Whether you are the manager or owner of a beauty salon, aesthetic clinic, or wellness centre ensuring that your business has a steady stream of bookings from new and loyal clients is likely your top priority. You probably have a list of salon marketing ideas you want to try and have experimented with various promotions and campaigns with varying levels of success – however, we understand that running a premium health and beauty business is a demanding role especially from a time and resource perspective. In this article, we want to save you hours of research and show you which salon marketing and PR ideas to try next and why. You’re welcome!
The benefits of marketing your clinic
Actively marketing or promoting your clinic is not just an activity for when you launch your business – it’s important to keep momentum and ensure your brand remains on the radar of your target clients to encourage steady bookings, cashflow and of course, profit for the long-term. Running promotions or events are a great way to stimulate demand during quieter periods but consistently investing time and resources into a salon marketing plan will enable your business to:
- Stand out amongst your competition with a clear brand identity
- Build loyalty and increase spend amongst your existing clients
- Attract and engage your target clients to generate enquiries and bookings
- Establish a reputation for quality and expertise
- Generate referrals from your client base to create incremental bookings
The importance of brand consistency
Before your start actively marketing or promoting your business it’s essential to clearly define your brand’s USPs. For example, consider “what makes your beauty salon or aesthetics clinic different?” or “why should customers choose your wellness centre over another?”. These are two fundamental questions a prospective client discovering your brand for the first time is likely to ask, and the answers to these questions will shape all future messaging for your business.
However, if you can’t answer the above questions or you don’t know where to start with defining your brand USPs don’t worry! Kendrick PR’s founder and award-winning communications consultant Julia Kendrick has designed a simple-to-follow salon marketing toolkit to help you create clear, confident brand messages which will attract and engage your target customers and help them choose YOU over the competition. The ‘How To’ Create Your Brand Message Marketing Toolkit is available for instant download and contains four modules of strategic guidance and practical tips to help you create the best brand messaging for your beauty brand, clinic or business.
10 salon marketing and PR ideas
Once you’ve determined you brand USPs it’s time to shout about them and share them consistently in your PR and marketing. The beauty, aesthetic and wellness industries are a competitive space and more often than not your clients will have a wealth of options close to their home or workplace.Savvy business owners consistently promote their services to ensure customers choose and keep choosing them over the competition. Below is a carefully curated list of ten effective salon marketing ideas and tips for you to try now!
- Set up a “Google my Business profile”: your priority should be to get your business on the local map amongst prospective clients nearby who are actively searching on Google for your products or services. The most effective way to do this is with a Google my Business profile – it’s totally free and you can populate it with text and photos to portray your brand as you want to be seen. Customers who discover your profile can instantly call you or visit your website for more information.
- Get more Google reviews: once your Google my business profile is live, set up a process to ensure that you ask all clients to submit a Google review. The more 5 star reviews you receive, the higher you will rank on the local ahead of your local competitors.
- Share client testimonials: show prospective clients exactly how good you are by revealing what your clients say about your business. Take quotes from your Google reviews and share on your social media channels or website. This is known as social proofing and is an effective tool for building trust and growing sales.
- Be active on Instagram: craft an engaging profile that supports your brand USPs and regularly share content (i.e. photos!) to showcase your skills and talent to your existing clients, prospective clients, and peers. Find a schedule that is manageable and stick to it, social media algorithms reward consistency. Don’t forget to network and interact with the content of others to boost your visibility!
- Offer a loyalty programme: the most successful businesses are built on a loyal client base – constantly trying to attract new clients can be expensive and time consuming so ensure your current customers feel appreciated. A loyalty programme does not have to be about discounts or gifts, it can also be about added extras and special touches such as treatment previews, VIP events or a priority booking service. Can’t decide what to do? Ask your clients!
- Encourage referrals: asking your existing clients to recommend your business to their colleagues, family or friends is extremely effective at growing revenue. Introducing an incentive such as a discount or exclusive treat for both parties is a great way to boost referrals. Why not trial this salon marketing idea for a month as and when you need it, rather than run it every day, this will help create a buzz when you need it and be more cost-effective.
- Enable online bookings: many customers prefer to book their salon or clinic appointments online so it’s a good idea to offer them his convenience and save your team time on administrative tasks and minimise disruptions to clients mid-treatment. You can either list in an online directory with an online booking feature such as Treatwell or integrate a booking tool such as Genbook into your own website.
- Publish a newsletter: if you have a facility such as an online booking system where clients can opt in to receive emails from you, we highly recommend that you stay in touch. Consider creating a monthly email newsletter to build lasting-relationships with your clients and keep them up to date with your latest news, services, events, promotions etc. Mailchimp is a free, easy-to-use platform for sending emails.
- Partner with another local business: co-marketing or collaborating with another local that compliments your brands USPs and services is a great way to raise your profile in your local community and generate more bookings. For example, a local hotel may be happy to refer their guests looking for a nearby salon or clinic to your business in exchange for an exclusive staff offer. Or perhaps, a local bakery could be the perfect partner for a VIP customer event!
- Plan regular events: events are a great way to show your brand personality and build relationships with your existing clients, prospective clients, and local community. A grand launch party is a must for any new beauty salon or aesthetics clinic, likewise exciting new products and services may also warrant a party. In addition, consider celebrating important seasonal events such as Christmas and New Year if they are relevant to your brand and target customer. Regular quarterly or monthly events could also become a signature in your business’ calendar and set you apart from the competitor set.
Marketing and PR mistakes to avoid
Every piece of PR or marketing for your brand should be consistent and aligned with your brand USPs, clients need to easily identify and understand your brand each time they interact with it online or offline. The most common mistake by business owners is a lack of brand consistency which is not only confusing it looks unprofessional and can alienate clients.
Always present your brand exactly as you want it to be seen and ensure that every piece of content you share looks high quality and professional – no grainy, blurry or dark photos allowed! Practise your photography skills for social media to find your ideal look and feel, plan your content for the week in advance so that you don’t rush and post something just because as it could make ethe wrong impression.
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Founded in 2015 by award-winning communications expert Julia Kendrick, Kendrick PR are an experienced and passionate team who thrive on creating tangible success for every client. Since launch, we have delivered outstanding results for some of the industry’s most innovative brands and exciting entrepreneurs, such as ALLÉL, Debbie Thomas, The Private Clinic, Oxygenetix and Medik8 – and we’d love to support your brand. Please do get in touch to book your complimentary discover call with our expert team.