How to Attract and Retain Clients at the Salon

The ultimate salon goal for many is a constant increase in revenue by keeping all their loyal customers whilst also attracting new ones regularly. After all, what makes your salon grow are new customers but also loyal customers, as they hopefully refer you to their friends and family. If all of your clients would only visit for one appointment and never return, you have nothing to build on and certainly no room to improve. The best way to increase business is to expose yourself to old as well as new clients and to build up strong relationships with them. 

Now you might ask yourself how effective client retention really is and how you get going at your salon. Luckily we have done some research for you and found out that the average salon can lose up to 20% of its customers annually because they neglect customer relationships. To prevent this you can use different techniques to improve customer service, which will increase the amount of people returning to your salon. Client retention is one of the best and most important things salons should be focusing on. However, you should still focus some energy in reaching out to new clients as well. So below, we have listed top tips on how to attract new clients and how to retain them. 

Source: Lockhart Meyer

Attract

Go Digital:

As more and more people use their smartphones for everyday tasks it is also no surprise that many people, who are looking for the right salon use search engines such as Google or Bing. You can take advantage of theses sites and use features such as Google My Business or Yelp and register your salon. This enables you to input relevant information on them. Make sure you have correct contact details and opening hours in order to make it easier for new customers to find you.

There are lot of small little things you can do with search engines in order to target people. Search engine optimisation (SEO) helps you to be visible online to people who are searching for exactly what you are offering. Google has plenty of tutorials on topics on how you can optimise your business online using social media and other marketing methods.

Using online directories is also worthwhile looking in to. There are several ones that specialise in salon businesses and certainly help you to advertise your services to a broader spectrum.


Refer a friend campaign:

These are great incentives, as they involve your current clients but also encourage them to bring in new ones. It is a great way to improve client retention as you both get something out of it. Run a campaign with an exclusive offer that they can’t find online or elsewhere. This way it will be hard for them to say no. Clients always trust their friends more than brands and therefore it's no surprise research shows that this is a powerful tool, according to Addshoppers. Did you know Dropbox grew their customer base 40 times in just over a year and 35% of Dropbox’s daily signups are from referrals.

What more convincing do you need?


Retain

One key to salon success is client retention and is crucial to drive business forward. There are many ways in which you can ensure that new clients turn into loyal ones. Retaining means clients want to return because they like your salon and services. It is therefore important to get the fundamentals right from the beginning in order to build lasting client relationships. First impression is key and this can be achieved through a welcoming atmosphere in the salon, friendly staff and great offers. If clients feel welcome at the salon they also want to treat themselves more often. Here are our tips on how you can turn your clients into loyal regulars.


Use Salon Software:

Salon software has proven to be a great asset to any salon. Not only does it manage your appointments and client cards, software such as our system comes with plenty of features that help with all business aspects, like client retention. On the system, you can easily track customers history and specifically target clients in order for them to return to your salon.

On our marketing feature you can run filters to find out who your ‘best spending’ customers are or customers that ‘haven’t visited in a while’. Once you have a better picture of who these clients are you can reach out to them via SMS messages or Email with any special incentives.


Rebook:

Rebooking is fast and easy and can be done in person with the client being present at the salon at that particular moment. Encourage staff to rebook appointments whenever they can. This doesn’t require them to be great sales persons as they simply have to ask. State the benefits and ask them if they would like to book now and then. Rebooking is easy, especially if you work with salon software. Once you confirm appointments, the system will give you the option to rebook. At the same time it gives you ease of mind as you are already filling those gaps for the future and secure business. Make sure each booking will receive a booking reminder in order for them to attend their appointment and not turn into a no-show.


As you probably know by now, client retention can be done in several ways. We hope you have found our tips helpful on how to drive business forward. Even small changes can result in growth of the business and have a positive long-term effect on profits that should not be underestimated by salon owners.

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