Will your salon support breast cancer awareness day?

If you didn’t already know, October is Breast Cancer Awareness month. ‘Every year nearly 55,000 people are diagnosed with Breast Cancer in the UK’ alone which is the ‘equivalent of one person every 10 minutes’ (Breast Cancer Care, 2015). Although we cannot bring back our loved ones, the survival rate is improving year on year with the likes of Cancer Research. Your generous monetary, material or timely donations help towards the development of research centres, analysis of cancerous cells, funding clinical trials and helping to find a cure of breast cancer. 

A hard hitting fact is that ‘1 in 8 women in the UK will develop breast cancer in their lifetime’ and ‘being a woman is the biggest risk factor’ for developing breast cancer. So, as women, it’s important to stand together and make a difference if we can…

October the 16th marks ‘The Big Pink Day’ of October Awareness month. We are urging all of our salon owners to get involved with the event by offering special promotions, raffles, donations all coupled with a tickled pink theme to really set the scene. The aim of this event is to create awareness and encourage all clients to donate and support to their best ability all in the name of breast cancer.

Together we have combined some fantastic ideas for you to run in your salon to make the most of Think Pink October! If you’re up for the challenge then keep reading!

• First of all make sure you sign up for a Big Pink Starter Kit with lots of goodies to help you host your breast cancer awareness day.

• With Great British Bake Off taking over everyone’s televisions on a Wednesday eve, almost everyone is up for the task of channeling their inner baker! Think pink cupcakes, tasty cakes and buns. Charge for every bun and all proceeds go to charity.

• Ensure you have a charity collection box for ad hoc donations to the charity. 

• Offer a menu of pink treatments for the week to ensure you are really pushing the awareness in the salon. Try donating 20% of any pink treatment from your pink menu if this is financially affordable.

• Ask staff or customers to donate any old belongings they might not want any more and hold a minute charity sale for old bags, scarves and jewelry. Sell this on for as much as possible reminding customers that ALL proceeds go to breast cancer care. 

• Raffle tickets are a great way of acquiring a pound here and there. Spend £200 on prizes and make it an aim to cover your costs back for this. From here onward, every other raffle ticket can be a profit to give to the charity. 

• Bidding wars! Have a bidding war for certain treatments and all proceeds can go to charity. This could be for a makeover or haircut and style or even a massage. 

• Can you financial afford to offer 20% off ALL DAY to drive awareness and footfall?

• Marketing is an absolute necessity. You must ensure customers are aware of the event in the lead up.  You could even run the Big Pink Day on the Saturday 17th to drive more footfall.

Beauty Trend Spies at LFW SS16

And it’s been and gone again… London Fashion week, where as usual the celebs and the fashion forward arrived in Soho in their forces to attend the catwalks for SS16.  But what should women in the beauty world take this time from the designers and muas?

There were some great beauty styles, with looks of all tangents, ranging from subtle neutral tones to striking, loud appearances.  

Also, we’ve had contouring, we've had strobing, but LFW16 saw the introduction of ‘tan-touring’.  Tan-touring is apparently the speedier, efficient equivalent of contouring, without the concealers.  Believe it or not, it actually uses just a simple moisturiser and a hint of fake tan!  A very popular topic at the event, where it seems everyone can get the Kim K bone structure at a more affordable price (and in quick time)!  Celebrity tanning expert, James Read, will be introducing the first ‘tan touring’ kit.  However the routine in the meantime would be to just apply a quality fake tan (something like St Tropez facial Luxe) overnight, to let the solution set on the skin. Then add a touch of moisturiser the next morning and off you go with your glowing, fresh from sleep, 4D face.  A real; ‘I woke up like this’!

Seriously exaggerated, elongated eyelashes were a big hit on the catwalks for Marni, Francesco Scognamiglio and Mary Katrantzou, with Katrantzou actually using deep blue Mascara’s on her models to shake things up a bit.

Other trends were the overstated loud eyes, popular with Marc Jacobs, Missoni and Diane Von Furstenberg.  They each adopted a different tone however, with Furstenberg showcasing intricately neat eyes with a glittery effect, whilst Marc Jacobs opted for the opposing ‘I stayed out all night’ look, using a dark, smokey-eyed palette. Similarly Missoni went for a messy ‘painted’ look, where the models eyes quite literally looked like an artist had streaked a paintbrush over their eyelids...an acquired taste indeed!

The statement lip was again a big hit this year, with Burberry adopting the classic, very British cherry red lip.  Whilst Prada, renowned for their individuality, really turned it up a notch with a metallic gold glittery lip, giving off a sci-fi, futurism effect!

On the whole other side of the spectrum, there were some really neutral, fresh faced looks on the catwalks, from designers such as D & G, Gucci and Jil Sander.  Whilst Michael Kors, House of Holland and Roberto Cavalli created a holiday scene, with bronze tones and golden shades, for those who want that 'straight off the beach' effect. A perfect look for anybody who prefers a minimalistic style.

The big brow and a sharp contour were the main makeup features of the D&G and Christopher Kane catwalks, with the brows surprisingly contrasting from the usual slick styles that were adopted by most other designers.  D&G and Kane went for bushy, un-kept brows as a statement, unique look on their models.

Graphic swoop eyeliner was the biggest craze by Fendi, where it seems that the liner outlined the eyebrows rather than the eyes!  Whilst designers such as Hugo Boss went for a coloured eyeliner to define the eyes of their models, ranging from baby blue to burnt orange.

We've gathered a together a few pics here of the looks to see what you think! Which do you think you'll be rocking next Spring?  Check them out below...

              

      

Salon Tracker x

September Marketing…its Freshers’ week!

It’s that time of the year again where young adults are flying the nest to start their next chapters at University.  For all of you salons that are based in busy University catchment areas, be sure to use the buzzing student environment to your advantage!

Nearly all students will receive their first loan installment throughout September, and for those first time go-ers’, they get a little bit spend-happy. After all, for the majority they have been let loose with the largest sum of money that they have ever been accustomed to and so as a result they all get a little bit frivolous with the spends!  (Great for local businesses, even if it’s not so great for their bank accounts!)

And remember, students are finding their bearings around this time, with moving to a new city and all. So anything you can do to make your salon stand out and seem the most appealing, the better it is for you in gaining those students as clients for the foreseeable duration of their courses!

Your marketing doesn’t have to cost an arm and a leg either.  Students are on a budget, and therefore that means you can be too.  They’re not interested in flashy marketing and social media adverts, as after all, most of these students may never have heard of your salon and so won’t be a follower of your social networking platforms at this moment.  To attract this particular market, a simple, good-sized appealing banner in your salon window, decals up and around the University and even leaflet flyer-ing at Freshers’ fair would be ample!

At the time of Freshers’, most local businesses, whether it be retail, food, bars or beauty, all tend to offer a type of discount.  Shopping centres have one off ‘lock-ins’ for students and market this around Universities and student halls to gain as much custom as they can. If you haven’t participated in anything such as this before then maybe as a salon this is something that you can think about?

I’m guessing that if you are based in a student environment you already offer a small, perhaps 10% discount to students with a valid photo card.  Therefore expand on this and maybe organise a student event, where new Freshers’ can come and sign up to the salon and get a free skin consultation?  Or a hair trim on the house?  Alternatively, you could just increase the normal discount to say ‘20%’, as some other retailers and salons do for a selected period of time; as the difference between 10% and 20% is surprisingly attractive to clients.

Freshers’ weeks are just a great time period to capitalise on, as at the end of the day, the thousands of new students that arrive are potential new customers for you! Another possible idea, if you do have a bit more of a budget, would be to have a stand at the local University Freshers fair?  Team up with the uni and think outside the box to come up with a really unique stand that will capture those students attention to come and have a chat with your technicians!  Hope this helps!

Salon Tracker x

What you need to know about Salon Tracker before Professional Beauty North!

This September, our salon software company, Salon Tracker, are exhibiting for the first time at Professional Beauty North. Our Marketing Manager, Rachel Scott discusses what salon owners should know about Salon Tracker before the event!

Salon Tracker is a Leeds based Salon Software Company that helps to improve the organisation and management within salons through our easy to use yet feature rich salon system.  Everything from client information and treatment calendars, down to stock management and staff rotas are all stored under one database. You will no longer need your paper client cards, appointment books, or any files of skin test or tanning disclaimers, as all of this will be saved under your database saving you time and ensuring a more efficient salon.

New Features launching at the show…

We are very excited to announce that we will be launching a couple of new features at the exhibition. These include the below;

· Hand point - A systematic payment method that allows payments to be processed via a mobile phone or tablet, improving the efficiency of transactions for salons.

· Secure ID - A range of digital security solutions that will ensure that only the clients themselves can activate and access their own information, disabling anyone else from being able to seize their data to use fraudulently or using other people's tanning minutes.

Prime Features that are already benefiting our clients

· Subscription payments - An affordable pay monthly solution with no upfront fees.

· Digital marketing - Marketing campaigns via SMS and email, all constructed through the Salon Tracker system, keeping it simple & low cost, with rapid effect in reaching clients.

· Stock Management - A colour coded stock management system that notifies salon owners when retail products are low in stock and need re-ordering.  Now available to manage multiple site stock with…

· HQ - Link all salons together managing stock, marketing and staff from one head zone.

What you can expect on the day

Salon Tracker will be hosting their first ever stand at Professional Beauty North, stand B35. There will be members from the sales and support team present to answer all of your questions and give you FREE advice on all of the software packages & features. Live demonstrations will be on-going throughout the day and you will have the chance to purchase anything at the show should you be interested.  Plus there will be exclusive special offers that are not to be missed!

Salon Tracker x

How often do you brainstorm as a team? ‘National Swap Ideas Day’

‘Everyone you will ever meet will always know something that you don’t’ 

In every aspect of your life, communication is key. How you choose communicate with others is fundamental to the outcome of every conversation and task you may encounter. For 'National Swap Ideas Day', we want to highlight the importance of successful interactions in the workplace because it really can be the core stimulant to grow your business in the long run.

With the National Swap Ideas Day approaching us on the 10th September, we thought it would be a great excuse to encourage a meeting with your team to support the day. It's a great excuse to mix things up in your business and apply new and creative techniques to the business that you might not have thought of yourself. It also allows colleagues to raise any flaws in the system, increase team morale and ensure everyone feels comfortable expressing their thoughts and ideas in moving forward and developing with your business. 

An example of how you can 'swap' ideas and roles are to really evaluate each member of staff you have. Do they hold any other passions or skills? This could be in the use of social media or in sales. Delegating tasks of importance to your junior technicians can help improve staff motivation and encourage their development within your business. It also provides the 'newbies' with room to grow and use their initiative to reach the given target. For your salons junior technicians, the delegated task could be something as small as, retail product encouragement and management or managing the Instagram account. Can this particular employee encourage the upsell of 3 retail products per calender month, per staff member or ensure you post relevant graphics on Instagram 2x per day? 

Ensure your longstanding staff members have their area of input too, can they handle more responsibility? This could be increasing their role to manager within your salon software service offering them a more of a supervisor role in your absence. 

So, in light of ‘Swap Ideas Day’, why not create a communicative task at the salon. Social events with your colleagues creates great scope for the gathering of new information, creative ideas and those genius ‘light-bulb’ moments. It’s a great excuse for a catch up with your team one on one, and, on a whole with the insight to their current motivation and performance.  

So try it out, propose a little team brainstorm and see what your salon team can bring to the table! 

P.S... as its edging ever closer to our EXCLUSIVE exhibit at Professional Beauty North, our offers have been released! Why not come down and see our ideas of how we can help improve the management of your salon! 20th & 21st September at Manchester Central, stand B35.

Register for your ticket here http://bit.ly/1J5UiUS

Hope to see you there!

Salon Tracker x

How events can help you build your salon brand…

Events have always been a popular way to market a business, product or service and there is no better way to encourage a build-up than with the affordable channels of social media and text/ email marketing. In fact, many businesses now base their entire functionality and presence on social media and an online nature.  We do get it! Why spend money on hiring out a venue when you could send out an SMS marketing campaign for 10% of the cost?

As a salon software company we push the use of social media and SMS marketing because it really is a great way to engage with current and prospective clients and grow your business.  However, nothing quite beats a firm handshake and chit chat with someone who you may or currently do business with.  Salon Tracker are making their debut at Professional Beauty North in September 2015, here’s why we’re taking part in the event and why you should attend too, or even look at holding your own mini event to boost your brand awareness!

A successful event has the ability to create a great reputation for your business, if it is done right!  It’s a great way to give your customers a good personable experience and set a foundation of trust for any future business opportunities, but unfortunately it doesn’t happen overnight- even if you do fancy yourself as a bit of a socialite.  If you’re attending Professional Beauty with us or holding your own event, a strategic marketing plan is absolutely essential.

You will literally need to plan everything from the theme, invites, venue and guest list to delegation tasks and idealistic outcomes from the event.  After the initial planning you need to look at the promotion of the event.  What exactly sets it apart from your competitors?  Is it expert advice, retail opportunities, demonstrations or amazing little-big touches, like goodie bags, or try it now treatments or products?  This is where the fun part comes in- marketing and promotions!  There are loads of ways to promote an event in a cost effective manner.  Some popular methods you can choose from range from SMS marketing, Facebook Ads and social media to invitations, emails, letters, raffles and reception desk print.  All of the above should not only be heavily implemented but also enthusiastically engaged upon.  Generosity holds huge importance at launch or exhibition events because nothing quite beats making a decision with your senses.  It’s fine to explain the benefits of treatments, products or services but if you can SHOW the outcome, you will create a more transparent view of your business, so let potential clients look, taste, touch, feel and smell your product to make a consecutive decision. Add value to your products too by throwing in a little freebie, which is better than discounting your product, since you still maintain a highly qualified customer.

Make sure you measure if you get out what you put in.  In other words, your return on investment.  When it comes to the event, if your business plan and team is well prepared then you should have success.  Targeted professional advice is much more appreciated than being in sales mode.  That’s why events have a huge connotation with the word “networking” because they are all about getting to know each other’s products!

If you’re thinking of visiting Professional Beauty on Sunday and Monday 20th and 21st of September, we would love to meet you so come visit us on Stand B35! 

Salon Tracker x

Salon Tracker Software: A Step by Step guide of how to up-sell your retail products

Add on sales are a fantastic way of bringing extra revenue in to a business and essentially improving profits for a company. But, there are many additional benefits to add on sales aside from just the money-making exercise.  The more add-on sales and services a business can offer, the more you are giving to a customer in terms of ‘extra’s’ to enhance the core product that they have purchased from you.

This year, Salon Tracker Software are making their debut at Professional Beauty North. Add on sales are something we know quite a lot about since we offer three different software packages with leaps and bounds of “add-on” options such as a fingerprint reader and signature pad, which help to enhance the benefits of our software.  Up-selling retail products is also imperative for those in the hair, beauty and tanning industry to allow your customers to fulfill and continue their treatment results.  Here are our 4 simple steps to succeed in up-selling those products to benefit your salon and increase product trade…

Listen, don’t speak

If you have a range of similar products, there should still be a distinctive unique selling point of each.  Think about what your customer has expressed with regards to their needs and what would be most beneficial to them?  If you listen to their problems, you can usually find them a solution due to your education of the products or services you have.

Product Display

The way in which a product is displayed can sometimes do half of the sale for you. Interesting decor can encourage a purchase since it adds to the aesthetic value of your product.  Make sure that your products stand out, are easily view-able and not too hard to shop.  Also, do your research on products!  There is nothing worse than being stuck with products that you are struggling to sell, make sure that they are in high demand before you make the big buy.

A reason to purchase

Don’t sell to your clients, prescribe to them.  Listen to their problems or symptoms and use your skills to recommend what you know will work for them.  There is a huge difference in being a salesman and a consultant.  Not every team member will be a natural salesperson but everyone should be an expert, which is why regular training exercises on product and sales are imperative for longstanding success.  Another option is a limited offer, but it must be strictly limited, since you don’t want to devalue your product or make your clients accustomed to this.

Networking

Whether this is via social media, on a personal level or by distributing business cards to local businesses, make sure that you advertise your add-on products so that clients know about them.  The more information a client has about a product, the higher inclined they will be to enquire about it.  Showcase the benefits in order to prompt engagement.

Give these little steps a try and you should be up-selling in no time!  Oh and don’t forget to pop to our stand B35 at Professional Beauty North, to see how we up-sell our fabulous products!  Hope to see you there!

Salon Tracker x