Going to a salon is one of the great pleasures of life. Whether you’re going to get a manicure, a pedicure, or a new haircut, it’s just fun to sit there and feel taken care of by the stylist or nail technician. Many people have a go-to salon, but many are also shopping around. It takes awhile to find the manicurist or stylist you feel most comfortable with, after all.
So, if you’re a salon owner, and you’re looking for new ways to convince potential clients that your manicurists are the best ones out there, what can you do to go the extra mile? Fortunately, there are some easy-to-employ tips and tricks that you can use to achieve company goals and acquire new customers.
1. Treat your salon like the business enterprise it is.
Your salon may be the place that people come to get all dolled up with a new hairdo and some gel polish, but it’s also a business. That means that you need to treat it that way. Consider factors like company goals and make sure that everyone—from your newest manicurist to your most seasoned barber—is in alignment when it comes to how these should be achieved.
One easy way to make sure that you’re on track is by using OKR (Objectives and Key Results) methodology. OKRs are used by the likes of Google to keep their team members on track, and what’s good enough for Google is definitely good enough for small businesses like yours. OKRs work because having a goal-setting framework with which you can measure your progress by looking at specific key results means that you’re no longer wondering if you’re on the right path. You can see it clearly, just by looking at the goals you set.
2. Make sure you have only the best for your customers.
Even is a potential customer tries out your nail salon, they won’t become a return customer if they see that your nail table is old and falling apart. Invest in the best manicure table, the kind that uses UV light for drying gel nails and streamlines the removal process of gel nails. You want high quality everything—from nail beds, nail plates and cuticle oil to the cotton balls and acetone you use to remove regular nail polish. It’s the little things that impress your customers and have them tagging you in their social media afterwards.
3. Offer incentives and giveaways.
One thing that is sure to get people in your door is freebies. You can offer a free gel nail manicure with every haircut, for example, or send customers home with a sample of free sunscreen and a coupon for peels and other spa treatments. You can work with promoters to get the word out about these coupon codes and giveaways. Then, you can collect the email addresses of first-time customers who participated in your sales and enjoyed services to convert them into regular customers.
4. Be consistent about branding and outreach.
Speaking of getting the word out, don’t underestimate the power of social networks when it comes to reaching your business goals. Social media ads are a great way for promoters to publicize your services if you’re on a budget. Update your LinkedIn, Instagram, and Facebook pages regularly, but don’t do it willy-nilly. Make sure that your company strategy extends to every single post—from fonts to color schemes. It may be worthwhile to invest at least some of your budget in getting a consultation about branding to make sure that you’re doing a good job. You should also use the metrics that come with each post to see which ads are getting the most engagement and reaching the most customers.
5. Use templates for your social media pages.
One way to make sure that you’re using all the tools at your fingertips when it comes to social media outreach is to use templates. Social media templates allow you to reach more people without spending hours crafting Instagram stories and Facebook dances. That way, you can invest your time and energy in researching the best salon equipment, upping your customer service game, and finding spas to partner with instead of trying to figure out which hashtags are trending. For best results and minimal time investment, you can’t go wrong with free templates.
Running a salon is hard work, which is why you need tips to get it done right, whether you’re in New York City or Minneapolis. Use OKRs to make sure that your workflow is on point, get the best salon equipment in the business, and keep your branding and social media outreach consistent. By next quarter, you’ll see more and more customers ordering an Uber to your salon, both for special occasions and for everyday manicures with your nail techs. Even if you’re a beginner, you can become the go-to salon for tons of folks by using these tricks.
