Where do we start so we can get our marketing machine happening? So that it actually gives us a return on our investment of time, effort and money! Now that is such a huge question with a very long and complex set of answers, although I could talk about this topic for hours on end, I appreciate that this is a blog post not a novel.
So what I want to do is set you up for success in one area, it’s an area that I find as salon owners, hairdressers and beauty therapists we rarely nail, and that’s Instagram.
I want to share with you exactly where you need to focus your energy so that you can convert real clients from your Instagram. So firstly, here are some facts.
Social media is not marketing!! Social media is a space where you can share your work. Marketing is when you actively ASK for business through campaigns. It’s really common that when I meet a salon owner and I ask what they have in place for marketing that they say “oh I post on social media and that is about it” to grow, you not only need to be posting active campaigns, you need to be across all other platforms.
70% percent of the population is on Facebook and Instagram alone, that means if you don’t have a strategy (apart from just posting pretty pictures) you may be getting left behind!
We need to nail the visuals on our Instagram and Facebook accounts. Instagram started as a photo platform, it was created so people could connect through beautiful imagery and it is fast becoming the main platform where salon, spa and clinic owners focus the majority of their time.
The fact is that most profiles get enough of traffic, but the reality is if the content isn’t pretty, they ain’t gonna stay! Your content may be amazing but each tile and post has to fit into the big picture. And that’s what we call brand.
If you are just posting content without any active ‘call to action’ promotions, uou have just created a beautiful lookbook for your salon.
When you create a promotion that you would like to market to your followers, it only makes sense to post this on your social media platforms, however, it can take up to 11 or more touches before someone chooses to buy off you or take you up on your offer. Posting your promotion on your Instagram account is only one touch and it simply is not going to cut it.
Your promotion needs to be put in front of your audience many times on many platforms. Here are some examples of where:
- YouTube
- Stories
- Website
- Print Media
- Mirror talkers
- Flyers
- Front window display
- Counter displays
- Email and text campaigns
And needless to say, talking and engaging with your clients about the latest promotion is still the most effective way to gain real traction.
Now it’s time to shift things up a gear, it’s time to get serious. Business is not all about social media and having a beautiful Instagram feed! Yes, it is important but it’s time for a reality check.
The answer to growing your business and making sure that you do it in the most efficient and effective way possible is to not start with marketing. We have a saying here at ZING that “Boring is profitable”. Let me explain to you why you need to consider the following lessons I’m about to teach you before you draw attention to yourself and your business through marketing.
New clients are false economy and what I mean by that is that most coaching clients that I get to meet as a business coach have a steady stream of new clients coming into their business every week, so why is it that they are in the same position they were a year or even five years ago?
The reality is that most salons are only retaining around 20% of the new clients so this could be happening in your business! Use your benchmark tool to see where you sit on this scale. Your business could be a leaky sieve, actually chances are your business is a leaky sieve! Most of my clients know every team member’s booking rates when I first meet them, but when I ask them about the new client rebooking rates and retention they aren’t sure. Very often they are surprised with the stats once we shine a light on them.
Use your benchmarks!
One thing I would like you to consider is that getting bums on seats is only one way to grow your business and this is more of a medium to long term plan. The quickest way to grow your retention and ease your cash flow is to plan to grow your average client spend and refine your systems first.
Every business is different, I get that, and some salons really do only need marketing. If you have the systems in place and your business is running like a well-oiled machine, make a marketing plan and open the floodgates!
However more often than not this is our reality, and although I would still like to be talking about drawing attention to your business through marketing, I can’t help but shine a light on what is really going on.
The fact is most salons have enough new clients coming through the door every single week they’re just not keeping them. For every new client that comes through the front door, there’s a client that is sneaking out the back. The scary part is that it is so subtle you don’t notice it.
So yes, I tricked you into reading this blog by capturing your attention with a bright and shiny topic, but if you are still reading this now I hope that I have spiked your interest enough to make you want to look at all your amazing reports to see what is REALLY happening.
Start by making sure you read and review your client retention and rebooking for every single team member, every single week. Once your rates are industry standard or above, then and only then, draw attention to your business in the way of marketing!
The last rule I have I for you is about your first promotion for your salon;
One promotion…. Many places….
For more information on social media marketing, check out our tips on using social media to increase brand awareness and help grow your customer base.
