727-865-4145 727-865-4145

Bringing More Business into Your Salon

Posted on 2020-01-31

The salon & spa business is hands-on and customer-centric, and most salon owners spend their time
doing what they do best — making their clients look and feel their best. Since much of your focus
is on the customers you have, finding the time to figure out how to bring more customers into the
door can be challenging. Before you expand your marketing, there are a few basics needed to be sure your
efforts will be effective:

 

 

Creating and maintaining the brand image.


Since new clients haven’t experienced your
services, they make judgments about your salon the minute they walk in the door. That means your
physical salon must reflect your brand in a way that makes them feel comfortable trusting you and
your staff as experts. That means your salon must always be clean, smell fresh, and have a
welcoming atmosphere. All your stylists and estheticians are brand ambassadors, so it’s important
that they always dress and style their hair to reflect the latest trends. When potential clients
walk in the door, make sure they always see clean surfaces, clean equipment, and smiling staff
members wearing styles they’d like to try for themselves. It’s easy to get so busy that some of
these elements get lost in the shuffle, so make them a priority and your salon will always be ready
for new customers!

Brand consistency.


Before you market your brand, be sure everything is consistent in
and out of your salon. Ensure that you have consistent signage with your brand logo and colors both
in your salon and in your advertisements. Have business cards with your logo and contact
information displayed at your front desk, in your stylist stations, and by your professional
products, so your customers can pick up a card to remember your contact information or to pass it
along to a friend as a referral. Think about consistency in everything you do to make the brand
experience memorable to your clients. Brand consistency also means keeping your online presence
fresh, with consistent branding and fresh content that lets potential customers know that you are
active and open for business.

Online presence.


Includes but is not limited to your website, social media; Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, Google, Yelp and any other up and coming social platform. Emailed newsletters with your salon and spa blog is a great way to connect with existing and even future clients. Newsletters can be a great way to let customers know about your new service and products or specials, share hot tips on how to style their hair or eliminate seasonal hair, skin or nail problems. Be sure and add your blog to the newsletter too.

Once you’ve built consistency and a strong image, it’s time to attract more clients to experience your amazing salon & spa. To do this, think about the different options you have that will incentivize people to visit and make a purchase. Here are some of the best options:

Specials.


Nothing excites people about a brand more than offers to save money or have an exclusive, one-of-a-kind experience.

Offer a special just for new clients that introduce them to your services. Make the offer feel welcoming so they’re instantly comfortable with your brand. For the new client, it’s often a money-saving offer that will bring them in the door.

Client referral programs where the new guest is offered dollars off their first visit and the referring guest also receive dollars off on their next visit as a way of saying thanks for recommending you to their friends and family. After all the best compliment the service provider and the salon can get is when your client likes you well enough to tell others about you.

Time-sensitive specials build anticipation and excitement, and they encourage people to make decisions quicker. People will respond to specials that require them to “act now” while the offer lasts because they don’t want to miss out on a great opportunity. Time-sensitive specials can help draw people into your salon during slower months or when you have a product you’d like to move quickly.

Samples


Everyone loves free samples, and they work not only as a fun gift for the client but also
as an introduction to a new product. Leaving the salon with a small bag of fun samples makes clients feel like their experience at your salon was something extra special. You can also use samples to test out new products directly with your clients before filling up your shelves. As a bonus, asking them for feedback about a new product also makes clients feel special. Sampling is a great way to have the client fall in love with your product gift and make sure to give them a coupon as a bounce-back offer to come back and purchase the full-size product and save dollars off that purchase within 4 weeks.

Gift cards.


Always offer gift cards. In a business built through word-of-mouth like the salon & spa
industry, gift cards are the ultimate form of referral — they let potential new customers know that
their friend or family member was so happy with your services that they already bought the services
for them. It’s instant income and a great way to build on your existing clientele.

Bundles.


Almost every service can be put into a package with related services and sold as a bundle.
The advantage is that clients are buying services they normally wouldn’t, so you make more income,
even if the bundle is offered at a discount, about 20% off is perfect. Be creative when bundling
products and services and create a theme for each bundle that’s attractive to your clients, like an
free deep conditioning treatment with a cut and color service, or a “anti-aging spa experience”
with a variety of facial treatments or a “girl’s night out complete makeover” with hair and makeup
services.

Marketing your salon & spa to new clients can be easy with a few simple ideas that really build
excitement about your brand and get new people in the door. For the best in quality products for
your salon, connect with us at Life of Riley Salon Supply.

Call us at 727.865.4145, visit us at
12955 Starkey
Road, Suite 3000, in Largo, FL, or shop online today.