American Salon 0512 : Page 26
Logged On I’ve always been keenly aware that a website can give a salon business legitimacy, but I was enlightened even more during a recent lunch I had with Cary Levine, the CEO of inthemo.com. Cary initially set out to create a website he and his peers would want to use to figure out which places they should patronize in their home cities as well as in the places that they traveled. “Over the course of four years we created the largest library of high-quality, locally guided video content on the planet and the site revolutionized local search,” Cary told me. Which brought him to his next key point: These days, almost everyone uses the Internet to get information—even local information. As proof he cited a few facts: • 73 percent of activity online is in one way or another related to local content (Google). • New research by The Kelsey Group and ConStat indicates that 70 percent of U.S. households now use the Internet when shopping locally for products and services. • 70 percent of online searchers use local search to find offline businesses. For the 1st Time in Hair Care Apple Stem Cell Technology t Helps strengthen hair during critical hair growth phase t Rich in phyto-nutrients, proteins and long living cells t Helps protect against UV and oxidative stress A wealth of information, Cary also had other big news to share with me. His next big project, called MOpro, involves salons. “I want to provide salon owners with an all-in-one digital solution that’s controlled by one very easy-to-use content management system—so simple that it was even tested on my grandmother to make sure that anyone can use it,” he said. Cary also revealed his plans to roll out additional products like search engine marketing and appointment-booking engines that will be updated as time goes on. “All of our users will receive future updates, similar to iTunes, when these new products get underway,” he said. “And in addition to setting up all the products for our clients, we also will be assigning them their very own digital marketing expert to teach them how to use the MOpro tools and social media in a meaningful and effective way. It’s important to build a great site and to have the knowledge to drive users to it.” CARY LEVINE MOpro does it all: salon websites, videos of stylists in action, blogs and social media. In light of the fact that traffi c is the currency of the web—meaning the more traffi c a salon owner’s website generates, the easier it will be for the salon to make money, spread ideas and connect with clients—Cary is clearly onto something. That’s why I’ve invited him to contribute a monthly Tech Support column full of digital survival tips for salons in the Better Business section of the magazine. Check it out when it debuts in our June issue. It’s sure to make a powerful impact on your website, as well potential customers’ confi dence in you. ✂ —Kelley Donahue, editor in chief/beauty director, kdonahue@questex.com
Editor's Note
Kelley Donahue
Logged On<br /> I’ve always been keenly aware that a website can give a salon business legitimacy, but I was enlightened even more during a recent lunch I had with Cary Levine, the CEO of inthemo.com. Cary initially set out to create a website he and his peers would want to use to figure out which places they should patronize in their home cities as well as in the places that they traveled. “Over the course of four years we created the largest library of high-quality, locally guided video content on the planet and the site revolutionized local search,” Cary told me. Which brought him to his next key point: These days, almost everyone uses the Internet to get information—even local information. As proof he cited a few facts:<br /> <br /> • 73 percent of activity online is in one way or another related to local <br /> content (Google).<br /> • New research by The Kelsey Group and ConStat indicates that 70 percent of U.S. <br /> households now use the Internet when shopping locally for products and services. <br /> • 70 percent of online searchers use local search to find offline businesses. <br /> <br /> A wealth of information, Cary also had other big news to share with me. His next big project, called MOpro, involves salons. “I want to provide salon owners with an all-in-one digital solution that’s controlled by one very easy-to-use content management system—so simple that it was even tested on my grandmother to make sure that anyone can use it,” he said. Cary also revealed his plans to roll out additional products like search engine marketing and appointment-booking engines that will be updated as time goes on. “All of our users will receive future updates, similar to iTunes, when these new products get underway,” he said. “And in addition to setting up all the products for our clients, we also will be assigning them their very own digital marketing expert to teach them how to use the MOpro tools and social media in a meaningful and effective way. It’s important to build a great site and to have the knowledge to drive users to it.”<br /> In light of the fact that traffic is the currency of the web—meaning the more traffic a salon owner’s website generates, the easier it will be for the salon to make money, spread ideas and connect with clients—Cary is clearly onto something. That’s why I’ve invited him to contribute a monthly Tech Support column full of digital survival tips for salons in the Better Business section of the magazine. Check it out when it debuts in our June issue. It’s sure to make a powerful impact on your website, as well potential customers’ confidence in you. ✂ —Kelley Donahue, editor in chief/beauty director, kdonahue@questex.com
