How to Turn First-Time Clients into Loyal Customers

Want to keep salon newbies coming back, and re-booking? A lot of it has to do with how you present yourself not only in store, but online as well. The best way to turn a first-timer into a loyal customer is to give them an experience that convinces them to come back.

This experiences starts from their first impression of you online, to the moment they step out the salon doors, making sure your salon space is clean and fresh, you have hired the right people, booking is easy and you continue to interact on social media.

1. Your Salon.
   The top priority is making sure your salon is calming and inviting. What do clients see (and feel) when they first walk through the doors? Are there opportunities to improve your layout or delight clients that you aren’t taking advantage of? It is important to think about what your clients are looking for when they visit you, is it a respite away from home with a luxurious feel, or do you want them to feel homely and comfortable? Not only how the salon looks, but how it feels and smells also play an integral part into the experience. Things like music playing, the scents, complimentary drinks or special services that you provide entice people to come back to reap more rewards.
   

2. Your Staff.
   Finding staff that have a true passion and understanding for not only the products and services you are offering, but the client’s needs as well, is key to running a smooth salon. Happy staff makes for happy clients in any situation, enjoying an extraordinary experience on both ends. The key is to hire staff that have natural customer service skills and passion. These are difficult to train so are integral to have. Promote your staff online by name so your client base gets familiar with faces and names, and teach your staff to also greet people by name when they come in the door
   

3. Your Bookings.
   Booking appointments can be stressful at the best of times, and a big chore for many people. Making this process easy, and even online, is a sure way to get clients to re-book. Online booking systems avoid the phone-tag some stores play to get a hold of someone. This ensures the process is less stressful for the client and easier for you to track your available days and times. Convenience for them means more business for you, as well as the ability to track trends in bookings like popular therapists and services.
   

4. Your Social Media Presence.
   From pre- to post-booking you should have a strong presence online for your clients. From researching your services to reviewing the treatment they had, make sure to keep the conversation going through social media. It is a great engagement tool for you to keep tabs on your clients and cutting through the noise of any other posts your clients are following. Post small bouts of information, humour, inspiration or create your own video content to share each day.

The Influencer Effect

Did you know, 3% of people yield over 90% of impact online? Digital Natives highlights that when a trusted person speaks on their social platforms, others listen, and react.

For decades, consumer purchases were driven by brand loyalty, from what their parents used, or what has the strongest promotion available. Yet, recent times have seen consumers not only embrace digital technology and social media platforms, but rely on it through the power of online recommendation culture, brought to you by influential digital players and aptly named, influencers.

You have probably noticed by now the large amount of people that tune out, skip, or even fast-forward through ads on television and in magazines. They are acutely aware of the fact that they are being advertised to, and switch off.

However, social media stars, including public figures like Kylie Jenner, Hailey Baldwin and Bella Hadid, and YouTubers such as Zoella, Lauren Curtis, Nikkie Tutorials and Manny MUA, among millions of beautiful and personable models and bloggers, have created their own respected businesses built upon their social following and ability to drive millions towards (or away from) one product in the industry.

Consumers as young as 10 and as old as 85 turn to a trusted network of online influencers - who have become business owners in their own right - to make decisions based on their firsthand perspective and experiences. They are not exactly valued for their fame, but for their personality and ability to connect with the people who follow their every move, with their opinions resonating much more effectively than conventional ads do.

Brands are becoming less obsessed with ‘household names’ and more focused on ‘handheld names’.

Any given influencer can have reach up to millions and beyond, while your trusty beauty magazine may only have a readership of 40,000, with influencer marketing becoming 11 times more effective than banner ads. This strong hold on the public only works to highlight why the digital arena is where your salon marketing is heading, with genuine, trusted recommendations from their favourite influencer being proven to be the most powerful way to influence consumer behaviour.

But how?

Online recommendations from anyone other than the brand themselves generates trust.

Twitter studies have reported that people now trust influencers nearly as much as they trust their friends and neighbours. These trendsetters can drive a conversation about a brand or product faster than it takes to design a print ad, and receive double the attention. The relatability, expertise and relevance to their audience drives SEO, engagement and a genuine wave of interest from their authentic followings.

Back in the day, consumers took top-down marketing and ran with it, as it was the only form available essentially. But now we operate in a time where consumers have grown distrustful of brand messaging and brand partnerships that feel inauthentic. Consumers are smart; they are able to identify when a message is forged by the brand itself. Bloggers and vloggers have insights into their audience and are able to not only navigate channels but inspire their followers in ways brands cannot.

Why not capitalise on that? Influencers go into your salons too, and you may not even know. With 92% of women considering online reviews extremely important when making a purchase, it is time to do your research on who you need to know and develop relationships with to create authentic, meaningful content to a wide audience of millions.

The most rewarding marketing you can do for your salon

Email marketing is known to drive more sales and bookings than any other marketing activity you undertake. Targeting your clients, both potential and existing, right from their pockets, their handheld devices is not only easy for the client to see and click onto, but it is a sure fire way to consistently double, even triple, your sales.

Your social media, combined with your consistent email marketing should be working hand in hand. Creating a great digital strategy that suits your needs and wants, as well as the clients’, then your salon will be reaping the rewards!

Simply put, if you are looking to increase bookings and sales, having an appealing and visually stunning email newsletter is by far one of the most lucrative activities you can undertake.

First things first, how often do you currently send out email newsletters to your mailing list of clients? If the answer is anywhere between never and rarely, it’s time to change tactics. Commit to sending out an enticing email at least monthly, preferably 2-3 times per month, depending on how many brands, services and treatments you want to market.

But, it’s not just about sending the email, or getting your emails opened. It is about selling your clients on why you are a good idea, encouraging them to click, call and book.

If your clients aren’t clicking ‘book now’, or even opening your emails, this could be a case of lack of an attention grabbing subject line, which compel your customers to open your email. This needs to be stunning from the moment they glance at the email notification, making them interested in knowing more about what you want to say.

We have 4 simple ways to immediately grab your client’s attention, compel them to learn more, and ultimately turn that interest into a sale:

1. Peer pressure.
   Customers don’t like to miss out on current trends or popular treatments, and social proof is a HUGE way to entice them to book on a whim. Social proof provides credibility and drives your customers to want something even more because everyone else is doing it or getting it.
   

2. What’s inside.
   Get your customers guessing so they simply MUST open your email to know what’s going on. For example: “have you heard the latest trend in facials?”. Every salon customer will want to know what’s new in your salon, and their interest will likely turn into a read email and subsequent service booking.
   

3. Hot spot specials and money saving deals.
   No client can resist an incredible deal, like a free gift with a treatment, or even an incentive to book. For example, “call to book today and receive a free serum upon arrival at your appointment”. It’s simple and it’s effective.
   

4. Do it now.
   Limited offers, only 7 appointments left, and bonus deals are all a great way to compel your customers to take action, and take it now. If you create scarcity in your services, it not only makes you seem highly in demand, but your customers will also have the urgency to book or buy

8 Salon Tanning Marketing Ideas

@th_makeup_artistry client wearing Sunescape Month in Maui spray tan

With summer in full swing, and the upcoming heatwave weekend in Sydney tomorrow, your tanning business is likely pumping out some bronzed and beautiful ladies. But that doesn’t mean you can stop marketing the service!

Many tanning salons have established a good base of customers, but these marketing ideas can help your tanning business grow and reach new potential customers all the way into the colder months.

1. Set up monthly tanning plans.
   Offering people value in return for them signing up to a monthly tanning plan. You can provide free tanning sessions a month when they sign up with a makeshift ‘contract’ allowing them to find the value in returning to your business, and you to get the customer on your database to further digitally market to them through emails and SMS bursts. Even though your investment might be small, the outcome for gaining a customer might be huge.
   

2. Provide new customers with enticing gifts.
   Giving a first time or relatively new customer a customised gift bag with samples of retail products you have in store, like Sunescape’s retail range, will make them return to your salon, guaranteed. Sampling is a small expense and the gift bag shows the client’s that you care about them and your business. When they run out of their sample, they’ll come back to you…
   

3. Offer incentives to repeat customers.
   Providing regular tanning customers with incentives that will keep them coming back and giving more value to their tan could drive new memberships to your salon. Using a referral program with your existing customer base, and rewarding them with a free month of tanning or a free gift of tanning mousse, will give them something they really want (value) and something you really want (more customers)!
   

4. Loyalty Programmes.
   Like above, customers respond to enticing incentives. Start a loyalty program that provides free products or services once a customer reaches a certain number of spray tans or purchases over a certain predetermined amount in store. It could be 5 tanning sessions until you receive a free spray tan, or committing to a few months on spray tans to receive retail products for free (or discounted).
   

5. Take advantage of social media to create offers and value deals.
   Put all your highly valued offers for spray tans onto your social media pages to people that do not follow you or aren’t current customers might be tempted to participate in your services. Social media is a gold mine for customer reaching out to businesses and asking questions about their services. Post specials and availability bookings on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter and even utilise other sites like Pinterest to reach even more people with your value offer.
   

6. Create monthly campaigns.
   With Sunescape, your marketing campaigns and ideas are done for you, with social media graphics and email newsletters created for you to push out to your audience. Publishing a monthly campaign theme on social media or your website so they can enter a contest or go into the draw to win a small prize in return for handing over some personal information (obtaining email addresses to go into your database). People will like your Facebook page for the chance to gain a small reward.
   

7. Involve yourself with the customer and community.
   Get involved with your community and target market to that people know who you are and what you offer. Community involvement will get you new exposure, while creating something a potential prospect will consider invaluable will allow you to become a go-to tanning source in your community, and they’ll come to you to get their tanning needs met every time.
   

8. Keep your contact means up to date.
   One of the most important things in the beauty industry is being easily contactable by various methods of communication. This means you need to have an always answerable phone, current email address and even an online chat or online forum that potential customers can ask questions and book themselves in for a spray tan. And always add new content to your marketing approach every day, whether it be a blog post, website update or social media exposure. An outdated site immediately puts off customers from continuing their research into your salon, and they may go elsewhere. Being contactable means being visible, and you will even get higher rankings on search engines with your fresh content.

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Sunescape Tan is formulated to give you a natural looking and feeling tan. They provide salons and consumers with a safe, ultra-moisturising bronzed glow; one that smells amazing, fades evenly, and is long-lasting. he proprietary formula is certified approved natural DHA, not tested on animals, and free from alcohol, parabens and petrochemicals.

To enquire about becoming a Sunescape salon or for more information, call 1800 625 387  or visit www.sunescape.com.au. 

Social Media Marketing Tips For your Salon

If you have been an avid viewer of our Profit Advantage exclusive MOAP Monday live sessions, you know that social media is KEY to the success of your salon. From communication with loyal clients to engagement of new people, it is guaranteed that social media (and the dozens of platforms available today) will be integral to the continuation of your thriving business.

Social media is an incredible way to engage with potential clients, spread more awareness about your services, and garner more brand loyalty among customers by backing up what makes you and your salon unique and interesting. It is crucial that businesses know how to connect with customers that they will enjoy, and that will eventually benefit your business.

We’ve listed 3 huge tips to help you transform your salon’s social media strategy:

1. Post exciting, yet professional content – What you post should entice your customers to need more interaction. Make it engaging and interesting, by providing them with a new source of information (perhaps even exclusive information to your followers). Remember to stick to your brand image by posting photos and information that aligns with what you wish to communicate, such as a fresh modern appeal or classic images.
   Tip: Create your own clean graphics with beauty tips or hot salon deals using sites like Canva, Photoshop (for those tech-savvy ladies), or even 6 second videos presenting some exciting news. This creates content that is interactive and appealing to your target audience
   

2. Use Facebook as a key communication channel – Facebook gives you the perfect way to share services, exclusive offers, sell your products, host contests and giveaways, as well as communicate with your target audience. It is rare that you find a customer without a Facebook profile these days, so take advantage of your new found world stage. Post plenty of pictures of your services and before and after shots to present exactly what you offer clients (pictures are 120% more likely to engage users than simple text posts).
   Tip: Treat your page as a miniature website, customers should be able to find all of the information they are looking for within the first few minutes of landing on your page. Make use of the various page tabs to show your products, location, services and reviews. And boost this information with targeted Facebook ads, looking at those located near your salon, or those who like similar pages on Facebook
   

3. Showcase your work on Instagram – With more than 200 million users in 4 years, Instagram is quickly becoming one of the biggest social platforms out there. Treat the highly visual Instagram as a showcase of your work with pictures showing a variety of your work, results, services, as well as fun creative photos that rake in the likes. Newly added Instagram stories are an awesome way for you to really take your clients behind the scenes of what you do and why you love it, bringing in added personality that other social medias do not have.
   Tip: Stay on trend using trending hashtags and feel good posts like quotes and appropriate memes to draw more users onto your profile and find out more about your salon. And don’t forget to link your Instagram to your Facebook as a ‘business’ profile for more contact options for customers.

These tips and strategies will push your salon to gain new customers, and retain those customers through brand loyalty. The importance of an interactive relationship with your followers has never been so profound, so hopefully it is your time to jump on board.

Salon Marketing for the Jan-Feb Slump

January and February are often the most difficult months for beauty salons, with clients going back into savings hibernation (we call it light wallet syndrome), after spending probably too much over the Christmas period. Bringing clients back into salon after they have had all their Christmas and New Years treatments, as well as retail spend done and dusted can be near impossible.

While pre-Christmas spending continues to rise, January and February are notoriously quiet months for beauty, hair and aesthetic salons

Time to crank out those awe-inspiring marketing ideas to reel new and old clients back into your doors. Here’s what we found works:

1. Play on the ‘New Years resolution’ mania
   We have all done it, but the obsession with resolutions each year continues to grow with UK gym memberships increasing 44% in 2015 (source: Guardian). From gym memberships to loving yourself more, health clubs and organic food stores captialise on this demand, and so should salons. Treatments in your salon can satisfy the desire to look younger, feel better and take care of yourself. Talk about finding the “new you”, and a “fresh start” on social media, in emails and on your website when marketing to clients to see a better return in the New Year.
   Example: Add healthy smoothies, or internal supplements to your treatments. Bestow Beauty is the perfect way to encourage your clients that they will feel healthier and slimmer from the inside out, from their skin to their well-being
   

2. Implement clearance sales – Need to get rid of those last remaining gift packs, or retail stock? Entice clients back in with can’t-stay-away discounts and deals, or even make your treatment packages more attractive by adding value such as a complimentary follow-up treatment rather than straight discounting. January sales can clear your stock ready for the New Year, keeps the team motivated to sell and keeps cash flow going.
   Example: Offer great discounts and sales on the days that are slow, like Mondays and Tuesdays, and start marketing these sales NOW. Pre-Christmas the hustle and bustle is there, waiting for an opportunity for you to mention your New Year sale. Take advantage of your audience looking for cheap answers post-Christmas, with a Christmas card saying thank you, and promoting your offers
   

3. Run a salon event – It doesn’t have to cost much at all, a fantastic idea to encourage clients coming back is to run a salon open day with small goodie bags, demonstrations and mini-treatments as a thank you for their loyalty. This will ensure some of your retail stock and samples will move as your best clients will be in attendance.
   Example: Utilise gift packs to introduce higher spending clients to new products and services you offer. They may even buy there on the spot, but don’t expect this, they are all watching their wallets
   

4. Gift cards – This is a major one! Gift cards are often undervalued in marketing, but ask yourself how many people receive gift cards for Christmas, and how many people you gave gift cards for Christmas this year. It comes to a lot overall, so this is definitely something to push in order to get people coming to your store in January and February. Studies have shown that 61% of gift cards holders spend more than the total value of the gift card.
   Example: As a one day only promotion, run a ‘buy two, get one free’ on your salon gift cards, pushing it hard on Facebook and e-newsletters to create interest and in-store volume. We recommend making them valid from 1st January to 28th February to ensure more clients within this time period.

Promote a salon open day through e-newsletters and social media posts leading up to, and following, Christmas.

Start thinking NOW about your Jan-Feb promotions. While it might seem a bit too far away to be thinking about now, especially during the Christmas frenzy, it is ideal to be ready and prepared when your profits start to slow down. Boost your offers now while people are still in that ‘buyer’ mindset, and this will stick with them into the New Year.