Struggling to keep a steady flow of clients?
After years of fine-tuning your craft and hundreds of dollars spent on investing in your learning and tools, it can be disappointing when you struggle to get clients.
When you know how talented you are, it can be frustrating when no one else does.
That’s where marketing comes in!
Marketing can help you get your business in front of new clients and nurture your relationships with your existing clients.
In this article, we will discuss 11 marketing ideas for a salon that can help you build your clientele and grow your business.
Before you begin creating any marketing collateral, you want to first define your brand. What style are you trying to portray? Do you have a main message or theme?
You should start by selecting a few colors and a font that you can use constantly on everything you put out. You can even use these colors to decorate your salon suite!
This creates brand recognition so that people can see your marketing or colors and know that it is you. This makes you easily memorable, so when they think about needing the service you provide, they will think of you.
You will be incorporating your branding into the other 10 marketing ideas we will be going over for a salon.
About 70% of potential customers do research online before going to the business in person. That’s why it’s crucial that you set up a Google account for your business.
This way, when a potential client looks up salons near them on Google, you will show up with all of your information.
Then, people can find your address, what services you provide, contact information, website, reviews, and more – all with one simple search!
Let’s face it: everyone and their grandmothers are on social media. If you aren’t active on at least one social media platform, you are missing out on free marketing!
Social media is a great way to get your business out there and build a relationship with potential customers.
Here are a few social media marketing ideas for a salon:
Make sure you are using 3-5 relevant hashtags in all your posts to help get your message in front of more people.
Email marketing is a great way to nurture relationships with your community and stay top of mind. While you do not want to overload them, monthly newsletters are a great way to get your name in front of them.
Some topics you can include in your newsletter are:
Speaking of promotions this brings us to the 5th of our marketing ideas for a salon…
Now I know what you may be thinking: promotions eat into your revenue.
While you give a discount on that individual service, so you may not make as much, it can create life-long, loyal customers and bring in new clients who will continue to see you.
Here are a few salon promotions ideas:
Some salon promotions that work are buy-one-get-one half-off or discounted products and services.
More than 35% of consumers prefer to book online as opposed to calling. This is because they can do it any time of day, they don’t have to wait on hold, and they can see all availabilities laid out in front of them.
Make sure the navigation on your website is seamless so your clients can book their appointments with ease. You can even enable chatbots to help answer any questions your clients may have that are causing hesitation.
Not only does this create a better experience for your customers, but it can also help you cut down time and money on administration.
As we mentioned earlier, most potential clients will be doing online research before booking an appointment. One of the main things they will look at is your reviews. If you have bad reviews that went unaddressed, or even worse, don’t have any review at all, this can be a red flag to them.
First things first: you can get reviews on your Google My Business account. One idea for generating reviews is sending out an email asking for reviews with an incentive, such as a discount.
Once you begin getting reviews, it is crucial that you respond to them, good or bad. Address bad ones within 24 hours, assuring them you will take a look into their concern. For positive reviews, you can thank them for their feedback and share it on social media or your website.
While organic, unpaid traffic takes a little while to begin seeing results, pay-per-click (PPC) ads can start bringing in leads in the first few months.
What is a pay-per-click ad? These are the sponsored posts that you always see on your Instagram and Facebook feeds or while browsing the internet.
We recommend social media ads and Google display ads (these are the ads you see around your screen on Google) for raising awareness of your business and promoting current offers. For driving sales, we suggest Google search ads because these are the ads that come up first in people’s search results when they are actively looking for a salon on Google.
When using Google ads, remember to include words you believe your ideal customer would be searching for. For example, you can mention “hair stylist,” “haircut,” or “highlights.”
Nothing builds loyalty like rewarding loyalty. When clients feel like you appreciate their business, they will be more likely to want to work with you, especially if they get something out of it.
Loyalty punch cards or programs reward your customers for their continued support. After 10 or so visits, they can earn a discount or free service.
Referral programs are another way to incentivize loyalty. Offer a discount or free service if they bring in a referral. It is best practice to reward both the referrer and the referee.
Customers love seeing real people on your website and social posts. Updating your interior with trendy decorations will make your salon suite stand out and is great for taking pictures.
We recommend creating several spots in your salon that are designated selfie spots. Some ways to elevate your space are:
Creating a selfie spot can be a great way to encourage your customers to take photos when they come in for their appointment. Then, they can share it to their own accounts and tag you, or you can share it on yours.
Many people think that once you get a client to book your service, your marketing is done. While this may true for people just selling products, when you are trying to get repeat customers for your service, you need to be constantly nurturing the relationship.
Texting, also known as short messaging service (SMS), is an easy and effective way to build a strong relationship with your clients. Some ways you can do this is by sending follow-ups where you provide educational material like post-appointment care or surveys to get feedback.
Additionally, we recommend sending appointment reminder texts. Salons lose about 20% of revenue due to no-shows. Sending reminder texts a week or day before their appointment can remind them to show up and shows that you didn’t forget about them, either.
Are you looking for a salon suite to rent in Orlando? My Creative Studios is a high-end, fully equipped salon that provides support to our artists to help them succeed.
Not only that, but we leverage our partnership with a marketing agency that can implement all of your marketing ideas for your salon.
Although we give you the tools you need to grow your business, we let you be your own boss. You can set your own schedule, price your services and products however you’d like, and customize your suite.
Ready to rent? Reserve your suite today or schedule a tour to see your future suite.
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