4 Innovative Salon Marketing Ideas to Attract New Salon Clients

Want to attract more new salon clients, and engage the ones you have? Here are four innovative salon marketing ideas that can help. 

When it comes to attracting new clients, many salons focus on trying to convince new salon clients that their services are superior to comparative services offered by competitors; but to differentiate your salon from competitors, you need to be different – not just better at the same things.  Here are 4 innovative salon marketing ideas that could give your salon a true competitive edge. 

Few US cities have more salons than potential salon clients, so competition between salons in any given community may only be indirect. Nevertheless, whether for competitive advantage, unique value proposition or pride of accomplishment, many salon owners try to excel at the same services that clients could purchase at any salon in their city.

Being the best at one’s craft is a worthwhile pursuit; however, it may not lead to competitive advantage or provide your salon with a compelling reason that new clients should try your services or switch to your salon.

Ultimately to get your share – and more – of new clients in your market, you must differentiate in order to create compelling selling points.  To differentiate, by definition, means that your salon must be different – unique compared to the rest of the field in your community.

If you are looking for a way to differentiate your salon in order to create compelling value propositions that enable you to attract new clients to grow your salon, we invite you to consider these four truly innovative salon marketing ideas. 

Attract New Clients with these 4 Innovative Salon Marketing Ideas

1.  Get ahead of the competition.

Ideally, the people that live in your community would be aware of your salon business by the time they are looking for a salon or hair stylist and your salon would be one of the first that they research or call for an appointment.  To build mind share for your brand with future salon clients:

  • Be involved in your community, specifically:  in civic and charitable endeavors and take part in city networking groups (Chamber of Commerce, etc.)
  • Take part in summer street fairs, college and high school job fairs, and holiday bazaars
  • Get nominated and get brand exposure for your salon in “best of” city and magazine contests
  • Host “queen for a day” events to serve deserving or needy members of your local community
  • Hold charitable events in support of local community needs, national catastrophes or tragedies to garner press and community attention
  • Revolutionize perceptions by creating a one-of-a-kind salon atmosphere or offering products or services other salons haven’t thought of yet

2.  Provide personal consultations and recommendations online.

Actually the inspiration for this article was a service we found  at Keaton Row that salons should inspire to replicate.  Keaton Row is a fashion startup that specializes in personal styling. They connect women with trained personal stylists who help them create unique, fashion forward, customized wardrobes.

  • Use social networks, email marketing and your website to get connected with women in your community who have questions about their hair, makeup, nails or skin and provide them with expert answers and recommendations.
  • Create collections of looks that could be achieved with clients who have certain lengths or types of hair, or a collage of different makeup combinations shown based on skin tones or eye color.

3.  Take personal styling one step further.

Building on this idea of becoming a true personal styling consultant, partner with a boutique clothing retailer or fashionista to create true makeover and personal styling consultative services which can be promoted across your social networks as well as marketed to civic organizations and clubs that cater to likely members of your target audiences.

4.  Take the high price out of high fashion. 

If the members of your target markets are not likely to respond to services that provide them with high fashion if high cost is the price, take a lesson from Style Magazine and others which feature low cost alternatives that are similar to the looks consumers see their favorite movie stars wearing on the pages of fashion magazines. Create marketing artwork that highlights the affordable price that you can offer to help them achieve high-priced celebrity looks!

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As a salon professional, your true value proposition lies in what you bring to the table that no one else can offer, and it’s the same for a salon business.  Differentiate your salon by realizing the true benefits that you can provide in the lives – not just the looks – of your clients! 

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Elizabeth Kraus is the author of the 2015 Salon Marketing Calendar  called “Making the Cut.” Written just for Independent Beauty Professionals, Making the Cut has hundreds of low-cost and no-cost marketing ideas which can help booth renters, salon suite owners, salon owners and salon managers engage, motivate and retain more clients in 2015!