Salon Tracker supports Children In Need!

We recently supported our beauty and spa network in raising money for Children in Need with their marketing campaigns and publicity. I would like to personally thank everyone who took part for their hard work and generosity in aid of Children in Need. Please see our published article in Salon Magazine.....

Make this Christmas a cracker!

The key to success is forward planning, SalonTracker salon software will help you plan and manage your salon over the busy Christmas period to ensure you win new customers, grow your business and improve your profits. Here are some helpful guides to plan for the festive period...

•  Ensure your salon is fully stocked to handle the Christmas rush. Make all your purchases in plenty of time to avoid any disruptions. SalonTracker will monitor and keep track of your stock levels and the system will even flag up when you need to reorder more products ensuring your salon is running as efficiently as possible.

• Christmas is the dominant retail period as people will always spend money on gifts. Make sure you have a range of gift ideas with different price points to appeal to your clients' differing budgets. Your clients are looking for ideas and help on what presents to buy, here is your chance to offer professional advice on beauty products emphasising their popularity as presents, creating the opportunity to increase your profits and sales. Why not add value to your gifts and promote free gift wrapping upon purchase.

• Promote gift vouchers as the ideal present for Christmas giving the recipient an indulgent treat to look forward to in the New Year. It is important that you manage the gift voucher process in order to ensure you achieve the optimum results for your salon, they are not only an extra revenue stream but they can bring in new regular customers also. SalonTracker will help you manage this with its gift voucher tracking function and also with the ability to store and track client information and purchasing history.

• During this busy time be sure to manage and keep track of your staff. Ensure you are aware of holidays that are being taken around the Christmas period and make sure you have adequate staff members to support extended Christmas opening hours to enable you to take full advantage of a back to back appointment book.  SalonTracker will allow you to see from the click of a mouse when your technicians are working and will block out any holidays from the calendar to ensure you remember to accommodate cover. With all of these details recorded in the system, your new holiday hours will not be a cause for confusion.
• Ensure all your Christmas promotions and offerings are well marketed, you may have the most appealing offers to clients but if they are not aware of them they may go elsewhere. SalonTracker’s advanced SMS and email marketing feature will enable you to filter your client database based on numerous categories such as age, gender, spending and visiting habits allowing you to produced targeted more personalised promotions. Why wait for the seasonal customers to come to you, target them now and ensure your salon is busy and profitable in the run up to Christmas.

• Finally, know your strengths. It is important to understand where the largest percentage of profits comes from within your salon; for example how much is derived from retail sales, gift vouchers and treatments, it is also vital to be aware of the clients your salon attracts and for example what gender and age range are your biggest spenders. SalonTracker  software will provide you with this key information through its advanced reporting and charts feature which will help you prepare and generate a Christmas campaign that is likely to bring you the most success.

Don’t just take our word for it try before you buy with our free trial. Call today on 0113 350 8230.

Winter Blues?

Don’t let your clients hibernate this winter encourage them into your salon with your alluring winter treatments. Winter can be a challenging time for salons as it is all too easy for clients to want to stay indoors and forget about their beauty regimes.

Create special winter packages and promotions to ensure your customers keep coming into your salon, encourage them to continue to feel confident about their appearance whilst maintaining your profit levels.

Here are SalonTracker’s Winter Promotion Ideas.

"Winter is upon us and the cold weather can take its toll, keep your skin soft and hydrated this season with 20% off facial treatments at The Beauty Rooms for a limited time only. Call today on  0113 350 8230."

"Warm up this winter and experience a hot stone massage at The Beauty Rooms, now only £XX. Don’t miss out book your appointment today on 0113 350 8230."

"Try The Beauty Rooms new autumnal nail colours with 10% off all bookings this week.

Call today on 0113 350 8230."

"Don’t let the dull weather get you down, brighten up your look with 10% off all colours at The Cutting Rooms for a limited time only. Call today on 0113 350 8230."

"Free hair rescue remedy for locks exposed to the winter elements with every cut and colour at The Cutting Rooms. Book your appointment today on 0113 350 8230."

"Maintain your healthy summer glow throughout the winter months with 3 for 2 on Spray Tans at The Tanning Rooms. Limited availability call today on 0113 350 8230."

Keep up to your summertime bronze with 60 minutes courses now only £XX at The Tanning Rooms. Purchase yours today on 0113 350 8230.

SalonTracker enables you to launch a tailor made SMS campaign straight from your computer to specific clients in a matter of minutes. Target specific clientèle by the services they had booked in the past to ensure the best return on your campaign.

Top tips to creating the perfect work from home beauty business!

Working for someone else is great for gaining experience but it can occur when individual's reach a stage of wanting to work for themselves and create their own dream! Are you or do you know somebody who is just itching to make their business dreams come true? If so... read our top tips and you could be well on your way sooner than you thought! Here are some of the questions and things you need to think about but first, you need a cup of tea and a solid business plan! ;)


- What type of treatments would you and could you specialise in?
- Where would you do the treatments, do you have the space in your current home?
- Research a cosmetology business license/council permission (ABN)
- Speak with a tax accountant and research insurance needs and costs.
- Budget- would you need to look into applying for a loan?
- What equipment would you need to trade and can you work this into budget?
- Will there be a waiting room and special entrance for client access and rest?
- What style will you go for? Have you got any inspiration boards?
- Are you going to retail products? Visit local salons, find out the popular wholesalers!
- Check out your competitions salon décor and prices for some inspiration!
- Look into salon software? Will your appointment book be available online too?
- Will you engage in marketing through email, text messages or local press?
- Will you incorporate social media marketing and website set-up into your budget?

What we would advise to go along with the above:

- Get a salon telephone number to make your business look more professional!
- LEARN, create and use some social media channels such as Facebook and Twitter!
- Prepare salon leaflets for drop-offs. Appointment and business cards are also a must!
- Speak to a pro and create a logo or something that sets you apart from competition.
- FREE advertising! Ask friends and family to help promote you to their networks too.
- Think about possible ways to get regulars with loyalty programmes.
- Use Salon Geek! A great forum for people who want answers from industry pro’s!

“Your salon needs to be able to function fully without you…”

A lot of salon owners have been there. Swamped at work with clients and no spare time between 15 hour days. Buuuut, you do it anyway because you love this job! The passion, the makeovers, the happy faces, the new friends. Whatever your drive is in this industry there comes a time when you must accept that it’s difficult to live life in the fast lane forever. Why? Because now and again, your tank might just run out and the reality is…Your salon needs to be able to function fully WITHOUT you.

Many salons lack the rapid growth they aspire for because of one thing- TIME. A huge thing that salon owners tend to wave goodbye to upon starting a new business. This is purely down to the fact that between paying bills, dealing with staff, finances and clients, the last thing you might want to do is spend the time you do have, researching software programmes so instead you continue to let your salon run rings around you and remain totally outta control.

Business owners can be opposed to software at first because your main aim is to make money not give it away. We get it! However, when you learn the abilities of a salon software, we can assure you this opinion will soon change. An advanced and effective software system can be your helping hand with regards to staff, targets, time and profit and they don’t have to cost an arm and a leg.

First of all, you probably aren’t aware of all the benefits. Software programmes have the ability to manage and organise many essential business activities from staff performance, accounts and stock management to marketing, online booking and business reports. Your role is deciding the momentum you want your business to move at. What salon software can offer is essentially, a business partner.

So where to go from here?
Brain storm what you need… as a salon owner and as an individual. Is it more free time, more clients, to save money, to know what happens in your salon when you aren’t there? Highlight what it is you want and use the support that we can provide which is absolutely FREE and UNLIMITED! How can we help your business to thrive in success? Contact us today on 0113 350 8230 for a pointer in the right direction :)

The male/ female divide!

We are approaching, (or are even in the midst of) an era where it is, more so, the norm for men to visit a salon, be it for a haircut and style or a nose trim and BS&C. It’s widely suggested that stylists and therapists usually have a great relationship with their female clients but is that effect maintained with male clients too?

Market research shows that men aren’t as susceptible to engage in conversation considering the ‘gossipy’ nature of salons. The reason why there is such a huge divide in salons is because typically, a man is entering a, predominantly female, environment so their comfort zone lies in just smiling, nodding and agreeing. According to certain linguists (salon.com), “men hold back their feelings, while women lay (feelings) out… likely to look for common ground when they are talking with other women”. Women also “tend to like to help each other tell stories (in) a rather animated and lively way, with very pronounced variations in vocal pitch and much more exchange of emotion in speech.”

This conclusion would go on to suggest that women enjoy speech that unites, which is why they use upward convergence to find a level ground. Men on the other hand, well... they are just simply in the salon for a haircut or a treatment, with no desire to make a new friend. Hmph. That being said, we thought we would put together a few professional pointers in case you find yourself veering off the professional chit chat!

Ask questions- it’s a great way to get clients talking. One word answers usually indicate they don’t want to talk, which is fine! However, if they engage back with interest, that is your chance to lead the conversation. GO!

Enjoy the silence- if you’re used to yapping all day, and you wind up with a quiet client- HALLELUJAH! Enjoy the wind down time! It is not always necessary to speak to clients. Follow their lead and wind up where you may...

Know the news- Get educated on what's happening in the local and national news. Not only can we almost guarantee it will come in handy at some point, you will enable you to have intellectual and current conversations with anyone, of any age and really give forth a great opinion!

Treatment talk- If you need a safety scope, always revert back to the treatment. If the atmosphere is unbelievably awkward why not throw in a, 'is this okay?' or 'just let me know if you want another drink!' It keeps things light for both you and your client!

Awkward Remarks- If a client shares an inappropriate remark or says something outlandish, it is up to you to saviour the situation for the sake of the salon reputation and other (uncomfortable) client’s ears. Use whatever you can to bring it back! You are in control here.

Retailing Secrets

'Don’t sell, prescribe. “If you went to the doctor and learned you had bronchitis, you’d want her to tell you what to do to get better. Recommending products is the same thing.” Listen for the issues your client shares about her hair, and prescribe a solution in the form of a treatment or styling aid.' (Dana Nasatir, firstchair.com, 2014) 

The importance of protection in sun exposure!

#TanSafelyWithSalonTracker

84% of Newcastle salons struck down by Trading Standards by exposing customers to 'dangerous levels' of UV Rays... DON'T RISK YOUR BUSINESS OR YOUR CUSTOMER'S HEALTH! 

Happy Customers...

Flavio Refrigeri –Clinica Fiore – Covent Garden, London

“Salon Tracker has benefited the salon greatly and the system is very easy to use. The reporting feature has helped improve the performance of our clinic by 80% making the software well worth the initial investment. The software has also helped with security in the salon and the free customer support I have received since purchasing the software has been 10/10.”

Gavin Holder- SupremeTan – Wigan

“The main benefits of Salon Tracker have been the vast number of reports the system produces, the POS feature, the seamless integration with our TMAX Timers and the stock control. Furthermore the system is very easy to use and user friendly. Salon Tracker  has drastically improved the management of our salon; everything is managed by one system cutting out paperwork and usage cards.”

Johanna Reed- StyleBox – Ceredigion

“The greatest benefit of Salon Tracker is definitely the cashing up features at the end of the day. It’s very simple to use and nice and straight forward. The software also has resolved any security issues because as it is password protected is much better than just having an appointment book open for clients to see. The free customer support to the software is also an additional benefit, we haven’t needed to contact them very often but when we have they have been very helpful.”

No more ‘no shows’...

The cost of no shows to the beauty industry can amount to as much as £12,000 a year for the average salon.

Our research shows that just one client forgetting to turn up for their appointment will cost a salon £30 in lost income as well as impacting on the stylists’ income.

Salon Tracker managing director Lorraine Cave said: “So-called ‘no shows’ are one of the single biggest costs to salon owners and are a huge frustration to the beauty industry and are all too familiar to beauty professionals in all areas.

“Salons are trying to mitigate the loss from no-shows by charging anywhere from half to full fee when a customer chooses not to honour the reserved appointment – but getting the money out of them is very difficult.”

Another key issue for salons suffering from persistent no shows is being able to fill the booking left empty by tardy clients as working schedules are based on the number of employees salons need to serve their customers.

As a result employees who are on-site to work, are paid for their time but don't generate revenue, so the payroll and is out of balance with income.

Mrs Cave said: “It's like calling a restaurant and asking them to have your meal ready a month from now, then not showing up to eat it and pay for it. That’s the reason why Salon Tracker has been set up to alert clients of their bookings via mobile text messaging and email to ensure the salon seats remain full.”

That’s why Salon Tracker can be configured by salon owners to send out reminders to clients 48 hours ahead of their appointment and can help cut no shows by as much as 70 per cent. Moreover, clients who cannot make an appointment can alert the salon giving it ample time to send out a message to other clients offering the vacant spot at a discount. Salon Tracker recommends marketing texts such as: “Due to the cancellation of a treatment today between 2pm and 3pm 20% discount on all treatments, first person to book will receive the discount!”

Salon Tracker user Lynsey Bennett from The Secret Day Spa, Belfast said: “We have found Studio Tracker to be an invaluable part of the day-to-day running of our salon. Our no-shows have decreased by at least 70 per cent and our revenue has increased using the effective marketing features.

“Having moved premises Studio Tracker has been brilliant, we initially did an advertising campaign to let our clients know our new address, however, it wasn’t until we used SMS messaging that we saw a significant increase in client foot fall. In the first week after sending SMS messages at least 60% of those targeted visited our new salon.”

Fully integrated with Facebook and with a dynamic SMS messaging service, Salon Tracker allows users to manage and prioritise appointments, capture customer information and build an interactive database – which can even tell users how clients like their coffee and market special offers to customers direct from the system with mobile text messages.

The system also delivers fast and efficient Point of Sale with simple business sales reports, cash flow and profit and loss accounts management, staff commission and stock management, and remote access from anywhere in the world – even when the salon owner is on holiday.

Salon Tracker is available in three formats – Standard, Professional and Enterprise – and allows users to manage every facet of their beauty business.

Using a PC, tablet or mobile phone users can access their business online 24 hours a day, 365 days of the year to ensure it is run efficiently and profitably.

Another Salon Tracker user, Luke James of Ultra Tan based in Hull, said: "We put a text message together on a Friday morning to people. We had 48 people in that afternoon and evening alone in response. That's a 33 per cent response in less than eight hours. In real terms that was an extra £1,000 sales for a cost of under £20. It's great because the cost is low and it’s easy. We are now experimenting with Salon Tracker with other offers and getting good responses."

Online...all the time!

Do you want to create some time and space… for another beautiful day?

Do you want to ensure you deliver the best service to the customers at your salon and ensure they keep coming back?

Do you need a simple, no-nonsense solution to manage every aspect of your beauty business?

Salon Tracker – the total salon management solution – frees up your time to do what you do best: ensuring your customers have another beautiful day.

Using a PC, tablet or mobile phone you can access your business online 24 hours a day, 365 days of the year to ensure your business is run efficiently, profitably and, more importantly, you are exceeding the expectations of your customers.

Half beautician, half therapist...

Being in a salon you will come across a variety of people every single day, people from all walks of life each with a different story to tell or reasons why they are here in your salon.

That person could be a walk-in customer coming in for a quick eyebrow wax. It might be a huge hair change for 17 year old Jessica inspired to completely change her look before her first girl’s holiday. It might be beaming with excitement Becky, booked in for her wedding makeover. Or it could be a manicure and pedicure with 46-year-old Anne from down the road who just recently lost her partner of 28 years and craves for someone to speak to.

What beauticians offer is not just a treatment, it’s a service.

When Jessica comes in it makes your staff nostalgic and happy to indulge in their own girls holidays and tips where to shop for the hottest bikinis to ensure Jessica leaves giddy about showing her friends her new do and update them on the best things to do in Greece.

When Becky leaves ecstatic, it makes your staff proud of their accomplishments that they have been a part of the biggest day of her life.

When Anne leaves relaxed and content it makes your staff happy to have offered someone the time to open up, share their difficulties and most importantly, feel valued.

The point is, a service not only makes the customer happy, it gives your staff a proud sense of achievement. Your staff are there because they are driven by enthusiasm with love for what they do, they aim for perfection to consistently deliver a happy customer.

So how does this knowledge help your salon?

Salon Tracker is a software management system that not only allows you to store client history, it tells you details about your clients even down to how they like their coffee or tea. A huge aspect of sales is the ability to create a loyal customer. When your customer is confident their beautician knows exactly what they want, whether that be a little gossip or the exact colours in their hair they like, Salon Tracker offers the ability to provide them with this. It creates a foundation to build a relationship to ensure you are ‘Creating the time and place for another beautiful day’.

So to all you salon owners, beauty therapists, nail technicians, hairdressers and anyone in the industry… this is to let you know we appreciate your time and recognise your hard work.

Salon Tracker x

This relationship advice will save your business and your love life!

From “Is he right for you?” to “how to make her want you”… it seems that every day there is new research revealed about relationships and how to make them work.

Some might question how you can expect a stranger to know what makes an individual tick, but we convey here how flirting, dating and relationship advice is all relevant to your business. Of course you should be caring for your clients. But to what extent?

1) A stranger crosses you in the street and unbeknown to any of you, you could, potentially share a connection. Due to the amount of people walking down that street, if there is no initial attraction or magnetic engagement then it’s safe to say, you will probably never know. The same goes for business; due to the amount of competition an individual might see in your area of the exact same forte, if they are not enticed by any engagement or attraction then it’s safe to say, you will probably never know their custom. 

2) If you are dating somebody, you might sometimes feel as though they are not as attentive, caring or even as spontaneous as you would like. So human nature, rightly suggests, they lose your commitment to someone who you share compatibility with, and who can provide the love you desire. With your business, you might assume that because you are constantly busy, your customers are satisfied with your service and the hours you put in. Unbeknown to you that customer may believe the service is not attentive or understanding to her needs or even just, convenient to her hours. So human nature, rightly suggests, you lose their commitment and the sale, all to a competitor who can provide what that customer desires.

Similar to a relationship, you will always lose out to a competitor if you are not recognising your weaknesses and strengths and most importantly, acting upon them.

Relationships and businesses all have the same approach. A customer seeks a large part from a technician or hairdresser of what she looks for in a potential partner, which is communication and trust. Trusting someone with your hair, as all women know, is a big deal so when you find someone who delivers what you want, similarly to a relationship, you don’t want to let them go.

Our top 3 tips to saving your business OR your relationship:

1) Flirt with your clients- Give them reasons to understand why you are the best!

2)  Don’t get complacent- The same service is available elsewhere, so give them reason to stay.
3) Consistency- Energy and effort should be in full force every time they visit you!

Be ahead of the game and your competitors by enticing your customers. Our advanced marketing suite can help you win you new customers, grow your business and improve your profits! Call 0113 350 8230 for more information and get your FREE demo and trial today.

HOW TO: be a successful salon entrepreneur

The way you walk, speak, dress, and hold yourself are all relevant to how people on the outside see you. “We can't help it. We're predominantly visual creatures. The visual area at the back of our brains comprises 30 percent of our cortex.” Which means most people have decided what they think of you before you even have chance to open your mouth to speak. Lickerman (2012) goes on to state how our judgement of something has a large effect on how we react towards it. We are more “influenced by our own biases than we are by actual evidence. When we have a powerfully positive or negative emotional reaction to someone upon first meeting them—often due to their overall presentation—it powerfully affects our reaction to the "content" we find inside, meaning their personality and character.”

This is an extremely important factor to filter in to business. Your salon is a place of profession and business so the names and prices on the treatment list, the way you answer the phone, the way you dress, and the way the entire salon is run are all factors you are judged on before you may get chance to engage with a customer.

Anyone can be an entrepreneur but the very essence of a successful entrepreneur is how they choose to build their company, or how and where they choose to market it. A successful businessman knows that communication is a buzz marketing word, especially when it comes to service in the salon. They know exactly how they want their stylists to be perceived, and they are aware of exactly, how their clients will be leaving. The point is, successful business people have a plan, they can deal with any obstacles before they can touch the business, and they have an inside vision for COMMUNICATION, both verbal and non-verbal.

So what is communication? Talking, listening, writing? There is much more to communication than you would believe and one thing in particular is often neglected in training sessions which is body language. Actions speak louder than words in successful salons. When we communicate with clients (and other members of the team in front of clients) we use a combination of words, tone of voice and body language and as you might have guessed the 3 elements are not of equal importance.

Research reveals that words (the literal meaning) account for 7% of the overall message, tone of voice accounts for 38% of the overall message and body language accounts for 55% of the overall message. Salons are a difficult place of work because the aim is to feel trustworthy, comfortable and content in your surroundings. However, an extremely important thing to remember is it is still a business, these are your clients, and they are paying money for your service.

How to give positive body vibes?

- Eye contact- this shows interest and respect for whom you are conversing with.

- Be friendly- raise your tone of voice slightly to highlight enthusiasm and positivity.

- Angle yourself towards your potential client to portray a welcoming posture.

- Hold your head up- Try not to slouch as this can give off bad impressions.

- Be genuine. Smile and be yourself, don’t be false as this is equally as off putting.

- Now you have finished reading this go and see how your team are measuring up.

Salon Tracker helps save you time so you can focus on customer service, engagement and loyalty.

Call now for your FREE demo and trial on 0113 350 8230!

Twitter tips you need to succeed your business!

 Constantly checking on your follower count? Can’t tweet right for tweeting wrong? Twitter only allows 140 characters and in that you are expected to engage, excite and intrigue your followers without obviously selling….

#WHATTTTTTTT??????

Don’t panic! Here we have a few simple tips that big brands use to increase your follower count, customer interest and marketing strategy success. Read on for the twitter road to success…

1.     Find the perfect balance between controversial and professional. Take the brand ‘Charmin’ (@charmin) for example, toilet roll with 33.6k followers. Why? Because they have a great (and humorous) marketing strategy. Charmin are the perfect example of a company who know what goals they want to achieve from Twitter. Toilet roll will inevitably sell, so their aim is to build brand awareness and what better way to poo that than with toilet humour? ;)

2.    Be an easy follow. All reputable companies have one thing in common, they know how to work their customers. Take Innocent drinks as another example (@innocentdrinks). They are a successful Twitter brand because although a lot of their tweets are surrounding fruit, innocent and their brand, they also tend to get involved in other subjects which makes them an ‘easy’ follow. Many people would follow Innocent even if they disliked the products because they don’t push for sales. They inject human-like personality into a news feed through entertaining interaction making them a winner brand in the Twitter-sphere.

3.   Don’t make the mistake of thinking this is Facebook. Twitter is not based on becoming friends like Facebook is, it focuses more on the content popularity aspect (brutal we know). So if you aren't speaking about things that people want to here, then you simply won’t make the cut. Don’t worry though, this isn't real life Mean Girls, it’s just about knowing your audience and knowing what they want to here. Look at what they do that works, what are your peers tweeting about? Is it relevant, funny or informative? Why not try a beauty tip of the day or fun fact of the morning that might help your followers with their skin, make-up, fitness or tanning regime. Network with local businesses, retweet their offers, respond and interact with your followers whenever you can but remember that content is key.

4.  Be consistent. Your tweets should be on a consistent basis rather than a one off overhaul of too many tweets at once- that will annoy your followers. Keep it simple and basic and tweet once or twice a day.

5.   Don’t overdo who you are! We get that you are a salon in Manchester, we knew that when we followed you. We thought you had more about you and we enjoyed your variety. But just recently you've changed…your constant tweeting is a bit desperate. We need to break up. It’s not you it’s me I swear. Ahem.

6.   Don’t put your business to private. This doesn't really need explanation, people follow businesses if they like the look of what they see. If they aren't provided with a little taster when stumbling upon your page, they 9 times out of 10 won’t follow.

7.   You rarely get a second chance at a first impression. Bare this in mind when you post tweets, images and information on your Twitter. Think about presentation, spelling and general professionalism. Don’t belittle your brand and this could be detrimental to your custom.

Does this all sound quite daunting? Never fear. On the bright side, you have society on your side. The salon, spa, health and fitness industry is one of the largest around, many thanks to all the celebrities who share their wonderfully miraculous beauty secrets, almost everyone wants little tips and tricks to being the best they can be. For this reason, Twitter is a great networking space to find inspiration, build contacts, and portray what you have to offer. 

Check us out on Twitter @salontrackerapp

HOW TO: convert a walk in customer to a LOYAL client!

A question at the forefront of salon owner’s minds is ‘how do you add value to ensure a loyal client?’ 

There are numerous marketing strategies that businesses can adopt. Our previous blog ‘top 5 tips on using social media’, is a brilliant read for those seeking to grow their salon awareness. However, what if you have done that and now you want to target clients directly and gain customer loyalty? 

 With the abilities of the technical market, SMS and email marketing are the closest you will get to customers unless you want to chase them down the street waving your treatment list in their face (an advised no no). 

A main aspect of running a business is running the hype of your business. If you cannot shout about your offers and promotions then how can you expect others to? 

Besides the techniques such as refer a friend schemes and new customer loyalty vouchers, here are a few friendly pointers to remember when consolidating your message with clients… 
• Personalise messages- it helps you engage the customer rather than sell to them. Entering a customer’s name into an email is more likely to increase click through rates and loyalty. Get this information by capturing as much client data as possible with your software service. Salon tracker provides and advanced marketing suite so that you can tailor your messages creating campaigns to ensure your business has growth in profit. 

• Be consistent- Emails should go out to customers about once a month with a call to action for more information. Of course not everyone takes advantage of the offer but some clients might be waiting for your ‘Promotion of the month!’ Customer loyalty is created by heightened familiarity. 

• Use client purchase history- Marketing products to a client’s purchase history is a brilliant way of utilizing information as you know at some point or another they have expressed interest in this product. Research has shown that emails are more likely to be read if they are of relevance to the reader, so make content informative through a friendly tone. 

 • Aesthetics- Well-chosen imagery, logos and colour enormously enhances a messages impact by distinguishing your company from competitors and making it pleasing on the eye. 

 • Keep it short. People receive a vast amount of emails or texts each day and usually have no time to read over long messages, it is important to get to the point, they will appreciate it. 

 • Undertaking a loyalty scheme- providing new customers with discount vouchers encourage customers to return frequently to get that ‘tenth tan FREE!’

Heighten customer engagement by speeding up the booking process!

Safeguard your salon from a £20,000 fine!

Over recent years, continuous research has been carried out on the potential health risks associated with extensive sunbed use. Since 2012, “experts have revealed that sunbeds account for almost 900 deaths every year in Europe”. These findings have demanded strict regulations and guidelines to be introduced in order to promote salon owners practising the correct etiquette throughout the industry. Nonetheless, studies still show that “70% of sunbeds fail council safety tests” causing danger for all users “as they receive three times recommended level of UV Rays” (Daily Mail 2014)

Regardless of plentiful documentation and proven high risk links to skin cancer, some salons’ lack of compliance have driven Trading Standards to confirm that disobedience of the law will leave owners liable of a £20,000 and all sunbeds removing from premises. Regulations have now been implemented in England, Scotland and Wales making it ILLEGAL for anyone under the age of 18 to use a sunbed. 

Can you confirm you are safely tanning all customers? If not we suggest you act now…

Salon Tracker has embedded tanning guidelines and regulations into its software to protect both customers and salon owners. This will ensure all staff levels in your business are aware of the regulations and that everyone is conclusively thinking of the customer’s health. Guidelines assert that skin should be rested for a minimum of 24 hours between sessions and businesses should record and provide customers with sufficient advice about the tanning suitable for their skin type. 

Salon Tracker allows you to enforce a prohibited use of allowing under 18 year olds onto the sunbed and will also flag up and restrict the use if someone tries to use the sunbed more than once in 24 hours. Furthermore, the client contact information will require the software user to select the client’s skin type, so that the software can calculate their safety sunbed usage with their skin type.

We feel that the implementation of these guidelines into our software will help make tanning safer for all users and therefore, will ensure our customers salons maintain a good reputation and look after their customer’s health as well as their appearance.

Don’t risk your business, call us today for your FREE trial on 0113 350 8230. 

Muscles, man waxing and moustaches... the life of a metro-sexual male!

The main things you need to know about the male health and beauty market…

“Male grooming might not be the biggest market, but it’s definitely the fastest growing as it becomes much more acceptable for men to care about how they look” (John Vial- Fudge Creative Director). Beauty and health salon owners, generally, tend to target their treatments toward the female market because females tend to spend more time in the salon. However, we can see from all kinds of beauty, health, fitness and tanning products that it is becoming more acceptable for men to undergo treatments and, really take care of their self-regimes. Now more than ever, with the acceptance of this, men represent a key target market for health and beauty salons in pursuit of a better self-image. This is largely derived from the celebrity market with plenty of celebrities discussing how they clear spots, prevent wrinkles, tan their skin or build muscle.

So what are the basic facts you need to know?

In a survey of 2,000 salon goers, male salon goers cited concern over physical appearance as the main reason for indulging in treatments, in contrast to women, who said feeling good was more important. Therefore, services and products aimed at the male market should focus, articulate and appeal on the aesthetic benefits to further appeal to men.

How can I sell my products?

Men tend to use basic functional products, such as face washes and slap on moisturiser balm after a shave. They tend to be less convinced on the benefits of more complicated products from a good brand. Unlike females, men usually look at the immediate benefit in buying a product rather than the brand. Therefore, if he can sense it is a good product, he will indeed go on to purchase. Demonstrating the effectiveness of moisturisers, anti-ageing creams and serums may be the key to achieving sales, especially as men may feel reluctant to purchase these products in a retail environment. Therapists should take special care to explain which products they are using during treatments and how they work to male clients. Salon Tracker allows you to capture and store client data, including purchase history, making it easier to up and cross sell products in the future.

The purchasing power of female clients...

Women represent important purchasers of men’s products. Therefore, by offering a range of men’s lines in your salon you can tap into the market by cross selling to your female clients. If your clients have developed allegiances to a particular brand the chances are they will be persuaded that the men’s range is just as good. Again, providing samples for their husbands and partners to try could help overcome male conservatism towards beauty products.

How we can help...

Salon Tracker is a salon management software package which allows you to store, track and communicate with customers in one easy-to-use system. We can gather information on client history so you increase your retail sales and chance of a returning customer. Call us today on 0113 350 8230 for your FREE trial and watch how we improve your business!
 

Instantly improve your business!

Increase Customer Loyalty

Loyalty of customers is vitally important especially during difficult economic times. Your best immediate sources of additional profits and increased business are your existing customers. They know you, they trust you, hopefully they've enjoyed doing business with you, satisfying the experience is key to maintain customer loyalty. 

It is normally five to ten times easier to get an existing customer to buy from you again than it is to get someone to buy from you for the first time. Salon Tracker can help you with this by simplifying the process of capturing, storing and organising client data. Salon Tracker allows you to store all client details in one place, such as hair type, colouring history and even how your client takes their tea, allowing you to personalise your service. Knowing client information allows you to tailor your service to individual clients ensuring they receive the ultimate service experience, consequently heightening customer loyalty. Every client is valuable and important, even if they only visit twice a year, this can be shown through remembering them which is made easy with the use of Salon Trackers record system. 

Improve Marketing Campaigns

SalonTracker allows you to target your customers direct, fast and low cost with the use of the inbuilt sophisticated SMS marketing suite. As the system stores clients purchase history and personal details it allows you to market to them more effectively. SalonTracker allows you to create a contact mailing lists from your client database using any criteria you want, for example you may want to target irregular customers with a 20% off promotion in order to encourage a repeat visit, SalonTracker software will allow you to select these clients from your whole client base rather than offering the discount to all customers and losing a large percentage of the profit. This feature will help you target your clients more effectively and reduce the wastage associated with the one deal fits all campaign. 

Run Effective Advertising

It is essential that you measure the response to all of your advertising in order to evaluate whether or not it represented a viable investment and to shape your future investment decisions. SalonTracker’s advanced business reports will enable you to compare monthly/weekly sales and service figures allowing you to distinguish whether you campaigns have increased salon visits and most importantly your profits. 

Utilize the Power of the Internet

Businesses can reach a vast audience online quickly and more effectively than traditional marketing methods and online booking has fast become an essential feature for businesses in these modern times. Providing online booking will help increase you’re booking rates as it will enable your clients to book in their own appointment 24 hours a day regardless of whether your salon is open or not. In a bid to drive as many customers as possible to your appointment book SalonTracker’s online booking service will also integrate with your Facebook business page, meaning the cost of buying and maintaining a website will not be essential in order to take advantage of our online booking service. Facebook sees over 600 million people logging onto their social media account daily, therefore providing salons with the perfect framework to target and secure client bookings.

It is also important to use email marketing effectively; many businesses still do not collect the email addresses of everyone who contacts them. 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. Once you have Email Addresses – use them! You can use email to thank people for their business, make them a special offer, give them a free article or report, send a newsletter, recommend a product or service they may be interested in, ask for referrals, share some news that may be interested in or ask why they’ve not done business with you.

Have your 14 day free trial of SalonTracker and see for yourself how it can instantly improve your business.