Here’s why online marketing is the most important thing for your salon right now

Beauty is an extremely popular industry. Amongst the sea of other salons that may exist in your area, it’s all too easy for yours to get overlooked. This is why online marketing is vital for the survival of your business. Billions of people now have online accounts, whether it be a standard email or social media accounts on Facebook, Twitter or Instagram. To reach and appeal to these potential clients in your area you need to ensure that your online presence stands out from your competition. Here’s how.

What makes a great website?

Your website should be your primary focus. It is the heart of your online presence and one of the first things potential clients will judge you by. Fail to make a flawless impression and that’ll mean missed opportunities. Your website should contain examples of your work, any news on the latest equipment you may have or anything else that’s relevant to your services.

One of the deciding factors for your website’s success is content. Obvious, but all too often website owners make careless mistakes that are easy to rectify and taint their reputation. These can range from spelling mistakes, irrelevant information and poor quality photos. What also ticks off potential clients is if your website is hard to navigate. It’s vital that you create a navigation strategy that is intuitive and easy to use before you launch your site.

In the beauty industry, your photographs are key to showcasing the abilities of your staff. When you go to the cinema, you don’t want to see a film where the lighting is too dark or too harsh, blurry and most annoying of all, has the photographer’s fingers in frame? You don’t, and you definitely don’t want it on your site.

But when it comes to your written content, you need to decide upon your tone early on and be consistent. You need professional articles on case studies, new equipment or services you provide or anything else that’s relevant to your salon. Here’s a beauty website for The Hair & Beauty Association that I believe every salon owner can learn lessons from.

Also, make your website SEO friendly. If you want to be found in search engines this is a must. Make sure your website design is clear and easy to use, use popular keywords and link your salon’s social media accounts to your site. Doing so will send a lot more traffic your way.

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How can social media help?

Billions of people all across the world have some sort of social media account. For anyone looking to market their salon the online community is a great tool. Especially if you’re based in a city, garnering a prestigious reputation through social media will allow you to be super ambitious and attract both city residents and tourists.

Social media is your secondary focus. That’s not to say social media is less important than having a great website, it’s just how they factor into your marketing strategy that’s different. Social media accounts for your business should entice potential clientele onto your website and can advertise any promotions. When using social media you need to be just as professional as your website. What I mean by that is maintaining the same levels of quality content and adopting the same tone. Don’t dull down and become too informal when responding to comments, keep your tone natural but professional to draw them onto your site and invite them into your salon.

Be mindful of what you post and stay specific to your salon as much as possible. Of course, you can post beautician specific news, as long as it’s relevant to your salon in some form. But if you post too much you’ll become a no more than an over-encumbered news stand and lose focus on your own business goals.  

Does email marketing still count?

Yes, yes it does. Although email marketing has been in use for a very long time by businesses, it’s survived the test of time because it’s extremely effective. The great thing about email marketing is that you can target specific people. If you decide to run a newsletter for your salon showcasing your work, latest equipment, new services and any promotions, you can encourage your clientele to sign up for periodic news feeds. Also, chase up clients who haven’t had an appointment in a while and entice them back for one of your services.

So what are you waiting for? Get out there and flaunt your salon!