Our Tips For The Back-to-School Season!

Although it may seem like the summer holidays have only just started, school is right around the corner again. For many parents, the summer time can often be seen as a time to try get the best possible deals on new uniforms, stationary and all the other countless school essentials. However, for you as salon owners this time can be used wisely to attract sales and to promote your business. Here are a few straightforward tips that you can use to ensure that the ‘Back-to-School’ period is a successful one.

Promote to Parents and Students

Everyone wants to make a good impression of their first day back, meaning that many parents will be wanting to treat their child/children to a ‘Back-to-School’ haircut. This gives you a great opportunity to attract new customers or to persuade past customers to use your salon again. Promoting offers and deals during this period is always a good way to receive more sales. For instance, you may want to give out a discount to parents that have more than one child having a haircut, but you need to make sure that the discount isn’t too drastic. So, don’t be offering anything along the lines of ‘One haircut, another free for siblings’, as this could damage your salon’s image in the future as people will be expecting constant big discounts. Once students reach sixth form and university they are eligible for student discount, so one way to attract the older generation of students would be by giving a student discount during this period. For example, you might want to offer 10% or 15% off any treatments or retail products, this will definitely attract those university students who are looking for the best deal with their low student finance.

Freebies

Not all children are jumping with joy when their parents announce that they are going to the hairdressers for their annual back to school haircut. So, a good way around the tantrums would be to provide freebies, such as sweets or toys, which you can give out either before whilst waiting or once they have had their haircut.

Competitor Research

Many children and teenagers will want their haircut and style to follow the latest trends, therefore it is important that you complete research prior to this busy period, as this will give you a head start and a better insight into these latest trends. You should also look at other salons, especially in your local area, as this will allow you get a sneak-peek at what other owners are doing. This will not only give you inspiration, but it will also mean that you will be able to think of ways in which you can be different and unique to beat off competitors.

Now that you have all of your ideas together, you need to create a plan on how you will target students and parents. The best, and cheapest, way to promote your salon and latest offers would be through social media, it’s a great platform for you to engage with new and previous customers and persuade them to come to your salon. Although it will cost you to use this method, another great way to contact your customers would be by sending text messages, as this will allow you to directly contact specific customers, which is perfect for the Back-to-School season. Our Salon Tracker Software allows you to directly send text messages to clients, with the marketing feature, from this we have been able to see a great reaction when used correctly. A more traditional method of promoting your salon would be by using email, although it is free, email isn’t as successful as the previous two. However, it is still a good method that you can use to target specific customers that will be intrigued by these deals.

We hope that you found these ideas helpful, and that you will be able to use them to benefit your salon. If you have any questions or want any more information on how our Salon Tracker software could help with your salon management and to maximise sales, then don’t hesitate to contact us on 0113 350 8230.

Salon Tracker

Feature of the Month – Unlimited Tanning Courses and Happy Hour Deals

August is here, which means it’s time for another feature of the month post. As most tanning businesses are booming over the summer months we thought it would be worth diving into special tanning options on our system that might come as a surprise to you, as our technical and advanced features are often forgotten. However, what most people don’t know is how much easier they can make salon management. Especially for our Tanning Salon owners! We thought about ideas and what we could do that we haven't already done. We talked about tanning features before, such as security and tanning rules. But we realised that we have never really talked about how you can actually manage your minutes and courses and especially any special offers through the system. Therefore, this month we wanted to dive into the option of controlling your Unlimited courses and Happy Hour sessions directly from the system. 

Our customers often ask us how they can sell and set up unlimited monthly courses. As a product it is not uncommon to the tanning world. However, did you know that Happy Hour promotions are also getting more and more popular, as owners can decide to run a promotion during a specific time of the day?

These tools are great for any tanning salon who wants to stay super organised with offers, but without having to constantly keep an eye on it. The system does it all for you! It is designed for when customers purchase either one of options and start using the minutes, the system will take it automatically into consideration to take the promotion off after your desired time. All you do is set an expiry period and that's it. Meaning if you offer an unlimited tanning month you set an expiry period on the system to 1 month and don’t have to worry about turning it off for every customer at different times. Same applies to the Happy Hour promotion just in a slightly different way. Below we have listed the difference between Unlimited and Happy Hour and how both options work on the system. 

Unlimited 

Unlimited courses is a weekly, monthly or annual offer that is added to a customer's client card, which enables them to use as many minutes during that time as they please. When salon’s offer this particular product then customers can purchase it whenever they want. Once they start using the minutes they system will automatically recognise the action and will turn the unlimited minutes off at the end of the period. There is no need to keep an eye on customer’s courses and to turn them off manually whenever they finish. If you do however need to check their status or want to double check something then the information is always available in the customer purchase history. 

Happy Hour 

Unlike unlimited courses, Happy Hour promotions are only available during a specific time of the day. Therefore, the customer does not have constant access to cheaper minutes whenever they come in. The idea behind Happy Hour minutes is for salons to utilize quieter periods and make the most of them. Therefore, Happy Hour offers are a marketing strategy to bring more customers through the door during specific times of the day. It is up to the salon for how many hours they want to run a Happy Hour deal during the day and on what days it will be available. Happy Hour deals are only available as a walk-in service, meaning the minutes will be purchased then and there and also used up during the visit. 

Salon Tracker is a tanning salon management solution that caters for all needs of tanning business owners. Its features are unique to Salon Tracker and include options such as safety implementation and sunbed timer integration. The system tracks and manages all minutes by documenting all information, meaning the owner can manually access all shop activity on a daily level.

If you would like to speak to us about the system and receive more information on how you can manage your Tanning salon better with Salon Tracker then please get in touch. If you would like help setting up your Unlimited courses and Happy Hour deals then we are more than happy to assist with that. Our support team is available Monday-Friday from 9 am - 5 pm for any questions and enquiries.

Salon Tracker x

How to use the UK’s Summer Festivals to up your Salon Sales!

August! The month of some of the UK’s biggest and best-loved festivals. Spread all up and down the UK you’ve got Creamfields, V, and Leeds & Reading – festivals that are a whole mix of music genres from house to pop to indie/rock! So, a perfect time to attract clients of all different interests and to run some festival-themed campaigns to attract each of these target audiences.

So, dependent on where your salon is based, you’re going to want to research the genre of the festival that is close to you in order to market to the appropriate audience. For example, look at the average age of the visitors, what their common interests are, and so on. This way you can create a strategic campaign that is well suited to attract that particular clientele.

So, ideas for a festival campaign to increase your footfall and get those clients spending! Your biggest one is media influence and celebs. Look at the big festivals, like the likes of Coachella and Glastonbury, see what the celebs wore and how they styled their hair & makeup for those. As, especially with the younger market, it’s the icons in the media that inspire their choice of style.

Next, work out if you can offer those styles and how you can make the price attractive to your clients. We’re not saying discount everything down, as you don’t want to do that either and be renowned for being the cheaper salon. Instead, create value to their salon experience, so for example include some little add-on extra’s like ‘free festival fizz’ or complimentary snacks? Or, you may want to put offers on your associated retail products, so for example if a client is getting their manicure or gel nails fresh for the fest, you might want to offer 10% off a nail product when purchased with the treatment? Or if it’s new bangs, how about putting offers on your hairsprays to keep the style in-tact for all weathers? That way, you’re still gaining the revenue from the appointment and hopefully still breaking even on your retail sales.

Another idea, if you have a company Spotify account, is to create playlists based on the genre of your closest festival! Do some research in to similar playlists and the songs that are included within those lists on Spotify already and then create your own. Name it after your salon and in reference to the festival, and then see how many followers you get! Not only does this help to aid your festival campaign, it’s also a new idea to get people talking about your salon.

Once you’ve got your ideas together, create a launch strategy! How can you push your ideas to clients? The main, and probably obvious one by now – get on social media. Social networks are the prime area to promote services that are linked to popular events, as so many people are already on there talking about it and sharing ideas. Although, traditional marketing is also useful here, for example a promotional SMS message to let clients know about your new services (or new playlist!) is a good one. Recent studies from a report by Dynmark suggests that "98% of all SMS messages are opened", so it is still proven to be a fast and effective way to market to clients. As a salon software company, we also see very positive results from when our clients use SMS to push marketing messages & campaigns to their customers – so any help you may need on that, we are your port of call!

A great way to then get your campaign noticed is to include the official and popular hashtags that are commonly used for that festival. So we know for 2017, V fest official hashtags are #VFestival and #V2017. So for example an idea might be:

‘Going to #VFestival this year? Head to <salonname> for all the best-fest beauty treatments!

Or 

‘It’s nearly time for #V2017, so we’ve created the perfect Spotify playlist to get you festival-ready! Follow it at <playlistname>’

The official social media pages for each festival usually have these hashtags in their bio, so just look out for the blue-tick next to their account name and then you know for sure that these were created by the company itself.

And then, just a little extra, are there any local festivals situated near to your salon location? Have you ever thought about maybe doing a pop-up salon? If there is a local music event near you, still implement all of the tips we have given above, but then why not go that step further and take your services to the site itself! Obviously, we understand there are a few more costs involved with doing this! You would need to be granted permission from the event organiser, carry out health and safety checks and do a risk assessment. However, if the event attracts a high volume of visitors, this could potentially be a whole range of new clients for you and a fantastic opportunity to increase brand awareness! And if you’re finding the idea a bit daunting, just think once you have done one event, you’re then prepped for if any of these opportunities are to arise in the future. Just a little something to think about if you fancy going that extra mile!

But as always, if you want any extra sales tips, or marketing tactics to help you to advertise to your clients, our sales and marketing team are always at the other end of the phone to help! Reach us on 0113 350 8230.

Salon Tracker x

Reception and Front Desk Organisation for Salons

Salons are not just about good service, talented staff members and plenty of bookings. However, all these things have one important aspect in common: Good Organisation!

Success often starts at the front desk and therefore it is important to keep it clear and organised, as well as have a clear strategy on how it is managed. However, you should not be too busy to class front desk management/ organisation as trivial. 

Managing your front office effectively is often not a primary business objective; but it should be. If your reception or front desk is unwelcoming, it will portray to customer that your salon is not very 'service oriented', meaning you could be driving customers away with this. Organisation does not mean what goes behind your desk but also how your front desk organisation portrays to customers and the business. A well-organised appointment book prevents you from making mistakes that have a negative impact on the customer and therefore the business. Keeping an eye on finances and reports can help to create an annual action plan and develop strategies for quieter periods. 

“Reception management influences your atmosphere” 

A well functioning reception area leads back to a good salon atmosphere. Often the reception is the first thing people see when entering the salon. Therefore, it is important that this area reflect positively to customers as well. Make sure to keep things tidy. Not only for the customers but also to keep everything under control.

Imagine going to a salon as a customer and finding the front desk is filled with clutter, paper and rubbish. If the receptionist or whoever is responsible to welcome you then also has to go on the hunt for your customer details because there is no system in place I would doubt that anyone would come back after that.

If salons are that careless with their front desk what else are they careless. As a customer it would make me nervous that services also might not be taken serious. In the end, as a paying customer, I want to feel satisfied and good about a salon.

This does not reflect an organised business approach if you ask me and could affect the customers decision if they would re-book with you.

A well-organised desk saves time and prevents staff members from making mistakes and you loosing business.


That’s why so many salons are switching to salon software these days. The reason for this is the constant change of technology and devices, which allow you constantly connect with your business anywhere you are, whenever you want. No need for paper client cards and an actual appointment book when everything can be done on your laptop.

Furthermore, systems such as Salon Tracker save time and compile all information in one system. Meaning you can keep all client records, including history, notes and other important information securely saved on the computer.

Moreover, the system gives owners full control over bookings, stock and business reports. Not only does this saves paper but it also lets you manage every aspect of your salon without losing track.

“Salon Tracker has drastically improved the management of our salon; everything is managed by one system cutting out paperwork and client cards” G. Holder (Salon Owner). 

Planning ahead is key! 

Have a clear plan in mind on business goals and make sure staff are aware of it and follow it. As a small salon to even the bigger chains, focus on your business goals and also make it a priority to recruit the right people but also let staff go if it doesn’t work out for you and it’s damaging your business. Don’t feel guilty if it’s not the right match. A bad employee can have a negative impact on your business.

Regular meetings with everyone are great to discuss relevant issues and give staff the opportunity to raise their opinion together as a team.


Time management

An effective and organised front desk requires good time management by staff, receptionist or by the salon owner. Therefore, it is important to time wisely and plan ahead. If you get into the habit of keeping an eye on bookings, takings and staff working hours you avoid any mix ups and can even fill empty slots. Use quiet periods to organise everything accordingly to when it does get busier, then you don’t lose track. If you use Salon Software, you can easily rely on the system to keep track of everything important for you, with the knowledge that the information is only a few clicks away.



As you can see it all starts with the front desk. Management is crucial to grow your business, retain clients, managing change and improvement and generally lay down your action plan for the year ahead of you. 

Salon Tracker x

July's Feature of the Month: Salon Tracker Seamless POS

So it’s time for our Feature of the month, again, gosh this year is flying by - we’ll be writing about winter soon! Anyhow, we wanted to really strip back this month and instead of exploring some of our more technical and advanced features, we wanted to instead talk about one of the most simple and fundamental benefits to every salon owner. This is our Seamless POS tool.


Our main aim at Salon Tracker has always been to help you to free your time from tedious activities so that you can dedicate your energy and passion towards your customers. One of the main gripes we have come across when we have spoken to you salon owners is the time-consuming activity of having to manually track payments and retail sales. Well how about having a system that does that for you, and letting us help?


Salon Tracker provides you with a simple POS management solution, ensuring that business consistently runs smoothly, whilst profits are ever increasing. Our POS equipment saves you time, eliminates human error and ensures business accuracy at all times of day. This takes the stress off of you and your staff, as it means no more manual cash taking and change-giving. And if you want, we can even link up with certain payment providers to give your clients that complete all-in-one retail experience.


You do, however, have a lot of different options when it comes to your POS solution. We provide a really sleek and stylish all in one touchscreen PC, which links to a cash drawer, barcode scanner and receipt printer for a smooth transaction journey. From taking payments, to tracking stock control and client history, the data is all stored in one place and payment amounts reach your card reader automatically. This means no more middle-step of taking manual-payments, and also no chance of human error. However, if you prefer to use a laptop, or a tablet-like a surface pro for the software, then this is fine too as Salon Tracker can run on there and still integrate with a barcode scanner, cash drawer & receipt printer for a compact and neat reception.


But having said this, not only does our smart POS system enhance the aesthetics of your salon and improve the customer journey, it also speeds up your transaction time and records every single item purchased by all customers (whether this be a service or retail product). Need reference of a previous receipt? No problem, Salon Tracker stores e-copies of all purchases with their own ID number, and a simple re-print of a receipt is quick and easy. Another benefit of storing transaction data is that should you ever need to refund a client, you can do this simply at the click of a button and our system will work out the correct amount for you and in what tender. Good, ey?


So if you’re struggling to manage the reception process during the busy summer period, then let Salon Tracker help you. And don’t worry, before you commit to purchasing any POS hardware from us, you can trial the solution FREE for a fortnight in the salon, to see for yourself just how much it improves your day-to-day working life. Fancy that free trial, simply enquire HERE.


Want a bit more info, call a member of our sales team on 0113 350 8230, they’d be really happy to help! Or check out our website at www.salontracker.co.uk.


As always, we look forward to hearing from you and making your salon life easier!


Salon Tracker x

Best Kept Salon Secrets

I’m sure a lot of you are asking yourself these questions. What are successful salons doing right and what are their secrets? What methods are they using that I haven't already tried or thought about or? Is it just pure luck, or is there more to their success?

All of these are justified questions and there are many articles about that topic. The simple answer is that successful salons invest hard work and effort into their business growth. They don’t rest on successful periods but rather innovate themselves when it’s quieter and they have the time to improve. We all know that hard work pays off and therefore we have a few other tips for you on how to change your business around:

Marketing is everything

Because no marketing=no visibility to customers and no customers = no business. Simple as that.

This is no surprise, as marketing can be found everywhere, even in areas of your business where you wouldn’t expect it. The good thing with marketing and promoting your business is the versatility of the field. There are plenty of opportunities you can participate with, such as client retention, seasonal offers and even your salon’s decoration. How you represent your brand and atmosphere will have a lot of influence on your business. Make sure you choose a path that suits you and not because everyone else is doing it. Most times, originality is more important than spending all your budget on a big campaign that will fail to deliver success in the end.

Ups and downs

There will be up times and there will be down times with any business. The trick is not to get discouraged by the down times. There will be decisions you have to make as a salon owner that might seem bad or a step backwards. However, remember that certain decisions can’t be avoided and rather than getting too focused and stressed about them, try to use this situation to learn from it. Keeping a calm mind and know how to improve from a difficult situation can be crucial for future success of the business. You will make decisions daily and with it comes the choice of options. Will this decision be a good one or a bad one. Whatever you decide, it is important to look at both alternatives and if needed do a pro and con list to help you make the decision. This will also help you recognise if a decision is bad.

Asses the situations accordingly, focus on what can be done and trust in yourself. You have made it this far and there is nothing wrong in trusting your gut instincts. However, there is also nothing wrong with asking for help.


Keep up to date


This is essential to your business growth and client retention. Keeping up to date means constantly innovating yourself and your business. Anything from the latest styles and trends for the hair and beauty industry, to training courses for you and your staff will help you treat your customers to the best service possible.

Another aspects that is important for a business is technology. Being active on social media and being aware of the latest trends, leads right back into the marketing opportunity. If you know how to engage with your customers online, you increase the changes of your digital visibility to a wider spectrum of people.

But social media and the internet is not the only way to stand out. Being up to date also means your equipment you use at the salon. Is it to the highest standard and portrays a modern vibe?

If salons seem old-fashioned and behind it can well cost them loyal customers because that salon around the corner is offering all these things…



Salon Software to make your life easier

… which leads us to the next point: Salon Management Software. Many salons already use salon software and take advantage of all the features these systems have to offer. Therefore, this is more for those salons that are still relying on paper client cards and more traditional ways of bookkeeping.

Salon software is an up and coming feature many salons cannot live without anymore. It makes managing bookings, takings and staff members a lot easier.

Salon Tracker, for example is a feature rich system that can do more than just help to keep an eye on your bookings. With features such as client record cards, day end reports and booking reminders, salons make sure everything is under control.

The best thing is that the system will work it out for you. Simple use it on a day to day basis and you can check at the end of the day or week how many bookings you had, how much money you have taken and what customers have not visited in a while. These are just a few of the features that are included.

If you want to find out more and sign up for a free 14-day trial then follow the link: http://www.salontracker.co.uk/FreeTrial.aspx




We hope you have found these tips interesting and useful. If you have any further questions about the secrets of successful businesses then please get in touch with one of our friendly team members to discuss this topic further.



Salon Tracker x

Why Online Presence is so Important for your Business!

Last week we were all astonished that it had been 10 years since the first ever iPhone was released. I mean, we can’t even remember a time without our smart phones, what did we do?! But it’s strange to think that it’s only in the last decade that these technological advances have really evolved, where we can’t imagine a time where we didn’t have these forms of transportable technology. It just goes to show how the way of the world has changed in the last 10 years. I mean, as a kid we used to read story books and join dot-to-dots in activity books, nowadays the kids are better on iPad’s than most of us adults - with the majority of our traditional games now going digital on these devices!

So, just a little something to think about, as the younger generation in another 10 years’ time could be some of your clients and the technology will by then have advanced even further, we would expect. Having said all of this, we just wanted to discuss with you the importance of your business being online, and why it is essential to have digital platforms to be able to communicate with your clients.


Online Booking

According to Statistic Brain, over 148.3 million travel bookings are made online every year worldwide. That’s an astounding figure, and a great insight in to how the consumer shopping habits have changed. However, that’s not to say that the travel agent is dead, as many of these companies now host their own online booking platforms alongside their traditional stores. It just demonstrates to your clients that you have that online option, to also make your booking facilities more accessible as they have flexibility for making that booking. You will however still always receive clients who prefer to book the traditional telephone way, or directly in the salon, but that’s okay too. It’s as we said, just more about giving your clients that digital choice.


Mobile Booking

According to Ofcom, smartphones having taken over the old PC/laptop when it comes to browsing online. Again, this is down to flexibility and convenience. A mobile is compact and easy accessible to carry around 24/7, wherever you are in the world. Taking that in to account, this is a great statement to think about when it comes to giving your clients the option to book your services. By offering mobile booking you are giving them a constant online service, wherever they are at a particular time - which should generate a much better revenue for you in the long-term!


Social Media Presence & Booking Facilities

Social Media Today have identified that there are 2.8 billion active social media users worldwide! Now that is a lot of people (and a lot of potential customers for you to be reaching). OK, so maybe we’re exaggerating with reaching everyone, but, if you narrow this down to think how many of these people are living in the UK? Then narrow it down again to your local area, you will be still talking in the thousands and with social media now been one of the fastest ways for businesses to communicate with their consumers, it is important that your brand is represented across social platforms.

And it’s not to say that all social media networks are going to be right for your business. But if we take the 4 most popular according to Statista, these are; Facebook, YouTube, Instagram and Twitter; with these you then have a mixture of the benefits of each network and how you could adopt your strategies differently for each platform.

Facebook is the most popular and the largest used social network world wide, and the beauty of Facebook is you can add online booking facilities in to your company page, you can have a messaging service to speak to clients, post photographs, post links and generic business information. You therefore have 5 ways there in which you can reach clients differently by using a range of content ideas across one digital platform. So maybe Facebook is the first one that you think about if your business doesn't already have an active account.

YouTube is the best for your vlogging! You could promote your salon services by creating your own video content, or initially even just have your own account where you share other people’s ideas as inspiration. However you use it, with 1 billion active users worldwide we’re sure that it’s worth it!

Instagram only launched in 2010, so only 7 years ago! And if you think back, originally it was only developed for smart phones and not on PC. This was a social introduction that was created perfectly in line with the increase in smart phone users, and hasn’t it taken off! With 600 million unique users a month, it is potentially one of the fastest growing social networks and so going back to our discussion about mobile booking, your Insta-profile gives your clients instant accessibility to view information about your brand 24/7! Use it to showcase your new services, best looks, client work etc. etc. Everyone loves a good visual business profile. It’s like the old saying ‘a picture paints a thousand words’, it’s a quick and simple solution to get messages across to clients.

Twitter has 317 million unique users per month and we think the main USP of this network is the short word allowance. It is best used for quick, snappy messages as a pose to your lengthier perhaps Facebook or Google + posts. An interesting stat is that; most users only spend an average of 2.7 minutes on the app per day; which when you think about it, that isn’t a long time. Also any content that you do post on Twitter after 20 minutes is likely to be lost behind a million other posts, just because of the small character count and the amount of people posting. So the key with this network is to ensure that you’re active on there, to build your brand’s credibility on a popular social network, and to make sure that any messages that you do want to portray are reiterated often. Don’t just tweet about it once, tweet about it 15 times that week, but in a different way each time.

So after running over the stats of different online platforms, we are aware that most of you are probably online already in some form, whether for business or just personal-use, so you are likely to already hold some of this information. Whether it be that you have a few social media accounts or you have an online booking service through the web, these are just some little extra pointers for you to think about with other potential networks. But whichever apply to you, it is extremely important to ensure that your social profiles are:

-Up to date

-Relevant

-And make sure your content is refreshed and updated regularly

92% of UK businesses are active on social media in some way, and therefore if you think about new clients that are potentially doing some research, if they spy your competitors online and not you, you could be missing out on that sale!

And so, 3 main reasons why your online presence is so important for your business;

It spreads the word about your brand, keeps your online reputation alive and provides clients with fast and accessible information about your products & services.


Hope this helps a little!


Salon Tracker


Sources

-Statista
-Social Media Today
-Statistic Brain
-Ofcom
-Digital Magazine
-We are Social