You’ve probably noticed how strong salon businesses have become after the pandemic. We’ve realized the importance of having a safe space where trustworthy professionals will do everything in their power to make us feel and look good.

One of the most important factors in building a successful salon is understanding your ideal client profile. By knowing who your target audience is, you can create promotions and services tailored to their specific needs and preferences.

Let’s up your game and explore this guide to 20 proven salon promotion ideas to help you boost your business!

Hair Salon Promotion Ideas

#1: Increase Visibility on Google

Before diving into any other salon marketing ideas, make sure you’ve got the basics covered, that is, ensure that you optimize your salon visibility on Google. 

Try searching “salon near me” on Google, if your salon doesn’t show up, you’ll need to tackle that issue so as to start appearing to potential new customers. Make sure you’re searching while actually near your area so you get real results!

1. Create a Google My Business listing: This free tool allows you to create a business profile that appears in Google search results and Google Maps. Add all relevant information about your salon, such as your address, phone number, business hours, and photos.
   
2. Website SEO: optimize your website for search engines by including relevant keywords in your website’s content and metadata. This will help Google understand what your website is about and make it easier for potential clients to find you. At FJ, we can optimize your SEO at record time and at no great cost!
   
3. Build backlinks to your website: Backlinks are links from other websites that point to your website. The more high-quality backlinks your website has, the more likely it is to appear higher in Google search results.

#2: Define an Email and SMS Marketing Strategy

Think about what you want to achieve with your email or SMS marketing campaign. Do you want to promote a new service or product or attract new clients? Defining your goals will help you determine the focus of your email campaigns.

Your email content should provide value to your clients, such as exclusive promotions, tips for maintaining healthy hair, or sneak peeks of new services or products. Make sure your content is relevant to your audience and reflects the personality of your salon. 

Here are some examples you can use for email marketing and/or SMS marketing:

1. a newsletter to keep clients in touch with your salon
2. a thank-you message to new clients
3. happy birthday greetings
4. reminders when they haven’t been in for a hair appointment in awhile
5. reminders about hair product inventory

Email marketing and SMS marketing can be two of the most effective methods of marketing and it’s pretty easy to maintain.

#3: Create or Revamp your Salon’s Website

Your website will give people their first impression of your salon, so it is important to make a particularly good one. Also, people will tend to follow your brand and trust your product if you present an attractive, user-friendly, well developed website.

You can use your page to offer online booking, upsell your services, and promote your products.

Make sure you’re website has:

• Relevant and high-quality content
• Title tags and meta descriptions
• Well-structured website architecture
• Clear and descriptive URLs
• Mobile responsiveness
• Fast loading speed 
• Internal and external linking 
• Social media integration
• Images and videos

Need a stunning website for your salon? Check out our web design services for hair salons.

#4:  Set Up Your Salon on Social Media

Social media is another must when it comes to promoting your business.
Post your work and share your news and products with your clients. It will also be a great channel to engage with your followers, as well as provide advice with quick tips, how-to-use videos, and tutorials. Make sure to share high-quality photos.

In order to be successful with social media, you need a proper strategy. 
First of all, consider your salon’s target audience and which platforms they are most active on.

You can rely on different platforms such as:

• Instagram 
• Facebook
• Snapchat
• TikTok 
• Pinterest

Second, share high-quality content, which is relevant and valuable to your audience, such as photos of your salon and your work, promotions, and tips for hair care. Make sure your content is visually appealing.

Third, engage with your followers. Make sure to respond to comments and messages from your followers. This will help build relationships and encourage loyalty.

Fourth, use hashtags. These can help increase the visibility of your posts and help you reach new followers. Use relevant hashtags that accurately describe your content. (Check out #9)

Fifth, use social media to run contests and promotions. (Check out #16)

Sixth, monitor your results. Use social media analytics tools to track your results. This information is key to adjust your strategy and improve your results over time.

#5: Link Your Social Media to Your Salon’s Website

Instagram is one of the best places to promote your salon, and if used properly, you can really boost your website’s visits via this platform.

Have a link in your salon’s Instagram bio that connects to your website, and to your online booking system. People who follow you will have an easy way to contact you and book an appointment!

#6: Define your Salon Brand

Another great way to ensure you retain happy clients is by defining your brand.
Your brand will communicate who you are, and what sets you apart from other salons. Your brand should clearly and honestly say what’s your particular story – what’s it about you that is so unique and special.

Your brand will allow you to charge higher prices and will also promote word-of-mouth marketing.

It’s also important to understand your Customer Lifetime Value (CLV), as it helps you assess how much each customer is worth to your business over the long term.

By calculating your CLV, you can better plan your marketing strategies and allocate your resources effectively to retain loyal clients while maximizing profitability (use our CLV calculator).

You’ll need to:

• Understand your target audience to help you create a brand that resonates with them.
• Consider the personality traits you want your salon to convey. Is it friendly, edgy, or luxurious? Your brand personality should be consistent across all your marketing channels.
• Create a brand voice which will set the tone and language you use to communicate with your clients.
• Choose your branding elements such as your logo, color scheme, typography, and imagery. Make sure these elements accurately reflect your brand personality and appeal to your clients.
• Develop a brand message which should be a concise statement that communicates what your salon stands for and the value you provide to your clients.
• Be consistent so as to build a strong brand. Make sure your branding elements, messaging, and tone are consistent across all your marketing channels.

#7: Booking Appointment Options

As well as the traditional phone appointment and walk-ins, you need to give your clients other alternative booking options. This way you’re opening several different ways to lead people to your door.

Always ask your clients when they want to book their next appointment once they are in the salon and have gotten their hair done. You can then follow up via email and SMS.

Here are some alternative booking options:

1. Online booking through your website or a mobile app.
2. Phone booking can be a good option for clients who prefer to speak with a person and ask questions about services or availability.
3. Group booking which allows clients to book appointments for multiple people at once, such as for a bridal party or group of friends.
4. Subscription booking can offer clients a subscription-based booking option, where they pay a monthly fee for a set number of services or appointments per month.
5. Prepaid booking offers clients the option to prepay for their appointments. This can help reduce no-shows and cancellations.
6. Customized booking offers clients the ability to customize their appointments, such as by choosing specific services, stylists, or time slots. This can help increase client satisfaction and loyalty.

#8: Ask your clients to leave Reviews

Always ask your clients to leave a review after their service. You can be totally honest and tell them that their opinion really matters and is a big help to your business.

Positive reviews can help boost your salon’s visibility on Google. Encourage your clients to leave reviews on your Google My Business listing or other review sites, such as Yelp or Facebook.

#9: Make the most of Instagram’s Stories & Hashtags

Instagram stories are great for your social media strategy – especially for short-term promotions. They create a need of urgency which makes your clients wish to stay tuned to your channel and take up on your offer.

Hashtags are also essential to attract the right kind of crowd – in your case, you’ll be looking for new local clients, so try using relevant words and phrases which will directly relate to your community.

Here are some Instagram Stories ideas to boost interaction with your clients:

• Share behind-the-scenes to give a glimpse of your salon carrying out its daily activities.
• Share before-and-after photos or videos of your clients’ hair or beauty transformations.
• Share testimonials from satisfied clients on your Stories.
• Share promotions and discounts on services or retail products.
• Share educational content such as tips for hair care or beauty routines.
• Host Q&A sessions on your Stories, where you answer questions from your audience.
• Host contests and giveaways on your Stories, such as a free service or product for one lucky winner.

#10: Be Social and Environmentally-conscious

Being environmentally conscious is becoming more important in marketing, not only as it’s on trend, but people actually look for businesses that care about the environment.

Use eco-friendly products, work with local NGOs by offering your salon to host their events or by joint-publicizing, and support minority-owned businesses.

#11: Leverage Seasonal Events

Holidays and special dates are key to increase the relevance of salon promotions.
Use these seasonal events to plan ahead and offer different services according to the context.

You can create seasonal services that are tailored to the time of year, such as a pumpkin spice facial in the fall or a beach wave hairstyle in the summer.

Another possibility is to offer promotions and discounts for seasonal services or products. For example, you could offer a discount on a summer pedicure during the months of June through August.

Host seasonal events in your salon, such as a holiday open house or a summer beauty bash. This can help build community and create a fun and festive atmosphere in your salon. (Check out #12)

Don’t forget to create seasonal content for your website and social media channels, and decorate your salon to reflect the season, with seasonal colors or decorations.

#12: Host an Event and Offer Workshops

Hosting an event at your salon is perfect to get publicity. You can even invite another business to borrow your salon for their event,  this way you allow new people to get to know your business.

You can also offer beauty and grooming related classes or workshops at your salon, while partnering with other local businesses. This is excellent for upgrading your salon’s image and can help build community and create a fun and inclusive atmosphere in your salon.

Always rely on your website and social media to share information on what event or workshop you’ll be carrying out.

#13: Work with Influencers

Hiring an influencer to help you promote your brand will guarantee greater outreach.
Most businesses will work together with influencers, because these engage the best with their followers.

Start with a local influencer, which will not only help you towards becoming involved locally, but also because it will lead to reaching out to potential clients and people who can actually get to know you by simply stopping by on their way to do the groceries.

#14: Include Add-On Express Services

Another great idea is to include well-thought of, practical, luscious services to add to your client’s experience at your salon.

It doesn’t need to be complicated and it shouldn’t take too much of your time – but you can include some extra offers to enhance your services.

Examples could include express manicures, eyebrow shaping, or a quick blow-dry.

You’ll need to train your staff so they may perform the new add-on services effectively.

Also keep track of how many customers are booking the new add-on services and how much revenue they generate. Use this information to refine your marketing and pricing strategies.

#15: Offer Packages

Although you do always want to get new clients, you should never forget to retain your existing ones. A great way to retain loyal clients is to offer packages. So instead of just offering a one-off service, you sell packages with several services which your clients can redeem over a certain time.

Clients will stay loyal, and this way you generate some upfront revenue for your business.

Consider creating package deals that include your standard services along with one or more of your add-on services. This can incentivize customers to try out the new services while also receiving a discount.

#16: Offer Gift cards, Promotions and Competitions

Be creative! People love receiving free experiences and products.

Offering gift cards is a great idea, but it’s even better if you have an e-commerce platform to manage sales and delivery seamlessly (check out our Ecommerce Marketing Agency).

You can also think of fun contests to promote on social media, engaging with your customers to keep them connected with your brand.

Here are some promotion Ideas:

• Free hair cuts for the client with the most referrals
• Share a gift card to the most consistent of your clients 
• Set up a drawing for a gift set of products
• Get new salon clients with creative activities

#17: Create a Tour Video

A salon tour video is perfect for attracting new clients who still havent’ had the opportunity to visit your business. This way, you can show a glimpse of what your place, staff and services look like, in a fun, creative way!

The good thing is – you don’t need an expensive production, though it must be as authentic as possible. You can then upload it to youtube and embed it on your website.

Pro-tips:

1. Use a high-quality camera or smartphone to film your shots.
2. Add music and voiceover. The music should be upbeat and reflect the vibe of your salon. The voiceover should describe the different areas of your salon and the services you offer. Then edit as needed.
3. Do not forget to include your salon’s logo and branding in the video to help reinforce your brand identity. (Check out #6)

#18: Give away Product Samples

Offer product samples to your clients such as sachets or mini-sized products.

Clients love to get free-samples – just make sure to hand them out after your client’s decided on which product to purchase from your business. This way you won’t risk your client coming for the samples only and not end up buying.

#19: Tell your own story

Think about what makes your salon unique. Turn it into a story, and  reach out to local papers and magazines and ask them to write about you.

Local papers want local stories, so try being as authentic and real as possible. A successful story means a successful business.

#20: Street Visibility

Although online marketing is essential to promoting your salon, you must never forgo the more traditional way. People who walk by your salon either live or work nearby, so make sure they know you’re there!

Your salon window is an advertising space – use it well. You’ll need to make it stand out, so make it attractive! You can capture passersby with cool lighting, good music and fresh smelling scents.

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As you can see, there are several ways to upgrade your marketing strategy. Some might be quite basic, others a bit more creative which need a bit of out-of-the box thinking. 

At the end of the day, they are all key to ensuring your business flourishes and stands out!