How to Encourage Salon Referrals with SalonIQ

When it comes to gaining new clients, referrals from your loyal clients can go a long way. A recommendation from a friend can often bring in a first-time customer so you can show them what your salon can do

When it comes to gaining new clients, word of mouth is vital for a new salon to grow. There are many ways to encourage your customers to spread the word, through loyalty cards, social media posts and emails. Taking the time to reach out to your clients and reward them for referrals can prompt a fantastic response and bring you a lot of repeat business.

It has become the norm for many clients now to look at customer reviews and investigate a salons website and social media presence before booking an appointment with the salon. Maintaining a good reputation with your clients is vital, as a recommendation or referral for your salon sent from your client to friends or family members can act as a great incentive to choose your business when they next need a hair appointment.

SalonIQ’s salon referral system

Using salon software to help you to create a referral system can help you to expand your client base and your salon to grow. In order to improve your revenue, gaining more loyal clients that visit your salon regularly is essential to ensure your business grows. Marketing tools, such as send-a-friend referral systems, can help you reach out to new clients by encouraging your existing clients to help you to market your salon.

Here are some examples of methods that can be used by salons to implement a referral system in your salon:

• Guest Attraction System (GAS)

Here at SalonIQ, as part of our salon software we offer a referral system called Guest Attraction System. The Guest Attraction system, or GAS, is tailored to make referrals a quick and easy process for you and your clients. The GAS system sends out automatic SMS messages that encourage your clients to spread the word about the salon.

The system is tailored to suit a salon business, it not only sends out automatic rewards for customers who bring in a referral, but allows you as the salon owner to track how many referrals have been made, and the revenue gained, through using the system.

• Loyalty cards

Loyalty cards can be a fantastic way to keep your customers invested in your salon. Whether you are using a digital points system to track customer loyalty, or stamps, this method can be a fantastic way to treat your clients and encourage referrals.

Adding loyalty points to your client’s digital profile with each successful referral can be a fantastic way to bring in new local clients. The SalonIQ client management system can automatically add points to a customer profile with each visit. This can be used to help you reward your most loyal clients with treats, such as discounts for your retail products.

• Online reviews

Many consumers now look at client reviews before booking an appointment with a hair salon, and a recommendation from a trusted friend or family member can act as a great incentive. Encouraging your clients to post reviews of your services on your website or other review website can help your salon to grow and gain you a lot more clients.

Of course, with reviews online you run the risk of negative reviews as well as positive reviews. To combat this, try to ensure that you respond to any reviews with complaints about your service and if they are unhappy with their treatment offer to try and correct it. Offering to address any issues your clients may have can help you to turn disgruntled customers into potentially happy ones!

Your salon software can also assist in the process of controlling negative reviews, at SalonIQ we only post reviews that are 4*’s or above. 1 – 3*’s are posted into SalonIQ for you to monitor, review and take action accordingly. 

• Social media

Using posts on social media can be a fantastic way to spread the word about your salon. Treats for your clients, such as offering a raffle prize to someone who has forwarded a post about a new treatment available at the salon, are a great way to involve your clients in your online marketing. Competitions like these can gain great awareness for your posts and create lot more traffic and make your salon marketing a more interactive experience for your clients.

Submitting a blog post or notice on your website about your referral system and how it works is a great way to spread the word.

Word of Mouth

As a salon, having a positive reputation in the community can ensure a booming business and a bad one can lose you clients. Having a clear process in place to increase your customer satisfaction that your team know and understand can help you to gain a positive reputation and keep your clients coming back. Use your salon system to create a client journey, from sending an SMS or email prior to your client’s appointment and then staying in touch with them in between each visit all contributes towards the client experience.  

When you’re focus is to spread the word about your business, it is vital for you to know your target audience.  For example, what does your average client look like, where do they shop, what car do they drive? All of this needs to come across in your marketing materials? If your salon is situated in a town centre and has a lot of young and trendy clients, then you are probably going to reach them using social media. However, if your clients are mostly mothers with their children, then offering a free session as a raffle prize at the school fete may gain you more attention. 

Here are a few ways to ensure that word of mouth works for your salon rather than against it:

• Make it easy for your clients to contact you. If they have any problems with the time and date of the appointment or have any issues it is very important that your salon is open for communication to resolve it.
• Ensure your salon is clean and has a nice atmosphere – to encourage referrals make sure your salon is the kind of environment you would take your friends to visit and enjoy.
• Monitor your online presence and reputation; this will make your salon an attractive prospect for any potential clients looking at your salon online.
• Provide an unforgettable client experience. Small courtesies such as taking a client’s coat and offering a drink will gain your salon a positive reputation and keep your them returning time and time again.
• Of course it is key to salon growth to gain new clients, but it is also important to ensure they keep returning to your salon so you retain them as a loyal client. Making sure you rebook after the appointment and offer a premium service to new clients will keep them coming back to your salon in the future.

If you are interested in our salon referral program, then please contact us here. Our team will be delighted to explain the details of our software and how it can be used to gain you first-time clients for your salon.

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