7 salon marketing tips to drive profit

The following content was adapted from a presentation delivered at  a previous Salon Life Beauty Convention by Sophie Lowe of the Spa PR Company.

As a Salon Manager, there are a host of strategies that you can implement in your marketing plan, but identifying the strategy that is right for your business is often the hardest thing.

We've listed seven ideas for you to consider when planning your next campaign.

1. Social Media captions

Social media is where the magic happens in today’s media savvy world, but how can you stand out amongst the crowd?

• Consistent & regular posting
• Captions and hashtags should never be an after thought
• Define messaging before looking at any visuals
• Position yourself as the expert in the local area with educational and knowledgeable posts that go beyond simply selling

2. Gain Social Proof

Social Proof = when other people are selling your services for you

• Make it easy for your customers to share content by creating ‘Instagram moments’ in your salon i.e. opportunities for them to snap a selfie with them and a friend or just themselves after a great new facial or nail job
• Make sure the selected area is branded and well-lit (just a simple copy of your logo on the wall will do it, in a position that will always show in the picture) - and include a dedicated hashtag for you to follow the conversation

This is FREE marketing coming directly from your customers and word of mouth promotions always carry a high level of credibility

3. Video

• Videos must be specific, quick and versatile
• A smart phone camera is absolutely fine!

Video is so powerful for growing your business, but what do you actually make videos about?

• Interview style – people like to see a face. You are the real experts and you’ve got a lot of knowledge to share
• Treatment demos – simple but very effective. People like to know what to expect, so show them

4. Salon Manager’s Blog

• Ensure that you are blogging effectively, do not post thin content
• Always think about adding value
• Your blog is the platform that you can build your credibility as an expert in your field
• Posting on your blog is totally different from posting on social media because you control the entire space – you own it! Make sure that it is a reflection of your business

 
5. Nurture Customer Relationships

It’s important create and maintain relationships with your customer base for a couple of reasons:

1. It is 6 x more expensive to win a new client that to retain an existing one
2. Returning customers spend 67% more than new customers

Simple tactics to nurture these relationships include:

• Newsletters – keep in touch! Let them be the first to know
• Loyalty Card Programmes – repackage it as the VIP loyalty card. Nothing can make your loyal customers feel more appreciated than bearing that VIP badge
• Say Happy Birthday – increase their feel-good factor when they are already celebrating!

6. Local Partnerships

Managing a business is never easy and can be a lonely experience so you should take advantage of every opportunity to network with other local business owners to form mutually advantageous partnerships.

Partnerships are a cost-effective way for your business to increase awareness, customer acquisition and ultimately grow.

• Your partner should not be a direct competitor
• The most effective partnerships are those that complement one another
• Your partner should have a sizeable audience
• If you're nervous about asking for help, begin by offering yours; see what's happening in your local community and ask how you can help

7. Be Creative

• Be brave with your marketing choices -don't just churn out last year's two-for-one offer (unless it was exceptionally successful of course)
• You know your clients the best, so give them what they want
• You will be remembered for the things you do differently by surprising and delighting your customers so be creative with your offers and particularly your headlines - a great headline can be the difference between 100 or 1,000 local people reading your offer.

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