The salon services and products arena is a huge multi-billion dollar industry. According to Professional Consultants and Resources (PCR), growth increased 4.1 percent to over $75 billion last year. Salon owners should be rejoicing over this statistic as it presents an incredible opportunity to grow their businesses.
“The professional salon/spa industry remains resilient,” said Steve Sleeper, executive director of the Professional Beauty Association. “Overall indicators and feedback from beauty professionals across the country continue to be positive, and we hope to see additional growth in the near future.” Unfortunately for current salon owners, the growing demand for their services also means greater competition.
Grow Your Salon Business Using These 4 Tips Taking Advantage of Customer Demand
Make sure to enhance your online presence, using your website and social media pages. These pages can be increasingly vital in attracting new customers and engaging current ones.
- Make sure to enhance your online presence, using your website and social media pages. Your salon website, Facebook and Twitter pages should be the ‘go-to’ spots to learn about your services and make purchases, and it’s the ideal place to advertise any sales or specials you might currently have and also communicate with current and prospective clients. Salons may also want to look into adding an online scheduling component to their website and/or their social media pages, which has the potential to keep their businesses open around the clock. This can also save you time, since you don’t have to be constantly answering the phone to set appointments.
- Know what your competitors’ charge and beat their prices. If you really want to attract new customers and keep your current ones loyal, then consider keeping your prices lower than your competitors but still provide better service. Do a little research on the local competitors and try to beat their advertised pricing. Know what their bottom line is, and make sure to market these savings on your website and social media pages. If you have an email marketing newsletter, it’s also a great idea to send that information out via that method.
- Think about expanding your product selections and brands. According to PCR sales of specialty products grew 9.7 percent last year. Look around for other products that your salon could effectively recommend and market to your clients’. Also consider if more advanced point-of-sale software might benefit your business. Sometimes this is a good idea, but you will probably want to consult with a professional before making a decision on a higher-end purchase such as software. However, trying to streamline customer payments is usually a good idea.
- Make your shop hip and trendy. Try to offer the newest fashions and services, so that more potential customers will see you as “the place to go” in your area for these specialty items. Salon customers today require more options than the traditional haircut and wash of yesterday. If you want to stay competitive, you must offer the trendy services that will attract and keep loyal customers. The professional beauty industry is strongly evolving, and the salon owner must evolve with it or else take the risk of falling behind.
