August 15, 2022 • 18 mins
Today we’re speaking with Tracy Brucks, owner of Style and Grace Salon & Day Spa in Champaign, Illinois. Tracy chats with us about her experience navigating the salon and spa business as a new salon owner. After she took over an existing salon business, she both rebranded her business and expanded digital marketing efforts. Listen in as we discuss:
- Buying an existing business, rebranding, and revisioning
- Google reviews in service-based businesses
- Navigating Covid in a salon business
- How to build trust and clear communication with your clients
- How to improve business by tracking leads
- Investing in marketing and advertising
- New updates coming to her business soon!
Here at Hibu, we’re dedicated to helping small businesses across America succeed and grow. If you liked what you heard on this episode, make sure you subscribe and leave a review! As we discussed, sharing great reviews is key to succeeding online – even for a podcast.
Small Business Small Talk powered by Hibu gives you the insider expertise your local business needs to compete online. Small Business Small Talk brings you informative conversations with digital marketing experts who specialize in online marketing for small and medium-sized businesses.
➜ Listen to Small Business Small Talk powered by Hibu on all your favorite podcast listening platforms
➜ Style and Grace Salon & Day Spa:
https://www.styleandgracecu.com/
https://www.facebook.com/styleandgracesalondayspa/
https://www.instagram.com/styleandgrace_salon/
________________________
Get a Free Digital Marketing Score for your Small Business:https://hibu.com/free-tools/online-performance-report
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Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Ian Messinger (00:01):
Hi, I'm Ian Messinger with my co-host,
Lauren Blackford.
Lauren Blackford (00:05):
Hey there.
Ian Messinger (00:05):
Thanks for joining us for this episode of
Small Business Small Talkpowered by Hibu. At Hibu, our
goal is to help local businessesacross America succeed and grow
with digital marketing. And agreat way to do that is to hear
firsthand stories of how actualbusinesses have used digital to
reach their specific customers.
Today, we're talking with TracyBrucks, owner of Style and Grace
Salon and Day Spa. Tracy,welcome to Small Business Small
(00:28):
Talk.
Tracy Brucks (00:30):
Well, hello.
Ian Messinger (00:31):
How are you?
Tracy Brucks (00:32):
I'm doing well.
How are you guys today?
Good. Good. Feels like seeingsomeone we already know. Since
we've, we've worked togetherbefore. So nice to see you.
Again.
It's nice to see you as well.
Ian Messinger (00:40):
So today, we really just want to talk about
you know, we've spent a few ofthese podcasts talking about
different industries andbusinesses within those
industries. And today, we reallywant to learn about your
experience in the in thepersonal care sector and with
your salon. And I think whereI'd love to start is if you
(01:03):
could just kind of tell us thestory of how Style and Grace
came to be.
Tracy Brucks (01:08):
Well, Style and Grace is a full salon and day
spa. And I was an employeeformally at that establishment
for a little over 20 years. Andbehind the scenes, the owners of
the company came to me and said,hey, have you ever thought about
doing this on your own? And Ihadn't. So next thing I do, I am
(01:28):
scrambling and decided, I thinkit's a great idea. And next
thing I know, I'm walking in andsaying "hello, everyone, I have
now purchased the business." Andthis is what we're doing. And I
was really blessed. Everyonesupported me stayed on. And
that's how we became Style andGrace.
Ian Messinger (01:45):
Wow. So that's a that's a big change from being
an employee for that long totaking over the business. So
what was that transition like?
You know, were there I have toimagine there were things you
either wanted to change or evenmaybe had to change. You know,
was there? Was there arebranding involved? What did
that look like when you when youtook over as the new owner?
Tracy Brucks (02:07):
Yeah, absolutely.
Well, in the very beginning, Ididn't have the biggest picture
of what I wanted to see havehappened because I was just busy
keeping us afloat. And afterthat, I realized we really need
to get out there and no longerbe "formally known as..." I
really wanted to make sure thebusiness was very successful
prior to so that was very nice.
He had a lot of guests that werealready coming in, I really
(02:29):
wanted to come and make surethat we were known as Style and
Grace. And we were a newcompany. And we were going to
have some fresh looks and somefresh ideas and a new mission
statement. And getting it outthere was very important to me.
Lauren Blackford (02:42):
That definitely says something about
your reputation that you changethe name of the salon, but you
maintain the employees and thecustomers, and they kept coming
back for your services that younow rebranded, how was that
experience for you andmaintaining all of that, but
creating something new?
Tracy Brucks (03:01):
It was... it was a lot. It really was a lot. I was
posed many different questions,even from customers themselves,
like what do you think? And whatare you wanting to do next? And
so that really opened my eyes toknow that they were ready for
new and they weren't ready justfor status quo, they wanted to
change. So that's when I gotbusy and got in there and really
have been done doing a lot inwhich to really change the vibe
(03:24):
of the whole salon. And gettingout there's been it's been part
of the hardest. In thebeginning, we just relied on
social media. And then Irealized that that was not going
to be enough. And that's whereHibu came into play.
Ian Messinger (03:38):
Yeah, I you know, that's a familiar story to us,
you know, folks that are whetherthey're starting a business...
taking over a business... and alot of cases, you know,
inheriting a family business,just that kind of, you know, you
get to that point where yourealize, you know, you want to
make it your own. And maybe inthe process of making it your
own there are marketing andpromotional standpoint, things
(04:00):
that could be changed, maybeimproved, maybe just a, you
know, a hard left in some cases.
So, what did that look like foryou as you started with social
media? And was there a... wasthere a point where, before you
got connected with Hibu, wasthere a point where you kind of
hit a wall and said, I've doneall that I can or was it just
building on what you werealready doing online,
Tracy Brucks (04:22):
it was just building on what I was already
doing, I realized I reallywanted to make an impact with
today's market. Everyone isshopping for the next best
thing. And so, to be out there –and I really wanted to make sure
that what I was selling wasbeing told – and so, us is just
doing just social media wasn'tenough for us anymore. I needed
the website, I needed theinteraction. And I needed to be
(04:44):
able to get in there and be ableto communicate and with all the
different platforms that we'vehad. So far with Hibu I feel
like I've really, really beenmanaging that and doing that to
their fullest potential. Now,finally.
Ian Messinger (04:57):
As you kind of...
I mean, as you mentioned, youhad worked at this salon for 20
years, you've obviously beendoing this a while. What have
you seen out there as far asother similar businesses, what
they're doing to promotethemselves? And you know, have
you? Have you learned from them?
Have you learned, oh, hey, I cando that too. That would be
great. Or have you? Have youseen things where you've gotten?
(05:18):
Oh, that's a misstep, that's anopportunity for me.
Tracy Brucks (05:21):
I've seen a little bit of both, I'll be honest,
because I do pay attentionbecause I try to keep up with
the trends. And that's one thingthat I think for myself,
personally, I get behind when itcomes to just what the look of
what people are wanting to see.
And that's only on social media.
That's nothing that you guys areproviding. For us. It's the
platform itself. And I'vedefinitely seen a lot of things
(05:41):
I want to stay away from,especially during COVID, a lot
of people showed anger versuscompassion. And it was just a
direction I know, I didn't wantto go. To be honest with you, I
don't have the best answer. Whenit comes to watching what other
people are doing or aren't doingand where I just always no, I'm
focusing on myself as to what Ithink that our business and
(06:01):
branding needs to be done.
Ian Messinger (06:03):
No, that's a great answer. I mean, that's,
you know, at the end of the day,there's a lot of conventions,
maybe that work for everyone. Imean, you rattle off a few...
you've got to be on socialmedia, you have to have a
website, et cetera, et cetera.
But you know, at the end of theday, it all comes down to an
individual plan for for yourbusiness and what you want it to
look like and what kind ofresults you want to you want to
get out of it.
Tracy Brucks (06:25):
Absolutely.
Lauren Blackford (06:27):
So, Tracy, let's talk about reviews.
Because we know in the serviceindustry reviews are key right
now, they've almost replacedword of mouth -- and you have
almost 300 reviews. So, talk usthrough how reviews became an
important part of your digitalmarketing.
Tracy Brucks (06:45):
While reviews are like many interviews, I mean,
people are going through andthey want to know, before they
send money or decide they wantto spend money with you, as a
business, they're gonna gothrough and do all of their
homework. That's why it's soimportant to be on all of the
platforms to make sure they canget all the information they
want. And reviews are huge.
Because I know for myself, evenbefore I go to a restaurant I go
(07:08):
through, and I read a few of thereviews just to see if the
culture is what I'm wanting tosee or if the clients are, well,
yeah, the culture is somethingthat I want to be a part of. And
going through and knowingexactly who you want to see. Or
you might read a review and say,Hey, this is really great, I see
that Stephanie does a great jobwith long hair, that's what I'm
(07:28):
looking for, as a matter offact, and then they can even
cross reference, go to thewebsite, see a picture of the
technician, and be able to textthe technician and then take it
to the next platform to be ableto see her work. So, I mean, it
just it all evolves and playsone after the other. That's for
sure, reviews are veryimportant.
Lauren Blackford (07:48):
I mean, just on a personal note, I'm in the
midst of planning a weddingright now. And I was just
looking at a bridal boutiquenearby, and they have all the
designers that I like, and I wasvery excited. But before
requesting employment, I went tolook at their reviews, and all
their reviews were three starsor less. And I was like no, not
going there. So, it really isamazing. Even if a place has
(08:11):
everything that you think youwant, you don't know until you
look at the reviews and see whatthe service actually is. So it's
super important in all serviceindustries, but especially in
something like a salon or like,you know, Bridal Boutique,
things where service is the mostimportant thing.
Tracy Brucks (08:27):
Absolutely, we're doing... having such a personal
connection... so they want tomake sure that they have that
personal connection, or feellike they can have it once they
walk in.
Ian Messinger (08:36):
Well, I have to imagine the last couple years
with COVID, that that's probablybeen important as well, you
know, there might be people thatare looking to see like, do I
feel safe going here? Am I goingto be comfortable? You know, are
they? What kind of practices dothey have in place for customers
coming in? Like I imagined Icould be wrong. And please
correct me if I'm wrong. But Iimagine it shows up in the
(08:57):
reviews too.
Tracy Brucks (08:59):
Absolutely. You are very right. That was
actually COVID was tough time.
Of course, all of us know what atough time it really was. And
having the platform in which Ihave through Hibu right now, or
at that time. And stillcurrently I was able to stay
connected with my guests and letthem know every what the
mandates were what we are doingand what we were doing in order
(09:21):
for check in and how I meanreally wanted to create an
environment that they knew thatI was taking all of this very
seriously that... updates...
100% as to what we were doing inorder to make sure that they
felt comfortable and safe cominginto the salon and we did quite
a little bit all the way from anoutdoor check in room that we
built for people and then theystayed in with pagers and we
(09:43):
made videos, we were able toshare it all through the
website. I mean, so everyone wasvery well informed. Anytime that
we wanted to go through and ifthere was a new mitigation or a
new change, we were able to goin and directly contact Hibu and
say this is what we need on ourwebsite today, need this to read
and everybody was so responsive.
And so it was, it was perfectthat we were able to keep
(10:04):
everyone. And then our guestslearned where to go, they
learned to go to the website andtake a look, they learned to go.
And so they knew that we werekeeping up and stay on top of
things. So everyone was so wellinformed the whole time, which I
think really, really made, a lotof people feel more secure, and
safe.
Lauren Blackford (10:23):
It touches on a really good point, because you
spent a lot of time making surethat your website and all of
your other marketing had themost up to date information. So
you let your customers know thatthose your website was the
center of your truth. That'swhere you go for any
information. And I think thatcreates a sense of trust between
the business owner and thecustomer. If you know everything
(10:45):
is up to date, and everything isgoing to be updated as quickly
as things were changing, and dochange now, so that your
customers know exactly where togo to find out what they need to
know, which is fantastic.
Tracy Brucks (10:56):
I agree. It was it was wonderful. And they still
now... now they still know thatwe're going to keep everything
up to date no matter what it isbecause they're... I don't want
to say the word trained, but Iknow you guys catch the gist.
Ian Messinger (11:09):
Yeah. You know, I mean, I think I think you've set
a helpful expectation. And theyare now kind of rising to that
and going, hey, you know, maybeit's a holiday weekend, and they
want to find out, oh gosh, I'dlove to go get my hair done
before, you know, the Fourth ofJuly picnic, you know, and they
know they can go and check andsee if you guys are available.
(11:31):
So yeah, I think that's a that'sa good thing.
Announcer (11:38):
You're listening to Small Business Small Talk
powered by Hibu. Hibu is thecountry's leading provider of
synchronized digital marketingfor small businesses, delivering
more visibility more visitors,more leads and more customers
visit us today at hibu.com.
H-I-B-U. hibu.com.
Lauren Blackford (12:02):
We're back with our guest today, Tracy
Brucks, owner of Style and GraceSalon & Day Spa. So Tracy,
taking a look at your dashboard,it looks like your digital
marketing brings in a lot ofleads -- over 4,000 in the past
90 days, which is incredible. Solet's talk about the importance
of the leads that were bringingin for you and the importance of
(12:23):
tracking them, how has thataffected your business?
Tracy Brucks (12:26):
There is one area that I really, really enjoy when
I go through and I open up and Iget to look through my Hibu
dashboard. And that is to seethe call leads, and how often
people are actually clicking andfollowing through and our phones
are constantly going -- and thenseeing that it's working for me.
It's not just somebody callingoff their cell phone, they were
(12:47):
on our website, they actuallysaw what we were about, they
read our mission statement, theydid their homework, and then
they still chose to call us. Andbecause we have the call to
action, and with that justdirectly from the website
that... and then of course theemails as well, we get so many
emails from the website, thatit's really nice to be able to
(13:09):
have people just once again havethat full interaction.
Ian Messinger (13:12):
Yeah, absolutely.
And you know, I imagine as asthe owner and for your
employees, it's also whetherthey think about it consciously
or not, it must be comforting toknow that so many people who are
coming in aren't just kind ofwandering in clueless, you know,
they've engaged with you online,they know what you're all about,
they they know what to expect.
Tracy Brucks (13:33):
Absolutely, and it's really nice because we have
a feature that if they use theiractual the website itself, the
call or the phone number that'sprovided, we can actually record
the audio. And so with that,then I can listen, it's great
for training for receptionist --really great for training with
receptionist if you hearanything -- but you can also
really get to know what thatcustomer is wanting. And they'll
(13:55):
tell receptionists a full lifestory. And so then you get to
know a little bit more aboutthem as well as they're learning
about you. And then we get toreally see what's working for us
and what people are looking for.
Ian Messinger (14:07):
Sure. I mean if you've listened to a dozen calls
and everyone's asking do you do"x" that's probably a lightbulb
moment of oh we better we bettermake a video about that or put a
post up on Facebook saying yeswe do.
Tracy Brucks (14:19):
Or what is that service? I must know right now.
Yeah. I need to bring in that.
I'm absolutely...
Ian Messinger (14:27):
Yeah, yeah, for sure. Without feeling like
you're bragging too much or goahead and brag if you'd like is
there something specific whereyou really feel like you know
with by working with Hibu orotherwise you know, you've
really kind of managed to carveout a space for yourself you
know something that's really aalmost a secret weapon for you.
Tracy Brucks (14:49):
You know what?
Working with Hibu has definitelyis put me I know that my
advertising dollars are going togood use. 100%. I'm gonna be
able to see the number have newguests that we have on a pretty
regular basis trying to come in.
And I mean, I can't say enough,I really can't,. It has really
been worth the investment that Imake every month towards Hibu.
(15:12):
From what I see what the returnof the guests coming back in.
Ian Messinger (15:17):
I love that you use the word "investment,"
because I think that's one ofthe things that can be a
challenge for any small businessis, you know, especially if
they've been around a long time.
You know, a lot of times in thepast advertising used to be
exactly what it says an ad --I'm going to run this ad in the
newspaper. And really now thatwe're talking about, you know,
(15:37):
modern, digital interconnectedmarketing, it is an investment,
it's saying I'm going to carveout, you know, this budget every
month, and I'm going to put ittoward my solution. And it's
going to go to work for me andit's going to generate business.
It's not a one and done, youknow, hey, I hired the you know,
the skywriter to to do somethingthis weekend. So, no, I love
that you use the wordinvestment. That's, that's
(16:00):
great.
Tracy Brucks (16:02):
Oh, yeah, that's you have to divest to get your
return. Short, that's the way Isee it every month.
Ian Messinger (16:07):
Is there anything coming up soon for you in terms
of you know, hey, I'd like to doa little bit more of this or
whether that's through yourmarketing plan, or we mentioned
earlier, maybe things you'veheard guests asking for, and
you're going oh, we need tostart, we need to start doing
that.
Tracy Brucks (16:24):
Honestly, all of my, all of my focus, we're gonna
write to do some more remodel.
Since we purchased the buildingin 2018. It was a
20-plus-year-old building thathadn't had a whole lot of love.
And so we're in the process ofgoing through and redoing all
the floors, we're going to havea big area well, once again, the
website is going to help us outbecause we're actually closing
(16:46):
for a couple of days, and reallynew, it's a big remodel. So
that's creating the newest buzzwith the guests in the salon.
They've been loving watching allthe different things we've been
doing to the salon, and nowwe're doing something really
big, we're redoing all thefloors. So that's, that is my
full attention right at themoment -- making sure everyone's
well taken care of before weclose down, and after and making
(17:07):
sure everyone knows exactlywhat's going on.
Ian Messinger (17:13):
Well, Tracy, thanks for joining us today
sharing your experience and yourknowledge and helping us help
personal care business ownerslike you, or any other local
small businesses across thecountry. And to all of you
listening, it doesn't matterwhat industry you're in, you
need an effective digitalmarketing solution that
generates leads and customersvisit us at hibu.com to see how
(17:35):
Hibu can deliver the kind ofresults you want. If you liked
what you heard on this episode,be sure to subscribe. And please
if you can leave us a review. Itreally does help. This is Small
Business Small Talk... out.
Announcer (17:53):
Thanks for listening to this episode of Small
Business Small Talk powered byHibu. Hibu is a leading provider
of synchronized digitalmarketing for small businesses
across America. With Hibu, youget all the digital marketing
your business needs, all from asingle provider all working
together to maximize results,visit us today at hibu.com.
H-I-B-U. hibu.com.
Hi, I'm Ian Messinger with my co-host,
Lauren Blackford.
Lauren Blackford (00:05):
Hey there.
Ian Messinger (00:05):
Thanks for joining us for this episode of
Small Business Small Talkpowered by Hibu. At Hibu, our
goal is to help local businessesacross America succeed and grow
with digital marketing. And agreat way to do that is to hear
firsthand stories of how actualbusinesses have used digital to
reach their specific customers.
Today, we're talking with TracyBrucks, owner of Style and Grace
Salon and Day Spa. Tracy,welcome to Small Business Small
(00:28):
Talk.
Tracy Brucks (00:30):
Well, hello.
Ian Messinger (00:31):
How are you?
Tracy Brucks (00:32):
I'm doing well.
How are you guys today?
Good. Good. Feels like seeingsomeone we already know. Since
we've, we've worked togetherbefore. So nice to see you.
Again.
It's nice to see you as well.
Ian Messinger (00:40):
So today, we really just want to talk about
you know, we've spent a few ofthese podcasts talking about
different industries andbusinesses within those
industries. And today, we reallywant to learn about your
experience in the in thepersonal care sector and with
your salon. And I think whereI'd love to start is if you
(01:03):
could just kind of tell us thestory of how Style and Grace
came to be.
Tracy Brucks (01:08):
Well, Style and Grace is a full salon and day
spa. And I was an employeeformally at that establishment
for a little over 20 years. Andbehind the scenes, the owners of
the company came to me and said,hey, have you ever thought about
doing this on your own? And Ihadn't. So next thing I do, I am
(01:28):
scrambling and decided, I thinkit's a great idea. And next
thing I know, I'm walking in andsaying "hello, everyone, I have
now purchased the business." Andthis is what we're doing. And I
was really blessed. Everyonesupported me stayed on. And
that's how we became Style andGrace.
Ian Messinger (01:45):
Wow. So that's a that's a big change from being
an employee for that long totaking over the business. So
what was that transition like?
You know, were there I have toimagine there were things you
either wanted to change or evenmaybe had to change. You know,
was there? Was there arebranding involved? What did
that look like when you when youtook over as the new owner?
Tracy Brucks (02:07):
Yeah, absolutely.
Well, in the very beginning, Ididn't have the biggest picture
of what I wanted to see havehappened because I was just busy
keeping us afloat. And afterthat, I realized we really need
to get out there and no longerbe "formally known as..." I
really wanted to make sure thebusiness was very successful
prior to so that was very nice.
He had a lot of guests that werealready coming in, I really
(02:29):
wanted to come and make surethat we were known as Style and
Grace. And we were a newcompany. And we were going to
have some fresh looks and somefresh ideas and a new mission
statement. And getting it outthere was very important to me.
Lauren Blackford (02:42):
That definitely says something about
your reputation that you changethe name of the salon, but you
maintain the employees and thecustomers, and they kept coming
back for your services that younow rebranded, how was that
experience for you andmaintaining all of that, but
creating something new?
Tracy Brucks (03:01):
It was... it was a lot. It really was a lot. I was
posed many different questions,even from customers themselves,
like what do you think? And whatare you wanting to do next? And
so that really opened my eyes toknow that they were ready for
new and they weren't ready justfor status quo, they wanted to
change. So that's when I gotbusy and got in there and really
have been done doing a lot inwhich to really change the vibe
(03:24):
of the whole salon. And gettingout there's been it's been part
of the hardest. In thebeginning, we just relied on
social media. And then Irealized that that was not going
to be enough. And that's whereHibu came into play.
Ian Messinger (03:38):
Yeah, I you know, that's a familiar story to us,
you know, folks that are whetherthey're starting a business...
taking over a business... and alot of cases, you know,
inheriting a family business,just that kind of, you know, you
get to that point where yourealize, you know, you want to
make it your own. And maybe inthe process of making it your
own there are marketing andpromotional standpoint, things
(04:00):
that could be changed, maybeimproved, maybe just a, you
know, a hard left in some cases.
So, what did that look like foryou as you started with social
media? And was there a... wasthere a point where, before you
got connected with Hibu, wasthere a point where you kind of
hit a wall and said, I've doneall that I can or was it just
building on what you werealready doing online,
Tracy Brucks (04:22):
it was just building on what I was already
doing, I realized I reallywanted to make an impact with
today's market. Everyone isshopping for the next best
thing. And so, to be out there –and I really wanted to make sure
that what I was selling wasbeing told – and so, us is just
doing just social media wasn'tenough for us anymore. I needed
the website, I needed theinteraction. And I needed to be
(04:44):
able to get in there and be ableto communicate and with all the
different platforms that we'vehad. So far with Hibu I feel
like I've really, really beenmanaging that and doing that to
their fullest potential. Now,finally.
Ian Messinger (04:57):
As you kind of...
I mean, as you mentioned, youhad worked at this salon for 20
years, you've obviously beendoing this a while. What have
you seen out there as far asother similar businesses, what
they're doing to promotethemselves? And you know, have
you? Have you learned from them?
Have you learned, oh, hey, I cando that too. That would be
great. Or have you? Have youseen things where you've gotten?
(05:18):
Oh, that's a misstep, that's anopportunity for me.
Tracy Brucks (05:21):
I've seen a little bit of both, I'll be honest,
because I do pay attentionbecause I try to keep up with
the trends. And that's one thingthat I think for myself,
personally, I get behind when itcomes to just what the look of
what people are wanting to see.
And that's only on social media.
That's nothing that you guys areproviding. For us. It's the
platform itself. And I'vedefinitely seen a lot of things
(05:41):
I want to stay away from,especially during COVID, a lot
of people showed anger versuscompassion. And it was just a
direction I know, I didn't wantto go. To be honest with you, I
don't have the best answer. Whenit comes to watching what other
people are doing or aren't doingand where I just always no, I'm
focusing on myself as to what Ithink that our business and
(06:01):
branding needs to be done.
Ian Messinger (06:03):
No, that's a great answer. I mean, that's,
you know, at the end of the day,there's a lot of conventions,
maybe that work for everyone. Imean, you rattle off a few...
you've got to be on socialmedia, you have to have a
website, et cetera, et cetera.
But you know, at the end of theday, it all comes down to an
individual plan for for yourbusiness and what you want it to
look like and what kind ofresults you want to you want to
get out of it.
Tracy Brucks (06:25):
Absolutely.
Lauren Blackford (06:27):
So, Tracy, let's talk about reviews.
Because we know in the serviceindustry reviews are key right
now, they've almost replacedword of mouth -- and you have
almost 300 reviews. So, talk usthrough how reviews became an
important part of your digitalmarketing.
Tracy Brucks (06:45):
While reviews are like many interviews, I mean,
people are going through andthey want to know, before they
send money or decide they wantto spend money with you, as a
business, they're gonna gothrough and do all of their
homework. That's why it's soimportant to be on all of the
platforms to make sure they canget all the information they
want. And reviews are huge.
Because I know for myself, evenbefore I go to a restaurant I go
(07:08):
through, and I read a few of thereviews just to see if the
culture is what I'm wanting tosee or if the clients are, well,
yeah, the culture is somethingthat I want to be a part of. And
going through and knowingexactly who you want to see. Or
you might read a review and say,Hey, this is really great, I see
that Stephanie does a great jobwith long hair, that's what I'm
(07:28):
looking for, as a matter offact, and then they can even
cross reference, go to thewebsite, see a picture of the
technician, and be able to textthe technician and then take it
to the next platform to be ableto see her work. So, I mean, it
just it all evolves and playsone after the other. That's for
sure, reviews are veryimportant.
Lauren Blackford (07:48):
I mean, just on a personal note, I'm in the
midst of planning a weddingright now. And I was just
looking at a bridal boutiquenearby, and they have all the
designers that I like, and I wasvery excited. But before
requesting employment, I went tolook at their reviews, and all
their reviews were three starsor less. And I was like no, not
going there. So, it really isamazing. Even if a place has
(08:11):
everything that you think youwant, you don't know until you
look at the reviews and see whatthe service actually is. So it's
super important in all serviceindustries, but especially in
something like a salon or like,you know, Bridal Boutique,
things where service is the mostimportant thing.
Tracy Brucks (08:27):
Absolutely, we're doing... having such a personal
connection... so they want tomake sure that they have that
personal connection, or feellike they can have it once they
walk in.
Ian Messinger (08:36):
Well, I have to imagine the last couple years
with COVID, that that's probablybeen important as well, you
know, there might be people thatare looking to see like, do I
feel safe going here? Am I goingto be comfortable? You know, are
they? What kind of practices dothey have in place for customers
coming in? Like I imagined Icould be wrong. And please
correct me if I'm wrong. But Iimagine it shows up in the
(08:57):
reviews too.
Tracy Brucks (08:59):
Absolutely. You are very right. That was
actually COVID was tough time.
Of course, all of us know what atough time it really was. And
having the platform in which Ihave through Hibu right now, or
at that time. And stillcurrently I was able to stay
connected with my guests and letthem know every what the
mandates were what we are doingand what we were doing in order
(09:21):
for check in and how I meanreally wanted to create an
environment that they knew thatI was taking all of this very
seriously that... updates...
100% as to what we were doing inorder to make sure that they
felt comfortable and safe cominginto the salon and we did quite
a little bit all the way from anoutdoor check in room that we
built for people and then theystayed in with pagers and we
(09:43):
made videos, we were able toshare it all through the
website. I mean, so everyone wasvery well informed. Anytime that
we wanted to go through and ifthere was a new mitigation or a
new change, we were able to goin and directly contact Hibu and
say this is what we need on ourwebsite today, need this to read
and everybody was so responsive.
And so it was, it was perfectthat we were able to keep
(10:04):
everyone. And then our guestslearned where to go, they
learned to go to the website andtake a look, they learned to go.
And so they knew that we werekeeping up and stay on top of
things. So everyone was so wellinformed the whole time, which I
think really, really made, a lotof people feel more secure, and
safe.
Lauren Blackford (10:23):
It touches on a really good point, because you
spent a lot of time making surethat your website and all of
your other marketing had themost up to date information. So
you let your customers know thatthose your website was the
center of your truth. That'swhere you go for any
information. And I think thatcreates a sense of trust between
the business owner and thecustomer. If you know everything
(10:45):
is up to date, and everything isgoing to be updated as quickly
as things were changing, and dochange now, so that your
customers know exactly where togo to find out what they need to
know, which is fantastic.
Tracy Brucks (10:56):
I agree. It was it was wonderful. And they still
now... now they still know thatwe're going to keep everything
up to date no matter what it isbecause they're... I don't want
to say the word trained, but Iknow you guys catch the gist.
Ian Messinger (11:09):
Yeah. You know, I mean, I think I think you've set
a helpful expectation. And theyare now kind of rising to that
and going, hey, you know, maybeit's a holiday weekend, and they
want to find out, oh gosh, I'dlove to go get my hair done
before, you know, the Fourth ofJuly picnic, you know, and they
know they can go and check andsee if you guys are available.
(11:31):
So yeah, I think that's a that'sa good thing.
Announcer (11:38):
You're listening to Small Business Small Talk
powered by Hibu. Hibu is thecountry's leading provider of
synchronized digital marketingfor small businesses, delivering
more visibility more visitors,more leads and more customers
visit us today at hibu.com.
H-I-B-U. hibu.com.
Lauren Blackford (12:02):
We're back with our guest today, Tracy
Brucks, owner of Style and GraceSalon & Day Spa. So Tracy,
taking a look at your dashboard,it looks like your digital
marketing brings in a lot ofleads -- over 4,000 in the past
90 days, which is incredible. Solet's talk about the importance
of the leads that were bringingin for you and the importance of
(12:23):
tracking them, how has thataffected your business?
Tracy Brucks (12:26):
There is one area that I really, really enjoy when
I go through and I open up and Iget to look through my Hibu
dashboard. And that is to seethe call leads, and how often
people are actually clicking andfollowing through and our phones
are constantly going -- and thenseeing that it's working for me.
It's not just somebody callingoff their cell phone, they were
(12:47):
on our website, they actuallysaw what we were about, they
read our mission statement, theydid their homework, and then
they still chose to call us. Andbecause we have the call to
action, and with that justdirectly from the website
that... and then of course theemails as well, we get so many
emails from the website, thatit's really nice to be able to
(13:09):
have people just once again havethat full interaction.
Ian Messinger (13:12):
Yeah, absolutely.
And you know, I imagine as asthe owner and for your
employees, it's also whetherthey think about it consciously
or not, it must be comforting toknow that so many people who are
coming in aren't just kind ofwandering in clueless, you know,
they've engaged with you online,they know what you're all about,
they they know what to expect.
Tracy Brucks (13:33):
Absolutely, and it's really nice because we have
a feature that if they use theiractual the website itself, the
call or the phone number that'sprovided, we can actually record
the audio. And so with that,then I can listen, it's great
for training for receptionist --really great for training with
receptionist if you hearanything -- but you can also
really get to know what thatcustomer is wanting. And they'll
(13:55):
tell receptionists a full lifestory. And so then you get to
know a little bit more aboutthem as well as they're learning
about you. And then we get toreally see what's working for us
and what people are looking for.
Ian Messinger (14:07):
Sure. I mean if you've listened to a dozen calls
and everyone's asking do you do"x" that's probably a lightbulb
moment of oh we better we bettermake a video about that or put a
post up on Facebook saying yeswe do.
Tracy Brucks (14:19):
Or what is that service? I must know right now.
Yeah. I need to bring in that.
I'm absolutely...
Ian Messinger (14:27):
Yeah, yeah, for sure. Without feeling like
you're bragging too much or goahead and brag if you'd like is
there something specific whereyou really feel like you know
with by working with Hibu orotherwise you know, you've
really kind of managed to carveout a space for yourself you
know something that's really aalmost a secret weapon for you.
Tracy Brucks (14:49):
You know what?
Working with Hibu has definitelyis put me I know that my
advertising dollars are going togood use. 100%. I'm gonna be
able to see the number have newguests that we have on a pretty
regular basis trying to come in.
And I mean, I can't say enough,I really can't,. It has really
been worth the investment that Imake every month towards Hibu.
(15:12):
From what I see what the returnof the guests coming back in.
Ian Messinger (15:17):
I love that you use the word "investment,"
because I think that's one ofthe things that can be a
challenge for any small businessis, you know, especially if
they've been around a long time.
You know, a lot of times in thepast advertising used to be
exactly what it says an ad --I'm going to run this ad in the
newspaper. And really now thatwe're talking about, you know,
(15:37):
modern, digital interconnectedmarketing, it is an investment,
it's saying I'm going to carveout, you know, this budget every
month, and I'm going to put ittoward my solution. And it's
going to go to work for me andit's going to generate business.
It's not a one and done, youknow, hey, I hired the you know,
the skywriter to to do somethingthis weekend. So, no, I love
that you use the wordinvestment. That's, that's
(16:00):
great.
Tracy Brucks (16:02):
Oh, yeah, that's you have to divest to get your
return. Short, that's the way Isee it every month.
Ian Messinger (16:07):
Is there anything coming up soon for you in terms
of you know, hey, I'd like to doa little bit more of this or
whether that's through yourmarketing plan, or we mentioned
earlier, maybe things you'veheard guests asking for, and
you're going oh, we need tostart, we need to start doing
that.
Tracy Brucks (16:24):
Honestly, all of my, all of my focus, we're gonna
write to do some more remodel.
Since we purchased the buildingin 2018. It was a
20-plus-year-old building thathadn't had a whole lot of love.
And so we're in the process ofgoing through and redoing all
the floors, we're going to havea big area well, once again, the
website is going to help us outbecause we're actually closing
(16:46):
for a couple of days, and reallynew, it's a big remodel. So
that's creating the newest buzzwith the guests in the salon.
They've been loving watching allthe different things we've been
doing to the salon, and nowwe're doing something really
big, we're redoing all thefloors. So that's, that is my
full attention right at themoment -- making sure everyone's
well taken care of before weclose down, and after and making
(17:07):
sure everyone knows exactlywhat's going on.
Ian Messinger (17:13):
Well, Tracy, thanks for joining us today
sharing your experience and yourknowledge and helping us help
personal care business ownerslike you, or any other local
small businesses across thecountry. And to all of you
listening, it doesn't matterwhat industry you're in, you
need an effective digitalmarketing solution that
generates leads and customersvisit us at hibu.com to see how
(17:35):
Hibu can deliver the kind ofresults you want. If you liked
what you heard on this episode,be sure to subscribe. And please
if you can leave us a review. Itreally does help. This is Small
Business Small Talk... out.
Announcer (17:53):
Thanks for listening to this episode of Small
Business Small Talk powered byHibu. Hibu is a leading provider
of synchronized digitalmarketing for small businesses
across America. With Hibu, youget all the digital marketing
your business needs, all from asingle provider all working
together to maximize results,visit us today at hibu.com.
H-I-B-U. hibu.com.
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