5 Steps to Becoming the Marketing Expert Your Salon Needs
In a recent global survey by Phorest Salon Software, 93% of respondents in the UAE said that they typically visit their hair salon once a month. Compare that to the United States where only 46% would visit their salon once a month. An international reader might see this demand and be tempted to think that salon services in the UAE practically sell themselves. However with over 6,000 salons in Dubai alone, customers have more choice than ever. The standards are high and the landscape is competitive–some of the world's most innovative hair and beauty businesses are coming out of the UAE. So it’s no simple task to stand out from the crowd.
Dream of having your own Marketing Team? Here’s the next best thing.
5 steps for DIY, marketing success:
1. Know Your Customers
Unlike shoppers at a standard retail location, your customers often spend hours with your team in the chair or treatment room chatting about their life. You may even follow them on social media where they are posting updates about their holidays and life milestones. This is market research gold dust. But how are you capturing it? A marketing team would create what are known as “Customer Personas” which distill all this information to illustrate your ideal client. But you can do this too. Imagine you are creating a dating profile for a fictional client including their demographic information, job, family and the goals and challenges they have as people. This exercise will ensure you are marketing to your real clients in a way that is most likely to connect with them.
Related: Keep your client cards safe in the cloud
2. SolidifyYour Brand
Look at Nike or Apple. The stronger and more charismatic your brand is, the more people believe there’s no substitute for it. As Marty Neumeier, author of The Brand Gap puts it, “trust is the ultimate shortcut to a buying decision and the bedrock of modern branding.” Your customers will trust your brand if they see it as a guarantee for both the functional and emotional needs they are looking to meet. Whether it is glamour or restoration, think about what you are selling beyond excellent haircuts, or manicures. And make sure your branding communicates that. Ensure your brand’s unique personality is shining through in every email, Instagram post or advertisement you put out into the world–instantly recognisable as yours.
3. Audit Your Existing Channels
Whether you are relying mostly on word of mouth, Groupon promotions or Instagram buzz, it’s important to take stock of the purpose of each of these channels and how they have been contributing to your business goals relative to the budget you are allocating. That way you can identify the gaps and spread your budget to different marketing channels if necessary.
Related: 200 million Instagram users check business profiles daily.* Can your clients book as they scroll?
4. Choose Marketing Tools Worthy of your Goals
You can only be so proactive about your marketing strategy when time constraints are constantly pulling you in other directions. Sound familiar? Luckily, the automation of salon software can free up some of this time and headspace for you.
Phorest Salon Software is an all-in-one solution used by over 8,500 salons and 155,000 hair and beauty professionals worldwide known globally for providing the industry’s best marketing tools. With Phorest’s Marketing Suite you gain access to hundreds of email and SMS templates, which are constantly being updated by professional marketeers–perfect for a range of seasonal promotions. With a few adjustments you can schedule and send professional marketing campaigns in minutes. You can also filter your clients and target them based on their previous appointment history.
In the first three months of 2022, Marketing SMS campaigns sent by Phorest salons in the United States, generated revenue 56 times greater than the cost of sending these campaigns.
Phorest algorithms also pay close attention to your clients booking habits and can send them a nudge via SMS or email when they are most likely to rebook. But what about that client who usually comes in every month for a tonor refresh or facial, that you haven't heard from in a while? These same algorithms identify when a client falls out of the usual patterns, prompting you to reach out before they slip away for good.
Related: Shine in the search results. Polish your online reputation and gain the attention of new clients.
5. Measure your Progress
Regardless of how you decide to manage your marketing, it’s vital that you track your results and review them regularly. Phorest makes this straightforward. Because the Marketing Suite integrates with POS and client information, not only can you track the open and click-through rates of campaigns, you can see what behaviour it created right through to a client’s final sale.