So where do you find clients? New and returning clientele is the life's blood of any industry and especially important to the salon industry.
So where do you start? Sure, you have a few friends and family members that will help you out, but you want to encourage people to become loyal and regular visitors to your business. A stylist without someone coming in every six weeks won't find it easy to make his or her car payment for the month if only their sister stops by for a trim.
When people don't know that you're out there, they are not likely to discover how fabulous you are, so here's some thoughts on promoting your salon and services.
The salon business is quite an easy one to promote. This guide will give you detailed directions on how to be successful when you promote your salon business. Here are five tips on how to promote your salon business.
Appeal To The Female Population:
Women enjoy being pampered. It balances out all the other things that "have" to be done during their day. The best way to do this is to have hair done by a professional. Trimming your bangs with the manicure scissors in the bathroom mirror (the nightmare of every stylist) doesn't even compare to the experience of having someone focused on making her look her absolute best. Women are the primary decider for most purchases and you want to emphasize how important *she* is and why you're the place she gets that attention.
Focus your efforts on activities and locations that attract a female consumer. Doesn't matter if the product is salon or beauty related, because they will need to consider where she's going for beauty services, even if she's engaged in other activities. Local promotion is invaluable in the quest to be successful.
Magazines And Print Media
Advertise your salon in media geared toward women and for women in local magazines. Local clubs can sometimes offer affordable advertising for local businesses. Garden clubs, senior social clubs, yoga and fitness newsletters. Blogs that are geared to the area you serve are a great place to offer introductory coupons or specials on new services.
Participate In Community Forums
Search for local community forums and message boards. Not necessarily to "promote" your business but to be an active participant in your community. There's a message board for almost EVERY interest and having someone post as a person rather than as a person puts a personal face on your salon. You can work "we were talking about this the other day at work" into the conversation, but don't barge into a conversation about planting times for annuals by saying you have a special on facials this week. Stay on topic as much as you can and maintain a dialogue with your customers about what they are doing in "real life". People like to patronize places that are familiar and they feel they belong on the "inside".
Local Activities
The gym I frequent has a table put aside in the lobby for people to leave coupons and flyers. I've found two great restaurants this way, just by picking up a flyer with a sample menu. Supermarkets have bulletin boards, great for announcing you have a new staff member or are running a special. Diner place mats often having advertising blocks around the edges and what do people do while they wait for their food but look at the things around them. It gets your name out there and familiarity is half the battle.
If you've ever gone to a party and didn't know anyone, but set out to introduce yourself and mingle, you've ended up having a really great time. Business promotion is not unlike that, you have to mingle so people get to know you.
If you've had experiences with promotion of your salon, or any business really, leave it in the comments. We're all in this together and higher consumer traffic in any area usually leads to more clients for everyone.
