Salon businesses are unpredictable when it comes to keeping and attracting new customers, and while some methods promise to return results, they aren’t always timely. In addition, salons are plagued with a 10-25% drop-off rate, just because of the nature of the business: people move, lose interest in changing their hair, or just simply don’t have the time or money to spend.

So how do you remain competitive without looking desperate and how do you use what you have to gain more business?

Here are four proven ways to gain interest and help drive traffic to your salon today.

1. Grassroots Promotion

By grassroots, we’re talking about local efforts, or the promotions you do that will drive the local community into your salon. These marketing strategies focus on the local community that surrounds your salon and not only are they effective, but they are also relatively cheap and quick to implement.

Flyer/Postcard Drops

One cost-effective idea is to have promotional flyers or postcards printed and ask local businesses to include them on their customer service desk. These are usually around $0.05-0.10 a piece to make, depending on the initial amount and many local businesses have no problem helping out in this way.

Facebook Ads

When it comes to targeting your local community, few digital platforms do it better than Facebook. You have the option of purchasing ads that can be targeted to your zip code and preferred clientele, or you can go the free route and find FB Groups that are local and allow advertising. Oftentimes local groups will allow promotions on certain days of the week and since they already have local subscribers, you can reach the audience you need for free.

Limited Time Promotions

Another grassroots strategy is to offer a limited-time offer for new clients. A promotion with urgency, but not desperation is what you’re looking for. Bear in mind that when running a quick promotion, you’ll likely get “one-offers”, or people just looking for the discount, and it may not lead to repeat business. You will need to make sure and nurture those leads you’ve acquired to encourage conversion to loyal customers.

No matter which method you choose, grassroots efforts can help you build a name in your community that will last far beyond the simple promotion itself.

2. Leverage Existing Customers

The salon industry is one of those industries that relies a great deal on word of mouth. What your customers say and think of you directly affects how much business you have. That said, one of the quickest ways to garner more interest is to leverage the aid of your existing customers.

Referral Program

A clear way to leverage existing customers is to offer an incentive for referrals. It could be something as simple as offering a percentage off their next visit, or a free visit. Oftentimes your existing customer base makes the best salespeople and since they are already customers, the trust factor will already be there for any client they refer. This helps you progress through the buyer’s cycle with ease, having already garnered trust.

Reviews

Another often overlooked, strategy is to ask your clients to fill out reviews online. Reviews are some of the best ways to get new interest since this is the first place people go when checking out a new salon. Google reviews are the best place to start, as they play an important role in Google search rankings. The higher you rank, the more traffic, i.e. prospects, you have
access to.

Reminders

Sometimes a simple postcard reminder to your regular clients could make the difference you’re looking for. Much like a dental office sends out “It’s time for your check-up,” postcards, you can do a similar, “It’s time to clean up your brows,” or “Come see our new fall hair colors” campaign that could draw some existing customers back in sooner than they would have come before.

Remember, leveraging your existing clients is a timely and effective way to draw new customers since the trust factor is already present. Any of these methods can be easy and unobtrusive strategies to increase traffic to your salon.

3 . Get or Tweak an Online Presence

If you haven’t gotten a website or social media presence, now is the time. Not only does it provide an online portal to engage with potential customers, but it is also an important factor in Google rankings.

Content Marketing

Content Marketing is a tremendously effective way of garnering interest fast. Many businesses rely on content marketing for a majority of their campaigns, and for good reason. Content marketing helps serve you up in search engine queries to those looking for a salon in the area. The better your SEO optimization, the better chance you have of ranking high on search engines; the higher you rank on a search engine, the quicker you can earn new business.

SEO Optimization

SEO Optimization doesn’t end with content marketing, that is just one factor. If you have a website, there are many ways to optimize it for search engines. An easy way to accomplish this is to take a look online at some of the higher-ranking competitor sites and see what keywords they are using. By implementing those same keywords on your site, you will help improve your ranking and can even earn you new business organically.

Social Media

Social media is a great platform to promote your salon and gain new interest as well. Your social media presence should showcase your best work and should be monitored frequently. Not only can it serve to attract new business, but it can also help with nurturing existing clients. Make sure your posts provide value or interest to those you consider your optimal clients.

If you do not have a web presence, there is no time like the present. Use this online platform to garner new interest as well as engage existing clientele.

4. Partner Up

The last method to help get clients in the chairs at your salon is to partner up with local businesses or community centers to offer services that will generate interest.

Local Events

A great way to promote both yours and other local businesses is to set up a health fair or spa day. You can generate interest by organizing an event of this nature within your local community. Contact local businesses that complement your salon and see if they are interested in getting involved. Chances are, if you look, there will be at least a few that would see the benefit and join in.

Local Businesses

Another way to partner up is to find local businesses that complement your offerings, such as a nail salon, or maybe a perfume or candle shop, and work on a mutually-beneficial offering. This could be a discounted service or a form of a loyalty program, but no matter how it is accomplished, partnerships help both parties and help bring in new customers.

Partnerships are easy and quick ways to help generate business for your salon but make sure to offer value to your potential partner, this will help to sweeten the deal and lead to new business for both parties.

Closing Thoughts

At the end of the day, there are many methods to attract new customers to your salon that don’t require lengthy or expensive tactics. The key is to be creative and leverage the assets you already have. Working with assets like, loyal customers and an online presence can help you to gain new customers quickly while keeping those loyal customers you have, engaged.

With the overturn that is inherent in the salon industry, don’t be the last one to act. Use some or all of these methods today, and just watch your business soar.

BONUS CONTENT – SMS (Text Message) Marketing How to Keep Existing Customers Coming Back

SMS marketing can be a powerful tool for salons to engage with their customers, increase appointments, and boost sales. It allows you to reach your audience directly on their mobile phones, where they are likely to check messages frequently. Here’s a step-by-step guide on how a salon can use SMS marketing effectively:

1. Obtain permission: Get explicit consent from customers to receive SMS messages.
2. Build a segmented customer list: Group customers based on preferences and behavior.
3. Choose a reliable SMS marketing platform: Use tools like Twilio, EZ Texting, or Textedly.
4. Craft compelling messages: Keep messages concise, clear, and engaging with enticing offers.
5. Time messages strategically: Send SMS at appropriate times, avoiding early mornings and late nights.
6. Personalize messages: Address customers by name and use past salon history for personalization.
7. Offer exclusive promotions: Provide special deals to incentivize subscriptions.
8. Send appointment reminders and confirmations: Reduce no-shows by sending reminders.
9. Follow up post-appointment: Send thank-you messages with discounts for their next visit.
10. Encourage feedback and reviews: Request feedback and reviews through SMS.
11. Monitor and analyze results: Track open rates and conversion rates using tools like SimpleTexting or SMSBump.

Here are some example messages:

1. Promotional Offer: “🌟 Special Offer 🌟 Book any hair service this week and get 20% OFF! Use code HAIR20 at checkout. Limited slots available. Book now: [Salon Website]. Opt-out reply STOP.”

2. Appointment Reminder: “Hi [Customer Name], this is a friendly reminder about your appointment at [Salon Name] tomorrow at [Time]. We’re excited to see you! To confirm, reply with YES. To reschedule, call [Salon Phone]. Opt-out reply STOP.”

3. Post-Appointment Thank You: “🌺 Thank You! 🌺 We loved having you at [Salon Name]. Enjoy 10% OFF your next visit as our way of saying thanks! Book now: [Salon Website]. Opt-out reply STOP.”

4. Exclusive VIP Access: “🎉 Exclusive Offer 🎉 You’re a valued VIP customer! Get early access to our new spa package before anyone else. Book now with 15% OFF: [Salon Website]. Opt-out reply STOP.”

5. Feedback Request: “Hi [Customer Name], we hope you enjoyed your recent visit to [Salon Name]. We’d love to hear your feedback! Click here [Feedback Link] to tell us how we did. Opt-out reply STOP.”

Remember to adapt these messages to suit your salon’s branding and promotional strategies. Keep them short, engaging, and action-oriented to encourage better responses from your customers.