Marketing misconceptions that hurt your salon

Throughout your career as a hair or beauty specialist, you’ve tried a number of different marketing techniques, which more than likely produced varying degrees of success. Naturally, you look to duplicate those that provide you with an increase in sales, bookings, clients or customer loyalty. However, that doesn’t mean you’re not open to trying new marketing techniques, which your counterparts swear by - but does that mean they’ll work for you? Here are the most common misconceptions of marketing that can significantly harm your hair or beauty business and what alternatives you should be on the lookout for.

Joining a local couponing group

Online local business groups have been helping salon owners attract new clients for years. They're popular on social media groups and local listing pages that put businesses in the spotlight. You start by listing your business, treatments, location and that’s about it. So, where exactly do the misconceptions concerning this marketing technique come from? It usually starts when you join a couponing group, which is going to attract a majority of clients loyal only to discounts. Surprisingly, it’s groups like these which negatively impact the entire hair and beauty industry to some degree - but how is that even possible? As more and more salons join such groups, their clients get used to massive discounts, freebies and even price negotiating. Luxury hair and beauty businesses don’t suffer as much, since customers know what to expect when it comes to pricing, but it’s the middle(wo)man who gets hit the hardest.

Instead of couponing groups…

Join local business groups, either on social media or any number of forums where your potential clients may be. If you’re planning on attracting new customers who might eventually become your devout regulars, then this is a far more viable option. Just like their couponing counterparts, such business hubs are ideal for getting your name out there, just without the excessive discounting. But is promoting hair or beauty salon offers truly a bad thing? Not at all - though they shouldn’t be the centrepiece of what your business is about. Instead, focus on presenting your quality treatments, location, or your salon’s unique point of difference.

Tip: don’t just stick to this marketing channel, here are other great options to try in 2021!

Focus ONLY on gaining new clients

This is by far one of the most common marketing misconceptions, and also one of the more detrimental to your business. Attracting new clients is a never-ending struggle for many hair and beauty specialists. New customers mean more bookings and sales, leading to more profit… or so you’ve been told. The truth is, focusing all of your marketing efforts on attracting clients might actually cause you to lose them, thus creating the struggle. Here’s what’s actually happening:

Spend more, earn less - how much of your budget did you spend on attracting your latest clients? How much did they spend at your salon? Are you breaking even? First-time salon customers are not only expensive to attract, but also they usually don’t spend as much money in your salon as your loyal clients, who make up a significantly smaller percentage of your customer list.
A loss of loyal clients - although loyal customers more than likely make up a small portion of your entire client list, they are the ones who spend the most in your salon. But by focusing all of your efforts on attracting new clients, you neglect your loyal ones, who eventually salon hop to another business. As a result, you create a loop of in-and-out clients who might fall head over heels for your treatments initially, but over time decide to go elsewhere.

Try this

New clients are essential for all hair and beauty businesses, however, you ought to shift your focus to those returning customers as well. But what can you do to maintain and improve your clients’ loyalty? Use Booksy's Message Blasts to inform your most loyal customer about your special offer you've prepared for them or enable a regular discount for selected clients. By rewarding their loyalty, you are making sure they stick with and promote your business, this way attracting more customers.

A post is all you need

A post on your social media fan pages can fill empty appointment slots and improve sales within hours of going live - that is, considering you fulfil one key requirement. You see, in order for it to work, you need to have a significant number of followers, all of whom must have turned on notifications from your page. Ok, so two requirements. Firstly, when you post content, only people who have liked your page or have visited it will be able to see it, so posting in order to attract new clients is a fruitless endeavour. Secondly, even though your clients may have liked your page, they more than likely follow dozens of other pages too, all of which share posts as well, thus quickly filling up your clients’ feeds. As a result, you receive only a handful of views.

Post last - first, focus on…

Building your group of followers. Your two greatest options here are running ads for page likes on social media, as well as sharing links to your pages. The first option is fairly self-explanatory - these ads encourage users on social media to give your page a like (consider mentioning in your ad that they also turn on notifications from your page). Sharing links on the other hand is a bit different. You can choose to display posters in your salon windows with links to your social media fan pages, or better yet, encourage the client in your chair to follow your accounts. Mention that you post content regularly and even share offers on your feed. This will instantly grab their attention!

Don’t market to clients who left your business

This is less of a marketing misconception and more of a sin. It starts with a somewhat regular client who decides to venture to the edge of the Earth and is never seen or heard from again. You grab your red marker and cross out their name from your calendar - there goes another one, right? Well, no, not exactly. Regular clients don’t just spontaneously combust - they tend to walk away from businesses for a number of reasons. But does that mean you ought to cross them out? Here’s what might have lead to their absence:

You didn’t click with them - something turned your clients away from your salon. They may have loved your treatments, but didn’t feel a strong connection with you or your team and decided to go elsewhere.
Your prices - initially, your clients didn’t mind paying more for quality treatments and products, but unfortunately, this relationship didn’t last long-term.
You or your staff - if you or your staff had a falling-out with a client, chances are they won’t return to your business, especially if you didn’t take measures to genuinely apologise.
Freedom - some clients simply salon hop. They enjoy visiting new businesses once in a while and prefer this nomadic salon lifestyle.

The misconception here is that it’s fine to let these clients go - and that’s a mistake almost every hair or beauty salon specialist has made at least once throughout their career. But with a bit of encouragement and genuineness, you stand a good chance of reeling such customers back to your business. To help you do so, Booksy has the ultimate solution - the Message Blasts feature. This advanced, yet easy to use tool allows you to send automated messages to specific clients, based on their status in your salon. It lets you send messages (text, push or email) to first-time clients but also to those who haven’t been to your business in a while, encouraging them to book again with you.

Just because your hair and beauty specialist counterparts swear by a specific marketing technique doesn’t necessarily mean that it will work for you too - in fact, some might be downright detrimental to your salon. But with a time-tested marketing strategy and a reliable hair and beauty salon system, you’re ready to market like never before. Your free Booksy account is prepared to help you reach your marketing goals - sign up today and start growing your business!