Marketing For Your Salon

One of the most challenging aspects to running any successful business is coming up with fresh ways to attract new clients. Social Media is a great form of marketing that sometimes takes the back burner. Here are few tips/guidelines you should be following with

social media marketing.

Posting Photos

If you’re not doing this already, you really need to be. Social media pages give salon owners a free opportunity to not only promote their business through words, but more importantly visually. Stop just telling potential, new clients why they should start coming to your salon. Show them! Take photos of your masterpieces, show the difference you make in each clients life — the time and effort you put into making them beautiful both inside and out. Make sure you utilize all the big social media sites such as:

a) Facebook

b) Twitter

c) Instagram

d) Pinterest

Online Directories

Make sure you have claimed your business and updated your profiles on all online directories. You need to keep an eye on these for reviews and always keep them updated with in date information.

Google My Business and Yelp are two of the most important ones.

Share Promotions

Social Media is a great channel to get the word out about any specials or promotions going on at the salon. You put time and effort in to crafting fun and enticing promotions to help drive clients through the door. So, make sure they get the attention they deserve. Always share ongoing or upcoming promotions on your social pages to get them across a large audience in a small amount of time.

Offer Last Minute Specials

For times or days that you know are usually slow, it's a great idea to spice things up with special, daily promotions. Make these promotions an "act fast" item. Set the promotion up during your slow times and blitz it out across your social media pages, website, and email lists. Watch how you can turn a systematically slow time for your salon into a profitable one.

Offer Monthly Specials

Consider creating a new monthly special at your salon every month. It doesn’t have to be anything crazy, the point here is just to generate a little buzz, and give clients something to be excited about. Try something like $5 off your next cut during the month of February, or 10% off your first blowout in March. Remember — these don't have to be anything crazy, just something for clients to appreciate. A little buzz can go a long way!

Offer New Product Bundles

If your like most salons, you make a substantial amount of profits from the retail you sell. Consider pairing some products together and creating some product bundles. If you already do this switch some items within each around to get a combination that's new.

Keep Your Website Updated and Looking New

In many cases, your website is your first impression to a new client, and we all know how important a good first impression can be.

Create a Blog Powered By Your Salon

A blog gives you the ability to really show off your salon's personality and knowledge in the industry. Here you can share your advise on hair-care, styling advise, and current/upcoming trends. A blog is also a good place to give or discuss any product reviews (especially those you sell). Many successful salons utilize blogs as a means for generating extra attention and getting a conversation going their clients... plus it can be a lot of fun!

Talk About Training and Achievements

Share the professional training and certifications of employees to instill customers’ confidence in their decision to schedule an appointment.

Similarly, when the salon reaches a goal or receives awards, tag the employees who contributed to the success.

Start Up a Monthly Newsletter

Emailing your clients a monthly newsletter is the perfect way for your salon to stay top-of-mind and remind clients to come pay (literally) you a visit. Important things to always include in your newsletter are as follows:

• Current positive customer testimonials

• Current specials and promotions

• Visuals of services, products, and/or happy clients

Offer Convenient Booking Methods

Convenience is the name of the game these days! No one calls a salon to book their appointment anymore. They go online and book! With online booking they can book an appointment when is most convenient for them, and it only takes them a second to do. With the right online booking system, clients have the ability to book an appointment easily.

Form Partnerships with Other Local Businesses

As a business owner, sometimes it can feel like you're stuck all on your own in some far away land. You are never alone!!! You're part of a local community and believe it or not there are other business owners who are always there to help. Think about swapping promotional materials with other local businesses you think your clients frequently visit. You can even establish exclusive promotions between your salon and another local business in your area. Take it one step further and offer the employees of these businesses a VIP special discount just for them.

Some smart local businesses for salons to partner up with are...

a) Photographers

b) Boutiques

c) Spas

d) Jewelry Stores

e) Nail Salons (If you don't offer)

Start a Referral Program

Start accessing your clients’ network of friends by implementing a referral program. Referral programs are great for encouraging new business.

The key to a successful referral program is to push incentives that are both enticing, yet simple.

For example: $10 off your next visit, for both you and a friend, if you refer a friend.

Punch Card Campaign

A punch card loyalty program is a great way to get them back in the door.

Hand your bunch cards out like candy. A client comes in for a cut? Give them a punch card. A client comes in for consultation? Give them a punch card. The more people who get their hands on your punch cards, the more success you will be at building client loyalty and generating repeat clients.

Create a First-Time Visit Special

Welcoming first-time clients with some sort of “first-visit special” is the perfect way to warmly welcome new clients.

For example: Receive $10 off your first visit.

You’re just providing any potential, new clients with a little incentive to step in your shop. Use these first-time specials as a means to give clients, who might have been slightly unsure, ample motivation for giving your salon a shot.

Capitalize on Holidays

Themed promotions are a great way to help your salon's specials to stand-out from the many competitor's promotions. Filling your promotional ideas with a fun seasonal theme works to make specials you create better resonate with your clients.

Always Promote Gift Certificates

Especially keeping holidays in mind, gift certificates play an important part to the success of any local salon. Gift certificates are the perfect gift to give for both you and your clients.

Get Employees & Booth Rental Clients Involved

Turn employees into social media advocates! When employees are included in your social efforts, they become important brand advocates.

Promote Personal Connections

Celebrate employees’ birthdays or weddings to help create personal bonds between stylists and customers. To further build those connections, share the outside interests of your employees (like volunteering or hobbies), thereby attracting customers who have the same interests.

Spotlight Your Employees

This familiarizes customers with your stylists and their work by posting before-and-after photos, along with the employees’ names. If customers like what they see, they can request services from those stylists, resulting in increased sales.

Highlight Happy Customers

Make it a point to post reviews from satisfied customers and tag the stylist, showing the quality of their work and encouraging more bookings.

Have Business Cards on Hand at All Times

You want to appear like an established salon and business cards are an easy, inexpensive way to do so. Additionally, for the clients you bring in through word-of-mouth, business cards are the perfect solution to grab those who are forgetful. Sometimes it can be hard to remember what we had for breakfast, let alone a great salon we just heard about. So, make sure you and your stylists all have business cards to help forgetful clients do a little work for you.

Keep the Shop Spotless

This may seem like a simple one, but it's important! You'd be surprised how many salons leave big piles of hair on their floors, or don't probably clean their tools. It can be a major turn off to clients. Just be sure your salon always has a clean and tidy appearance.

Always Face the Day Looking Your Best

This does not necessarily mean just when your in the shop. This means, always. Think of yourself and your stylists as models for your salon. If you're rocking a killer cut, enough to prompt a passerby to ask which salon you go to, you now have the perfect opportunity to introduce your salon. It pays to look good!

Be and Stay Alert

Social media can offer huge benefits to salons. But it is important to ensure staff know what is and isn’t acceptable when it comes to posting, whether at work or at home. It is an amazing way to offer discounts and promotions and generate dialogue with clients. Alongside the many benefits of social media there are potential pitfalls, which employers must be alert to.

One of the most common is when a disgruntled employee leaves negative comments about their employer, colleagues or general work issues either on an official salon site or on their own personal sites.

This can cause two problems. It can leave employers feeling the reputation of their business has been damaged and it can cause friction between employees, especially if one employee feels bullied or harassed as a result.

In order to be prepared for these challenges, employers are well advised to consider introducing a specific social media policy that they read, sign and understand.

Set Clear Standards

A social media policy should detail clear standards of acceptable online behavior both inside and outside the workplace.

In the majority of cases, posts will be left by employees outside work time and will only be viewable by a select group of friends. In such circumstances employers must ensure employees and booth rental clients are aware of what is expected of them in respect of posts on both salon and personal sites.

The parameters of what is and what is not acceptable in terms of personal internet use within the workplace should also be clearly defined in the policy.

A social media policy should also set out the potential consequences of any breach, and the likelihood of disciplinary action; up to and including dismissal. In order adequately to rely on your policy for disciplinary purposes,it is imperative to clearly state that inappropriate posting includes messages or comments made outside work time and on personal sites, and which may have an impact on the employee’s ability to perform their role, or posts that may damage the employer’s reputation or cause embarrassment.