With all the constant talk and hype around different social media platforms, it recently got us thinking: how many salons ONLY use social media for their digital marketing?
Although social media needs to be a very important part of your digital marketing strategy, it is important to remember that:
1. Your followers are NOT a client list of information that you own. The social media platform owns that information. What do you do if a platform gets shut down tomorrow or starts to lose popularity and users over time.
2. The algorithms are making it harder and harder to get visibility, meaning that only a small percentage of your followers actually sees your content. In fact, the IG and FB average is about 5% of your followers that see any one post that you make. This means that the information that you are trying to get out to your clients isn’t always received.
Enter email marketing, a powerful and often underestimated tool that can transform the way hair salons engage with their customers. Email marketing may seem like an old school way of communicating with consumers, but it offers an unparalleled opportunity to build customer relationships, brand loyalty, and ultimately grow your business. In this blog, our friends from Salon S.O.S. not only share why email addresses are worth their weight in gold, but they share tools to start your own email campaign or optimize your existing email game plan!
Whether you’re a seasoned salon owner or a budding hairstylist, get ready to discover how email marketing can become your secret weapon in the pursuit of a thriving business.
WHY IS EMAIL MARKETING GOOD FOR HAIR SALONS?
First, let’s unravel the enchanting magic of email marketing. Why is it such a game-changer for hair salons?
1. Personalized Communication
Email marketing allows you to send personalized messages directly to your clients. Whether it’s a birthday wish, a special discount on their favorite hair care products, or an exclusive offer for loyal clients, you can tailor your emails to make your clients feel valued and special. The personalized touch goes a long way in building customer loyalty.
2. Building Client Relationships
In the hair salon business, nurturing strong client relationships is essential. Email marketing provides a platform to engage with your clients regularly. You can share tips, tricks, and insights on hair care, trends, and styling, positioning yourself as an expert in your field. This not only keeps your clients informed but also reminds them of your expertise and the services you offer.
3. Showcasing Your Services
Emails are a great way to showcase your salon’s services. From highlighting new haircuts, color treatments, or spa packages to featuring success stories from satisfied customers, email marketing lets you display your salon’s expertise and unique offerings.
4. Promotions and Special Offers
Everyone loves a good deal. Email marketing is the perfect platform to promote special offers and discounts. Whether it’s a seasonal promotion, a holiday special, or a referral program, sending out enticing deals to your email list can boost your salon’s revenue and keep clients coming back for more.
5. Keeping Clients Informed
Hair salons often have changing operating hours, new stylists, or new products in stock. Keeping clients informed about these updates is vital for the smooth running of your business. Email marketing allows you to share important information promptly, ensuring that clients are always in the loop.
HOW TO CREATE A SUCCESSFUL EMAIL MARKETING STRATEGY
Now that we understand why email marketing is a game-changer for hair salons, let’s dive into the nitty-gritty of crafting a successful email marketing strategy:
1. Build a Subscribers List
The first step is to build a subscribers list. Encourage your clients to subscribe to your emails when they visit. This should be easy to get as part of your ‘client profile.’ Ensure that you have their consent to send marketing emails to comply with privacy regulations. In order to get more people on your subscriber list that are not YET clients, you need a hook or an incentive. Why might someone give you their email address if they are not a client? You have to provide something of value:
- Freebies are a great idea. Offer a free tutorial or hair care guide when they sign up. Here is a real example that’s beneficial for you. If you want to check out a Salon S.O.S. freebie download, click here to score your own 35 Day Social Media Content Calendar!
- Quizzes: consumers enjoy filling our quizzes and polls. You can have an online quiz for them to answer by filling in their email address
- VIP list: create exclusive content (beauty tips, tutorials, special offers) that you don’t post on social media and only provide to an email list. This gives people a reason to subscribe to your email list!
2. Segment Your Email List
Not all clients have the same needs and interests. Segment your email list to tailor your messages to different client groups. For example, you can have separate segments for regular clients, new clients, and clients interested in specific services. This allows you to send more relevant and personalized content when you need to.
3. Create Engaging Content
The content of your emails is crucial. Your content can include newsletters, style tips, how-to guides, promotions, and client testimonials. Make sure your content is visually appealing, with high-quality images and a mobile-friendly layout.
A newsletter is a great way to keep your clients in the loop for what’s going on in salon and/or online! You can decide how often you want to send these newsletters out to your email list and whether it’s quarterly, bi-monthly or monthly, make sure to keep it consistent! Your newsletter could contain everything up and coming in your salon from deals and promos, to stylist promotions and new systems or services. It’s also a great opportunity to do a deep dive into the brands and products you carry as well as the services you offer so your guests can learn way more about it than just on a surface level. People’s attention spans on social media are so incredibly limited so you don’t want to be hitting them with boat loads of information to digest—they’ll scroll on by. When your client opens a newsletter from your salon, they’re anticipating more of a read and eager to learn, so that’s where you can do a detailed breakdown and explanation.
4. Consistency is Key
Consistency in your email marketing efforts is vital. Create a calendar to plan your email campaigns in advance. Whether it’s a monthly newsletter, weekly tips, or holiday promotions, stick to your schedule so that your clients know when to expect your emails.
5. Monitor and Analyze
Use email marketing tools to track the performance of your campaigns. Monitor open rates, click-through rates, and conversion rates. Analyze the data to understand what works best for your audience and adjust your strategy accordingly.
EMAIL MARKETING BEST PRACTICES FOR HAIR SALONS
To make your email marketing strategy truly effective, here are some best practices to follow:
1. Mobile Optimization
With a growing number of people checking their emails on mobile devices, it’s essential to ensure that your emails are mobile-optimized. This means they should be easy to read and navigate on smartphones and tablets.
2. Subject Lines and Preheaders
It is SUPER important to have a catchy, scroll-stopping subject line for your email. It can make the difference in whether your email gets opened at all, so to make sure your clients actually see all of the juicy info in the email, spend extra time coming up with a killer subject line.
Spark curiosity using phrases like:
- You don’t want to miss this
- I can’t believe this happened
- 5 reasons you NEED ____
Think of emails you receive from businesses, what stops you in your tracks and creates enough interest to open the email and read? Use this as inspiration to create your own catchy subject lines!
3. Call to Action (CTA)
Every email should have a clear and enticing call to action. Whether it’s booking an appointment, buying a product, or referring a friend, make sure your CTA stands out and is easy to follow.
4. Compliance and Privacy
Ensure that your email marketing practices comply with privacy regulations, such as GDPR or CAN-SPAM Act. Provide a clear way for subscribers to opt out of emails if they wish to do so.
CONCLUSION
Email marketing is not just about sending emails; it’s about building relationships, offering value, and growing your hair salon business. When done right, it can be the secret weapon that transforms your salon into a thriving and bustling hub of beauty and style. So, embrace the magic of email marketing, connect with your clients, and watch your salon flourish like never before.
If you want more great digital marketing tips or support for your salon business delivered straight to your inbox, sign up for the Salon S.O.S. VIP list here https://www.salonsos.ca/salon-digital-tips-vip. You can also check out their free digital marketing academy at www.salonsos.ca/digital-marketing-academy
EMAIL MARKETING SYSTEMS
There are countless different platforms you can use for your email marketing. If you use a POS system like Meevo, Phorest, Short Cuts, etc… you may have a built-in email marketing system that you can take advantage of. If not, here are a few of our platform recommendations.
MadMimi is super easy to navigate, create aesthetically pleasing emails, schedule email send outs, and create drip campaigns!
*A drip campaign is a planned, scheduled sequence of emails that is sent out in a strategic timeline after sign up*
Plus, MadMimi’s customer support is out of this world which is important when you’re new to the email marketing game!
Click here to learn more about MadMimi.
Click here to sign up for the Salon S.O.S email newsletter!
MailChimp is probably the most popular email marketing program to create simple or more elaborate email campaigns. It’s got all of the analytic bells and whistles that you want and need from an email marketing platform so you can review and adjust as needed to have a more successful email campaign. To learn more about MailChimp, click here!
There are countless other email marketing platforms out there to suit every businesses budget and needs. Read up and compare the features of each platform and evaluate if it meets your salons email marketing needs. Here’s a great list of the top email marketing platforms.
“HOOK” IDEAS
Quizzes
Quizzes are a great way to get people to sign up for your email list and for salon/spas, the opportunities are endless! You could do everything from quizzes to determine the right service or product to just for fun, “buzzfeed-esque” quizzes.
There are tons of apps can use to create your own custom quizzes- Here’s a great list of platforms for every salon marketing budget!
Freebies
There are many free download options for your salon to create. Here’s a few ideas for you to brainstorm on.
- Weekly Hair Style Challenge with daily suggestions and video tutorials. This is also a great way to have them interact with you on social by tagging their at home style.
- Product Tutorial Video. You could have the option for them to trade their email in exchange for tutorials on how to use your salons popular products with tips and tricks to get the most out of their purchase. You can also use this in salon with product purchases to add their email to your campaign and help them learn more about their new at home hair care!
- Downloadable “Ultimate Guide To ___”
You could do this on a range of topics like “The Ultimate Guide to maintaining your blonde” or “Your Guide to Healthy Hair” or “The Only Lash Extension After Care Manual You’ll Ever Need” etc. Get creative with it and focus on the pain points we went over earlier- find the problem and then offer the solution.
Make sure your freebies are easy to follow and easy on the eyes. You’re exchanging it for the consumers email, so you want to make sure they aren’t disappointed with the quality of their download. It’s also the first major point of contact and an introduction into the sequence of informative emails, so make sure you make a great first impression and keep them wanting more! We recommend using Canva to create stunning, downloadable freebies.
Email Subject Line
It is SUPER important to have a catchy, scroll stopping subject like for your email. It can make the difference in whether your email gets opened at all, so to make sure your email list gets all of the juicy info in the email, spend extra time coming up with a killer subject line.
Spark curiosity using phrases like:
- You don’t want to miss this
- I can’t believe this happened
- 5 reasons you NEED ____
Think of emails you receive from businesses, what stops you in your tracks and peaks enough interest to open the email and read? Use this as inspiration to create your own catchy subject lines!
We can’t wait to see what you do with salon’s email marketing! Make sure to tag us on social in any of your freebie hooks or newsletter announcements @salon.s.o.s
If you want to check out our own freebie download, click here to score your own 35 Day Social Media Content Calendar!