We recently connected with Victoria Pennamon and have shared our conversation below.
Victoria, thanks for taking the time to share your stories with us today. We love asking folks what they would do differently if they were starting today – how they would speed up the process, etc. We’d love to hear how you would set everything up if you were to start from step 1 today
I would have definitely focus on marketing, it’s not talked about enough that small businesses need to learn marketing. Whether is general marketing or social media marketing. General marketing like passing out business card and flyer. Social media marketing is the biggest thing in today’s business world. Being consistent on social media and using the right hashtags. I personally believe had I learned that then I’d be in a better place than I am now.
As always, we appreciate you sharing your insights and we’ve got a few more questions for you, but before we get to all of that can you take a minute to introduce yourself and give our readers some of your background and context?
I grew up around hairstylists, my dad, aunt, and grandmother were all hairstylists. Watching them do hair never made me want to do hair. So I never imagined I’d own my hair hair business. I initially choose a different route. I joined the army straight out of high school in 2017. Once I completed all my training, they sent me to Fort Carson, Colorado. This is where I spent the majority of my Army career. When covid hit in 2020, I was pregnant with our first child and was told to stay home from work. One day my husband sat me down and said “you have all this free time, start a business” I began thinking about what do I want to sell or how do I want to make people feel. I knew instantly I wanted to make people feel beautiful. I asked myself when do you feel you’re beautiful? I always feel beautiful after I get my hair done. At this moment I began planning my business, from the name, to the colors, and to what I wanted to sell. This is when Imperial Virgin Hair came about. I sell everything from bundles, frontals, closures, wig and hair products. I also customize wigs as well. I pride my business on great customer service so anytime there’s a problem with an order or I make a mistake, I address it with my customer to find a solution. Transparency is the best when it comes to maintaining good customer service. What I can definitely say is next for Imperial Virgin Hair is giving back! I want to give back to women in need, whether it’s domestic violence victims or women suffering from alopecia. I have been so blessed with my business and now it’s time to bless others!
How did you build your audience on social media?
I’m not even going to sugar coat it, social media marketing is hard. But it is very much needed in the business world. At first I would post every now and then, not realizing the importance of consistency when posting. I would never use hashtags either. It wasn’t until I started doing research and bought a social media marketing E Book that I realized I had been doing it all wrong. I have to constantly post and post at the times that my clients are social media the most. Also include hashtags, hashtags are so underrated. They’re just as important as the content you post. I had to understand that if I don’t learn social media marketing, my business won’t succeed at the rate I want it to.
Any thoughts, advice, or strategies you can share for fostering brand loyalty?
There are multiple ways my customers can keep in touch with me. I’m open to all questions, suggestions, and constructive criticism. The easiest way to communicate with my customers is through social media and email. But there are other ways, for example I have a live chat on my website if anyone needs help. I also offer a loyalty rewards program called Imperial Rewards. You accumulate points from following us on social media, purchasing and referring others. You can turn those points into cash and get discounts on your orders.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://imperialvirginhair.com/
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/imperialvirginhair_/
- Facebook: https://m.facebook.com/ImperialVirginHairCo/
- Youtube: https://youtube.com/channel/UC3ZsPB8BTdiw5c7KWFHqPCw
- Other: http://www.tiktok.com/@imperialvirginhair