We have a great deal of experience in helping salons with their marketing, and in this article we will provide a marketing plan blueprint you can use for your salon!

In this article we are going to aim to give you a salon marketing blueprint with actionable information for you to implement.

A Salon marketing plan does not need to be complicated but before creating a salon marketing plan, and to make use of this salon marketing plan blueprint, you need to ensure you have the salon basics covered, and these we will assume you have:

• Smart appealing salon ambiance
• High standards of service
• Clean and professional

Assuming you have these covered then you can start to work on the only 3 ways to grow any business. More Clients, spending more, more often. A small incremental change in each of these 3 areas can make a dramatic increase in business.

Ultimately the best Salon Marketing Plan is your Salon’s Culture.

More clients for your salon

In order to get every team member busy then you should begin with the end in mind. If a team member to be fully booked can do 40 clients per week and the optimum client frequency is 8 weeks, then to be fully booked each team member needs to have a loyal client base of 8 x 40 = 320.

Our favourite way a team member can build their client base is through client recommendation. SalonIQ’s GAS (Guest Attraction System) is a powerful tool at a salon’s disposal, but like any system it is only part of the solution.

The Perfect Salon Referral System

Here are some key elements to your salon marketing plan when it comes to Referrals:

• Consistent message across all media – Whether it is via emails, referral cards, social media, or any other communications, the offer and the message needs to be simple, clear and the same, and if you have SalonIQ we recommend you continue to use all your existing communication methods and just use the SalonIQ’s GAS system to turbo charge your referrals and make tracking and rewarding simple.
• Make sure you shout about it and make client referrals a key part of your salon culture.
• If you are giving your guests ‘Send a Friend’ cards, give them several (3-6 recommended)
• Make it personal – Talk to the client, if a friend or relative comes up in conversation suggest they give the recommendation to them.
• If you use SalonIQ’s GAS then tell them they will receive a text after they leave and please forward the text onto their friends.
• SalonIQ will automatically thank the recommending client, but it is important that you do too.
• Educate your team through role plays to the importance and the fantastic opportunity referrals are to attract the right sort of clients.
• Set targets for your team on referrals
• Your referrals will only work if you are offering a consistent 5 star service that someone would want to recommend.

Remember each Team Member only needs 320 loyal Active clients.

Referrals need to be part of the salon culture

Spending More

Homecare

Retail should be a key component of any salon’s marketing plan. And if it is not, I would challenge any salon that they are not providing the clients with a five-star service. Recommending homecare is a must to deliver good service. But like any salon marketing plan, you need a system and a process.

• Talk to the clients about what you are using.
• Let the client touch and feel the products and if possible, show them exactly how to use the products on themselves
• Make it easy for your client to buy.
• Embed homecare into your salon culture.

Upgrades

Often overlooked but clients that are coming in are a great sales opportunity. Whether it is a file and polish, extra colour, a specialised treatment, or just recommending an additional service that the client may need or want.

Right Pricing Structure

Make sure your products are priced fairly and competitively and you will have customers purchasing from you.

Homecare and upgrades need to be part of the salon culture

More Often

The best way to increase client frequency is through team member communication. And it starts with the consultation, continues during the service and is executed at checkout.

Explaining to the client the ‘lifecycle of the haircut or service’, and then rebooking the client in at the optimum frequency. It’s much easier to get your existing clients to rebook more regularly than find new clients to fill empty slots!

Rebookings and service lifecycles need to be part of the salon Culture

There you have it, the 3 pillars to your best salon marketing plan. There are of course many other ways to get more clients spending more, more often, but if you do the above you will have a sound salon marketing plan blueprint in place.

Below we go through other salon marketing tools you may wish to consider;

Other important Salon Marketing Tools

Reputation

Clients will do research before visiting a salon, and your reputation is now very much online. Make sure you are managing your online reputation. Using tools like SalonSpy or Best Salon Guide is a great way to do this. Make sure you answer any online complaints quickly. Never argue online!

Marketing Automation

The reality is most salon owners are  time starved, computers can really help with your salon marketing plan, and using automation means you can set up custom marketing communications and let the computer do the hard work, so automate wherever possible be it simple appointment reminders, lost client campaigns, client journey’s, birthdays and more!

Website

A good website is the modern day shop window and a useful tool in attracting and getting new clients. Here are three tips for a great website:

• Use SEO to make sure it can be found easily in search engines
• Make your ‘why’ clear
• Make it simple to book or call the salon.

Text and Eblasts

These tend to be used more for one off type promotions. For example you may decide to do a text blast to fill a quiet day, or an email blast for a new product launch, newsletter or seasonal event (Easter, Christmas, Mothers Day, Black Friday etc.)  Both Texts and Emails are great tools for any salon

Facebook and Google Ads

Another good way to get new clients, that is if you know what you are doing. To do it properly you need a great offer, landing pages and good follow up sequence, either by text or email. On top of that you need to understand Google and Facebook advertising or you can waste a great deal of money. If this is not your area of expertise then find yourself an expert. For more information read our guide about digital marketing for hair & beauty salons.

Social Media  posting and growing an Audience

You can not ignore social media and building audiences on different platforms, for salons the two current leaders are Instagram and Facebook. It is a big topic and we cover social media for salons in another article.

Treatwell /Groupon

Although I am not personally keen on using platforms like Treatwell and Groupon to attract new clients because they potentially attract discount, transient based clients, plus the platforms then have the right to market those clients. That said if you do use them then make sure you have a plan in place on how to convert them to regular clients.

Price Increase

Charge what you are worth and an annual price rise is essential to maintain margins and profitability.

Loyalty Stamps, points

Simple loyalty schemes help reward your regular clients, incentivise them to try other services, as well as increase client spend and improve client frequency.

Marketing Calendar

Devising a marketing calendar can help you not get overwhelmed with your salon marketing, a simple year planner will help you keep on top off important dates and events.