Beauty salons are a purely physical service, which may have caused a high majority of those in the business to suffer significant losses during the initial impact of the pandemic. Whether your salon business offers an array of services to treat hair or nails, or perhaps both, there has been a notable shift from solely brick and mortar to online platforms in the beauty industry. Even with your beauty salon business clamoring for attention amongst many other competitors in your area, it’s not impossible to stand out from the crowd with a loyal clientele. Follow our digital marketing tips to help your business build clientele and attract more customers.
Boost Your Online Presence
Imagine this – in most cities, people can walk out of their homes and pass no less than five beauty salons on their daily commute to work. Running a quick Google search for ‘beauty salon near me’ will bring up a list of salons in your surrounding area. If your salon solely relies on word of mouth, particularly in smaller towns, it doesn’t hurt to start having an online presence. In short, you will need to let potential customers know that you exist.
If you already have an online presence – a website and a few social media accounts – think about what you currently have on those platforms, and put yourself in your client’s shoes. What sets you apart from the other competitors? What can you offer with your current stylists or beauticians? Are there any extra ‘above and beyond’ services that you can provide? There are clients who would travel for miles (even out of state) just to visit a salon because they trust them and their services. What would keep YOU coming back to a beauty service time and time again?
Hair and nail photos are a great fit for social media content, as well as their beauty products. Have you ever seen a beauty brand’s gorgeous Instagram feed, or stunning gallery of services on their website? For boosting your online presence, you will need some relevant creative content to fortify your social media posts and website. When you’re posting consistently, these types of content will help you with three things:
Generate attention
Attract potential customers
Build a loyal customer base
Some beauty salons run online stores so their customers can easily access specific beauty products in their line. Even if you or your team aren’t digital marketing professionals, it’s not an impossible feat. Here is a quick and easy guide on using content to promote your online business like a pro. And if you need specific visual content to use across your digital marketing initiatives, look no further than 123RF’s library.
Post Client Reviews
Now that we’ve established why your business’ online presence is vital, think about how it could also be a decisive point for clients who are searching for a replacement salon. For some customers, finding a new stylist may be daunting. This is where good feedback can be a major deciding factor for potential customers finding a replacement salon. Think about posting before and after photos on your business’ social media, or photos of the types of gadgets or products you’ve brought in to work on specific hair textures. This can also help boost your stylists’ digital presence, for example, with mini tutorials on hair and beauty based on each stylist’s signature style. Maybe your salon has certain stylists who are professionally trained to work with a specific hair texture, like curly hair. Use that as another opportunity to reach out to the curly locks market. Shots of your salon’s interior should stay on your website, but if a client absolutely loves how your salon looks like, by all means post that content on your social feed.
Having happy customers should make you happy, too. Photo by belchonock, 123RF.
Studies have shown that people would want to visit and try a beauty salon or service if there are good reviews about them online. Satisfied client reviews don’t have to take up a lot of space on your website at all. They are also perfect content for your business social media posts. This article will show you a great summary on the impact of client testimonials on your brand’s trust and authority.
Make Use Of Online Reservations
However you choose to approach this, make it a win-win scenario, especially for first time customers. Pull them in with discounts and offers just for being a new customer in your beauty salon, and if they booked a service online. Again, something that sets your services or products apart can definitely be a point of attraction here. Does your salon only use fully organic beauty products with eco-friendly packaging? Your clientele would most likely consist of people who are environmentally conscious, while a small percentage would be curious about organic cosmetics. In this case, if you want to grow that small percent of clientele, you can offer free mini samples of your salon’s products to let potential customers try them out.
Berry natural photo by Roman Samborskyi, 123RF.
Some clients absolutely love salons that use natural products in their hair or spa essentials. If your business is making a transition into paraben and sulphate-free shampoo infused with strawberries, for example, make that your selling point. Allow new customers to try one of your salon’s signature services for a fraction of the cost if they made an online reservation. You’d be surprised at what attracts your customers to the services and products you can offer.
Offer Membership Loyalty Perks
Offer discounts for friends referring friends (or referrals) and special promotions based on how long a member has been frequenting your service. When I find a stylist or a nail tech that I love, I’d tell all my friends and family for sure. It’s always nice to get a thank you discount or two-for-one deals from my stylist the next time I visit.
Photo by Vadim Guzhva, 123RF.
And since everyone loves taking mom or dad out for a special treat, maybe make use of specific themed promotions and perks like Mother’s Day or Father’s Day deals.
People like it if you remember them, and that works great for loyal customers who keep returning. Building a good relationship with your salon’s clients should come as a second nature for you and your stylists. While customer loyalty is highly necessary for any brand, businesses like hair and beauty salons can definitely make the most of it. The Internet is a vast network of opportunity. With these tips, I hope to have helped you with creating a plan to strategize and grow your clientele through clever use of digital marketing.