THE BEAUTYINLAGOS DIRECTORY

Hello Everyone!

This is a post I have been so excited to draft for months now! I have mentioned this on my other social media platforms over the past couple months or so.

Ok let me go down memory lane some.... So the main reason I started this blog was because I kept getting asked by friends and family, and friend's of friends and family (lol) , about where to get their hair done, or their brows threaded or where to buy a particular product. So I started this lil 'ol blog to share my Lagos beauty discoveries and let everyone in on what I felt about different beauty services too. I initially just wanted to start an online directory right off the bat, but I felt I needed to garner some 'trust' from people before they could take my recommendations. I have been blogging for 2 years now and I really feel now is the time for me to bring all my discoveries under one umbrella, The BeautyInLagos Directory!

First thing's first, all the images I have provided of the site are just for aesthetics, the images and content will most definitely change. But the layout, theme and colour-scheme are accurate.

So this post is mainly for potential vendors and it also involves you readers too, so everyone can get a feel of what to expect

What is The BiL Directory
I have designed it to be a PREMIUM online beauty and lifestyle directory, emphasis on the 'premium', This simply means that every vendor will pay to be listed on the directory and thereafter there will be an annual renewal fee. The registration & renewal fees are dependent on what BiL-Vendor class the potential business will be listed under (I will explain further below). For example the annual renewal fee ranges from N5,250 - N7,500 depending on your vendor-class.

The BiL Directory Vendor Classes
I still want the directory to have a personal 'feel' to it. I want customers searching for businesses to know that every single vendor can be trusted because they have all been specially hand-picked by me. I know I can't get round to trying out every salon, or makeup artist or spa in Lagos, let alone Nigeria. So I came up with 3 Vendor Classes: The BiL-Certified Vendor, The BiL-Approved Vendor and The BiL-Recommended Vendor.

BiL-Certified Vendor

BiL-Certified Vendor simply means that I have tried and tested this vendor personally and I am giving you my word that you will not regret contacting any of them for your needs. Registration and renewal fees are heavily discounted for such vendors. Certified vendors can easily be spotted on the site because they will have a BiL-Certified stamp displayed on their page.


BiL-Approved Vendor

BiL-Approved Vendor simply means that I have personally got feedback on your exceptional service and can vouch that you are a trusted vendor. It is impossible for me to try out all businesses in the beauty and lifestyle industries and this is the reason I introduced this category. My directory is based on my recommendations, and I see no reason why I can't also take recommendations from people, who just like me, know a good service when they experience one. Registration and renewal fees are also discounted for vendors under this class.

BiL-Recommended Vendor

BiL-Recommended Vendors can equally be trusted. The BiL directory will only list vendors that meet all the  necessary criteria. The decision is solely at my discretion and only the very best can be listed on the Directory. I am all about quality over quantity, and I can guarantee you that there are a LOT of exceptional businesses out here. Vendors under this class enjoy discounted advertising rates and during this time the registration and renewal rates are slashed because it's the launch.

I also introduced a 'Fixed Renewal-Fee Policy'. The fixed renewal-fee policy simply means that the renewal fee you pay the first year, will be the exact same amount you will continue to pay annually, regardless of any review on the pricing. So what you pay will never increase as long as you continue to renew annually.

Vendor Pages
I have created each vendor page to be just like a 'facebook' page for each business, as you can see in the screenshots above. The information provided will be very detailed with profile names, addresses, a contact form, details of services provided, etc. And any additional information the vendor might want to add can be provided in the 'FAQ' section on their page.

Customers can be guaranteed that all vendor contact information is accurate and up-to-date at all times. It's so frustrating with a lot of online directories out here where the phone numbers don't work, or the address is incomplete. This is due to the fact that these directories throw open the door for anybody to add a business, whether said business is theirs or not. The BiL directory information is added an updated solely by the vendor.

Who can be listed - Vendor Categories
Like I said it covers every single business in the Beauty and Lifestyle industries. It can be a one-man business available for home service only, to full-blown multi-staffed establishments. I want everyone to have access to potential customers. There is so much talent out there, but not enough avenues to connect them to the business. So vendors will include:

• Hair Salons
• Spas
• Nail Salons
• Beauty Stores
• Hair Care stores/retailers
• Hair Retailers - Virgin hair Remy hair, Human hair, etc.
• Makeup Artists
• Bridal Solutions
• Event Coordinators
• Home Service Beauty Solutions
• Skin Care Experts
• Makeup Retailers - Indigenous & International
• Beauty Supply Stores
• Skin Care stores/retailers

HOW TO GET LISTED

Potential vendors should please send an email to vendor@thebildirectory.com stating  the name of the business, service(s) provided & location, along with a link to a social media page that displays their work (instagram, blog etc.) or email pictures of your work or space, and we will respond with a Vendor class along with a special introductory package which explains pricing.

WHEN'S THE LAUNCH

Initially the plan was to launch last month, January, but that CLEARLY didn't happen. So I plan for the site to go live in March. Everything's in place we are just still rounding up more businesses to be listed. The address for the directory is www.TheBeautyInLagosDirectory.com or www.TheBiLDirectory.com, either one depending on how lazy you feel lol

I am really hoping that over time all the businesses I have interacted with will be listed under the BiL-Certified vendor class and I will be able to discover more businesses. I truly want The BiL directory to be the first thing that everyone clicks on when looking for anything relating to beauty in general! 

I will still be blogging, nothing at all is going to change round here!

Laters,

Ez xxX