How Prose’s branding + website got me to spend $98 on haircare

I’m going to just jump straight to the punchline: 

Prose’s brand, website, and overall customer experience recently led me to swiftly purchase $98 worth of shampoo, conditioner, and hair care products. 

The reason? They crafted a strategic, intentional brand, website, and overall customer experience — and it made me immediately see the value in their product. 

Here’s how they nurtured me through the process, along with some takeaways to keep in mind when building your brand + website, too. 

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1. AWARENESS PHASE:

I originally heard about Prose via word of mouth and influencer marketing on Instagram. 

In my opinion, there is nothing more powerful than getting referrals through word of mouth – it’s how about half of my clients come to me! And while influencer marketing is different from referrals, there is one parallel that makes it so powerful:

An element of trust.

The influencers that we follow online (most of whom we’ve probably never had a conversation with or met in real life) build businesses that succeed BECAUSE their audience trusts their opinions so much. On the one hand I am fully aware that they’re getting paid to speak about a brand, and on the other hand I’ve chosen to follow people who have gone to great lengths to build trust with their audience. 

THE TAKEAWAY: Lean into referrals and word of mouth marketing when building your business.

• Offer a referral program to former clients/customers where you offer them an incentive for sending new business your way. At Crafted by Carly, when a former or current paying client sends me a new client, they get $50 cash and the new client gets a $50 discount off their service.
• Have a streamlined way to easily collect testimonials/reviews from your clients/customers. At Crafted by Carly, I send clients a Feedback Form to fill out right when our project ends so that it’s fresh on their mind, and get their permission to craft their answers into a testimonial to add to my website and Instagram. 
• Tell people in your network what you’re doing! Especially friends, family, and former colleagues. How many connections have we all made over the years? But in many cases, people might not necessarily know about your current business or that you’re available to take on new clients. I took Crafted by Carly full-time after 8+ years working 9-5 in the design industry—and it still amazes me how many people from former jobs reach out for design work, or connect me with a friend of a friend of a friend. Don’t be afraid to let people know what you’re up to by sending a simple email their way. 

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RESEARCH PHASE:

The last shampoo/conditioner I used (from Amazon) didn’t do much for me, so when I ran out, I remembered the Prose brand + went to their website to check them out. 

…And I was immediately impressed. Everything about it, from their visual branding, to their photography, to their messaging, spoke to me:

Honestly, I didn’t need to get further than hero image to click the call to action button, because they made it immediately apparent that they had what I was looking for: a CUSTOM way to “transform my hair.” 

They also made it clear early on that they care deeply about the ingredients they use, which is something that’s important to me. 

THE TAKEAWAY: Your website should help build further credibility among potential clients/customers and should clearly state not only what you offer but why it will change your audience’s life. 

• Have a cohesive brand identity that includes a logo, color palette, and font system that was built with your audience top of mind.
• Use compelling, professional photography, whether that’s photos of you, your work, and/or your product. This helps further show what you offer and why it’s the right choice for your ideal client. 
• Focus on benefits-focused messaging and copy. Remember that while what you offer IS important, the transformation that will happen as a result is MORE important. 

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CONVERSION PHASE:

I clicked the main CTA – ”Get Your Formula” — and was so impressed with how thorough & personal the customization was – from the type of hair I have to my zip code. 

Guys – this part is what really sold me. When you click “Get Your Formula,” you’re taken to a pretty lengthy questionnaire – which may cause some (unqualified) leads to drop off, but in this case, I loved it, because it made it feel like the product was that much more customized just for me. 

It asked me EVERYTHING that could affect my hair, and in the bottom left corner there was a box that you could click on to learn why they were asking that question, or get more context on it:

• Hair and scalp
  • Age
  • Type of hair (length, texture, oiliness, shedding, split ends…)
  • How often you wash your hair
  • Scalp sensitivity
• Treatments
  • How you style your hair
  • Color treatments
  • Hair routine
• Lifestyle
  • If you’re pregnant/breastfeeding/menopausal
  • Diet
  • Water intake
  • Stress levels
  • Exercise
  • Zip code to tell you about environmental stressors
  • At this point, they ask you to create an account so that you can get your recommendations based on the above. 
• Preferences & Goals
  • Ingredient preferences (such as silicone-free or vegan)
  • Fragrance preferences
  • Hair goals, such as shine, smoothness, less brass, etc.

Once I filled ALL of that out, they showed me a screen with the ingredients in my custom haircare formula, further reinforcing how each customer gets a unique formula to match their goals:

Before finally, at long last, bringing me to a screen that has my custom recommendations AND a check-out screen all at once—making it incredibly easy for me to purchase on the spot:

THE TAKEAWAY: Make your experience feel custom & personalized in whatever way it makes sense for your business! For Prose, the customization aspect is a huge part of their offer, but all of us can make our clients/customers feel special in different ways:

• Custom packages. At Crafted by Carly, I have loose Branding + Web Design packages, but I ALWAYS have a Discovery Call with a client to learn about their goals so that I can propose a solution that is right for them—and usually that solution is a bit different from my “cookie cutter” base package.
• A quiz (maybe a little less lengthy!) like the one Prose has, that offers the best solution or advice at the end, and is also used as a lead magnet.
• If you’re a service-based business, send a Welcome Packet or a welcome gift when a new client books a project with you.
• If you’re a product-based business, you can include a handwritten note in your online orders.

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All in all, my experience with Prose—from the awareness stage (when I discovered them via word of mouth + Instagram marketing) through to the conversion stage (when I went through the quiz + purchased the product)—was not only amazing, but reinforced the importance of successful branding and web design, and sparked so many ideas for how we can all continue to build our own brands so that we can attract our dream clients and grow our businesses. 

Ready to build a brand like this one that is irresistible to your dream clients? Let’s chat!

(Now this wasn’t the point of this blog post… but if you DO decide to check Prose out, here’s my referral link for $10 off!)