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If you’re a busy salon owner looking for marketing tips that increase brand awareness and bring in new clients, you’ve come to the right place! The beauty industry evolves as quickly as trending hairstyles so it’s important to review your marketing plan often. From social media to email marketing, here are the top channels and salon promotions to incorporate into your marketing strategy now.
Facebook Ads & Other Social Media
After referrals and word-of-mouth, potential clients are most likely to search online to find a new salon and that search often starts with social media.
Luxe Hair Salon Phoenix is a beauty business doing social media marketing right:
View this profile on Instagram
Its Instagram business profile shares before and after photos, online reviews and popular services (like balayage and lash extensions). In addition, the local business uses the “about us” section to promote booking appointments and its contact information.
Salon businesses looking to broaden the reach of their social media business profiles should also consider paid social advertising. It’s a relatively inexpensive way to target your audience by location, demographics, interests and behaviors.
Whether opting for organic or paid social media (or both!), incorporate video whenever possible. Facebook users watch a total of 100 million hours of video content every day. Twitter receives over 2 billion video views daily and TikTok has an average engagement rate of 4.25%. Potential clients want that “snackable” content that video delivers so well. Use video to introduce new hairstylists or exclusive giveaways. Research popular hashtags and include them in your posts to expand the searchability of your videos. Most importantly, be authentic!
Another way to connect with consumers is through influencers. Beauty influencers speaking on behalf of your brand or giving tutorials / online reviews for your products will amplify brand awareness and engagement on your social media platforms. This sponsored content requires either a monetary fee (usually for influencers with more than 10,000 followers) or free merchandise for micro-influencers (social media accounts with less than 10,000 followers).
In addition to social media advertising, search engine marketing (think Bing and Google ads) is a paid digital marketing tool that helps you quickly connect with a larger audience of new clients and drive more traffic to your salon website.
Salon Websites & Text Messaging
Salon clients are more mobile and connected than ever before — 85% of U.S. adults now own a smartphone — and expect to land on a website that is easy to navigate and responsive to whatever device they are using. A mobile-responsive salon website scales the content to fit any size screen to ensure a pleasant user experience. Optimize it for search engines (SEO) too to bump your business listing up in search results for relevant keywords like “tanning salon Detroit”.
Attention spans are shorter now, thanks to the deluge of digital content and mobile internet access. Focus your content and make sure it grabs the attention of your visitors immediately and that your site loads quickly (under 3 seconds, to be exact). Be sure to include digital codes/coupons if your salon/spa sells products or goods. And along with posting engaging content, include a link to an online booking portal.
When done in a strategic, respectful and relevant way, SMS (text) marketing can also be successful for salons and spas. In fact, 64% of consumers want businesses to communicate via text! With your customers’ permission, text is also a great way to book appointments and send offers, reminders and promotions.
Why Consumers Opt In
- 77% coupons or deals
- 50% personal alerts
- 48% being in the loop
- 33% more meaningful content
- 31% no need to go anywhere for info
With today’s technology, your salon software for booking appointments should also be able to send reminders, follow-ups/thank-you’s and post-appointment surveys. However, you must be in compliance with SMS and text message laws and regulations.
Direct Mail Salon Advertising
52% of Americans have tried a new business because of direct mail. It’s the cost-effective way to reach your target audience and something to consider as part of your overall salon marketing strategy. But direct mail isn’t a one-size-fits-all salon marketing method. There are multiple formats to consider, depending on the goal of your advertising campaign. Check out these highlights:
Coupons
Coupon inserts are mini billboards that promote your salon business inside a shared mailer (where multiple businesses share the cost to mail). Combine with digital marketing to amplify your salon advertising results.
Postcards
Postcards are a larger-print format that stands out in the mailbox with plenty of advertising real estate to promote your salon to potential clients. Choose from PlusOne postcards (with enhanced Informed Delivery), an automated postcard service (perfect for special events, Valentine’s Day and other holidays) or custom postcards where everything from the mailing list to the mail date is customizable.
Keep in mind, consumers are more likely to respond to postcards than any other type of marketing mail. Including a coupon with your mailer also bumps up the predicted response by 12.1% (USPS data).
Salon Promotions & Incentives
Salon clients are loyal to the core and rarely switch stylists unless they’re unhappy or they move. When searching for a new salon, potential clients consider cost in addition to cleanliness, location, quality and experience. Give them an incentive to book appointments with you vs. another beauty salon with a good offer. Here are the most popular offers by salon type based on years of beauty industry data and research.
Top Hair Salon Offers
- $____ adult cut (Reg. $____)
- $____ shampoo & haircut (Reg. $____)
- 15% off any haircut & style
Top Nail Salon Offers
- Free manicure with purchase of a pedicure
- 20% off any mani-pedi
- $_____ manicure & pedicure (Reg. $_____)
Top Salon & Spa Offers
- Free massage (buy one massage, get one free)
- $_____ for a 60-minute massage (Reg. $_____)
- 15% off any 60-minute massage
Don’t forget about your loyal customers either! Implement a loyalty program to reward clients and encourage rebooking. Give these brand ambassadors / influencers early access to new products, services and special events. Send birthday postcards and anniversary emails that include a free offer or gift card. This blog has a helpful infographic on the best offers that work.
Customer Service & Reputation Management
Providing excellent service is the foundation of a successful small business. It builds word of mouth and new client referrals. Don’t forget to reward the referrer! Repeat customers are repeat customers because they are pleased with the service or products they receive.
Your online presence needs to measure up to great service too. Manage your online reputation by swiftly handling complaints, questions and other issues to elevate your business to new heights. For example, if your salon is listed on Yelp or Google My Business (it should be!) and you receive a negative online review, don’t close the page and pretend you never read it. Promptly reply to the customer and objectively validate their concerns. Don’t get too defensive – potential clients can be turned off if they sense you’re blaming the reviewer. Even if you feel you’re in the right, do whatever is necessary to rectify the situation — it will be noticed.
Know How to Network Your Beauty Salon
Create a small business beauty network in your community by inviting other business owners to join in on the action! Sync up with local businesses that cater to a similar audience (florists, bridal boutiques, restaurants, etc.) and work together to design an online marketing plan. For instance, cross-promote your local business by advertising their Mother’s Day offer(s) on your social media and digital platforms. In return, they can do the same for your business.
You can also create giveaway contests via social media, with each local business providing goods and/or services prizes. Invite the business owner to your salon or spa to enjoy the promotion — for free. Working together to create promotional ideas is a great way to grow your clientele and boost retail sales.
Networking can go a long way when done right but cross-promoting is not a one-time marketing method. You will need to develop a long-term relationship with local businesses, which will encourage long-term relationships with customers. It’s a win-win for everyone!
Email Marketing: Email Newsletters & Appointment Reminders
Ask your salon clients for their email addresses to create a customer database for email marketing. You can also collect this client info from online contact me / appointment request forms.
Once you have a mailing list, send email newsletters to promote sales, loyalty rewards and special events. You might even win back some former clients with this method. It’s crucial you keep the email content fresh. Original content that’s frequent and relevant will create excitement among your target audience. And remember to offer something of value that aligns with what you sell or the salon services you provide.
Email is also a must for appointment reminders. With weeks (sometimes longer) between appointments, clients undoubtedly forget when they booked for an upcoming service. Make it easy for them to remember with a simple email reminder.
Effective Salon Marketing with Valpak
From nail, tanning and hair salons to day spas and massage therapy centers, beauty and salon businesses that advertise with Valpak see an increase in new clients and repeat customers. Our marketing consultants can assess your marketing strategy and provide salon marketing ideas to help you reach more potential clients now. Contact your local Valpak office to get started.
