20 Fatal Mistakes Hair Business Beginners Make

As you launch your business, you might be a perfectionist.

But you’ll never get them all right. I recently reviewed some hair extension start-ups.

I’ve been amazed by some, and proud of some, who by the way attended our Hair Business Masterclass. However, there were a handful of mistakes that are instant turn-offs for your customers.

As The world’s first hair business streamer, let me talk to you about them.

If you are looking to start a hair extension business, these tips are for you!

Lame Lead Magnets

Most websites open with a pop-up that takes your email in exchange for a decent discount.

A discount that can be included on the products page already. The one mistake some make is not offering a free item in return, like guides, eBooks, or exclusive privileges. That makes it look like a spam trap.

Avoid it by playing around with your pop-up.

Inconsistent Layout

Scrolling through a website should be a fun ride.

Every section or banner should have a purpose throughout the sales funnel. Make sure it’s visually amusing, not overcrowded, and conveys certain messages that align with your marketing strategy.

Think of it like a header, a footer, and meat and potatoes in between. And understand your medium for full utilization.

Being Color Blind

Using close shades of the same color can hurt the eyes.

Instead, you need to choose colors that don’t blend in. Which contrasts the main points you need to draw attention to. Write your product titles in a deep dark grey to an absolute black. Use complementary palettes or schemes that give the energy of your brand.

And look up color psychology to get a better grip on it.

Not Utilizing Your Prime Real Estate

Why use the home button since all your users know for certain that the logo takes you back home?

They’ve been using the internet for ages. Make your header clean and simple, focusing on the most important pages. And don’t enlarge your logo too big. Because it can push all your content down.

Design a simple logo that scales from social media to the web.

Text Overload

When people are chilling through their online shopping journey and then they encounter a compact bulk of texts.

They tend to become dyslexic. No one reads it. Make sure people can skim through your web copy.

And use your space wisely.

Lousy Domain

As I always keep saying. Forget about personal emails, use a business one.

Even if it’s a little pricey. And I wouldn’t recommend using WordPress or GoDaddy. Shopify will always be better. But don’t leave “Powered by Shopify” as a footnote.

Subscribe to our Hair Business Masterclass to know how to remove it among other things.

Selling Too Much

If your website is all about products, hair bundles, and discounts. People will not consider it.

They will conceive of you as a seller, not a master. Show off your knowledge with blogs and tutorials. And trade your experience for free. That way, they will look up to you, and become more loyal in the longer term.

Because you didn’t compromise your entity for a price tag.

Lazy Selling

If you sell, you must sell it right.

Have fun with your copy. Let them know what will be the feeling of buying from you. Communicate what is so special about you.

Build urgency and inform them what missing your offer might look like. There’s room for your character to shine. Don’t get stuck in the clichés and the business jargon.

Think of it like talking to a friend in a usual hangout.

Not Respecting Their Time

If you use the Contact Us form, be clear about how responsive you are.

Sometimes customer service is more important than sales. People have the right to know how long it takes to address their problems if they ever get one.

It’s that, or a red flag because they feel their complaint is another lost sock in the dryer. And make sure your delivery time is not too long. Because I can assure you that there is always a lot faster competitor living off your falling leads.

So don’t keep them waiting as the whole concept of online shopping and e- commerce is how fast you can serve.

Old Style Windows

If your windows aren’t sleek and up-to-date.

Customers will be discouraged. Benchmark your site to Gucci, they got it right. Know what is new out there. And when you’re surfing the internet as a customer, take notes of what got you and what scared you off. As an example, use button cards instead of dropdowns.

Write good product titles and descriptions that have all the specs. Use good imagery assets that are consistent with your identity. And be sure with just tiny changes you can harvest big rewards. I hope you all have been updating your sites. To become a pro, you must learn from your mistakes.

Your website is the equivalent of your break-and-mortar hair shop. You can’t have a shop with no signs, broken floors, or falling shelves. That’s why in the next couple of weeks, I’ll keep doing these audits and reviews.

Until each one of you got herself an electrifying website. So, let’s dig in.

Being Generous with Pop-Ups

If I went to a website, and it welcomed me with a ton of pop-ups.

I’ll go away instantly. The maximum is always one. If it kept pouring on the customer, the easiest thing would be closing the window and going to the next search result. And of course, those spiny reward wheels were a hit 10 years ago. No one enjoys them anymore.

If you love the concept, you can try reinventing the wheel.

Repulsive Backgrounds

You have to prioritize your focal points.

The user will be exploring your site for the content and the offers. How the models look using your products. And how it can go with their style. Don’t overestimate your background. It’s always risk-free to go with a white background.

That lets your lace frontals and closures shine.

Flashy Banners

Besides using a one-row navigation bar for your pages.

You should avoid using ongoing banners. They actually slow down your website. Give every message its space. Without any recurring action.

You might benefit from making up variations of it which lead to a better performance score for SEO.

Confuse Customers

Shopify has been expanding to different regions.

You can look cool if you’re selling internationally. But if you don’t make sure to remove the currency button.

You can use fewer distractions.

Disrupted Creative Assets

Designs are your silent copy.

Apple has been selling millions of products based on mastering minimal designs. Your designs and photos need to have a clear focal point that is visible to the user.

Pixelated images will always be your enemy, eliminate them right now. And don’t use images with embedded texts. Separate them to make search engines identify your content better.

If your picture sizes vary, pick one size, ideally a square, and unify your pictures according to it.

Excessive Lists

People always miss their tangible catalogs and fashion magazines. It’s more fun to swipe than to scroll.

Each product gets a visual space which makes it more likely for people to like it.

That’s why you need to make a swipeable section on your website. You can check our Masterclass to learn more about it.

Misleading Pricing

If you mess around with pricing, people won’t trust you.

Because they always get a suspicious sensation when you try upselling to them. Test your buying process by adding them to your cart. Check if the cost is doubled or even discounted.

It can be a problem caused by a partnership with a certain payment method. Either way, verify your process to ensure it makes sense.

Neglecting Social Proof

Sites with zero reviews are like rolling the dice.

It can appear to some people as a social experiment. When people pay upfront, they want to be assured that they won’t be getting into a refund dispute. Or having a bad quality product lying around their home in regret.

Even a couple of reviews can bring a stream of sales. Linking up a review program to your website will turn you into a trustworthy establishment. You can adapt different strategies from referral programs to discounts for honest reviewers.

Because I’m certain that they’re a lot of people out there who have been enjoying what you do.

Poor Quality Logos

If I selected your logo and found out it’s a JPG with corners, you’re dead.

It makes you look unprofessional. It lowers the performance of your site. It destroys your header look.

I can't emphasize the importance of your hair extension branding enough.

And well, it’s annoying. It will take you a second to go to websites like Canva, using a background- removing tool. To get yourself a PNG transparent logo.

You can adjust and scale accurately.

Wandering Buttons

People use social media to get a sense of how your products look in action.

Or how popular you are. If you’re using Shopify, the social media buttons on the footer, are already linked to Shopify channels unless you update them. Link up your social media and ensure they’re consistent in your website's tone of voice and visual identity.

Make sure you’re updating those websites for a monthly check-up.