For businesses affected by a COVID-19 closure or shelter in place order, it’s more important than ever to keep your business top-of-mind and attract new customers to shop your online store and register for your live stream options. That way, when you get back to work, you’ll have more new clients to welcome back and add to your established customer base. Click here to read a letter from our CEO, detailing how Vagaro is here to help your business get through this crisis.
Making the Most of Vagaro’s Get Featured
Vagaro’s Get Featured option is a simple step the business owner can take to promote new client discovery, build a solid online presence, and bring in more new customers. As a Vagaro Featured Business, your business listing will be prioritized over other local businesses on the Vagaro.com Marketplace, Vagaro App, and listing pages. New customers browsing the marketplace will see your business listing before other similar businesses, promoting discovery of your brand. That gives your business an edge on the competition! Here’s how to maximize your reach and attract new customers when you decide to Get Featured on Vagaro.
Business Profile
Think of your
Vagaro business profile as a digitized, indexed business listing that helps
customers find you. It includes all the basic information they’ll need to know
about your business. Here, you’ll want to include the name of your business,
contact information, street address, and your Vagaro URL so new customers can
book with you.
Pro Tip: If your business receives mail through a PO Box, you’ll still want to include your street address on your Vagaro business profile so new clients can use the map geolocation to get directions.
Facility Information
Your facility listing is a supplement to the information included in your business profile, so remember to fill out both fields completely! Your facility information includes all the information that might attract a prospective client and is supplemental to your basic location and contact information. Here, you’d include information about your hours of operation, cancellation/no-show policies, the types of payment your business accepts, whether you accept walk-ins, disability access, in-store or curbside pickup, or any other special instructions. You can also include any conveniences that might attract new customers, such as live streaming options, bilingual accessibility, child care or family-friendly access, WiFi, free parking, TVs, or locker/equipment rentals. Remember, the more information you provide, the more attractive you make booking with you to a client who may not be familiar with your business.
Pro Tip: Make sure
to mention special instructions that might be an obstacle for new clients, such
as “Our street address doesn’t include directions to our business suite. New
clients can enter from the front door on Castle Street and then take the
elevator to the second floor. Turn right when the elevator opens, and you’ll be
at our suite!”
Logos and Featured Business Images
Your business logo or featured image is a new client’s first impression of your business—make sure it’s a good one! You’ll want to make sure the image you select is one you feel represents your business and brand in the best light. Your studio space, a high-quality image of the work you perform, a staff photo, or your business logo are great choices. Next, you’ll want to make sure that the image is high-resolution, sharp, and horizontally oriented (3×2 ratio). Another tip to remember is that since your business name and contact info will be listed on your page, you can omit text or keep text to a minimum in your featured image. Try to keep your featured image clean, well-lit, and focused, so a new customer browsing focuses on what’s important: the work that you do!
Pro Tip: Make sure the dimensions of your business logo or featured business image you select are high resolution. If you’re uncertain what makes an image “high resolution,” the standard guideline is under 5 MB but no less than 1000 x 667 px, with 1920 x 1280 (a 3×2 ratio) being the ideal resolution for a business image that really makes a splash!
Venue Gallery and Portfolio Images
Now that you’ve caught their attention, use the venue
gallery and portfolio to put the
spotlight on your venue and showcase the work you perform! The venue
gallery puts your facility in the spotlight, so a new customer can fall in
love with the things that make your location so special. You can include up to
12 separate images in your venue gallery. Here, you’d want to showcase your
equipment, parking, or attractive images of your physical storefront. If you’ve
got a fun, funky shop, great glass windows, or exposed brick walls, this is
where those aspects of your business get to shine! You could also use the venue
gallery to show your product lines and retail. Your business portfolio
images let customers see the work your professionals do, before-and-after
images, or action shots of your staff at work. Each portfolio can include up to
3 images, but you can add as many portfolios as you wish. Clients can also
upload up to 3 images of the work you’ve done for them in their reviews. Once your
business portfolios are uploaded to your Vagaro landing and booking page, the
portfolio will populate with share links. That way, your clients can share your
portfolio images with their social network via Facebook, Twitter, Instagram,
Pinterest, or as a direct link in an email.
Pro Tip: Because
portfolios are limited to 3 images, try grouping together 3 high-resolution,
attention-grabbing images by service or service provider. For example, if your
business is a salon, you could have a portfolio called “Highlights,” and/or a
portfolio called “Cathy Smith – Highlights Portfolio.”
Customer Testimonials
As a service professional, one of your most powerful marketing tools is
word-of-mouth. Customer testimonials and reviews allow new customers browsing
your business profile to see what other customers are saying about your
business and see examples of the work you’ve performed for them.
Pro Tip: In your email marketing campaigns and automated appointment follow-ups, remember to include a link for satisfied clients to leave a review and upload photos. The more reviews your business has, the more credible and attractive your business becomes to browsers who are considering booking with you.
Checklist of Do-s & Don’t-s
Download Vagaro’s
handy guide of Get Featured best practices, and you’ll be certain to catch the
attention of new customers in your area!
CTA: Get Featured—Get Attention—Get Booked. Try it today and see how many new clients book with your business after seeing it in the spotlight!
Header Image and Icons : Mia Montemayor via Vagaro
