Bertie's Barbershop: A Journey into Strategic Marketing Excellence

Abstract

In a bid to investigating the old and new DNA marketing strategies in Bertie’s barber shop, this paper will look into the marketing mix, technology advancement in business, and also STP. Clearly, the biggest strength of Bertie’s barbershop is that it provides quality services to its customers. On the other hand, its biggest weaknesses that the company faces are stiff competition from already established barbershops within Bristol and also lack of waiting chairs, as the shop does not have enough space that can accommodate many people. This report aims to provide various recommendations, which if the company implements, would aid in fighting its weaknesses and majoring on its opportunities. For those needing assistance, seeking marketing dissertation help can provide additional insights into effective strategies for addressing these challenges.

Introduction

Presently, businesses have opted for new DNA marketing strategies, as they have been found to be better than the old DNA marketing strategies. This is in terms of the gradual adoption of technological advances by both customers and businesses. New DNA marketing strategies involve technology, which connects most people across the globe to businesses, thus creating a platform for interaction and sales. Technology introduced the internet, where various social media channels like Facebook and You Tube are found. Most people prefer using social media because of many reasons, which in turn, are beneficial to businesses. Some of the advantages of using social media are that it is affordable and most people can interact with each other while sharing information and opinions regarding some issues. Bertie’s barbershop was introduced recently by a 22 year old young Boy from Bristol. The company is located in Cliffton Villahe in Bristol and presently, it is regarded as the smallest barbershop in the whole of Britain (Reporter, 2019). The company offers various grooming services, as well as quality products to men, regardless of age. It offer its customers with a new look, fresh styles, and even cleanups, thus implying that the company has gotten all men covered. Regardless of whether a customer has curly, straight thin hair, or even thick hair, the company has qualified and skilled stylists who provide customers with quality services by giving their hair the attention they deserve, in order for all customers to enjoy their new looks. In addition, the company sells various quality grooming products (although just a few products), thus enabling customers to get their salon styles at their homes. The main objective of the business is to provide quality services to its customers and this acts as its biggest strength. On the other hand, the biggest weaknesses that the company faces are stiff competition from already established barbershops within Bristol and also lack of waiting chairs, as the shop does not have enough space that can accommodate many people (Gladwell, 2019). As such, this report aims to provide various recommendations, which if the company implements, would aid in fighting its weaknesses and majoring on its opportunities. SWOT analysis, as well as the marketing mix will be conducted, in order for the company to strategize most of its marketing activities, thereby, enabling it to thrive in the market.

Incorporation of technology in marketing

Marketers have come to a realization that technology has positively impacted the marketing field, alongside other disciplines in business. Technological advancement in marketing is the utilization of various marketing principles, as well as technologies by using the e-media. Presently, organizations have the task of managing many marketing options that they used to before, and as such, it can be deduced that consumers have become integrated with significant marketing information. Bertie’s barbershop has utilized technology in a significant way, via social media. The company uses e-marketing by use of social media, as presented, it has a social presence on Facebook only. This should be regarded as a good move, as the company has not stayed in the market long enough, as it was introduced in October, 2019. Clearly, the company’s presence on social media is so far so good as it already has 1,571 followers. It can also be noted that the barbershop has gained much public attention because it is regarded as the smallest in the entire Britain, thereby, making many bloggers to investigate about it and frequently write about it (Sweeney, 1972). For this reason, it can be deduced that for the shortest time possible, the company has been able to acquire a significant brand awareness, as compared to other companies. The following is the manner in which people give positive reviews about Bertie’s barbershop.

Recommendations

Bertie’s barbershop should have a chatbot, whereby, it engages with customers on Facebook. Chatbots provide significant ways of automating some everyday tasks, and in an instance where they have been implemented appropriately, it can enable the company to create personalized experiences for its customers. In order to do this, Bertie’s barbershop should cease to link its advertisments solely with its landing page, and as such, it should redirect its audiences to a specific messenger window, which connects to the company’s chatbot. Overall, linlking the company’s adverts to its chatbot would create a significant view that the company only tries to sell to its customers. It also makes the company to make the experiences of the customers peronal, and in this regard, it creats a loyal fan base and consequently increases the sales of the company.

Bertie’s barbershop should use brand advocates, as its best promotional tools. The company ought to realize that the best promotional tool is the individuals loving the company’s brand. Rather than focusing all of its efforts on acquiring more customers, the company should be obligated to leverage its current ones. Also, in addition to the company’s current customers, the company can simply use its own employees, and in this way, the company should create a significant social media guideline, which is strictly specific to its brand, always remind the advocates of the best practices associated with social media, add a qualified leads in all sectors of the social media advocacy plan. Finally, the company should track significant and relevant data, thereby, improving on certain areas and pinpointing those that do well (Brady et al., 2002).

Bertie’s barbershop should create various profiles on relevant social media channels other than Facebook. Presently, many businesses are creating various profiles in many social media channels that are available, with the intention of attracting many customers by reaching out to them. As a result, it is required that the company should focus on looking at its buyers’ persona, whilst choosing the most appropriate social media channels.

Finally, Bertie’s barbershop should often tell a story by a way of going live on most of its social media channels. Evidently, the content of the company would definately tell the story that relates to the company’s brand wholly, thereby, making it significant sharing it with people on social media. It is clear that social media platforms such as Facebook and Instagram have made it possible to create live streaming features, yet most marketers do not use such features efficiently. In this regard, in order for Bertie’s barbershop to compete effectively with its big competitiors, it has to significantly utlize such features. Significantly, live stories engage and also inspire the company’s customers, creates a shareable and also a memorable content and finally, shows to audiences that the company is not just focusing on making money (Trainor et al., 2011).

Segmentation, Targeting and Positioning

Segmentation

Segmentation is the categorization of consumers, in accordance witht heir characteristics, as well as differences. It allows various businesses to find their most appropriate markets to sell their products. Looking at demographics, Bertie’s Barber shop only attends to males of all genders. However, it focuses most on youths, who love the trendy haircuts and for this reaosns, the company has lowered its prices as compared to its competitors, in order to be convenient to youths who might either be in schools or still choosing their careers. Moreover, the company focuses on the male population because women do not love cutting their hair short. On the other hand, looking at physiographics, Bertie’s barbershop directly deals with the lifestyles, as well as personality of its customers. The company related to the perosnalities, as well as lifestyles of its customers effectively. As such, it is up to date with the latest haircuts, and it is up to speed with the latest popular styles. Finally, looking at the benhavioral aspects of customers, Bertie’s barbershop focuses on customers who love to keep special cuts, as that is what the company specializes in (Dibb & Simkin, 1991).

Recommendation: Bertie’s barbershop should introduce haircuts for women, in order to attract more customers. This would also be effective as there are women who love keeping their hair short.

Targeting

Bertie’s barbershop primarily targets male individuals, and precisely, college students schooling in various universities around Bristol. In this regar,d the company focuses on personalities, as well as various kind of users, whom their services would please. Also, the company targets individuals who feel that the hair care they have been receiving having is not satisfactory, and as such, would wish to have new looks, which would change them. As such, it is evident that most of the target customers travel from far places just the get the services offered at Bertie’s barbershop. The company also targets professionals and peple in the music industry, as these are the groups of individuals who are too much concenredn witht ehir looks (Natter et al., 2008).

Recommendation:It is thus recommendable that Bertie’s Barbershop should move to various kinds of colleges and universities within Bristol, in order to convenience its customers, as still, the company does not have a strong social media base. Moreover, the company shouldopen more branches near schools and colleges, in order to reach out to its customers more easily and conveniently.

Positioning

Positioning of a business brings a perception of the business’ uniqueness before the eyes of the customers, in comparison to its competitors. Significantly, the competitors of Bertie’s barbershop are well-established businesses in Bristol. However, it is woth noting that the company can engage in significant strategies, which can assist it in competing favorably with its competitors. Firstly, it is worth noting that Bertie’s barbershop has initiaited a strategy of reducing its charges on haricut and hair styling, in order to attract more customers, especially the youth who most of them do not work and thus, are low-income earners. It is clear that this is a vital strategy, as it had already been withnessed that the company has started gaining customers unlike before. For instance, it is evident that Bertie charges 15 pounds, just for regular haircuts, but when it is done for students, it is lowered to 13 pounds, which sis generally believed to be a reasonable charge, although lower as compared to how its competitiors charge. Whislt putting a consideration on the disadvantage that lowering of prices has to the business, it should be noted that reducing charges on haricut may bring down the business, as it is not yet established, thereby, implying that its primary obligation should be to accrue more profits that get customers. Secondly, it is quite evident that despite reducing the charges of its services, the company has been able to provide quality services, just like its well-established competitors. This then implies that the company is at par with service provision, just as its competition, and as such, it is in a position of retaining its customers. Generally, the major aspect of positioning in the company is that it offers high quality services at reduced prices, which then has made it to compete favorably in the market (Moutinho, 2000).

Recommendation: Bertie;s barbershop should focus on introducing new position strategies, in order to be able to compete much favorably with its competitors in the market.

Marketing mix

Products

Products are often the first things that customers often scrutinize, prior to them buying or deciding to buy. Bertie’s barbershop offers its customers with a new look, fresh styles, and even cleanups, thus implying that the company has gotten all men covered. Regardless of whether a customer has curly, straight thin hair, or even thick hair, the company has qualified and skilled stylists who provide customers with quality services by giving their hair the attention they deserve, in order for all customers to enjoy their new looks. In addition, the company sells various quality grooming products (although just a few products), thus enabling customers to get their salon styles at their homes (Borden, 1964).

Recommendation: It is recommendable that the company should get another space, bigger one instead that accommodate many customers, in order for it to be regarded as a business that considered the needs of its customers and hence provides them with better services.

Price

Price is also another significant factors, which customers consider before buying a product. Customers always believe that high prices should be associated with better qualities, unlike lower prices, which should be associated with poor qualities. Bertie’s barbershop has initiated a strategy of lowering its charges on haricut and hair styling, in order to attract more customers, especially the youth, as most of them do not work and thus, are low-income earners. It is clear that this is a vital strategy, as it had already been witnessed that the company has started gaining customers unlike before. For instance, it is evident that Bertie charges 15 pounds, just for regular haircuts, but when it is done for students, it is reduced to 13 pounds, which sis generally believed to be a reasonable charge, although lower as compared to how its competitiors charge (Borden, 1964).

Recommendation: Bertie’s barbershop should introduce a better system of attracting customer, rather than reducing prices too low. Such strategies could be introducing special days, when cuts are done for free for the first 10 people to book among other strategies. Evidently, most youths like such incentives.

Place

Place refers to the distrinbution channel, through which businesses reach out to customers. Clealry, Bertie’s barbershop has an online channel, with which it can reach out to its customers and also a physical shop, located in Bristol. Evidently, the shop is a small one but objectively meets the needs of all its customer. However, the disadvantage it has is that it does not have sufficient waiting space, because it can only accommodate two people. On the other hand, the company has been making a significant presence of the social media and as such, it could decide to reach out to its customers through the same channel (Grönroos, 1997).

Recommendation: It is recommendable for Bertie’s barbershop to look for a bigger space that can accommodate most of its customers. This is because there are some customers who would choose not to visit that premises, simply because there is no space for waiting.

Promotion

Pormotion is a way in which businesses advertise their products to customers through various tactics, or strategies. Bertie’s barbershop uses technological advancement in promoting its products and services to the public, wherefore, it uses social media to reach out its adverts to the public. However, it is eviden that the company does not have a strong presence on social media and this is inconveniencing the promotion aspect of the business (Yoo et al., 2000).

Recommendation: Bertie’s barbershop should create various profiles on relevant social media channels other than Facebook. As a result, it is required that the company should focus on looking at its buyers’ persona, whilst choosing the most appropriate social media channels. Most importantly, the company should consider creating a profile on Instagram as that is the platform that carries most of its target market (the youth).

People

Having the best employees, who ensure that the missions, aims, and objectives of the business are met is very significant. Signficantly, Bertie’s barbershop ensures that its employees are treated with respect and as such, it is reflected on the way they treat the customers. Moreover, the company rewards hardworking employees and this motivates them to be more productive, as the company has many customers. It then implies that it needs committed individuals who can carry the organization to the next level (Constantinides, 2006).

Recommendation: The company should ensure that it listens to any complaint from consumers regarded any employee if there is. Moreover, it should focus on creating a more firendly environment, in order to increase the productivtiy of its employees, as well as the services provided to the customers.

Physical evidence

This is the physical location of a business, which could fail to, or could attract customers and even enable more referrals. Bertie’s barbershop is located in Bristol. The uniqueness of the shop, being that it is too small has made many bloggers to research about it and even write articles about it and this then has enabled more customers for Bertie’s barbershop.

Recommendation: Because the physical location of Bertie’s barbershop is small and cannot accommodate most of its customers, the company should thrive to imrpvoe its online presence, such that it can offer services to its customers at their doorsteps, to enhance their convenience. In this regard, the company can create an app, wherefore, if a customer needs the services of the company, the company would be at its disposal to send out an employee to attend to such needs (Ivy, 2008).

Process

Bertie’s barbershop has utilized technology in a significant way, via social media. The company uses e-marketing by use of social media, as presented, it has a social presence on Facebook only. This should be regarded as a good move, as the company has not stayed in the market long enough. Moreover, the company has qualified and skilled stylists who provide customers with quality services by giving their hair the attention they deserve, in order for all customers to enjoy their new looks.

Recommendation: The company should ensure that its employees are more than qualified, in order to deliver the best products and services to its customers (Ivy, 2008).

Conclusion

This report has provided many recommednations, which if Bertie’s barbershop company implements, would aid in fighting its weaknesses and majoring on its opportunities. SWOT analysis, as well as the marketing mix have been conducted, in order for the company to strategize most of its marketing activities, thereby, enabling it to thrive in the market. Overall, it is worth noting that new DNA marketing strategies are significant for all businesses, as they enhance their effectiveness, as well as growth.

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