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5 tips to getting more referrals!

1. Make it so both the client and the friend receive a generous promotion. If the scheme is well rewarded, further recommendation is encouraged by the current client.

2. Make clients feel good by providing a relaxing atmosphere as well as service or treatment. A salon’s success rate is largely derived by the staffing and aura as well as the treatment.

3. Your clients must feel confident that if they recommend you, their friends will have a great experience too. Their referral directly reflects their taste as well as your business.

4. 10% discount may not cut it. Calculate how much your current client spends and what a new client treatment would cover cost wise and push your marketing incentives.

5. Promoting the scheme may seem obvious but not everyone remembers. Use your website, social media and in salon point of sale to regularly advertise and reinstate the promotion.

How Salon Tracker can instantly improve your business

Increases Customer Loyalty. A salon software system can help you with this by simplifying the process of capturing, storing and organising client data. Salon Tracker allows you to stores all client details in one place, such as hair type, colouring history and even how your client takes their tea, ensuring you are providing a tailored service. Every client is valuable and important, even if they only visit twice a year, it is important to show them you care.

Improves Marketing Campaigns. Salon Tracker allows you to target your customers direct, through a fast and affordable inbuilt SMS marketing feature. The system stores clients personal and purchase history details, ensuring you market more effectively. Salon Tracker allows you to create criteria on your client database to market to. For example, you may want to target irregular customers with a 20% off promotion to encourage a repeat visit.

Gives You Greater Control Over Your Business. Instead of manual reports, we can work out your sales figures including commission, VAT, trade and retail price. Computerised charts enable owners to access and make informative decisions based on live updates, productivity and staff performance and also ensure key products are managed and maintained.

Utilizes Internet Marketing. Businesses can reach a vast audience online quickly and more effectively than traditional marketing methods. It is also important to use email marketing effectively; every time a business fails to capture someone’s email address they’re turning down the opportunity to contact them for FREE, for weeks, months and years ahead. Salon Tracker allows you to store emails so you can promote, thank or gift your customers. 

Reduces No-shows For most salons no shows can be very weakening, the hour or so that is wasted and has lost money is inefficient for business, Salon Tracker can help prevent these occurring by sending out text messages to clients to remind them of their appointment. In addition, the SMS feature can allow you to fill in cancelled appointments by offering 50% discount on all treatments in cancelled appointments. This offer is sure to get your free slot filled and ensure you spend your time productively, making money!

Increases Profits Introducing Salon Tracker management system into your business will ultimately increase your profits and save you money with the use of its advanced applications. Its effective marketing feature will help increase customer loyalty, attract new customers and increase your revenue. By reducing no shows you can save money and use time more efficiently in the salon. Furthermore, Salon Tracker’s detailed reporting function will allow you to evaluate your business performance and easily see where improvements can be made and where opportunities to increase profits can be taken advantage of. 

The trick to add retail sales on to every treatment!!

Selling retail products as well as your service can be very beneficial to your salon, albeit very difficult. The common reasoning of a client's refusal may simply be because they don't 'need' that particular product. So when an add on product is offered at transaction time, there is no appeal to have it because they are convinced they do not need it. 

The common denominator demotivating many therapists is that they feel as though they are spoiling the experience by pressurising clients in to buying more product. As salon professionals selling retail products, the first obstacle of overcoming the refusal is understanding that when a product is offered rather than sold, 9 times out of 10 it will be refused as it does feel like a sale. This is to nobody's fault but more so because anybody would politely refuse a product if they are not aware of it's benefits, why they need it, and what it can do. So how can you add a retail sale on to all your treatments without having this mentality?

· Take into consideration that customers who frequent a salon are prototypical buyers of premium skincare; they are interested in indulging in beauty treatments to make them feel better and stereotypically, they have usually tried many brands in treatments and haven’t found a perfect one yet.

· Realise the difference in sales and selling something. If you talk clients through products you use during treatments and highlight all the different features and benefits, if they like what they hear they will be able to make the decision without pressurisation. Listing the products used in treatments on treatment lists will also help reinforce the benefits.

· Put yourself in a similar situation, and ask what would make you buy this product? If you knew your hair could look this silky everyday, or skin could feel this smooth you would be more inclined to start to desire that product and look at it in a more appealing manner. Product up-selling offers your client the ability to recreate their look at home which will improve the results, and encourage repeat visits. 

· Believing in the product is very important. If you are a salon owner, let your staff test the products. To give a completely professional opinion they need to know the ins and outs, study the product knowledge and know the benefits and procedures off the top of their head. Having a passion about something has been proven to enlighten others and convert them. 

· Trends in skincare- Alternatively, it could be the case that you are stocking the wrong products. Keeping abreast of the trends in skincare can help you ensure that you are stocking the right products for your clients. 

Selling retail starts to help you focus on your overall treatment technique, are you finding out what your customer likes and what they are looking for? Only a small amount of customers have found the perfect hair care or skin care range but that leaves the majority who haven't and aren't 100% happy. This means there is huge selling potential in the beauty industry. Your clients come to you because you are a skilled professional. Your expertise should be shared with the client to help build trust and offer them the best of your service by exerting your knowledge and going the extra mile. After all if you cant recommend products to us- who can? Believe in your abilities! 

Follow us on Twitter (@salontrackerapp) or Facebook for frequent marketing updates and top tips in the Salon Industry. 

Getting the most out of social media for your business!

The reason why posts/ pictures/ videos go viral is usually down to three things; humour, inspiration or aesthetics. When you bring this into context with salons, you need to question ‘what draws salon clients in?’, ‘what is the reason behind their visit?’ Whether your salon be hair, beauty, fitness or clinic, your clients have somewhere been given inspiration to endure a new creative haircut, beautiful makeover or voluptuous new lips. The key to making your business successful on social media is to become that inspiration, that go to top- tipper. Here are a few simple things you can try to become a social media EXPERT...

1.  Assign a ‘Vlogger and Blogger’ to your salon website and social media. Video blogging has become all the rage since people have realised they can share tips and advice all online. It is the perfect way to be ‘in the know’ about all the latest trends in makeup, hair styles, tanning and so on. This takes time so make sure you allow ‘the chosen one’ at least an hour a day to reply to posts, update new pictures, chat with clients and partake in good PR for your salon. Time and consistency are essential with social media and online so make sure you are inputting 100% and you will reap the benefits.

2.  Use your Facebook cover photo as a place to show latest treatment discounts, promotions and offers. Most people think this should have the same consistent image which is not necessarily true, especially if you are newly established. Remember this is the first thing your current and potential clients will see when they land on your page and there is an enhanced call to action when clients see discounted promotions compared to when they see an image of a massage in action.

3.  List your service fields clearly on Facebook. Your salon might specify tanning, beauty and nails but what kind of beauty? Do you do waxing, eyebrow tints, spray tanning or sunbeds? This could cost you a sale by not being specific enough because some customers will not call up to find out what you specialise in. Make it to the point and clear.

4. Keep up to date with what is going on in your city. Whether there is a big bank holiday event, prom at the local high school or a nationally celebrated day, tailor it to your

treatments somehow. Try partnering with local businesses such as florists on Valentine’s or Mother’s Day to really push the boat out and confirm you to be a key contender for any beauty, hair or spa related business.

5.  Take a picture of your favourite client achievement of the day or week after you have completed your service and put it on Facebook. Always make sure this is okay with your client first but if people see a beautiful new hairdo or some alternative nail art then they are more susceptible to use it as inspiration!

6.  Follow celeb trends! Why not try posting a picture of a celebrity’s new style or smooth face or lovely nails. Tell your clients how achieve this today at your salon with available appointments attached. Imagery instigates urgency so encourage that inner spontaneity.

7.  People who love the beauty industry usually really appreciate ‘hints and tips’. So use your social media expert to get posting new ideas online, to your blog and social media. Even if it’s a quick ‘French Plait- HOW TO GUIDE’. This stimulates a sense of gratefulness which stems to curiosity which can then stem onto footfall.

8.  Post your unique drawings, ideas, photographs or props as originality on Social media. If you don’t want to show things to competitors in your nearby area then why not post pictures of your salon instead. Show your new props or treatments you have purchased or provide because believe it or not, clients will be interested to see what you have that’s ever-evolving.

9.  Never be negative or judgemental about certain hair, nail, cosmetic (you get the picture) looks. They might not be to your acquired taste, however you might have that handful of clients who once thought you were AMAZING but now won’t go to you because you inadvertently called a replica of their new do ‘whack’. Seeya.

10.  Speculate posts carefully before posting. Is every bit of information essential? Clients will read but only if they want to. Encourage a read and keep that engagement by stimulating quickly and ensuring the passage is short and to the point. This is not only more likely to generate reads but will stick in the consumers mind more so.

11.  Don’t be afraid to engage and be social! Comment on things instead of just liking. Engage and show that you see what your clients are seeking. Personal services tend to warm potential clients more so.

12.  Save your best content for the correct time and day. When you measure marketing properly, you should be able to calculate peak points of the day and therefore, pits.

Annual Marketing Ideas for your salon..

Marketing is a fundamental exercise for a beauty salon due to the mere fact that there is so much competition now. The important factor is standing out of the crowd, knowing what your business offers that others do not. 

Most salons offer similar treatments, give or take the odd tweak. The trick is to always go that little bit further to stand out. Market your treatments with a V.I.P service, make it clear that you can offer more without your customer paying more. For example with every manicure, throw in a ‘luxury hand massage’ or add a pedicure with a hot stone foot massage for the winter months ready for flip flop season. This can also be used as a perfect re book time, sell your services and make your customer aware of what they might get with a haircut, an LA blow dry? Think creatively! Why would they go bog standard when they can get premium at no extra price? 

Personalise your services. Whether you have 10,000 or 200 clients, SMS or email marketing is a brilliant way to let people know offers in your salon. Salon Trackers advanced marketing suite allows you to breakdown age, gender, last visit, purchase details and so on, so you can target exactly who you want to. Being personal is the greatest selling tool because it lets people know you are thinking of them as an individual rather than as a sale. 

Marketing, events and promotion need to have some form of consistency. When you decide you need to promote to new clients, set about it in the right way and start a plan for the next 6 months. Know when people want individual treatments…. Here are a few ideas from us for each month.

April/May- Tanning sessions are a safe bet with these months. The run up to summer and the odd sunny day makes us think of the preparation we have to do for our holidays. If you have sunbeds, this is usually an area clients like to ‘build on’. Surround your promotions around the lead up to holidays. However, don’t rule out your safe bets as even in the run up to summer we are prone to April showers. It is important to still incorporate safety treatments as a backup such as massages, hair masks, nails and waxing. Perfect all year round. 

June/ July/ August- The summer months are perfect for targeting body treatment promotions. The occasional heat wave and beer garden events are here so make sure you have the holiday options that everyone wants to see such as manicure, pedicure, waxing and spray tanning/sunbeds. Widen your target market towards the males in this season too. The metrosexual male has made it acceptable for men to look primped and preened in summer too so pull out all the stops for a pre-holiday prep package! School proms tend to be in the summer months too. Do your research and find out what to include in the makeover package then target your local high school mums (the decision makers).

September/October/November- Time to push the darker hair colours, new edgy cuts, lash extensions and HD brows. Roll out the red carpet and roll in the party season prep. Make sure you change up the feel in your salon too to represent promotions, this always helps upselling when you switch up your retail products to deeper treatments and relaxation massages. 

December- The run up to Christmas is always hectic, everyone wants to look their best with countless memories being made at this time of year. Many pictures are taken around this time so much like holidays everyone wants to look their best from their toes to their hair. 

January- Winter warmer treatments, perfect time to incorporate skin renewal treatments, masks for face and hair that might be dry and damaged.

February- Valentine’s Day is the perfect opportunity show the spa and relaxation treatments of your salon for individual or couple’s promotion. In the run up to Valentine’s Day why not offer a full body wax and spray tan at a discounted price. 

March- Tend the girls back into the hair salon with promotions on highlights and lowlights. Use the upcoming spring months as a time to rebuild summer back into your promotions. Inject some life through the treatments and focus on the shine. Don’t forget this is the month of Mother’s Day too so incorporate this into your marketing promotions plan. Get ready for the planning of your Easter promotions.