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The Ultimate Salon Marketing Guide
Owning your own business means not just providing services to your customers independently, but also taking on all of the responsibilities that your business requires outside of just giving great results. Being a small business owner means running your operation, balancing costs, and staying profitable despite changes in trends, seasons, or demand.
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Keeping your business running smoothly and succeeding in your ventures means that you have to cultivate not just a loyal client base that keeps coming back, but also means that you have to continue attracting new customers that will stick around. The continuous growth of your operation is the key to going beyond just making ends meet, but creating a highly beneficial environment for you, your employees, and your customers! So how do you keep your business started off on the right foot and continually operating at its best? We’ll fill you in on all of the best marketing strategies to keep your salon running smoothly.
READ: How to Start a Waxing Business in 2022
Key Aspects of a Salon Marketing Strategy
Creating a profitable business is only as doable as you allow it to be, and creating a loyal salon client base should always be your main prerogative.
Your business will produce what you put into it, so investing in yourself and your strategy is what will make your salon thrive and make people want to come back. It’s also the only way to get your name out there and build notoriety in the first place!
To build your client base and get your brand more known, especially when just striking out on your own, you need the right marketing strategy to do so. Creating a salon marketing plan for the short and long term will keep consistent business and will allow you to grow and expand in the future.
When beginning to build your business, you’ll need to first think about your brand, your salon’s vibe, what services you want to offer, and what kind of reputation you want to cultivate. You can do all of this through different strategies and branding.
How to Brand a Business
Branding your business and creating its actual presence in your area and market is what will make you stand out from the competition and build a loyal base.
Deciding on your branding means looking at the look and feel of your business, your logo, design, and even color choices, as well as the services you want to provide and the overall feel of your salon.
How to Build a Salon Website
Your website and online presence are a big indicator to your clients and customers as to what they’ll expect from your salon and your services.
The first thing you should add to your website is your business’ portfolio and any service photos you can use to enhance your website. Examine not just the photos on your website, but also the copy (the text on your website), and pricing info. Make sure your portfolio is clear, concise, and conveys what you want customers to understand about you and your business.
In addition to your portfolio organization, you should also focus on the organization of your site at large.
Your website should be easy to use and navigate and should be free from any design or spelling errors that might lower the quality of your site. The client’s experience on your site can make or break whether they book with you, so keep them in mind in everything you do.
The following are some of the most important aspects to include on your salon website:
- Waxing services you offer with pricing
- Spa treatments you offer
- Products used in your salon
- Building & parking information
- Photos of the business and your services
- Reviews
When building your website, you should also have an SEO strategy in mind to attract more people to your page. Having good SEO, or search engine optimization makes your site more likely to pop up higher in search results, which can help attract new clients (and will make it easier to find existing ones!).
Having a visible and well-constructed website is the key to bringing in new customers and making a good first impression. It will also make it easier for already-loyal clients to navigate and book your services.
How to Create a Salon Atmosphere
Just as you have to construct your website to give off a feel that’s reflective of the experience you want people to have at your salon, the same goes for the actual atmosphere you create for their visits.
Consider what you want your customers to think when they walk into the room and during their services. Do you want an atmosphere that is chic, refined, or upscale? Do you want something friendly, homey, or cozy? Everything from how you outfit your reception area and waiting room to even your logo should reflect this.
Part of building your salon atmosphere has to do with building brand awareness. On top of how you want your salon to look and feel at your physical establishment, channel this into your online presence, logo, and even the name of your business as well.
Think about the others salons in the area, and how you can make yourself and your services stand out besides just consistently amazing results. Getting people in the door will let your work speak for itself, but you do have to attract them first!
READ: Best Esthetician Services to Offer Clients
Email Marketing for Salons
One of the most important things to incorporate into your everyday operations is having a good email marketing strategy for salons. Having a targeted and segmented email strategy (in addition to a social media one, which we’ll touch on later), lets you increase customer engagement and speak directly to your audience.
Those who subscribe to your newsletter are more likely to stay up to date with your business and continue returning for your services.
Integrate your salon email marketing with that of your overall management strategy. You can utilize email marketing tools to help clients stay updated on everything you have going on. Integrating your software will also let you keep track of and have more control over inventory and appointment management, while also having your contact list and calendar in one place.
How to Make an Email Newsletter
Making an email newsletter means having to not just create content, but choose your schedule according to audience engagement and open rates. Your newsletter can be about pretty much anything, from new products or service announcements to equipment announcements, promotions, specials, or just fun going on at your salon.
The most important aspect of your email campaign is to create content and headlines that people want to see! Try using subject lines and previews that bring intrigue.
READ: How to Raise Prices in a Salon in 2022
Social Media Marketing for Salons
In addition to having a good website and email marketing strategy, one of the most important things you can do as a modern small business owner is to build and grow your salon’s social media presence. We’re talking beyond just posting consistently to your existing audience on Instagram, and instead using these platforms to bring in clients as well.
Get your business’ name out there with not just Reels and regular posts, but through Instagram, Facebook, and Google Ads. Though you might think Facebook might not be worth it, it’s still a lucrative way to bring in millennial customers and those of other age ranges outside of Gen Z.
Go beyond just creating generalized ads for each platform, and make your content very targeted to the audience you want to attract. A lot of these ad opportunities are relatively low in cost upfront, and can reap a lot of rewards - especially if you bring in long-term clients from them!
Keep in mind that although we’ve said to take things up a notch when it comes to social media marketing, not to neglect your business’ regular activity on these sites. Things like posting reels or photos of your services, before and afters, and even highlighting employees or new products can help keep you visible and customers engaged.
READ: Best Hard Wax for Easy Hair Removal
How to Retain Salon Business
Especially during the colder months, you might be looking for ways to keep your existing customers coming back at regular intervals. Despite rising supply and operation costs, having consistent and loyal clients will keep your business successful and prosperous. Retaining your service quality and upholding your brand and reputation is the key to making people want to come back to you.
When clients enter your salon, they should immediately be met with engaging and personable service that makes them feel comfortable and safe. Creating this environment will not only make them feel relaxed and pampered during their waxes but will build your relationship with them as well.
Your waxing results and work should also speak for themselves, and meld with your level of service and atmosphere to create an experience that clients prioritize and feel is necessary despite any economic trends happening. This will also create more value for the services you provide, and will retain clients even if you have to raise prices.
Building a relationship with each client will not just retain business, but will make for a more enjoyable and relaxed environment for them AND you. Brightening people’s days consistently and giving them more confidence will build you and your business up, while having that mutual support between esthetician and client will keep both of you happy and satisfied.
READ: How to Increase Salon Clientele in the Current Economy
Salon Promotional Ideas
As we mentioned before, clients can sometimes become inconsistent with their waxing services during the colder months, which often calls for some promotions or specials to keep business booming.
Many salons create loyalty programs, which might allow clients to get a smaller service, like eyebrow or lip waxing, for free after a certain amount of other services.
You can also have promotional pricing on retail add-ons to drive sales, or bring in special services or trendy waxing techniques to draw in customers (and hopefully keep them!). Offer promotions or discounts to your engaged email audiences, or offer discounts to your followers on social media.
If you bring in new products or want to highlight new formulas, especially specialty ones or those with unique benefits like Starpil’s Coral Hard Wax, you can also offer promotional pricing to attract existing and new customers.
For example, if you’ve recently brought in Starpil’s Starsoft Hard Wax formula for use on clients with sensitive skin, offering a discount on services to promote the product will drive service sales for your business.
READ: How to Calculate ROI for Your Waxing Business
Final Thoughts
Having a good salon marketing strategy will allow you to build your business and keep growing consistently.
There’s no doubt that a lot goes into creating a successful, independent business, but having a good foundation and multiple funnels to bring in business will allow you to create a profitable environment that can weather any economic changes.
As a small business owner, creating a strong brand and a salon atmosphere that makes clients want to come back time and time again is only a small part of having success.
Creating a long-term marketing plan and a strong website, email, and social presence will allow you to consistently draw in new business and retain loyal clients through the quality of your service.
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