studies have shown that too much exposing your skin to smartphone light and electromagnetic radiation can damage your skin cells and encourage early ageing. Some dermatologists find that the light emitting from the screen can be harmful to your skin, but don’t worry, you have to be using your phone a LOT to show significant signs of damage.

But we’re not just blaming our digital devices. Increasing environmental threats are working to speed up the ageing process, including pollution and sun damage, which can be more harmful to you and your clients’ skin.

What’s the solution? While some believe there is a gap in the market for products and services which protect the skin in this way, but there have been massive advancements in the way of skincare technology and salon machinery that can target skin damage of all types and forms.

One huge leap forward in repairing damaged skin and increased ageing, is LED light. The light emitted from phone and computer screens has a wavelength of 380-500nm, making it a short, high energy wavelength, while the light-emitting diode wavelengths that are found in Dermalux range from 415nm to 633nm and 830nm.

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The Dermalux LED phototherapy has the ability to reduce the appearance of hyperpigmentation, inflammation, contains powerful antibacterial properties and actively rejuvenates the skin, things that smartphone light seemingly adds upon.

Time for your clients to undergo a digital detox, and go under the Dermalux.

6 Reasons To Keep Your Team Well Trained

At Professional Beauty Solutions, we know that in order for you to compete in the changing retail and service environment, while also attracting and retaining great team members, you must offer them the opportunity to learn, grow and get better at their profession.

Take a look below at 6 top benefits of ongoing staff development:

1. KEEP UP WITH INDUSTRY CHANGES.
   The beauty industry is constantly changing, making it so important for a business to progress and evolve continuously to avoid being left behind. Beauty trends and protocols change endlessly so it is also vital to make sure your business is keeping pace with the latest trends and techniques through constant monitoring of your environment, and ongoing team training.
   

2. BE IN TOUCH WITH ALL THE LATEST TECHNOLOGY DEVELOPMENTS.
   As new technology and techniques are being developed all the time, running a one-off training session is no longer sufficient. Regular training needs to take place to ensure that staff are using all the latest technology comfortably and to its full potential. Keep tabs on the media and experts around you for hints of what is yet to come in the industry, from skincare to LED therapy.
   

3. STAY AHEAD OF YOUR COMPETITORS.
   Standing still can kill your business, so by making sure your staff are constantly advancing, you will continue to move forward and remain competitive within the marketplace. When your team has excellent knowledge of ingredients and their impact on the skin, they won’t just sell more, they will instill more confidence into your clients and improve their results with their ambitious outlook.
   

4. MAINTAIN AND ADVANCE EMPLOYEE KNOWLEDGE AND SKILL.
   Although one-off training may be provided to new employees, it’s important that training continues to help develop skills throughout their career. To retain knowledge, skills need to be practiced and refreshed on a regular basis so elements are not forgotten. As famous author and speaker Jim Rohn said “repetition is the mother of skill,” so, follow-up training will make a huge difference to your clients’ experience and your bottom line.
   

5. INCREASE JOB SATISFACTION LEVELS.
   Through continued investment into your team, employees will have a heightened sense of job satisfaction, improving their motivation towards their work. This reduces employee turnover and increases productivity significantly, which directly improves the profitability of your business. Clients love consistency and a high staff turnover will also impact your client retention. Keeping your team upskilled also prevents competitors from taking away your best employees.

How to Turn First-Time Clients into Loyal Customers

Want to keep salon newbies coming back, and re-booking? A lot of it has to do with how you present yourself not only in store, but online as well. The best way to turn a first-timer into a loyal customer is to give them an experience that convinces them to come back.

This experiences starts from their first impression of you online, to the moment they step out the salon doors, making sure your salon space is clean and fresh, you have hired the right people, booking is easy and you continue to interact on social media.

1. Your Salon.
   The top priority is making sure your salon is calming and inviting. What do clients see (and feel) when they first walk through the doors? Are there opportunities to improve your layout or delight clients that you aren’t taking advantage of? It is important to think about what your clients are looking for when they visit you, is it a respite away from home with a luxurious feel, or do you want them to feel homely and comfortable? Not only how the salon looks, but how it feels and smells also play an integral part into the experience. Things like music playing, the scents, complimentary drinks or special services that you provide entice people to come back to reap more rewards.
   

2. Your Staff.
   Finding staff that have a true passion and understanding for not only the products and services you are offering, but the client’s needs as well, is key to running a smooth salon. Happy staff makes for happy clients in any situation, enjoying an extraordinary experience on both ends. The key is to hire staff that have natural customer service skills and passion. These are difficult to train so are integral to have. Promote your staff online by name so your client base gets familiar with faces and names, and teach your staff to also greet people by name when they come in the door
   

3. Your Bookings.
   Booking appointments can be stressful at the best of times, and a big chore for many people. Making this process easy, and even online, is a sure way to get clients to re-book. Online booking systems avoid the phone-tag some stores play to get a hold of someone. This ensures the process is less stressful for the client and easier for you to track your available days and times. Convenience for them means more business for you, as well as the ability to track trends in bookings like popular therapists and services.
   

4. Your Social Media Presence.
   From pre- to post-booking you should have a strong presence online for your clients. From researching your services to reviewing the treatment they had, make sure to keep the conversation going through social media. It is a great engagement tool for you to keep tabs on your clients and cutting through the noise of any other posts your clients are following. Post small bouts of information, humour, inspiration or create your own video content to share each day.

The Influencer Effect

Did you know, 3% of people yield over 90% of impact online? Digital Natives highlights that when a trusted person speaks on their social platforms, others listen, and react.

For decades, consumer purchases were driven by brand loyalty, from what their parents used, or what has the strongest promotion available. Yet, recent times have seen consumers not only embrace digital technology and social media platforms, but rely on it through the power of online recommendation culture, brought to you by influential digital players and aptly named, influencers.

You have probably noticed by now the large amount of people that tune out, skip, or even fast-forward through ads on television and in magazines. They are acutely aware of the fact that they are being advertised to, and switch off.

However, social media stars, including public figures like Kylie Jenner, Hailey Baldwin and Bella Hadid, and YouTubers such as Zoella, Lauren Curtis, Nikkie Tutorials and Manny MUA, among millions of beautiful and personable models and bloggers, have created their own respected businesses built upon their social following and ability to drive millions towards (or away from) one product in the industry.

Consumers as young as 10 and as old as 85 turn to a trusted network of online influencers - who have become business owners in their own right - to make decisions based on their firsthand perspective and experiences. They are not exactly valued for their fame, but for their personality and ability to connect with the people who follow their every move, with their opinions resonating much more effectively than conventional ads do.

Brands are becoming less obsessed with ‘household names’ and more focused on ‘handheld names’.

Any given influencer can have reach up to millions and beyond, while your trusty beauty magazine may only have a readership of 40,000, with influencer marketing becoming 11 times more effective than banner ads. This strong hold on the public only works to highlight why the digital arena is where your salon marketing is heading, with genuine, trusted recommendations from their favourite influencer being proven to be the most powerful way to influence consumer behaviour.

But how?

Online recommendations from anyone other than the brand themselves generates trust.

Twitter studies have reported that people now trust influencers nearly as much as they trust their friends and neighbours. These trendsetters can drive a conversation about a brand or product faster than it takes to design a print ad, and receive double the attention. The relatability, expertise and relevance to their audience drives SEO, engagement and a genuine wave of interest from their authentic followings.

Back in the day, consumers took top-down marketing and ran with it, as it was the only form available essentially. But now we operate in a time where consumers have grown distrustful of brand messaging and brand partnerships that feel inauthentic. Consumers are smart; they are able to identify when a message is forged by the brand itself. Bloggers and vloggers have insights into their audience and are able to not only navigate channels but inspire their followers in ways brands cannot.

Why not capitalise on that? Influencers go into your salons too, and you may not even know. With 92% of women considering online reviews extremely important when making a purchase, it is time to do your research on who you need to know and develop relationships with to create authentic, meaningful content to a wide audience of millions.