Salon Client Experience Puts These 4 Marketing Ideas in the Spotlight

No matter the industry, the best in the business usually get there by doing something that others won’t do. Here are four great examples of salons and spas providing over-the-top client experiences in order to grow.

What are you doing that your competitors are not? If you can’t think of anything, then it could be a big problem, because this is your point of difference.

 

What’s the One Reason Clients Should Do Business with You?

Without a clear point of difference (sometimes called differentiation), you can’t give clients a legitimate reason why they should choose to do business with you instead of your competitors. A strong point of difference acts as a “unique selling proposition” or USP (or “unique value proposition” or UVP). And it is your unique selling proposition – that thing that you do that competitors can’t, or won’t – that is the one big reason clients should choose your salon over other salons in your area.

It’s Not Easy to Clearly Set Your Business Apart

Look, I get it. It’s hard enough to run a salon or spa well and provide a high level of customer care and client services. But even when you hit that mark, it’s important to remember that you are only meeting client expectations at that point, not exceeding them. And it is at the point that you exceed customer expectations – surprise them in some way that is meaningful and positive – that you hit the magic point of differentiation and create a unique value, or unique selling proposition, that you can hang your hat on as the one big reason people should choose you over the competition.

If It Were Easy Everyone Would Do It

Lots of people start salons, work behind the chair, rent space, lease salon suites, provide consultations, competently execute hair or skin care services, sell salon and spa retail products, and so on. It’s not that those things are easy per se; however, they are easy enough that lots of people get that far.

Very few businesses truly differentiate their businesses from competitors in ways that actually matter to their clients and target markets. It’s not easy. If it were easy, everyone would do it. But I did find some examples of salons and spas that found their way to a point of difference, and used it to put their businesses on the map.

Spa and Salon Marketing: 4 Ways to Improve the Client Experience

Be More Than They Expected

The Shreveport Times put the spotlight on La Spa, the spa at Eldorado Resort Casino in Shreveport. Spa manager Vicky Bean said that clients are often surprised at how many options are available to them, “There are enough options available that guests can easily spend an entire day enjoying the facilities.”

Offering extended service options and add-on packages can up your average ticket over and over without selling – it’s like asking clients if they want a medium or a large. If they perceive the ‘large’ to be the better value, it’s going to be easy for choose. Likewise, having a salon or spa menu that surprises the client with new or time-limited services or really unique service options gives them a reason to come back again to try something new.

Be Surprisingly Convenient

Noting that spas and salons are springing up in airports worldwide, financialexpress.com offers up not just one but two ideas for improving the client experience in their article, Airport Spas are Taking Off. First is the idea of convenience. Clients expect you to tell them when you have openings. They may not be expecting you to ask what would work best for them. Even long-time clients may have schedule changes that make their long standing appointment times inconvenient. Be sure that you periodically survey clients as to whether their appointment times are convenient, and be as accommodating as you are able to when they need to reschedule. Remember: if they can’t get in with you, they might go somewhere else.

Be Surprisingly Knowledgeable

The same article points out that the estheticians in airport spas don’t just offer standard services. They are aware of the unique stresses and fatigues that go along with traveling, and they address common traveler needs with specific services. “Since spa therapists are well trained in human body anatomy which helps them understand the stress points of the traveler, it allows them to provide instant relief and relaxation to the guest.”

How well do you know your clients? How surprised would your client be if – the next time they visited – some part of their service was tailored to their lifestyle or regional environment? By using your knowledge of what is best not only for their hair or skin in general, but specifically what might benefit them based on their profession, lifestyle, environment or some other factor, you can knock your clients socks off by being surprisingly smart – about them.

Be Connecting Health and Beauty

Wellness – not just beauty – is at the heart and soul of the techniques and education for salon and spa professionals. In Travel Weekly, the article All is Wellness points out that “wellness has moved way beyond the niche market of yoga retreats and fitness camps” informing and redefining a variety of businesses, including luxury hotels, salons, spas, and more.

Instead of talking about style or beauty benefits, try spending a whole week talking about your retail and backbar products only in terms of wellness. Instantly, when you focus on wellness and health, “selling” becomes prescribing.

Post social updates with information about diet, exercise, healthy recipes, foods, etc. Add information to your salon or spa website about health and wellness benefits of your products and services. Cite research that points to the connection between wellness and beauty.

Consumers in general are increasingly conscious of wanting to make good choices when it comes to what goes into – or onto – their bodies, and that goes for hair and skin care products too. In addition to moving the conversation from technical benefits to wellness, you might also be able to boost retail revenues by adding health and wellness products that help promote healthy skin and hair – or even more. Vitamins, cold and hot wraps, aromatherapy candles and room sprays, vitamin-infused wearables, lip balms, lotions and sunscreens, even snacks, foods or beverages. Items like these are good for your clients and they are good for the financial health of your business since they can help you increase average ticket and percentage of retail vs. service revenue.

***

Elizabeth Kraus is the author of the 2015 Salon Marketing Calendar  called “Making the Cut.”  This year’s calendar is specifically geared to help independent beauty pros (salon suite owners, booth renters, estheticians, stylists and others) build a book of business, even if there is little money in the budget for marketing.

Written just for Independent Beauty Professionals, Making the Cut has hundreds of low-cost and no-cost marketing ideas to booth renters, salon suite owners, salon owners and salon managers engage, motivate and retain more clients in 2015!

1 reply
  1. Beauty Cosmetic
    Beauty Cosmetic says:

    In beauty salon the main goal is to satisfied a customer by service of your salon.the main thing for salon is to give proper and convenient service provide to user so that customer itself becomes your marketing equipment. if he or she happy then she brings more customer with her to your salon. so its one type of self marketing.

Comments are closed.