You don’t need to have the huge marketing budgets of cosmetics houses or spas to get your salon noticed by the right people. If you market in a targeted and smart way, you can draw in new customers and keep customers coming back to your salon, without blowing your budget. These are the cost-saving marketing tips our pros suggest:
1. Keep your clients by rewarding them
Think about what treatments your clients would want to try and offer discounts on these for their loyalty as clients. Or offer the sixth or tenth of any treatment free. Its easy and inexpensive to produce loyalty cards and your clients will appreciate being rewarded for their loyalty and be encouraged to keep booking their appointments with you.
2. Access new clients by joining forces
Find complementary, non-competitive businesses and suggest a partnership where each of you offer the other business’s clients discounts. Reach a market which you may not otherwise have access to. This could be a local gym or a health shop down the road from your salon.
3. Get your brand noticed with sponsorship
Back a local school sports team, sports player or local school music group. Sponsorships like this can get your salon noticed by the parents and your larger community.
4. Promoting your salon with PR
Newspapers and publications will feature you, without you having to pay for it, if your story is interesting and 'newsworthy'. Whether you have just opened, or your salon is celebrating 5 years in business, whether you overcame obstacles to grow your business or your story is inspiring because of the success you have achieved, a publication may want to publish your news.
5. Deliver big on service
Do you know what the most effective way of getting people to refer their friends and family members to your salon is? Giving excellent service and creating an enjoyable experience for each and every client. Happy clients who talk about your salon will usually bring in the most referral business.