John, how can I make my marketing more effective in the New Year?
Throughout my experience of working with salon and spa owners, marketing is one of the top concerns. The beginning of the year is the ideal time to lay the foundation for your 2017 marketing initiatives. When planning out your year, keep in mind that successful marketing is a delicate balance of strategy, diligence, creativity, and adaptability.
Most of your marketing strategy should come from figuring out what types of marketing campaigns (email, SMS, mailers, coupons, social media, etc.) are the most successful for your specific client base. Your software should provide reports to analyze what initiatives keep customers coming through your door, such as client referrals and coupons. Diligently keep track of your campaigns and the results so you can continue to finesse what types of marketing are helping to grow your business.
Once you find your sweet spot, use your creativity and unique brand to keep clients coming back. Creativity is the foundation of our industry. Don’t be afraid to show some personality in your marketing. Keep in mind that one-size-doesn’t-fit-all. You have a lot of clients with many different lifestyles. Take the time in 2017 to break down your marketing to focus on niches of your client base. For instance, what inspires a busy mom of three to book an appointment versus a college student may be two very different messages. The better you can speak to the desires of all your clients, the more success you will find in your marketing efforts.
Creativity can also be a part of your goal setting for the New Year. Increasing your returning customers can have a big effect on your revenue, so why not incorporate your frequency of visit goal into your marketing collateral? Consider offering a pre-book discount on your service menu for clients who schedule their next appointment at the time of checkout. Offering this option to customers helps create a culture of pre-booking at your salon or spa – and will ultimately increase your bottom line.
Lastly, in order for your marketing to be successful, you need to be flexible. This means being able to adapt your marketing strategy if you notice any initiative starting to flop or bring in more business than you thought. Going with the flow will help you avoid pouring your time and money into a marketing initiative that has no benefit to your business. At Millennium, we’ve created a downloadable 2017 Salon and Spa Marketing Calendar that will help you organize marketing campaigns, so that you can maximize sales throughout the year.
John Harms
Millennium Systems International, Founder and CEO
About: John Harms, Founder & CEO of Millennium Systems International, creator of Millennium Software, has been designing industry leading salon scheduling software and educating the beauty & wellness industry since 1987. Today Millennium is utilized in thousands of businesses in over 38 countries and operating with approximately 150+ employees worldwide. Millennium currently runs its corporate headquarters out of New Jersey and its international office is based in the U.K.