A Complete Guide To Marketing Your Hair Salon

Whether you’re finally opening the doors to your salon or actioning new and innovative marketing strategies to attract additional clients and grow your business, cutting through the noise and outperforming your competitors is key to succeeding in this highly competitive industry. Not sure where to start? This blog will provide a comprehensive guide to salon marketing, including top tips and must-try strategies to help you attract new clients, retain existing ones and propel your business towards success. 

Hair salon marketing 101: how to grow your business and increase revenue  

  1. Define your target market 

The first step to creating and actioning a successful hair salon marketing campaign is identifying your target customer. Who are you trying to reach with your marketing efforts? Are you targeting men or women? Are they young or old? Do they live in a certain area? Are they affluent or on a budget? By defining your target market, you can tailor your salon marketing messages and tactics to best appeal to them. 

  1. Create a strong brand identity 

Your hair salon’s brand identity sets you apart from competitors and helps you build and maintain a strong reputation within your industry. Your brand should be reflected in all your marketing collateral, from the sign outside your salon to your social media accounts, decor, website wording and ad campaigns. To streamline your business across multiple platforms, ensure your branding is consistent and you continue communicating your salon’s unique personality in all your marketing efforts. 

  1. Create or refresh your salon’s website

It’s no secret that first impressions count. If your website is outdated, cluttered, unprofessional, challenging to navigate or straight-up chaotic, you risk potential clients looking elsewhere. A concise, clear and well-designed website can convey a sense of professionalism and attention to detail, which can help to attract new customers. Your website is also an integral part of your brand identity. It can help to reinforce your salon’s unique selling points, such as your approach to customer service or the quality of your products. 

To create a successful website that contributes to your hair salon marketing efforts, you should also offer an online booking system, so your customers can schedule appointments or at least be able to view future availability. 

This makes it easy for customers to lock in their appointment time and can help reduce the workload on your staff — having an online booking system is akin to having a 24/7 online salon receptionist. 

For the best online booking experience, consider the following points: 

  • Can you embed an online booking system that matches your website and salon branding? 
  • Can you charge deposits, sell gift cards or offer recurring appointments to returning clients? 
  • Does your booking system allow you to send appointment reminders and follow-ups?
  • Can you have clients complete a form as part of their booking — for instance, can they select whether they want a haircut, a colouring service, a keratin treatment or hair extensions?

  1. Optimise your website for search engines 

Search engine optimisation (SEO) involves optimising your website to rank higher in search engine results pages (SERPs). From meta tags and implementing a mobile-friendly website to adding relevant keywords to service pages to attract traffic that is more likely to be interested in what you offer — these salon marketing strategies will result in increased visibility, targeted traffic and long-term benefits to help you stay competitive in the digital marketplace. 

  1. Use Google My Business or Google Business Profile 

Google My Business (GMB) is a free tool that allows businesses, including hair salons, to manage their online presence across Google, including Search and Maps. GMB is a great asset to include in your salon marketing strategy and offers the following benefits

  • Increased visibility — GMB can help to increase your salon’s visibility in Google Search and Google Maps. When people search for hair salons in your area, your business listing will appear at the top of the search results with important information, such as your address, phone number, website and reviews.
  • Local search — Optimising your GMB profile will improve your chances of showing up in local search results, helping you attract more local customers who live near your salon. 
  • Customer engagement — GMB lets you engage with your customers by responding to their reviews and messages. This can help to build trust and show that your salon values customer feedback. 
  • Insights and analytics — GMB helps you understand how people find and interact with your salon online. You can then analyse this data to improve your hair salon marketing strategies and boost your online presence. 
  • Showpony Salon Locator - When you become an authorised Showpony stockist, your salon will be listed on the official Showpony website under the Salon Locator page, making it easy for potential clients to find your salon as the nearest and preferred hair extensionist in the area.

  1. Define your email marketing strategy and launch a weekly salon newsletter 

Email marketing can be an easy way to promote your salon, as it allows you to communicate directly with your clients and potential customers. Sending emails every 8-12 weeks reminding clients to book a haircut can help increase client retention. You can also send newsletters, let them know about new promotions and products or remind them of their upcoming appointments. From there, you can track and measure the success of your campaigns by seeing how many people opened your emails, clicked on your links and made their appointments. You can even segment your email list by demographics, interests and past behaviours to send tailored messages to certain groups. 

  1. Leverage social media and influencer marketing campaigns

Using social media channels such as Facebook, Instagram, TikTok and Twitter to share images of your work, promotions and upcoming events is a great way to connect with your target audience and promote your salon. 

You can even partner with influencers within your industry to increase your salon’s visibility, boost your credibility and attract new customers. These influencers can help showcase your work and your salon’s unique selling points, offer exclusive promotions and discounts to their followers or run a contest or giveaway. Once you’ve partnered with influencers, built up your following and engaged with your audience, you can use these media platforms to run targeted ads and boost your posts to reach a wider audience. 

In-store salon marketing ideas

  • Boost sales by hosting seasonal events — From Black Friday and Cyber Monday sales to seasonal events like Christmas, hosting in-salon events is an easy way to increase the relevance of your promotions. 
  • Offer promotions and packages — Offering discounts or package deals to in-store customers can help you build brand loyalty, increase revenue, retain clients and keep them returning for more. Those who receive a deal or discount are more likely to book additional services in the future, so ensure you integrate promotions or packages into your hair salon marketing strategy. 
  • Allow your expert team to upsell and suggest products — Your hairdressers act as your in-store marketers — they know your products and services inside and out, making them one of your greatest assets. By asking your team to suggest products, provide tailored advice to customers, give out free samples or upsell to clients, they can boost sales and solidify your reputation. 

 

If your hair salon specialises in offering hair extensions from a premium supplier like Showpony, this is a great selling point and critical to mention when offering them to clients. Showpony wholesale hair extensions are quality assured and manufactured to the highest standard. You can trust that you’re providing your clients with A-grade products that will instantly transform their look and boost their confidence. 

Drive your business forward with top-tier hair salon marketing strategies 

Effective and well-thought-out marketing strategies can make all the difference in steering your business towards greater success. While the tips we’ve outlined above will help increase brand visibility, drive online bookings and boost in-salon revenue with discounts and packages, remember to continuously evaluate and adjust your hair salon marketing strategies based on customer feedback and industry trends — this will help you stay ahead of the competition and maintain a strong presence in the market. With the right approach, your hair salon is on its way to achieving long-term success and growth. 

If you’re interested in learning more, you can book into our “Marketing Made Easy” online course, where we’ll go through step-by-step the foundations of marketing your hair salon business.