Looking for fresh salon marketing ideas to take your business to the next level in 2019? It can be hard to stay ahead of the competition with a salon seemingly on every block. That means you’ll need to get creative because you already have an uphill battle: as a salon owner, you may already be dealing with issues like inadequate cash flow and cash reserves or pricing that’s all wrong for the market. The last mistake you want to make is failing to adapt to changes in technology, automation, and your competition. These salon marketing ideas can help you grow your business and show what makes you different than other salons in your area.
Add a Branded Selfie Station
It may sound a little silly and obvious but something as simple as a selfie station in your salon can help you earn free marketing from happy clients — and voracious social media users. Set up an area at the front of your salon with a mirror and your company logo or even a branded hashtag. Clients will be all too happy to snap a quick picture on their way out and share it to show off their amazing new style.
Reward Returning Clients
It’s more expensive to gain new clients than it is to retain your existing customers. It pays to put effort into keeping your existing customers happy and sometimes this can come with the bonus of referrals. Give your clients a bonus for advertising your salon and sending in their friends and family with a postcard or an email that includes a discount on their next service. You can also set up a digital loyalty program that lets you track customers and set up rewards. LoopyLoyalty is a great choice for setting up digital branded loyalty cards that will go alongside your clients’ credit cards in Google Pay and Apple Wallet.
Make Online Appointment Scheduling Easy
With a service-based business, accepting online appointments is crucial to your success. Whether you own your own salon or rent a booth, online bookings are an effective salon marketing strategy that frees up your time and increases your conversion rate for little to no cost. Solutions like Square Appointments can be integrated with a cloud-based calendar that you can access from anywhere to stay on top of your appointments.
For online scheduling to pay off, remember that potential clients will still need to be able to find your salon’s website. Effective salon marketing requires modern and SEO-friendly web design combined with an SEO strategy to draw in organic search traffic and pay-per-click advertising to get a higher-cost but instant boost of traffic.
Market Unique Holiday Promotions
Going to the salon should be a fun, rewarding experience. Many of your customers will schedule their appointments to look their best for an upcoming holiday but many are just looking for an excuse to indulge themselves a bit. Create fun promotions around upcoming holidays and seasons. You don’t need to stick with the classics like Mother’s Day: what about National Blonde Day in June or National Love Your Red Hair Day in November?
To market your promotions, turn to social media marketing and share exciting, themed hairstyle ideas. You can even send out your promotions to your email list or advertise with direct mail to complement your online marketing strategy.