5 ways to increase your Salon Bookings this Autumn

With the busiest season of the year for Salon Owners coming to an end, you may be wondering what you can do to try and keep your calendar as full as possible... luckily we're here to help!

We've come up with 5 ideas that are bound to push your bookings this Autumn giving you a full calendar that you have worked so hard to achieve 

Hype yourself up

Believe it or not but you are your own biggest supporter and social media is exactly the place to show yourself off! You can use your Instagram as a portfolio to upload all your best work and your potential future customers can see just how good you are. A key tip is to tag the client you have done the treatment on so they can interact with the post and even better - comment on it telling you just how much they love it! 

I would also encourage your clients to write reviews on all your social media platforms to organically build your reputation and on Instagram make use of your highlights! Create a story with a 'questions' function on and ask for reviews on here. You can then repost every review you get and add it to your highlights so people browsing on your profile can easily access truthful reviews that people have given you and even more so will encourage them to book. Did you know that 94% of people say positive reviews make them more likely to use a business?

Another tip: Add your Salon Tracker booking link to your highlights too. You can call the highlight 'book now' then use the 'add link' function to put the link on. This can also be in your Instagram bio giving clients easy access to booking an appointment as a study found 90% of people prefer to book online rather than in person or on the phone.

Automatic follow ups

The most common mistake made in Salons is using follow-up texts incorrectly. Texting a client 2-3 days after their appointment has proven to be less successful than if you were to text your client 4-6 weeks after their appointment saying something along the lines of:

" Hi Client, it's been 6 weeks since your last hair cut, please use our online booking platform online.salontracker.co.uk/thesalon to book your next appointment! "

To make this even easier for you, Salon Tracker's effective marketing suite can do this all for you. If you create your own custom marketing campaign, you can use the filters to select 'appointment booked' and change the dates back to 6 weeks ago which will then filter out all the customers who had an appointment 6 weeks ago - convenient eh? This will then prompt the client to book an appointment again instead of remembering a few weeks after.

Use an effective referral scheme

If your clients love what you do, then why not encourage them to talk to their friends & family about your Salon and introduce a referral scheme? Lots of clients will be more encouraged to sing your praises if there is an incentive involved so why not try some of the following schemes:

- If your friend uses your Unique reference when booking their appointment both you and your friend will get 10% off your next appointment.

- Mate date! Bring your friend along for this treatment to get £5 off each.

- For every 5 friends you refer to our Salon you will get a 1 free appointment for any treatment up to £50.

Utilise google Ads

Google Ads are one of the hidden gems that aren't spoke about enough. If you utilise them properly, the function of google reviews plays an important part as well as as the functionality to book through a google ad. 

If someone is new to the area, and they google 'salons near me', it's important your Salon remains near the top as realistically, nobody is going to sit scrolling to find the Salon that is right for them. They're going to pick one from the top that has the best reviews and provides convenience such as an online booking functionality.

Salon Tracker is your Personal Assistant

Above all, Salon Tracker can act as your very own personal assistant and can do the majority of the work, without you even realising it. 

We provide free training and support to help you get the most out of the software as well as lots of help videos that are always accessible.

Our enterprise package is our most popular package and it costs just £90 per month which is less than one Full Head of Highlights per month! With this package you have Unlimited online bookings at no extra charge, the ability to take online deposits and payments with a small % fee plus much more.

If you'd like to trial our software for 2 weeks free, please leave your information by clicking this link and a member of our friendly sales team will be in touch!

Salon Tracker x

Trends 2022

It’s coming towards the end of summer so we decided this was the perfect time to do a quick roundup of some of our favorite hair and beauty trends from 2022 so far.

Clean Girl Aesthetic

One trend that has taken the internet by storm this year is the idea of a ‘Clean Girl Aesthetic’.  The clean girl aesthetic can be described as being minimal. The foundations of this trend are: glowy makeup, a strong skincare routine and the idea of a capsule wardrobe.

One of our favourite products to help achieve this glowy makeup look is the very popular Charlotte Tilbury Hollywood Flawless Filter. This product is great to use as a base for your foundation or just on its own if you’re just wanting a light coverage. Here’s a link to where you can get yours: https://bit.ly/3AQrS2r . If this price tag is a little too expensive for you, we have found some dupes which work just as well, if not better! You can get the Collection Lasting Perfection Filter Finish from Boots for just £6.49 https://bit.ly/3QV0cPj or Elf’s Halo Glow Liquid Filter https://bit.ly/3PRWTqM .

 

When it comes to Skin Care, I decided to as a few members of the Salon Tracker Team their holy grail skincare product and this is what they said.

Leah- My number one skincare product that I use every day, twice a day is the Paula’s Choice BHA Exfoliant. I use this on a cotton pad every morning and night and this helps freshen the skin and unclog pores.

Naomi- The Liz Earl cleanser has been my number one for years now. I use this to wash my face every night. Its full of natural ingredients and leaves me feeling fresh.

Ellis- My top pick for skincare is the Clinique Anti-Blemish Solutions Clarifying Lotion. This leaves me feeling moisturised for hours after I have applied it and leaves me glowy.

Christie- I love The Ordinary Niacinamide solution. I apply this every night before bed and this help balance any oils in my skin and helps prevent spots.

Having a capsule wardrobe is based on the premise of having a small wardrobe full of basics which you can mix and match into loads of different outfits. Some staples for this are: an oversized white shirt, neutral-coloured tops and bodysuits and then some wide leg jeans.

Hailey Bieber Nails

One big nail trend for summer 2020 is known as ‘Hailey Bieber Nails’. These nails use one goal of ‘Funny Bunny nail polish which is a sheer baby pink, followed by a shiny top coat and then rub some of the OPI Stay Shiny Top Coat.  This combination gives a natural look, with a bit of shimmer, perfect for summer and wedding/prom season.

Slick Back Styles

When it comes to hair styles, the stand out trend for 2022 has been slick back styles, whether that be buns, braids or ponytails. This trend is great, especially in the warmer weather as it keeps your hair off your neck and face whilst still looking stylish.  The ‘Got2B Glued’ hairspray and gel are great at slicking your hair back and keeping it there.

 

Salon Tracker x 

 

Our New Website!

You may have noticed that we have completely redesigned our website - Salon Tracker to a brand new, more modernise & more accessible channel.

We decided that after a long while of the website being the same website we designed over 5 years ago that it was time for a new one with much more features and a lot of adjustments.

Some of our biggest changes are:

-  A whole new help section 

We've added a convenient help section to our website to help our customers navigate the software easily. Search for a specific key word in our help search bar such as 'TMAX' and it will come up with a range of help guides to help you navigate any issues you may be having. You can also access our big range of help videos & our live chat for any queries.

- A much improved Blog Page

Our blog page has had a complete makeover! We've added a search function so you can find exactly what you are looking for without having to scroll through each and every blog. Additional to this, we've added a 'filter' option so you can find multiple blogs that all fit under the same topic, giving you lots of insightful ideas that you can apply to your Salon life.

- Updated Testimonials

Our lovely clients have been kind enough to leave us some excellent reviews on our Facebook page and google so we've gathered them together and added them to a section of our website so you can easily find what real people have to say about Salon Tracker in their Salon!

If you're one of our clients and would like to leave us a review you can click on either of the below links to do so - we really appreciate hearing from you!

Leave a review on Google 

Leave a review on Facebook

- A section dedicated to our Upcoming Events 

Since Covid, we have taken most opportunities to attend a trade show as we love showcasing our new features and meeting lots of new people at the events. We understand as Salon Owners yourselves, it is also great to attend trade shows so you can get ideas off other industry professionals and network your tips and tricks too. This is why we have created this section of the website so you can easily find when the next event is and book your tickets in advance!

We hope you enjoy the new layout of our website, if you do have any feedback we're always open to hearing it! You can email info@salontracker.co.uk or call us on 0113 350 8230.

Salon Tracker x 

Salon Tracker Hardware

 

As many of you know, as well as providing many salons across the UK and Ireland our booking software system, we also provide many different types of hardware for salons to use alongside their software. This blog will detail what hardware we sell and also how these pieces of hardware can help the day to day running of your salon that little bit smoother.

PC

In order for you to run Salon Tracker to the best of its ability, we recommend using a PC which is Windows 10 or above and one with quite a high memory. This is because the better your PC is, the smoother Salon Tracker will run meaning you will be able to run your salon in the easiest way possible. The All-In-One PC’s we sell come directly from DELL and come with a wireless mouse and keyboard to give your salon that modern look.

Cash Draw

We can also link your Salon Tracker up to the cash draw we sell; this can be either through our receipt printer or what we call a ‘cash draw trigger’. Having your cash draw linked up to salon tracker means two things, every time you put through a payment your cash draw will automatically fly open so you can put any cash or receipts in there. Having your cash draw linked up also means that the system will register in the system every time its opened, be that through the PC or manually with the key in the action log.

Receipt Printer

Salon Tracker also gives you the option to connect it up to a receipt printer. This means you can print customer receipts off whenever they buy either a service or retail product. In Salon Trackers report section, there are a handful of reports which have receipt in brackets, for example ‘Cashing Up (Receipt). This means that these reports are formatted to fit the receipt printer size so you can print them off here. One thing this is useful for is to help you do a stock check. You can print a stock report off the receipt printer and take this with you to do the stock check.

Barcode Scanner

One way to make you customers’ buying process that little bit smoother and quicker is to use a barcode scanner for your retail products. If you have a lot of different retail products which you sell, scrolling through them all to find the right one can take time. Using the integrated barcode scanner means that you can just grab the product that the customer wants to purchase, scan the barcode and it will go straight into the purchase box. You can also associate barcodes to customers and staff members to make finding them in the system a much quicker process.

Fingerprint Reader

For an extra layer of security in your salon, the fingerprint reader is great. You can associate your customers fingerprints to their customer card so when they come into the salon, they can put their finger on the reader and it will bring up their customer card. This means that there is no chance of you or your staff accidentally putting minutes or bookings through on the wrong customer. You can also use the fingerprint reader for your staff to log into the system and clock in for their shift!

Signature Pad

Another form of integrate able hardware which is available on our professional package and above is the signature pad. This allows you to add your salon disclaimer to the system and when you have a new customer sign up, they can sign this disclaimer on the signature pad and then a copy of the disclaimed along with the customers electronic signature will be stored on their client card.

 

If you would like anymore information on any of the hardware well sell or would like a quote at all please don’t hesitate to contact us on 0113 350 8230 or email us on info@salontracker.co.uk

 

Salon Tracker x 

Why Building a Brand for your Salon is Important and how to do this!

 The salon industry is one that is continually growing and one important thing all salons should be doing in this day and age is establishing their salons brand. This blog is going to discuss the importance of building a brand for your salon, whether you have one or multiple salons, and will also give you some tips and tricks on how to do this.

Why it’s Important

Standing out from the Crowd

One of the main reasons why all salons should establish their brand is to help their salons stand out from the crowd in what is a highly condensed market. Creating a strong brand identity and putting this out towards potential your audience will help your salon stand out from the crowd and then hopefully drive more customers to choose your salon rather than another in your area.

Helps you connect with your Customers

As well as helping your salon stand out from the crowd and therefore encourage more customers to choose you, building a good brand for your salon also helps  you connect with the customers. Creating a recognisable brand for your salon will help you establish a connection with your customers and help drive things including communication with your customers and help drive brand loyalty from them.

Increase Profit

Your salon having a consistent and recognisable brand will also help drive sales and increase profit. This is because customers will know exactly what to expect when getting a service at  your salon and this consistency will drive them to continuously come back and also recommend your salon to their friends and family.

How to Build a Brand

One of the easiest ways to build your salon brand is to utilise social media platforms such as Facebook and Instagram to do this. Here are some of the key things that will help you build your brand on these sites.

Consistency

One thing that will help when you’re trying to build your brand using social media is consistency with what you’re doing.  Whether that be consistently posting to your feed or making sure you’re always communicating with your followers. If you’re consistently doing something this will make it easier for your target audience to notice this and will therefore help you start to build your desired brand.

Uniqueness

Another thing that will help you build your brand is to try and base this of something unique about your business. For example, if you’re a family ran salon, base your brand around this. You could do posts about how you decided to open your salon, the process of doing this as a family and also share other family run business related content. This will help set you apart from other salons and therefore mean that more customers will likely choose you over your competitors.

 

If you would like any more information on anything discussed in this blog or if you would like to get booked in for a free demonstration and two week trial of the system please don’t hesitate to give us a call on 0113 350 8230 or email us at info@salontracker.co.uk.

 

Salon Tracker x

Our different packages

 Our different packages 

At Salon Tracker we aim to make a day in your salon as stress free as possible with our packages. Our standard, professional and enterprise packages all help manage your salon in the best way possible with all the features included.

Here are some of the features we are offering in our professional package:

SMS Booking reminders and No-show booking alerts

Sending reminders to customers is proven to reduce no shows and who doesn’t want that? Having the reminders sent out is a way to have proof of the booking, but also an agreement. A clear message of the time and date reduces miscommunication between salon and customer and the chance of the booking to be forgotten. The No show booking alerts help manage bookings and see which customers have the most no shows, so the salon has the opportunity to send extra alerts to those customers.

Stock Management

Managing stock is very important in a salon, knowing what stock you have and what you have sold is part of managing a business. Through stock management you can also input the trade and retail price of a product, making it much easier to track profit and your best-selling items. This helps you understand what your customers want to buy so you can provide the desired products, and in turn sell more and make more profit.

Here are some of the features in our enterprise package:

Online bookings

Getting all the bookings available for your salons is very important to us, and the online booking feature will do just that. This feature means you can take bookings whenever and wherever, this is important as many people can’t get into salons to book, but if booking online is available people will be more likely to book because of the convince of it. Also, online bookings increase the number of new customers, the easier it is to book, the more likely people are to book.

Custom business reports

This feature makes analysing your data so much easier with our custom business reports which are located under reports. These reports show all sales, discounts, and refunds within the selected time period that have been made by a staff member, as well as more custom reports for example when you’re busiest and quietest months are using the annual booking chart. Through this you can make sale predictions and also track the growth of your business.

 

These features make managing a business a lot easier, our professional and enterprise packages are ideal for growing and successful businesses.

Salon Tracker x

 

How to Grow your Salon Business!

 

The Salon industry is one of the fastest growing in the UK showing a growth of 54% in the number of businesses in the 5 years up to 2020. Though this slowed down due to the pandemic, this industry has seemingly bounced back after the lockdown and is on the rise again.

To make sure your salon is taking advantage of this and growing with the rest of your industry, here are some of our top tips and tricks to push growth in you Salon.

 

Utilise Social Media

If you’re running a salon, social media such as Facebook and Instagram should be your best friend. These platforms are great ways to communicate with your customers and also promote your salon for free. By sharing before and after photos of your work on social media you can show people who may have not been to your salon the type of work you do and encourage them to come in for an appointment. This means you can use social media to grow your customer base.

Social media is also a great way to communicate and interact with your existing customers with many salon customers saying they feel more comfortable going into a salon where they can see the workers personality and communicate with them online.

A final use for social media is to run things such as competitions. You could run a competition for a free retail product or a free appointment and get entrants to share the post and tag some friends. This would mean that your customers are doing the free marketing for you and sharing your business with their friends.

If you want some more tips on how social media can help your salon, go to www.salontracker.co.uk/news and search for social media and you will be able to see all of the blogs we have done on this topic.

Reward Loyal Clients

As well as wanting new customers in your salon, client retention is important too and what better way to do this than to reward your most loyal clients. One way Salon Tracker can help you do this is with our groups feature. This feature allows you to add your customers into specific groups, for example a VIP customer group, and you can give them a set discount on bookings and retail products.

You can also do offers such as buy one get one free and buy 5 for the price of 4 which the system can help you track. Give us a call to see how this could work for you.

Ask for Reviews

Another way you can grow your salons customer base is to ask your existing customers to leave you reviews on platforms such as Facebook, Google or YELL. Having reviews from verified customers of your salon will help shed good light on what your salon offers. One way Salon Tracker can help you encourage your clients to leave you a review is with our ‘request a review’ feature which sends a text to your customers after their appointment asking them to leave a review on whichever site that you prefer.

 

If you would like any more information on the features detailed in this blog or if you would like to get booked in for a free demonstration and two-week trial, please don’t hesitate to give us a call on 0113 350 8230 or email info@salontracker.co.uk.

 

Salon Tracker x