Whether you’re an iPhone lover or not you’ve got to be impressed with Apple’s having sold over FOUR MILLION 4s’s in the first weekend of its launch.
So what does this new iPhone have to do with your salon/spa business?
A lot – condensed into one word one – Siri.
Siri is Apple’s voice recognition program -technically speaking.
But it’s more than that. Siri is for the four million+ iPhone
4s’s owners an intelligent personal assistant – efficient,knowledgeable, professional, compliant, uncomplaining, and witty with a slight attitude.
She’s a “do-engine”. A “do-engine” who on command dials your office, schedules a meeting, or reminds you of an appointment. She can manage travels plans and reservations,coordinate local services,
find and plan entertainment, purchase e-commerce goods and serve as gateway to 3000 e-commerce service APIs on the Web.
Beyond that, Siri can learn your preferences and transactional information, so that she can automate any of these transactions without user involvement
So what impact could Siri (or Iris on the Android) have on your business?
Think of it like this. Now instead of having to use your smart phone to access Google or Yahoo (search engines) when you want to find a place to get a manicure, message, haircut, facial or more – millions of people will simply ask their “do-engine”Siri “where can I get a manicure”?
And Siri will say “I’ve found a number of salons near you and give them a list of salons complete with star reviews, distance,and the ability to get map and directions.
Now wouldn’t you want your salon/spa to be at the tip of Sari’s tongue? Of course you would.
How do you do that? Stephanie Hobbs has a great article on Search Engine Land called: 3 Simple StepsTo Get Siri & Her Friends To Talk Up Your Local Business.
In her article,she recommends three steps to help you rank better with Siri recommendations:
1. Makesure your Google Places Page is accurate and complete
2. Generate positive reviews and content like photos and videos
3. Make sure your Yelp profile is accurate and complete (Yelp is one of the data sources Siri uses).
The bottom line for any salon/spa owner is to make sure you have a solid local presence – it’ll help you with your mobile efforts – which by the way is growing by leaps and bounds.
And as impressive as Siri is– it’s only the beginning.