Embarking to own your own business is never a casual process. This is especially true for salon business owners, for whom the rules of the game are constantly changing. Gone are the days of simply building your business through word of mouth or print ads. Today, customers find their stylists through mobile apps, virtual review websites, and coupon services.
Now more than ever, stylists and salon owners must find ways to set themselves apart from their competitors. While it can be easy to get caught up in individual appointments and specific problematic clients, it’s vital to take a step back and take a look at the wider picture. Apart from offering expert services, you can increase your salon’s foot traffic by making changes to the following aspects of your business!
Your Salon’s Design
Changing your salon’s overall design may, on first blush, feel like an unwarranted expense. However, in the age of Instagram and other social media apps, the best way to get your hair salon noticed is to make your space so Instagram worthy that your clients will want to take a photo of your beauty salon every time they visit. This simple act has the potential to increase your online presence tenfold.
The first step to changing up your salon’s design is to consider what you want your space to say about your company’s brand. How can you set your barbershop or beauty salon apart from standard mall salons? Consider the salon Ramirez Tran. There’s a reason they have such a rabid following of fans. It’s not just that they create stunning results, they also have one of a kind salon equipment. From their product shelves to their salon chairs and stations, every detail is a reflection of their unique brand and style. Clients can view the salon on their website and just by sliding through a few photos of their space, they know that by booking an appointment with Ramirez Tran, they’ll be receiving a one of a kind, luxury experience.
Whether you specialize in lived-in color or barber services, finding the perfect salon equipment is key to telegraphing to your clients the kind of experience they can, and should, expect.
Product Range
A powerful way to build your clientele is to settle on a series of products unique to your salon. If every beauty salon in your neighborhood is carrying Oribe or R+Co, maybe it’s time to branch out. Consider what articles your informed clients may be reading. Where are they looking to find this year’s best shampoo?
Whether your clients are interested in luxury products or they want vegan shampoo, make sure you’re providing them with those kinds of products. Remember, you want to be your clients’ main source for stylist and cleansing products so make sure you have what they want. You may also consider making the retail location in your shop more easily shoppable.
Arrange your products in order of use and purpose. It doesn’t make sense for the hair masks to be near the hairsprays. Train your clients to think of using hair care products the same way they use their skincare: by layering. The most subtle way to do that is through your visual merchandising.
Marketing
This last suggestion is seemingly obvious: develop a digital marketing strategy. As we discussed at the beginning of this article, you’re most likely to build your new clientele by finding them through their smartphones, tablets, and the occasional mobile ad. Save all of your marketing dollars for online and digital marketing.
So how do you build a successful marketing campaign? Target your ideal clients by geographic area with a geofence campaign. Mobile geofencing marketing uses geofencing to create a virtual net around a specific area in the real world. Once this virtual perimeter has been set, you can advertise to your target audience within that search radius.
Smartphone users tend to search for services on their phones using the search term “near me,” allowing their phones to utilize their location services. Just as these potential clients benefit from their phone’s proximity search tools, so can you! Additionally, anytime a potential client enables GPS, uses Wi-Fi, or turns on a Bluetooth beacon, they’ll be discoverable to your geofence campaign. Geofencing insures that any mobile advertising dollars you spend don’t go to waste.
After all, effective advertising is all about targeting the right demographics at the right time. Once you’ve solidified your geofence marketing plan, make sure that your ad features a relevant message and offers a promotion or special offer. Most importantly, make sure it showcases some of your best work.
When considering how you want to increase your business’s foot traffic, keep these three suggestions in mind. You want to create a space that is inviting to your clients. You should offer unique products that are as effective as they are enticing. Lastly, but most importantly, you want to make sure that your business is discoverable online.
