Are you being too creative with your salon marketing? Hopping from one new idea to the next?
You just may be missing a profitable trick. Try being a tad more predictable, even boring, if you want to increase your business income.
Being predictable, aka consistent, is the magic ingredient salon owners tend to overlook when promoting their business.
But being consistent isn’t boring. It’s what makes your business profits sparkle and grow.
What you’ll learn in this post:
- Why consistency is key to increasing your business profits
- How to reduce inconsistencies in your salon or spa
- How to measure if it’s working for you
Consistency means higher salon revenue
Why the importance? Because when you are consistent and predictable your clients will trust you.
Being consistent means becoming reliable, steady, uniform, regular, solid and constant. They may sound uninspiring traits, but they make your hair and beauty business trustworthy.
Only when clients trust you to deliver will they feel comfortable to re-book and recommend your salon or spa to their friends and family.
Improve your retention and referral rate and you’ll grow your salon business. Consistency works.
Are salon inconsistencies losing your business money?
Being consistent is neither rocket science nor does it have to be expensive. It’s just a case of setting up marketing systems and being vigilant. You’ll find ideas on what marketing systems to set up in this post.
As Rohn said…
Success is neither magical nor mysterious. Success is the natural consequence of consistently applying basic fundamentals.
Let’s look at a few ways you can make your marketing more consistent and increase your salon income.
#1. Mixed messages damage your earnings
Building a brand is more than just developing a logo. Keep a consistent look, feel and voice to avoid sending out mixed messages to potential new clients.
Has your salon brand lost its way?
With so many online and offline marketing channels it’s easy for “brand-creep” to set in. Bad spelling, poor imagery and an out-of-date logo on your salon Facebook is out of kilter with that high-end website you’ve just invested in. As are cheap quality printed materials on thin tacky paper.
Constant repetition will cement your hair or beauty brand in the mind of your client.
Achieve consistency by: A quarterly audit of all your online and offline channels – not just the usual suspects. Don’t forget to check Google My Business, your email signature, any recurring adverts (on or off line), retail signage in salon and the less used pages on your website such as careers or on-going offers.
#2. Predictable salon service pays dividends
Deliver a seamless wow service and experience every visit.
Your clients shouldn’t be able to notice a difference whoever is dealing with them at your salon. From the moment they walk in the door to the treatment itself, a consistent approach builds trust. And makes your tills ring.
Achieve consistency by: Creating an induction system for new employees backed up by a Team Handbook showing people, “this is how we do things here”. Bear consistency in mind too when delivering your training sessions and in one to one reviews.
#3. The right communications boost income
With so many different team members communicating with your clients in so many ways it’s an area where uniformity and consistency count.
Achieve consistency by:
Contacting clients the consistent way
Clients like to receive salon news and offers but check how they prefer to be contacted – by text, email, phone or snail mail?
Now make sure you record the information. I find it particularly irritating to be phoned if I’ve specifically asked for a text, not a call.
Consistently deliver excellent customer service
To do this your hair and beauty team needs the right client information at their fingertips.
Please don’t let them crowd round reception gossiping whilst gathering client information from your computer screen. It’s off putting for clients.
- A second screen towards the back of the salon is ideal, but is an expense.
- Or print the client information off each morning and hand out to your team.
Salon social media… without any nasty surprises
To keep social media posts on brand, on message and consistent across all channels I think it’s best to make one person responsible for posting. Don’t let it be a free-for-all.
Have clear, preferably written, social media guidelines covering appropriate topics, spelling and grammar, imagery, copyright and frequency. And check each channel yourself a couple of times a week to ensure all is on track. Sloppy posting can cost your hair and beauty business money.
#4. Consistently measuring results increases salon income and performance
Are you getting it right?
Salon and spa owners often say to me, “my gut feeling is ….” It’s surprising how often that feeling is wrong when we check the figures.
Be consistent about the business stats you check and when you check them. You’ll find some useful tips and ideas on what to measure in this post. And there’s a free and easy to use tool here to calculate how much extra income you can make by getting it right. Think what that could buy you. Deposit on a new car. An exotic holiday in sunny climes. Or money to invest in your spa or salon.
If 6 out of 10 clients don’t return for a second visit ask yourself whether you are really delivering a consistent wow service at a good value price. Chances are you are there is room for improvement – otherwise they’d be returning in their droves.
“It’s not what we do once in a while that shapes our lives. It’s what we do consistently.” – Tony Robbins