Do you want to implement a salon marketing strategy that brings your hair salon more leads?

The best salon marketing strategies that take your brand to the customer and makes their experience natural and seamless. 

In this article we will be discussing:

-Strategy 1: Find your Target Audience

-Strategy 2: The Buyer’s Journey

-Strategy 3: Keyword Research

-Strategy 4: Have a Goal-Oriented Website

–Strategy 5: Google Ads

-Strategy 6: Content Creation

–Strategy 7: Directories

-Strategy 8: Social Media Marketing

–Strategy 9: In-Person Marketing

Strategy 1: Find your Target Audience

Finding the target audience of Hair Salons is usually pretty easy. 

Think of the average age, gender, and income status of those who frequent your salon and you have most likely found your target audience. 

Your most common clients are the people you want to be talking to in your salon marketing strategies. 

The most important thing to know about your target audience is what their specific deeply felt need is. 

If you can discover this need and meet it every time they visit your shop, they’ll come back again and again. 

An example of this is, Janet is a 35- year old middle class woman with two kids and a full-time job. Janet values her personal appearance but finds it difficult to make time to come to the salon. 

Her deeply felt need is to look professional around her peers and have it done in a quick and convenient manner. 

Strategy 2: The Buyer’s Journey

Your clients have certain expectations about how this journey will unfold. If you meet and exceed their expectations, they will buy with you. 

On the other hand, if the journey they must go through to book an appointment with you is frustrating, they will book with someone who makes it easier. 

To fully understand this journey, you must put yourself in the shoes of your target audience. 

While Janet is on the go, she realizes she has an extra hour to spare in her schedule and quickly looks up “hair salon near me” on Google.

Janet expects to find convenient place listings for a nearby salon. She expects to click on this listing, find a well-maintained and beautiful website that allows her to schedule an appointment with ease. 

Upon arriving, Janet expects that the experience will not make her already stressful life more stressful. She wants to leave feeling rejuvenated, pampered, and confident. 

After all, this could be the only hour she gets to herself all week. 

If you can meet Janet’s deeply felt needs and fulfill the expectations she has for her buyer’s journey, you’ll win a long-term client and fan.

Strategy 3: Keyword Research

So where do you find your Janet?

Instead of guessing where she might be, softwares like Google Ads Keyword Planner and SEM Rush will tell you. 

These programs track how many times each month keywords are searched on Google. They provide and sort data from who clicked, when they clicked, where they clicked, and what they clicked.

You make think “millennial hair salons” or “upscale hair salons” are great keywords to target with content or advertising but if they’re only searched 10 times a month in your area you won’t be getting a return on your investment anytime soon. 

You goal while doing keyword research is to find the best SEO keywords for hair salons. Some keywords are just better than others. 

Doing proper keyword research will tell you what your audience is looking for so you can include it in your offerings, your advertising campaigns, content strategy, technical website SEO, etc. 

Strategy 4: Have a Goal-Oriented Website

Most of our clients unknowingly believe that if they have a beautiful website, they also have an EFFECTIVE website. This is not the case. 

Many beautiful websites accomplish little to nothing when it comes to generating leads for businesses. 

Your goal is to have a website that is both beautiful and extremely efficient at capturing leads. 

“An effective website will conform to your target audience’s expectations while also controlling the decisions your viewers take” 

The most important element of your website’s user experience is to include clearly visible offers and call to action buttons throughout the site. You want that button ready to connect you to that person immediately and directly. The more you minimize friction with a potential lead, the better chance you have at making a sale!

Typically you should have a primary button that allows website viewers to book an appointment quickly and easily (in exchange for name, email, and phone number of course). 

Including a secondary offer that requires less commitment can also be very effective for collecting contact information (sign-up right now and get your 10% discount count and your free brochure!) 

Also make sure to create pages on your website that target high search volume keywords that you found during your keyword research. 

Example: If you found millennial hair salon to be a large search term in your area, consider creating a page title Best Millenial Hair Salon in [Denver]. Include this keyword in your SEO title, meta tags, meta description, and in the web page’s URL slug. 

Here are some other user experience tips we have used to get salons lots and lots of leads. 

• Include the logos of any publications you’ve been featured in.
• Include a virtual tour of your salon as your hero banner or in a section titled virtual tour. 
• Include before and after pictures of satisfied clients with their testimonial and star rating. 

• Drop ship your products directly from your website to your customers door. 
• Continually run tests on your website’s lead generation strategies and optimize them to get even better results. 

Check out our blog 7 Lead Generation Marketing Strategies: The Ultimate Beginner’s Guide to Increase Profit to learn the in-depth process of lead generation. 

Find Out How We Can Help Grow Your Business

Let’s discuss your marketing needs, and we’ll help you put together a digital marketing strategy that will generate more leads and save you time.

Book a Demo

Find out how we can boost your traffic, leads and sales!

Strategy 5: Google Ads

Google Ads allow business owners to purchase highly targeted advertising in almost any quantity. 

When setting up your Google Ads Account, do some Google searches to find the ads of your competitors. 

Look at the best and worst elements of these ads and make yours better. 

Be sure to fill in every available space in your ads & extensions. This will make your ads more eye catching and more likely to be placed at the top of the Google SERPs (Search Engine Results Placements).

Also be sure you are very selective with the keywords you use to target. Only use keywords that show an intent to purchase.

Strategy 6: Content Creation

Similar to Google Ads, Keyword research is crucial when creating content. 

Many business owners make the mistake of writing about whatever happens to cross their mind.

Begin with keywords you already know have monthly search traffic. Let the keywords choose your topic and phraseology of titles.

Write your posts to be no less than 2,000 words.

By giving Google Searchers the best available information, you are increasing your likelihood of ranking #1 and BLOWING UP your website traffic.

For more awesome content on how to write excellent blogs that get you more business, check out any of the free blogs or videos put out by Backlinko.com.  

Strategy 7: Directories

In our experience working with salons and spas, you can get lower cost per leads through target advertising (Like Google Ads) than through paid directory listings. 

For this reason, we usually suggest you sign-up and claim any and all directory listings you can get for free (Like Yelp), or relatively low prices. Then invest your advertising dollars into paid ads to get your business some quick leads. 

There are two main things to keep in mind when filling out your directory listings.

1. Use the EXACT same NAPs (Name, Address, Phone) in every directory listing. This includes Google My Business and your website. Google will derank your business if you show up with different NAPs all over the internet. 
2. Fill out every field available. Make sure you are expanding all of those closed tabs with more fields hidden. Creating a fully filled out profile may just get you a top rank in the directory itself. 

The last thing to consider is to incentivize your in-store clients to leave a review on your Google My Business listing. You might keep a sign at your checkout stand that offers a XX% OFF Coupon if they leave a review on your Google My Business (Make it easy for them to find you by giving them a link, etc).  

Strategy 8: Social Media Marketing

Your hair salon email list is the most valuable thing your business owns. Anyone browsing Facebook is a Facebook customer (Even if they are on your Facebook page!). Anyone browsing your website is YOUR customer. 

The easiest way to capture contact information from potential customers is by getting them on your website and asking for their information. 

This means the #1 goal of social media is to get people to your website. This is where you generate your leads and build your mailing lists.

ALWAYS link your social media accounts to your website, then direct your following to your site through those links. 

Example: If you love the products you’re seeing here, you’re really going to love the free discount coupons we’re giving away on our website! Check it out now! → LINK” 

Another great way to engage your customers on social media is by setting up an “Insta-Friendly” Space in Your Salon. Utilize platforms such as Instagram, Facebook, and Pinterest to boost your branding efforts. 

Strategy 9: In-person Marketing

Of course, marketing for hair salons is not only done online. 

Below are some strategies you can use in person. 

Additional Offline Tips to remember in store. 

• Always Re-Book Salon Clients During the Visit. Once they leave your store it will be much harder to get another commitment from them.

• If you want to sell additional products, mention them early and often. Work discussion of the products you love most into the natural conversation with clients. By mentioning these products early and often, when it’s time to suggest that they take some home with them, they’ve already become comfortable with the product and considered the purchase. Train your staff to use the “early and often” technique and you will see upsells increase. 

• Collect Email Addresses from walk ins. Never let a single person end an interaction with your business without getting their name, email address, and phone number.
• Utilize loyalty programs or punch cards to incentivize your customers to return.
• Offer Referral Discounts. Referral discounts are a great way to incentivize your customers to bring their friends in. “Bring a friend and get your hair cute XX% off” will reward your fans to bring a friend with them next time. 

• Enter Local Win-Win Partnerships. If you specialize in hair, make a partnership with other local businesses that share your target audience. Consider setting up a referral partnership with a local spa. 

Once you have your Names, emails and phone numbers rolling in, make sure to use them. 

• Send all kinds of goodies to your fans to make them love you more. 
• Give them a coupon that expires in 48 hours to boost business. 
• Promise to give them an extra stamp on their card next time they come in. 
• Let them know about new products you have been enjoying and offer a link back to your site so they can see it themselves. 

You can set these emails to go out automatically. Try to stick to one email a week and be sure to always add value to your customer. Your email campaigns won’t work if your audience feels like you only email them when you want something. 

You can also consider sending SMS messages out to supplement your email strategy. Consider automatically sending a three day follow up message that says something like, 

“Hey, ___ here from _____ Salon. I just wanted to make sure you are still loving your haircut after seeing it for a couple days. Come on in if you feel it needs any little changes and we will take care of it!”  

That just about sums up this list of the 9 best salon marketing strategies for hair salons. 

What strategy did you find most helpful? 

Let us know in the comments