32. 10 Secrets to Salon Success
Mar 25, 2024
We go into business to be our own boss, gain financial freedom, create opportunities for our community and to help others feel better about themselves. What isn't taught in college and the qualifying courses we take is the business acumen and structure required to succeed and prosper in this industry. The lessons, obstacles and other hurdles we face in business aren't always shared or talked about... we just see and hear about the successful stages in people's careers.
Dermalogica HQ - Celia, Sally, myself, Glen & Jade. I'd just won my first awards in 2016... Sixteen years of working hard in industry was recognised as BABTAC & CIBTAC International Beauty Therapist of the Year and Gold Award for Contribution to Industry.
I started helping beauty entrepreneurs over 15 years ago and in 2019 set up my coaching and consulting company to help provide business strategy for the industry I've been passionate about since I was nine years old! The grit and determination needed during the more difficult chapters of our career need to be discussed.
Did you know that 65% of the industry are self employed? Nearly 50,000 businesses in the UK and 95% of those have fewer than 10 employees. (Statistics from https://www.policybee.co.uk/blog)
This is why I have the Glowgetter Beauty Entrepreneurs 101 Podcast, write blogs like the one you're reading today and have the Glowgetter Beauty Entrepreneurs Ltd set up to run programs such as:
π¦ Strategy Sessions
π¦ Monthly MasterMinds
I've written a book to share Beauty Business Success Strategies coming out mid 2024, host webinars and speaking events to share best practise.
"It's an entrepreneurial circuit that needs elevating to empower women around the world." ~ Diana Richardson
Here are 10 Secrets to Salon Success that you can start today in increase your earnings, take your time back and boost your business:
π Identify your ideal clientele
Who would you like to come through your door each day? Who do you want to work with and provide 5-star customer service to?
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Celebrities clientele
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Entrepreneurs evolving
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Women wellbeing
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Mom maintenance
What's your niche? Do you specialise in a specific service or nuance of treatments? It's time to delve into what you want to design your destiny.
Start targeting that specific audience with your marketing. Ensuring your budget is spent purposefully & efficiently. Target market provides valuable information about types of promotions offered, effective advertising channels & types of content created.
The hair and beauty treatment industry in the UK generated £4.4 billion in 2022. The growth rate was 35% and the industry is expected to continue growing for the next five years.
π Make it personal
We're so luck that we have social media, websites and other online platforms to share our businesses with the world.
In a digital society it's important to maintain the human factor and keep your content engaging with your current and potential clients.
Share before and after photos of your work and team achievements. By keeping it personal to your business brand, ethos and environment this ensures your reaching your desired demographic. Make sure your brand positioning is clear to enable lead generation and client retention.
Personalise your social media and client communication methods to build stronger engagement within your community.
π Influencer-style user generated content
We can glean a lot from influencers - what's popular, tending and what your avatars are looking for. By asking clients to be your influencers with feedback and sharing photos etc this creates credibility for your business through an influencer-style marketing.
Sharing clients stories, behind the scenes at the salon and before & after photos promote a powerful message.
This creates captivating & authentic content, always make sure you have permission to share and ask clients to tag your business to build loyalty.
At the end of 2021, there were 10,675 beauty salons in the UK. According to SumUp, beauty salons are the second-highest businesses in demand on the high street.
π Target audience - advertising campaigns
Now that you know your avatars, it's time to attract them through tailored facebook & instagram campaigns. Tailored campaigns will help the algorithm decide on your business demographic and how best to connect with them through factors such as interests, age, location to maximise potential leads & conversion rates.
Always review the advertising campaign data to ensure you're getting the best bang for your buck. Look at the insights into audience preference & behaviour patterns along with how many new people are being attracted to your website and booking system. This type of strategy needs continuous attention and little amendments to ensure it's a compatible campaign.
π Analyse & Measure performance
SMART targets within your team ensure you and your business continue to evolve and elevate.
The SMART in SMART goals stands for:
Measurable
Relevant
Analyse and measure performance routinely - daily, weekly, monthly, quarterly and annually. This can be done with yourself, your business marketing campaigns, and your team performance.
The tools and metrics you create can have good marketing but needs to hit the target audience for results. Collecting data helps to refine and improve social media & marketing strategies. It also helps to manage and continually develop your team.
According to data gathered by the Office for National Statistics, there were, in fact, 53,435 beauty and hairdressing businesses operating in the UK in March 2022
π Build a reputation
Fostering trust and building credibility takes time both online and offline. Customer service, results driven in the professional treatment rooms and client care all build and develop your business brand and reputation.
When you move or visit somewhere new how do you find the best place or service that you're looking for? Google, personal recommendation, social media... all of these channels are what also help to foster the trust and credibility of your businesses brand and reputation.
On my podcast Glowgetter Beauty Entrepreneurs 101 I've recorded a couple episodes about the importance of you brand reputation. Each episode is ten minutes or less, che k it out. If you like it, please leave us a review πππππ
Remember to treat each appointment like it's your last because that's the impression your clients will reflect on when they think of your business. How did you make them feel? What was their experience like? Follow up, reach out to them regularly and offer your support. This can pl e a personal message, newsletter or regular social post. It all reflects on your brands reputation.
The British Beauty Council’s 2023 Value of Beauty Report shows that the beauty industry accounts for 1 in 50 jobs in the UK.
π Refine your techniques
We are so lucky to be in an industry that is constantly evolving, this helps us to continually create new content and concepts to share with our audience and clientele.
Popular platforms to post on, social shares and media trends help you stay ahead of the rest. Little steps forward each day give you and your business competitive intelligence.
You can get caught up with competitor analysis, but in all my years in industry I find this only leads to imposter syndrome. Be focussed on your own results within your business. It's good to know what other are offering g but only as a professionalism to our industry and your community. Stay focussed on refining your techniques to take your business to the next level.
π Demo days & events
Getting your business name out into the community helps to meet potential new clients, this can start with a simple refer a friend scheme amongst your current client base.
Promotional days can give your clientele a chance to get hands on or see a more advanced treatment in action. This helps to showcase your expertise, new products and treatment launches.
Host at your clinic, salon or in your treatment room. It doesn't matter how big or small your premise is, the number of invitees are reflected by the space in which you're able to accommodate them. If you have a solo treatment space then host events more frequently and
Partner with suppliers & other businesses in your community to attract new clients and achieve the promotional or event goals you've set for your business.
π Compliant & Ethical
Industry standards are paramount in being known as a compliant and ethical business. This is the foundation for the beauty and wellbeing industry and ensures your business reputation is credible, known as an establishment that obtains professional qualifications is insured and delivers five star results.
Punctuality, customers service and client care are essential in building and upholding your clients trust. By following the industry guidelines and being a brand your community can't trust will ensure that your columns are continually full and your business has a three to six month waitlist.
π Protect your time & resources
This is something I've learnt over two decades in industry. The importance of boundaries, time management, relationships, and reputation. It's great to be ambitious and grow your own empire, but what does that really entail? Bring an example both as a team member and an industry leader. It can be demanding growing own client base both on your time and resources. Being a business athlete means that we are continually working on our craft. We need coaches and a support network to help us elevate. The primary focus is high quality and high caliber, be careful how you spend your time. It's one thing we never get back.
Thank you for reading, if this was useful please π and share if it could help someone.
Thank you ~ Diana x
Book a business strategy session www.dianarichardson.uk
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