Answering the WIIFM Question for your Readers

Answering the WIIFM Question for your Readers

by | Jan 8, 2016 | Salon and Spa Marketing

I see lots and lots of marketing posts from salon and spa owners on social media.

Some are great, most are average and some are downright terrible 🙁

What’s the difference?

Well, some do a fantastic job of answering the ‘What’s In It For Me‘ question, and others don’t even give it a go.

What is the WIIFM Question?

To keep it simple, when you write a post, or blog or salon newsletter hoping to get your readers to take action, it’s essential you write it with the intent of answering your client’s silent questions.

As a client or prospect reads your content, they’re constantly asking themselves what’s in it for them to do what you’re trying to get them to do.

If you can’t answer that question for them, then you have Buckley’s chance of getting them to do what you want them to.

When you write a piece of marketing content, you have to sell the benefits – those things that are going to make your readers want what you have to sell.

Just simply writing about how cheap your treatments are, how beautiful your salon is, or how talented your team members are isn’t enough.

What your readers want to know is that what you are trying to sell is going to make their life happier, healthier or easier in some way.

Here’s an example of what I mean…

Today’s facial special has a double cleanse, power exfoliation, steam, facial massage and mask all for $50.

Boring!  Why should your reader be interested in this even if it’s a super duper special price?

Instead, why not appeal to your client’s emotions with something like…

Look and feel sensational with our blissfully relaxing signature facial that will leave your skin soft, smooth and glowing…and all for just $50 (normally $95).

See the difference?

Focusing on Benefits

The first example talks about the features of the facial.  Unless your reader is another skin care professional, she not likely to care one iota about the process of the facial.

Whereas in the second example, you are helping your clients to imagine how great she is going to feel and look after her facial plus you have shown her what a bargain she is actually getting.

I know which marketing message would like up my brain cells and have me picking up the phone.

What about you?

 

22 Ways to Catapult Your Salon Profits Immediately

22 Ways to Catapult Your Salon Profits Immediately

by | Dec 28, 2015 | Increasing Profit, Salon and Spa Business Performance, Salon and Spa Marketing

Another year is underway, resolutions were made, and hope for a more financially successful year is in the air. While it’s great to be optimistic about what lies ahead, we all know that what actually gets you from a resolution to a result are the actions you take to make things happen. So let’s take a look at the 3 major areas you will need to work on in your salon to improve your performance and profits over the next 12 months.

New Client Generation

There are lots of things you can do to get new clients into your salon. Consider some of the following ideas and tick off the ones that you think might work well for you.
  1. Join forces with another business in your area that shares a similar target market and do a joint letter box drop. Be sure to make a special offer to pique the reader’s interest and have your brochures printed professionally on both sides (one side for each business).
  2. Enter into a joint venture with another business with similar clients to your own. Ask them to refer clients to you and you do the same for them. Each business needs to supply vouchers from the other business to gift to their clients.
  3. Start a client referral program and reward your clients for sending friends and family members to you.
  4. Build your male clientele by giving each of your female clients a gift certificate that can only be used by the man in her life.
  5. Find out what groups and associations operate in your area and offer to do free presentations for them. Make sure each person who attends receives a gift bag with a small salon voucher inside.
  6. Offer to write articles for your local newsletter and establish yourself as an expert in your industry.
  7. Have an open day or special promotional day and ask your clients to bring along a friend. Keep it fun and provide specials on the day. Offer a reward for each friend who comes along.
  8. Revamp your website to make sure it’s the number 1 client attraction tool it should be. If you haven’t done so already, try adding a downloadable ‘New Client Voucher’ to get the visitors to try you out.

Client Retention

Existing clients are truly your VIPs. They provide the repeat business that pays your expenses and keep your doors open. Never fall into the trap of taking your VIP’s for granted because they are not chained to your salon and can move on at any time. Check out the following ideas to improve your client retention.
  1. Communicate regularly with your clients to keep them up to date about what new and on offer in your salon. A monthly newsletter is a must.
  2. Send a birthday card with a salon voucher. Everyone loves to have their birthdays acknowledged.
  3. Treat your existing clients like you would a new client each time they visit. It’s a fact that existing clients will spend about 50% more at each visit than a new client will.
  4. Run an ongoing re-booking promotion so that clients are enticed to re-book before leaving your salon.
  5. Implement a loyalty reward program. Clients love to be rewarded for their loyalty to you.
  6. Consider a membership program that keeps clients coming back all year long.

Revenue and Profit Increases

Just a little bit extra earned every day can make a huge impact on your yearly profits. Just imagine if you could earn just another $50 per day in services. Over 1 year, operating 5 days a week, your salon could take an additional $12500. That sounds like a mighty fine holiday to me. Try implementing a few of these ideas to generate that additional income.
  1. When’s the last time you increased your service prices? If it’s been more than 12 months, then the time has come to bite the bullet and raise your prices. Remember, you are not offering cheap, you’re offering value. Understand and embrace the difference between the two.
  2. Learn how to sell some extra services to each client. Most clients don’t purchase anything extra because it’s not offered to them. During the booking process is the perfect time to offer that ‘little extra’ service that will put extra $$’s into your bank account.
  3. Always keep an impulse purchase display on your front desk. Clients will often purchase a little extra something if the price is right. Change your display to something new every 4-6 weeks so returning clients will have something new to look at (and purchase).
  4. Get your roster under control and don’t pay for staffing hours you don’t need to. Wages are one of the biggest expenses in every business and chances are it’s the same in your business too.
  5. Look for ways to minimise general expenses. While I’m a big believer in outsourcing when necessary, it’s important not to spend money on things you and your team members have time to do yourselves.
  6. Stop discounting and start value adding. The path to business hell is littered with salons who continuously discount their services.
  7. Focus your marketing efforts on services that make you a healthy profit. These are often the ones that offer retail opportunities as well.
  8. Provide direction and accountability for your team members by setting daily goals and providing monthly rewards.
As you can see, there are loads of things you can do to revamp your business and get things moving in the right direction. Just one small improvement implemented each week in your salon could equate to thousands of additional dollars in your pocket each month. So, what are you waiting for? It’s time to get moving. You’re not a rock!

Countdown to Christmas in Your Salon

Countdown to Christmas in Your Salon

by | Nov 9, 2015 | Salon and Spa Marketing, Staff Management, Recruitment and Retention

Does it feel like this past year has gone by in a blink to you?  It sure does for me.

But, we’re well into November and the countdown to bedlam has begun.

The very last thing you think you have time for is to sit down and make a checklist of all the things you should do in the lead up to the end of the year, but…it’s actually one of the most beneficial things you could do to ensure a smooth transition into the New Year.

With that in mind, I’ve created a Countdown to Christmas Checklist to help you get through the crazy season and come out the other side with all your hair intact.

Print it out and add any extras that you think you need to make your Christmas season the smoothest (and most profitable) yet.

To do in November

  • Plan your roster for the rest of the year so everyone gets time off to do their own shopping, and you have enough team members rostered on to cope with the rush.
  • Organise extra team members or a front desk receptionist for December. If you can’t get either of these, consider getting a salon junior to help keep the salon clean and tidy.
  • Contact regular salon clients to ensure they have their Christmas appointments booked in. You don’t want those last minute phone calls from a regular.
  • Invite VIP clients for Christmas drinks and nibbles in early December
  • Have your preliminary Christmas team meeting to let your team know what’s expected of them.
  • Have your Team Christmas Party. Get it out of the way early so your team can focus on their clients in December.
  • Order your Christmas retail stock including special promotional stock.
  • Order January stock if suppliers will be closed. Don’t miss out by leaving it until December.
  • Order point-of-sale retail items for impulse purchases to help boost profits.
  • Order in extra gift vouchers, wrapping paper, ribbons, retail bags and gift boxes.
  • Implement your gift voucher promotion to boost sales and don’t forget to also incentivise your team members.
  • Wrap up retail items in Christmas themed cellophane and add a gift card for clients who want to purchase an easy gift for a friend/teacher.
  • Send your November newsletter to let clients know about Christmas/December trading hours, getting their appointments booked in and your salon Gift Vouchers and promotion.
  • Spring clean the salon during any times.  Keep your team members productive.
  • Create and schedule your January promotion and newsletter.
  • Have your Christmas re-booking promotion organised to get clients back in January.
  • Streamline your appointment book to ensure useless time gaps don’t creep in and cost you lost revenue.
  • Develop your Pamper Packages to sell as Gift Vouchers.
  • Let local business owners know you have Gift Vouchers to purchase for their employees. Offer an incentive for them to make a purchase.
  • Organise your salon Secret Santa for gift exchange between team members.

To do in December

  • Hold your December team meeting early to re-enforce your expectations and share revenue goals.
  • Confirm all appointments and take deposits on large appointments for this month.
  • Put up your Christmas tree and decorations.
  • Add small ‘gifts’ to your tree for clients to select from.
  • Find some Christmas music that won’t drive everyone crazy (Start of Dec).
  • Decide on and give Christmas gifts to VIP clients.
  • Schedule several  reminder emails for your clients to ensure they have their appointments made, know your opening and closing times and have booked for their January appointments
  • Have food and drinks on hand daily for team members for the final ultra-busy fortnight leading into Christmas.
  • Prepare little thank you gifts for your team each week to show your appreciation.
  • Prepare and schedule as much of your social media marketing as possible in advance.

When it’s all over and done with, relax and enjoy the special time you have with your friends and family.

 

The Best Low-Cost Salon Marketing Strategies

The Best Low-Cost Salon Marketing Strategies

by | Sep 28, 2015 | Salon and Spa Business Performance, Salon and Spa Marketing

From a business perspective, your best-kept secrets are often your salon and your services…and that’s not a good thing!

Today, it simply isn’t enough to be the best at what you do and thus expect to turn your business into a roaring success – no matter how many Facebook inspirational quotes tell you otherwise.

If your business is the best-kept secret in your trading area, then you’ll never reach your full business potential.

To reach your trading goals, it takes consistent, well-planned marketing that will let people know about your salon and what you offer; even after they’ve become your clients. But does that marketing have to cost you and arm or a leg?

No, it doesn’t.  You have options to suit even the tiniest budget.

 

Marketing and Advertising. What’s the difference?

First, let’s get clear on one thing – marketing and advertising are not the same things.

Relying solely on paid advertising to grow your business could be very expensive. However, the good news is that many highly effective client attraction and retention marketing strategies can be implemented on a shoestring budget.

Let’s take a look at some of these easy on the pocket marketing strategies that you can use to ensure your salon and services don’t remain the best-kept secret in town.

 

Marketing for New Clients.

Not commonly known is the fact that most salons attract a reasonable amount of new clients organically – that is, without any form of paid advertising.

Having said that, clients can be notoriously disloyal and leave your salon on a whim, so it’s good to have some basic attraction strategies in place to top up your numbers and ensure you continue to grow.

Client Referral Program – Why not ask your existing clients who are very happy with your services to send in their friends and family? Naturally, you’ll want to encourage them to do so by offering a small reward, but when you consider the financial value of a new client to your salon, it’s a tiny investment for a worthwhile return.

Social Media – Done wisely, social media can provide a useful marketing platform allowing you to attract new clients into your salon or spa. The secret lies in building your fan base and then getting them to share, like, click and comment on your value-driven posts. Thi, of course, gets you additional free exposure to lots of potential new clients. Positive client reviews on your page is also a great way to build your reputation.

Magazine Writing – As a professional, you have lots of specialised industry-based knowledge that you can share with readers. By writing informative articles you can establish yourself as the local expert in your field which in turn will give your readers more confidence to visit your salon.

Consider approaching your local newspaper or magazine, and offer to write interesting articles for their readers in exchange for some free editorial or adverts.

New Client Website Vouchers – Your website is often the first place that a potential new client will go to for information about your salon. Sometimes, they need just that little bit of a push to make their first appointment, and this is where a downloadable voucher can accomplish just that.

 

Marketing to Keep the Clients You Already Have.

For me, this should make up the bulk of your marketing activities. What a waste it is to go to all that expense and time getting new clients through your doors, only to lose them to a competitor because they didn’t feel valued in your salon.

Keeping your existing clients happy means keeping your focus on them, and not assuming that because they’ve been coming to you for a while that they’re going to be loyal to your salon forever.

Clients are only as loyal as it suits them to be and can always be tempted away from you when you take your eye off the ball.

Here are a few inexpensive retention strategies that you can use to keep your clients happy and returning.

Loyalty or Reward Program – Simple to set up and worthwhile to run. Today, clients wanted to be rewarded for their patronage whether it’s when they fly, buy groceries or visit their preferred salon. A Reward Program gives them a reason to return to you rather than spend their money with the salon down the road.

Birthday Cards – When’s the last time a service provider sent you a real card in the mail with a salon voucher to use at your next visit? I think you’d have to agree with me that you’d be pretty impressed if you received this, and so would your clients.

We may share lots of other celebratory days with the masses, but to each individual, our birthday is our special day, and we love it when it’s acknowledged with even just a small gift.

Salon Newsletter – A fantastic way to keep your clients informed and to stay front-of-mind. You can use your newsletter to educate, make special offers and keep your clients up-to-date about what’s going on in your salon.

Done monthly, your newsletter maintains the connection with your client between her salon visits.

There are loads of inexpensive marketing strategies you can use to help gain and keep salon clients.

The main thing that you must remember as a business owner, is that no matter how good your salon and services may be, if they are a secret from the people you want to attract into your salon, then you won’t achieve the success you deserve.

 

Say Goodbye to Service Discounts Forever in Your Salon or Spa

Say Goodbye to Service Discounts Forever in Your Salon or Spa

by | Mar 22, 2015 | Increasing Profit, Salon and Spa Business Performance, Salon and Spa Marketing

When business is a little slow, the first strategy many salon owners turn to is discounting their services.  While discounting may seem like a sure-fire way to get people into your salon, it could also be a sure-fire way of going broke.

As a business coach and mentor, I believe discounting is simply a substitute for good marketing.  Instead of helping the salon owner grow her business, it can instead lead a business into a downward spiral, where clients become no longer willing to pay full price for their services.

When you discount your services, the client believes that you can afford to do so and still make a profit.  They simply don’t believe that you would offer a service for less than it costs to deliver.

Also, once a client receives a discounted service, it’s almost impossible to get her to pay full price for that service again.  It no longer has the same value to her, and she’ll hang out until it comes back on special.

This is a lose-lose situation for both of you.

Something that many salon owners don’t realise is that with the high cost of the products and specialised equipment required to provide many of today’s up-to-the-minute treatments, there’s really not that big a profit margin to play around with.

Even a small discount on services may mean you’re providing your services at less than cost.

What’s the solution?

If you can’t discount your services, what do you offer to entice your clients into your salon?  Well, without a doubt you must learn how to effectively value-add.  This means always maintaining the integrity of your prices for your primary services, and offering extra value to your clients using your secondary services.

 

What are primary and secondary services?

Each salon will be a little different depending on their specialities.  Primary services are those that should be your big revenue earners.  For salons who’ve invested a lot of money in equipment, it would be the services provided using that equipment. 

If your salon is built around providing cutting edge facials, then you must never discount those facials, as these are your primary services.  Perhaps your clinic is all about body treatments, and if so, these treatments are your primary services.

Secondary services need to meet two main criteria.  They must be

  • inexpensive product -wise, and
  • quick to provide

And when it comes to using them for value-adding purposes, they must also meet a third criterion, and that is the client must appreciate their value.

If your salon is a little quiet, and you have more time available than money, this is the only way to offer a special or run a promotion.  It not only maintains the integrity of your important services but also gives your clients a little something extra to enjoy.

 

How to implement this marketing strategy.

Take a few minutes to identify and list your primary services, and then do the same for your secondary services.  Use the criteria provided earlier.

Once you’ve created your lists, use them when developing your special offer or promotion.  It will be much easier to create a profitable offer, and you’ll be able to provide something worthwhile to your clients while ensuring you won’t make a loss on your most important (primary) services.

Remember, your special offer should never be sold at less than the total value of all the primary services being offered.

Now you can forever say goodbye to discounting your salon services.

13 Low or No Cost Salon Marketing Tips to Ignite Your Salon

13 Low or No Cost Salon Marketing Tips to Ignite Your Salon

by | Nov 13, 2014 | Salon and Spa Business Performance, Salon and Spa Marketing

Every salon owner (including you) must market their business continuously.

It not only drives new clients to your salon, but it keeps existing clients returning to purchase products and services which in turn increases turnover and profit.

All this activity requires an investment of your time, lots of planning, and in some cases, quite a bit of money also.

But it doesn’t have to cost an arm and a leg to create effective marketing strategies that will bring more clients and more money through your salon doors.

In this practical article, I’ve included 13 low-budget, but successful strategies, you can use to boost your salon profits without spending a fortune to do so.

 

Tip 1. Write for local publications regularly.

Goal: To attract new clients to your salon.

Approach your local magazine, newspaper, and neighbourhood flyer, with an offer to write a regular short beauty-based articles for their publication.

Articles help to establish you as a credible and local expert in your industry. This makes you the go-to person in their trading zone.

Be sure you check and double check for grammar and punctuation errors before you submit your article, and remember to include your contact details at the end of each article.

There’s no harm in asking for a free or discounted advertisement in exchange. You may or may not get one but your article will still be great advertising for your salon.

 

Tip 2. Provide group presentations.

Goal: To attract new clients to your salon.

Local clubs and associations are always looking for guest speakers to present to their members free of charge. You can easily source these groups by asking your own clients for suggestions.

Simply provide an interesting presentation and/or demonstration to your local groups keeping them focused on their particular interests. E.g. golfing ladies may be interested in repairing sun damage.

To encourage them to visit your salon, simply offer a $10 salon voucher to each person after your presentation. This will also provide an opportunity for you to chat to their members and build some rapport which is often the first step in getting new people through your doors.

 

Tip 3. Leverage local businesses’ employees.

Goal: To attract new clients to your salon.

Approach local businesses that have large numbers of employees and offer to provide 10 minute back, neck and shoulder massages at no cost.

You could do 5 per hour (with a little bit of time after each for a tidy up) and for an investment of 1 hour, you’ve created the prospect of 5 new clients for your salon.

Remember to capture their details and leave some salon vouchers to encourage them to visit your salon later on.

 

Tip 4. Leverage local businesses’ clients.

Goal: To attract new clients to your salon.

You’ve probably heard the term ‘joint venture’ before, but may not be totally sure of what it entails.

When it comes to getting new clients for your business, it’s a simple win-win arrangement that you enter into with another suitable local business.

By promoting their businesses to your clients, you can ask them to do the same for you.

Making a special offer using vouchers can get lots of new clients in through your doors and then it’s up to you to keep them coming back.

 

Tip 5.  Increase the number of male clientele. 

Goal: To attract new clients to your salon.

In most salons, 95% (or more) of clients are women.  That means there’s a very good chance that over 80% of those women have a husband or partner who needs either a bit of TLC, or a thorough tidy up.

By giving each of your female clients a half price voucher for a man-only massage or facial, you could considerably extend the number of male clients you attract into your salon.  Tell her that when her “male” redeems his voucher, she will also receive a voucher for the same offer.

Once your new male client has been in for his first treatment, don’t miss the opportunity to re-book him.  Men make great clients and love being pampered.

 

Tip 6.  Ask your clients to introduce a friend.

Goal: To attract new clients to your salon.

Offer your clients a salon voucher to give to a friend who has never been to your salon before.

To make it worth her while to do so, give her a separate reward voucher for each person she sends along. 

 

Tip 7.  Have a one-week salon birthday celebration.

Goal: To retain existing clients and increase their dollar spend amount.

Everyone loves a party, so remember to celebrate your salon birthday each year.

Let your clients know that everyone who has an appointment during the birthday celebration week will receive a small salon gift.  This can be in the form of a lucky dip made up of salon vouchers, with one full day of pampering to be won amongst the prizes.

Make sure to have glasses of bubbly and some birthday cupcakes on hand to give to your clients during that week.  You may even be able to do a joint venture with a local bakery and send your clients to them if they give you a special price for the cupcakes.

Decorate your salon in birthday mode for the week, and make it a fun time for all.

 

Tip 8.  Run a re-booking promotion to encourage your clients to make their next appointments.

Goal: To retain existing clients and increase their dollar spend amount.

Re-booking your clients is one of the best strategies for client retention, and therefore deserves your best effort with every client.

Ask each client who re-books to write their name, contact number and the date of her next appointment on a slip of colourful paper, and place it into a glass bowl.

Each client who re-books their next appointment before leaving the salon goes into the draw to win a pampering service.

The monthly winner picks up their voucher when they come in for their pre-booked appointment.

 

Tip 9.  Host an information evening. 

Goal: To gain new clients, retain existing clients and increase their dollar spend amount.

Invite your VIP clients and their friends along to an informal information evening, where they can watch service and product demonstrations.

Involve as many attendees as possible in your demonstrations so that they can experience a treatment or product on the night.

Have special VIP offers on services and products available for purchase throughout the evening.

Ask you product supplier to provide a lucky door prize, as well as someone to talk to your clients about their at-home skin care needs on the night.

Don’t forget to offer a glass of bubbly or juice along with some nibbles to make it a great night for all.

 

Tip 10.  Add a New Client Voucher to your website.

Goal: To attract new clients to your salon.

Don’t let those visitors to your website just browse and leave.

Give them a solid reason to make an appointment in your salon by providing a one-use only salon voucher that they can redeem on their first visit.

Let’s face it, everyone loves something for free, and a salon voucher may be all it needs to get a new client into your salon.

 

Tip 11.  Create ‘Solution’ packages to meet particular skin conditions.

Goal: To retain existing clients and increase their dollar spend amount.

Are many of your clients getting stuck in a rut, having the same services every time they visit your salon?

To break them out of this routine, group together suitable services (and possibly at-home products), that will benefit particular skin conditions, and sell them as a ‘Solution’ package.

You could include Solutions such as a Sun Damage Package, Problem Skin Package, Pigmentation Package, Mature Skin Package, etc.

You know what your salon clients need most, and therefore you can determine which services and products to provide to create your skin care Solution Packages.

 

Tip 12.  Use the power of the impulse purchase.

Goal: To increase the client’s dollar spend amount.

When clients make an impulse purchase in your salon, that’s a total bonus for you.

Having several impulse purchase displays near where your client is paying for her services is a great way to encourage this behaviour.

To maximise your impulse purchase sales, ensure your displays look clean and inviting, are visibly priced, have a tester and are not too expensive.

Just another $30 in additional sales each day can add up to nearly $8000 extra in revenue each year.

 

Tip 13.  Be unique in your trading zone.

Goal: To attract new clients and retain existing clients.

What can you offer to your clients that they simply can’t get anywhere else in your area?

Run a brainstorming session with your team to find out what clients are asking for that you could add to your offering.

Make sure that whatever you decide to introduce is really in demand by a large number of clients and also that you can offer it at a price they’re willing to pay.

Having something different locks clients into your salon and prevents them from straying to the salon down the street.

Remember – better beats cheaper hands-down.

 

So there you have it.  13 simple marketing strategies that will help you to gain new clients, retain the clients you already have, and increase the amount of money they spend in your salon.

If you can successfully meet these 3 criteria, then you’re well on the way to having a highly successful salon.