1. Cultivating reviews
Client reviews are an extremely effective way to attract new clients to your salon. Not only will a large amount of reviews increase your search rankings, it will influence potential new clients to give you a try. A Harvard study once linked an increase in a star for your average review score to a 9% increase in revenue for small businesses. One easy way to accomplish this task is to utilize a software program that automates this process. If you are doing it the old fashioned way, use in store incentives to have clients review you.
2. Become a local influencer
Beauty is being overtaken by influencers on social media. Clients are proving to be highly influenced by online influencer recommendations and tutorials. Given this, many stylists are beginning to take advantage of this phenomenon and act as influencers themselves. By focusing on their presence online, they are raising their awareness and perception of their credibility/expertise for new clients and existing clients alike. There are countless examples of stylists who have become tremendous successes simply because they have adopted this philosophy. It’s like having a free channel to advertise yourself whenever you want.
3. SEO and PPC
If you’re not familiar, SEO is “search engine optimization” and PPC is “pay per click”. 75% of every new salon service begins with an online search. The awesome thing is that being found and looking impressive online is cheaper than building a gigantic salon in the center of town. In fact, in many towns across the U.S., the salons that have the “biggest” online presence aren’t usually the biggest salons. Investing money and time in optimizing your site for searchability and doing select pay per click advertising can be an incredibly effective way to get “butts in the chair”. Of course, ensuring your website is solid and current is an important aspect of this strategy too.
4. Social media advertising
Most every salon is engaged in social media in some way. However, savvy salons are budgeting some money to get their content viewed. In some cases it means simply boosting posts to your existing friends/followers to ensure they are seeing your content. In other cases, it could be targeting certain audiences to widen your reach. Either way, make sure your content that you are paying to get viewed is interesting and eye-catching. Paying for social media can really amplify the benefits of great content and get you in front of new audiences.
5. Gift cards
“3 for them and 1 for you”, an oldie but a goodie. Simply print 4 $25 gift cards for each client. All of the gift cards go toward a new service only (not something they are currently getting). Tell the client you love them and want to give them $100 in gift cards. 3 are for a friend, family member, or co-worker, and one is for them. It’s a much better way of approaching a referral program. Plus, it has the benefit of getting existing clients to try new services.
Once new clients are in the door, your salon’s brand will keep them coming back. Take your brand to the next level by offering private label salon products. Call genesis to get started today!