Who would have imagined some 10 years ago that a multi-million beauty empire could be born out of something as simple as a hair blowout? Probably none! But not Alli Webb, a mother of two who founded Drybar in 2008. What started out as a one-woman business has grown so big that Drybar locations, as at last count, numbers over 70.
Now, there’s nothing particularly special about Drybar’s offering – it’s still pretty much a hair salon. The question is, how were they able to grow this big on something as trivial as hair blowout? How have they managed to stay ahead of the competition in an industry with little entrant barrier? Brand management is the answer. Webb, at the outset of her entrepreneurial career, understood the power of brand management, and so leveraged it.
For new businesses looking to grow even in the face of stiff competition, there’s a lot to be learned from Webb’s approach to brand marketing. So read on!
How They Started
Like most global brands of today, this beauty salon started out humbly. Then, there was no physical salon Webb could offer her services from. Her only choice she was to go from home to home, styling women who had requested for her service. Making ends meet was tough, but there was no turning back. After a few years of driving around, she discovered that there was a demand for dry hair blowout.
At that time, some beauty salons were already offering dry blowout, only that they combined it other hair styling services. Webb thought to herself, “What if I gave women a chance to get their hair treated with blowers and nothing else?” With her little experience and a loan, she set out to chase her entrepreneurial dreams. The rest, as they say, is history.
What They Did Differently
First off, Webb made it a mission to stick to just one thing, dry blowouts. Even years after the business had picked traction, she resisted the prompting from friends and investors to branch out. “No haircuts, no hair color, no nail service – just blowouts” remains the company’s mantra to date.
The decision to be known for just one thing was what made Drybar stand out from the rest. Had she chosen to offer so much, who knows, we might never have heard of them today. That’s one lesson every new business needs to learn.
Secondly, they made it a point of duty to understand their customers, right from the get-go. With the majority of her clients being millennials and busy executives, the company knew she needed to offer something with a personal touch, quickly. That’s why a hair retouch session barely lasts more than 45 minutes, and clients hardly ever need to wait so long before being attended to.
Additionally, customers are attended to in a cool, serene environment, devoid of noisy chatters for which traditional beauty parlors are known for. Fast and personal are what millennials appreciate, and Drybar did not fail to deliver.
Thirdly, Webb and her team have leveraged the power of consistency. If you walked into any Drybar’s salon today, you will find it hard to tell the difference between it and the rest of other spread across the country. The interior decoration of the salons is the same. The type of flower you saw at the salon in Dallas is the same you would see in Hawaii. The customer experience is literally the same across the salons.
Consistency is what makes a brand memorable. Take Starbucks for instance; they are where they are today because of consistency.
Wrapping It Up
Drybar’s recipe for success isn’t rocket science – it’s just a mix of ingenuity, focus, and consistency. All this combined, with some element of luck, made the brand stand out. If you are looking to find success with your brand management, we at Web Content Development would love to help.
