Marketing 101 with Catalina, Slick’s Content Manager

Back to the basics: why is marketing important for your business?

“The biggest mistake that most salon owners make is thinking that the diaries will fill themselves. They won’t.” - Mark Caswell, Birmingham

As a marketeer, I know how mind-boggling marketing can be. From choosing your branding to how you communicate with your clients, it feels like there’s lots you can be doing but there aren’t enough hours in the day! In this blog post, I’ll cover why marketing is vital for your business, as well as share my top marketing tips and tricks

Marketing isn’t a nice-to-have, it’s essential if you want to get bums on seats and for your business to thrive.

This is a golden opportunity to showcase what you can offer your clients and how amazing your business is so why hold your business back?

With the UK hair and beauty industry being worth an estimated £8 billion* and the creation of more platforms to promote your business on, the market is becoming increasingly competitive.

This means that you need to keep on top of your marketing now more than ever if you want to be seen, but more importantly to:

1. Attract new clients
2. Win new clients
3. Retain clients

…and more!

Before we dive into how exactly marketing can help in these areas of your business, let’s debunk some myths about marketing…

‍

‘We don’t need marketing, our clients shout about us.’

A survey showed that 72% of consumers say positive Google Business reviews make them trust a local business more than they may have otherwise**.

While word of mouth might seem like the most effective way to attract new clients, you can reach a much wider audience at the touch of a button using various marketing channels.

It’s no good waiting for a happy client to recommend you to a friend over coffee when you could be reaching hundreds, if not thousands, of people with online reviews.

You can maximise your reach and build brand trust through handy tools like Google Business reviews.

‍

‘I already invest money in my salon, why should I spend more money on marketing?!’

Did you know for every £1 spent on marketing you will receive £40 back? This is not a cost, this is in an investment in your business.

Yes, it’s great to invest in things like a nice backsplash, personalised neon signs, the latest hair styling tools etc, but what use are all these wonderful things if there aren’t any clients in your salon?!

By using marketing to get bums on seats, not only will you get clients to visit your salon but you will increase your average bill.

For example, if we increase occupancy by 20%, what does that do to our turnover?

Look at the chart to the right - the figures speak for themselves!

‍

Even global brands like L’Oréal and McDonald’s need to do marketing!

Did you know what L’Oréal and McDonald’s both have in common? They both do marketing! Don’t believe me?

Here are some mind-blowing stats on their marketing spend:

• Both brands set aside 2-5% of their budget each year just for marketing

• McDonald’s spent approximately $654.7 million on advertising worldwide in 2020***
• L’Oréal spent approximately £8 billion on advertising and promotions worldwide in 2021***

If such global, well-known brands need to do marketing, so do we!

Now I know not everyone has the same budget as these brands to spend on marketing (wouldn’t we love to!), but this doesn’t mean that you can’t ace your marketing strategy! Want to know how?

Let’s get down to the nitty-gritty of marketing!

It’s impossible to keep track of ALL of your clients and give them your undivided attention, especially when you’re busy juggling scissors, phones, nail files etc. You’re a human not a robot!

This is why it’s so important to your ace marketing strategy!

‍

By using the right marketing tools, you can:

• automate your marketing to free up your time
• target your dream clients
• get bums on seats

…and the best bit? You get to spend more time doing what you love!

‍

Are you using the right marketing channels to promote your business?

With so many options to choose from, it’s difficult to know which one is right for your business. Let me break it down for you!

Different types of marketing channels and the pros and cons:

Want to know how you can give clients the attention they deserve without having to remember to do so? I’m here to tell you how!

‍

Check out my top marketing tips and how Slick Marketing can help you to:

‍

1) Build your brand

Slick offers FREE marketing advice and guidance from our Education Team as part of your subscription!

You get access to free:

• monthly masterclasses hosted by Senior Business Coach & Slick Fairy Godmother, Pia, including top tips on marketing strategies and brand-building. Watch the replay of her Magic of Marketing Masterclass here!
• 1-2-1 sessions with your dedicated Business Coach who will help you plan your marketing strategy and MORE! Click here to book a session today!

‍

2) Retain clients

Getting bums on seats can be tricky but getting them back on seats can be even tricker! Yes, winning clients is important but getting them to revisit is more important in the long run if you want to increase your revenue.  

Don’t wait for your clients to reach out to you for their next root touch-up or a top-up of toner!

Use Slick’s clever SMS autio-client connect marketing to:

• Tempt colour clients back with a promotion
• Give them a gentle nudge if you haven’t seen them for a while

• Run offers for a limited time to give clients that extra push to book an appointment

A gentle reminder in-salon that they need to come back in X months for their next treatment is a great way to retain colour clients.

To make this process even easier, Slick offers its partners a free tent card & personalised QR code door sticker (as part of your welcome pack) to prompt clients to rebook & make rebooking easy!

‍

3) Bring back lost clients

Bring back lost clients

I know how frustrating it is when you’ve built up a relationship with a client and they suddenly drop off the radar.

There could be lots of reasons as to why they haven’t come back to visit you, sometimes all it takes is a small nudge from you or a special promotion to bring them back!

See below how Slick helped one of its partners run a successful SMS marketing campaign to bring back lost clients…

4) Attract/win clients

Look after your existing clients and new clients will look after themselves!

Send automated google reviews to your existing clients, this will boost your Google search ranking and attract more clients organically.

With Slick, you can automate SMS messages so you don’t have to keep on top of prompting clients to leave a review! Click here to set yours up now.

Top tip: repurpose your Google reviews on your website and social media to win and attract even more clients!

‍

First impressions matter! How are your socials looking?

‍

Think of your Instagram and Facebook page as your shop window, if what’s on display isn’t eye-catching or impressive, clients will walk away (virtually)!

You need to make sure that your social media pages:

1) reflect your brand (colour scheme, messaging, the services you offer, etc)

2) make booking/finding out about your services as easy as possible

3) appeal to your perfect clients (for expert advice on how to manifest your dream clients, join Pia’s next masterclass here)

‍

You put your best products on display in your shop window, so why not do the same on your socials?

‍

Your clients are using social media to shop around for their next hair & beauty appointment. You need to grab their attention in seconds with a grid that best reflects your brand and draws them in otherwise you’ve just lost a potential client and revenue!

Here are a few things you need to ensure you’re doing on your socials:

• sharing testimonials from happy customers on your grid/stories
• posting photos of your best work to inspire and attract clients
• showcasing the salon decor you put so much effort into looking FAB

‍

So your socials look great but how easy is it for clients to book?

Find out Slick transformed Natasha Hodges’ Instagram so she can take bookings even while she sleeps!

Habits have changed and in a world where you have nearly everything at your fingertips, speed and efficiency are key!

Your clients want to book their hair and beauty appointments as easily as they can order a takeaway or book a taxi.

Thanks to Instagram and Facebook’s Book Now button your clients can book an appointment with you at the touch of a button - literally!

‍

Fancy taking bookings 24/7 too?

Thanks to our partnership with Instagram and Facebook, we’re able to offer you their must-have new feature, the Book Now button.

Connect your Instagram and Facebook pages to your Slick diary to allow clients to book 24/7 whilst you stay in control. Say goodbye to that overflowing inbox full of DMs!

Schedule an appointment with your dedicated Business Coach here to set up your FREE Book Now button!