How To Advertise A New Barber Shop - Marketing Tips!

Try craigslist and backpage

Get listed in the top search engines to get found ( put up a simple wordpress website)
Comprehensive list of Search Engines - The Search Engine List set up a QR code or coupon if you can (google on how to make a free QR code)
create a facebook page ask clients to leave a testimonial, ( give biz card with site url, FB url) ask for testimonials
do before and after pictures and feature on your site or fb with a clients comment. (testimonials) or just a customer of the week update
Google loves G+ so set that up for sure, and other Google sites, you tube, blogger, piccasa for pictures, if you don't want people to take and use pics put your biz © on all photos. to create © type this: hold Alt key and type 0169 add in Gimp or getpaint.net

Get your site in top 10 or page one of Google with relevant BL's, good seo and local kw's. People will find you if you are all over the web and one of these sites will land you on page 1.
Create coupons on HotFrog, Manta, local.com, etc. or anywhere you list, keep a special going, just have them print page, show their phone image or just a mention of where they found you.
There are so many things to do so maybe hire someone on fiverr to help or someone from the WarriorForum.

This is exactly how a barber shop in my area overtook one that had been there for years and stole a whole chunk of their business.

They bought a cheap panel van. They painted the thing bright fluro yellow and then put their advertisement all over it. New barbershop open blah blah blah. $19 haircuts. They would park that damn van all over the place on the busiest of streets.

Whenever I mentioned that van to someone they always knew exactly what I was talking about. They got a heap of business from that one van that probably only cost them less than a thousand dollars and it sits there paying for itself over and over, all day long.

Obviously that's only the first step. The success for places like that comes from repeat business. So once you get them in the door you need to give them a reason to keep coming back. That means good haircuts.

Another thing they do to separate themselves is a neck shave. So most barbers in that price range will simply shave the back of your neck with an electric razor. What they do instead is lather it up and shave it with an actual old school razor blade (they use a brand new blade for each person). Once again a very cheap thing to do but it gives them that little extra thing that others are not providing and makes the person feel like they are in a more upmarket hair salon.

Another barber I used to go to when I was a kid was going after the whole sort of child to teenage market. What they did was to give everyone a free packet of chewing gum when you paid. So again everyone new that place as the one that gives the free chewing gum.

Excuse me?

Whats next, the offline barber shop wso?

I would use local ads sites....flyer and also facebook

If it's in the budget, check out Taradel.com and their direct mail options. It's pretty easy to get set up, and they let you hit specific postal routes pretty easy. Or just have a them make a bunch of great flyers and get some kids to hand them out for him.

SEO works for local businesses. It's not always easy, depending on the size of the city/town. The website must convert well also.

Try posting Signs at busy intersections advertising the Barber Shop. That usually helps to drive alot of traffic. In most cities and counties you are only allowed to do this on the weekend or else you will get a fine.

Ensure that Google places is optimized, have yelp in good standing, and also start backlinking for local keywords like "location barber shop"

Can also use Yahoo Answers as a means for the same local keywords.

The main thing for your buddy's barber shop is that you have to ensure it is geographically targeted since it actually has a location.