Beginner's Guide To Marketing Your Salon

Whether you're already at the first few steps of building your salon business or still in the very early stages of planning, you probably already have marketing on your mind. When you still need to get a solid clientele, marketing your services is the best way to attract new customers, promote your brand, and become more profitable earlier on.

When it comes to marketing anything, it takes time to figure out where to start. The thing is that it can be quite overwhelming, especially since there are so many platforms available to you today. It becomes even more difficult when you realize the amount of competition you have to face. No matter how good your treatments or services are, they won't be able to stand on their own without effective salon marketing ideas.

In today's oversaturated beauty and hair salon landscape, you have to be a little creative with the way you present your business. While a marketing expert can easily put creative ideas into practice, that doesn't mean business owners like you can't achieve results with simple but effective strategies.

Below are some tips you can use to set your salon marketing efforts in motion.

Start By Asking Yourself The Right Questions 

Before starting your salon's marketing campaign, you should first ask yourself a few key questions that will help you better personalize your message and increase your chances of success.

You can start with the following:

• What do you want to accomplish with your marketing campaign? Is it brand awareness? Are you trying to attract your ideal client? Do you want to build a community?
• Whom are you talking to? What do you currently know about the demographics and psychographics of your target audience? What do they want? What can your services help them achieve?
• What kind of culture does your salon have? Do you go above and beyond by promoting emotional wellness in your salon? Do these initiatives and methods tie back to your company's core values?
• What metrics determine the success or failure of your marketing strategies?
• How big or small is your budget?
• What does your current competitive landscape look like?

Look For Marketing Tools That Will Help You Achieve Your Goals

Marketing your salon is a time-consuming task, as you'll be doing a lot of writing for your blog and social media, providing constant updates to your customers, taking pictures of your salon and the people in it, etc. The more efficient you become at doing this, the easier everything will be.

It's a good thing there are tools, apps, and software that will help you streamline your marketing efforts. So check out scheduling tools like Sprout Social and Buffer, email marketing tools like Mailchimp and Convertkit, and analytics tools like BuzzSumo and Google Analytics.

Don't Forget You Google My Business Listing 

More often than not, people use Google to find a salon that is 1) close by, 2) within their budget, and 3) has a stellar reputation.

A very important step in making sure that your salon can be found online is to claim your Google My Business listing and check that the information is current and accurate. It'll be a big mistake if you don't do this, as your entire marketing plan will start on the wrong foot.

Social Media Is Non-Negotiable 

Even if you probably didn't enter the salon industry to become an influencer, social media is a crucial part of salon marketing if you want to stand out from the crowd. It can be intimidating, but don't let it throw you off! There are many methods to make social media work for you.

Here are some things you have to keep in mind:

• Choose your platforms carefully. You don't need to be an expert on every single platform to get results. Instead of spreading yourself too thin, pick and choose platforms that are most effective for you and concentrate on those.
• Build engagement with your audience. Your job doesn't end when you upload a photo or video. Spend some time responding to comments and direct messages from the community you've created! Even a quick emoji can go a long way toward making someone feel heard, respected, and valued.
• Share quality content. Posting for the sake of posting won't help you much. Take time and put the effort into creating strong posts that genuinely showcase your best work. You can start with pictures and videos of your space, product shots, team interviews, and images from your work portfolio.

Get Into Customer Marketing 

The thing about marketing your salon is that it's so easy to advertise yourself to new clients and leave your current clientele behind. Don't fall into this trap! There's absolutely no one better to persuade to use your services than those you've already convinced in the past.

Salons thrive on repeat business. If you're using an online booking system to get your client's contact information, put that to good use through:

• Email: Newsletters are a terrific way to stay in touch with customers and share information about your company that they might otherwise miss since they don't visit you regularly.
• SMS: Even if you offer the best services and treatments, your efforts will be in vain if you don't convey this value to potential customers. SMS marketing enables two-way communication with them through a device that your clients always carry with them.
• Promotions: Everyone enjoys finding a great deal. A great way to keep customers coming back is through a loyalty program. Sending special offers to current customers using the email mentioned above or SMS marketing strategies will ensure an influx of repeat customers.

Leverage The Power Of Word Of Mouth 

Businesses like salons flourish because of referrals and word of mouth. That's why it's so important for you to provide your customers with an outstanding experience if you want them to recommend you to others without being asked.

For this strategy, why not try the following:

• Reviews and Testimonials: Word-of-mouth isn't just an offline thing. Any business that advertises online must have positive reviews on several platforms. Remember, customers nowadays love looking up businesses online and reading reviews. If they're unable to find reviews of you, you may inadvertently eliminate your salon from consideration.
• Referral Programs: Why not try a "bring a friend" campaign where customers will receive a particular percentage off their service if they bring a friend? You can also run a referral program where clients receive 10% or so off for each friend they bring to the salon.
• Co-marketing: This is a collaboration between at least two brands or businesses with the goal of using each other's consumer bases and resources. If your salon faces a hotel, ask to form a partnership so they can refer your services whenever necessary. It's a win-win: the hotel fulfils its role by assisting guests in finding what they need, and you gain a new customer.

Watch Your Salon Thrive With The Right Marketing Strategies 

Effective salon marketing can help your business grow so that you and your team can focus more on what you are best at. Following our little guide above can ensure that your marketing initiatives support rather than distract from your passions.

Remember, a little work goes a long, long way. And if you ever need a little boost, Zoyya has you covered!