Whether you own a large chain of salons, a small barbershop, or are an independent stylist, there are countless salon business ideas that can help you attract more clients. To be of value to your clientele, you want to provide excellent service. But your business must also generate income and turn a profit to make everything worth the effort.
To run your business efficiently and profitably, there’s always room for growth and improvement. You can improve your salon by making efforts to attract more clients while keeping existing clients clamoring for more. Re-evaluate current services and establish new ones to stay relevant. You can also invest in your beauty business by hiring and training well and keeping service providers at the top of their game with continued education. In addition, there are many ways to promote your salon and strengthen your customer service while cutting costs and automating tasks.
Below we’ll provide some of our favorite solutions on how to grow a salon business.
Salon Business Ideas To Attract More Clients
- Focus on Client Retention
- Make Your Customer Service Irresistible
- Use Cross-Channel Marketing
- Offer More: New Services & Specialties
- Tight the Belt a Bit
- Charge What You’re Worth
- Invest in Your Team
Salon Business Idea #1: Focus on Client Retention
Before you go straight for ways to improve your salon’s bottom line, first ensure that your current clientele is happy. It’s always more cost-effective to retain a client than it is to find a new one. Naturally, a satisfied client is more likely to become a repeat client. If they’re happy, they’re more likely to refer friends and family. That’s a win for everybody!
Keeping your clients happy and engaged ensures that you have a certain level of revenue coming in. Offering existing clients new and additional services is a great way to give them options. It also ensures that they get the level of service they desire. However, they should never feel taken for granted or like you or your team are always trying to upsell them.
Salon Business Idea #2: Make Your Customer Service Irresistible
People want to leave the salon feeling good about themselves. Part of that is how they look: their new hair cut, color, and style, etc.
How they were treated in the salon also plays a big part. Feeling welcome and comfortable in the environment, being pampered, and a certain level of human contact are all important to salon client. To achieve that your salon’s customer service needs to be world-class.
Start with the client experience. By that, we mean the salon’s look and feel – the ambiance, vibe, or feel as they walk in the door and throughout their services. Much of that has to do with decor, lighting, music, scent, and cleanliness. Take a good look at these aspects of your salon. In some cases, consider consulting an interior designer or a salon industry expert to improve your space.
Next, work with your team to ensure that they have the proper training and awareness to contribute to the client experience. It starts with how they present themselves and carries over into how they treat every person who walks in the door.
Put yourself in the client’s shoes and witness the experience for yourself.
Is the client greeted when they walk in the door? Do they have a quick check-in? Are they comfortable while waiting for their service(s)?
In the chair or the treatment room, the client should be the center of attention and feel pampered. During checkout and beyond, the same level of service should continue, with their happiness being the ultimate goal.
Salon Business Idea #3 – Use Cross-Channel Marketing
There are many ways for you to attract new clients. It all starts with marketing your salon and promoting the beauty services you offer.
You can do everything from advertising in local media outlets to offering discounts for new clients or rewards for those who refer friends and family.
Here’s how to get clients in your chair:
Be Consistent with Social Media
Take the time to promote your salon through social media, posting at least twice a week. You can add snapshots of events, salon interactions, and even finished looks.
Who doesn’t like to see a fabulous makeover?
Promoting Your Salon’s Posts & Social Ads
Consider promoting some of your better posts for added exposure. You can also place a targeted Facebook and/or Instagram ad for your specific area. Just be sure to use filters to target your demographic carefully.
Leverage Email & Text Marketing for Salon Clients
Look into mass and automated email marketing and text message marketing options to help keep your current salon clients interested. Effective ways to stay in touch include creating occasional mass text campaigns, epromos, and newsletters.
Take a Proactive Approach to Reviews
People like to find out more about a business before they opt to make an appointment. And what better way than cruising through reviews? Actively seek reviews on any of the major platforms and invite your current clients to the platform by sharing the link. Just be sure to keep a mindful eye on the platforms so you can thank clients for their reviews.
Don’t Be Shy, Ask for Referrals
Ask your existing clients to recommend your salon to friends and family. Make sure they have a link to your website and follow you on social media. You can even give them a small stack of your business card. After all, word of mouth is still the best form of advertising. It’s also the slowest, but the best in the long haul.
Regardless of what methods you use to market your salon, the ultimate key to success is consistency and remaining diligent.
Looking for the ultimate salon software? Sign up now for your 30-day free trial!
Salon Business Idea #4 – Offer More: New Services & Specialties
Your clients like variety and want to be stimulated with new offerings. To accommodate, take an in-depth look at your current salon offerings. Find ways to make what you have better, but also look into new (and niche) products and services.
Improvements to your existing salon services can mean extending your color line or recognizing the need for texture treatments. It can also translate into having more stylists certified for chemical straightening services, offering hair extension services, or realizing when a service should be discontinued.
One great way to take stock of what your salon offers is a client survey. Ask your clientele what they like most about your salon. Also, take the opportunity to ask what services they’d love to have added and what needs to improve.
Consider asking questions like:
- What salon services do you find most valuable?
- What services do you wish we offered?
- What do you like best about your salon experience?
- How can we improve our services?
- How can we improve your comfort level while in our care?
- Do you like our selection of products and tools?
- What else do you wish we carried?
- Would you refer us to a friend?
Salon Business Idea #5 – Tighten the Belt a Bit
It’s always wise to keep a close eye on your salon expenses. Remember that every dollar saved goes directly to your bottom line.
Suggestions to help control your salon’s expenses:
Inventory Management
Try not to overstock your salon’s inventory. Most salon software will provide a running tally of products in your inventory. You want the option to set thresholds for reordering more products, so you can give top priority to best-selling products and set a lower bar for slow-moving items.
Check out RosyPay’s guaranteed low rates for credit card processing – now integrated with Rosy Salon Software.
Avoid Over-Staffing
Limit the number of workers to just what’s needed. You can hire as your business grows or during busy seasons. However, you don’t want to cut back so far that it affects customer service. You also don’t want to put yourself into a bind should a worker call in sick. Do streamline processes to make better use of the staff you have.
Use Downtime to Your Advantage
Make the best use of your salon team by capitalizing on their downtime. Assign small daily tasks for everyone to complete in between clients. Chores such as dusting, trash removal, towel and smock folding, and stocking restroom supplies can be conquered easily if everyone pitches in.
Less Office Work
Consider using salon scheduling and management software to help eliminate the need for as many receptionists. Since more customers expect to book their appointments online, make sure you’re ready with a reliable system that’s easy to use and manage. The software will also make ordering products and balancing your books much more straightforward; therefore, take less time.
Salon Business Idea #6 – Charge What You’re Worth
Whether you are a salon owner or a booth or salon suite renter, setting your service pricing is always a daunting task. It can be hard to look past the emotional side of what you do — providing services that help people look and feel their absolute best. But for the sake of your business, it’s essential to view your business as a separate entity that needs to be nurtured.
Find out what others in your area are charging for services with your salon’s level of expertise. Also, take your salon’s overhead into consideration by factoring in 20 percent for a base profit.
Keep in mind that your salon needs to not only generate income but to run profitably in order to survive. If you charge anything less, you are essentially giving away your services.
Salon Business Idea #7 – Invest in Your Team
One significant way to improve your salon business is through education. It’s an investment in your salon and your team.
Stay relevant and keep up on current salon trends, techniques, and processes. You can also look into advanced learning for service providers.
For your reception and management teams, consider business classes and workshops. And don’t forget about your assistants. Try creating a mentoring program to help them learn customer service nuances while they hone their skills.
Regardless of how to make education a priority in your salon, set an example for others by staying relevant yourself. It’s a significant investment in yourself and your team. After all, if you’re done learning, you’re done growing!
As a savvy entrepreneur, you should always be on the lookout for salon business ideas that grow your client base. Consider implementing the tactics above to help improve your salon business.
An all-in-one salon management tool, Rosy, was designed by hairdressers for the unique way that you work. Start your free 30-day trial now.
Photo by Adam Winger, Blake Wisz, Antonio Reynoso & Kris Atomic on Unsplash
Great ideas for getting more customers at your salon!
Hello Dave,
Thank you for taking the time to browse our blogs and comment as you did. We always appreciate the feedback!
Very true! Thank you for your comment.