As a small business owner, one of your biggest challenges is finding new customers to keep your business growing. Having a consistent stream of clients is the key to the success of any business. Whether you’re just starting and want to get the word out about your business or are a seasoned business owner looking for new ways to get clients, revising how you promote your business requires determination, an open mind & the right tools.
If you’re still using pen & paper to keep track of appointments, you may be doing your business a disservice. Clients crave ease of convenience. So, if you make booking a service easier for customers, they’re more likely to want to schedule with you. Let's say the only way a client can currently book with you is by finding time to call or come in. You could be losing out on a large number of potential clients who primarily use online booking. Switching to an online appointment system will not only save you time & energy, but it can also be an excellent way to get new clients, even while you’re off the clock.
Having an easy-to-use booking system is helpful in acquiring new business. But how can you get the word out about your salon or spa? Here are seven ways you can get more clients through your doors.
1. Create a marketing strategy
Marketing is the primary way that small business owners can promote their businesses. There are so many different avenues of marketing that include but aren’t limited to: search engine optimisation (SEO), social media, paid advertising, print advertising & word-of-mouth promotion.
Because marketing has so many facets, it can be hard to know where to focus your time and efforts, especially if you are a solopreneur or have a small team. Marketing is an ongoing, ever-evolving effort. While it may seem like a lot of time, especially at first, creating an effective marketing strategy is more likely to produce fruitful results and produce high-quality leads in the long run. Need another reason to invest your valuable time & energy in marketing? The average return on investment (ROI) for marketing efforts sits at a 5:1 ratio. Meaning, for every dollar spent, you will, in theory, earn about £5 in sales. Sounds great, right?
If you’re new to marketing, do not try to do everything at once. Marketing is an art that requires strategic planning & patience. Getting started can be tough. But once you create a roadmap to your end goals, you’re more likely to see success.
To create a marketing strategy, lay out what marketing efforts you’d like to engage in and the timeline to complete each part. But before you jump into the fun part of creating marketing materials, you have to do some preliminary work to get the ball rolling.
Start with conducting competitor research. Get an idea of what your competitors are doing well, what they could improve on and how your business fits into the local market. Identify which types of people frequent both them and you. Then, create a buyer persona based on your research.
A buyer persona represents your ideal client, informed by information & data rather than assumptions. Once you design this persona, you can better understand who you want to attract to your business, which will help you target the correct people in your marketing efforts.
After researching, determine how much time and money you can allocate toward marketing efforts. If you’re working on a tight budget, opt for free or low-cost marketing tools until your efforts gain more traction and show a higher ROI. If you have more financial resources, you may want to invest in a few advanced marketing tools, like Hootsuite (for social media), SEMRush (for SEO research) or even an outside consultant. But you don’t have to spend lots of money to leverage effective marketing tools. With Vagaro, you get 1,000 emails a month to bolster your marketing efforts. Check out what other cost-efficient marketing tools Vagaro offers here.
Consider how much time you have to create strong marketing materials and whether you can confidently do everything yourself or if you should have a staff member own an aspect of your marketing plan. Whatever you decide to do, be realistic about what financial resources and time you have at your disposal. It’s better to start small and grow than to overexert yourself and potentially create issues down the road.
Finally, set goals & deadlines. These will keep you on track. It might be tempting to put everything out at once. But marketing is an art of iteration and requires trying something out, analysing its success, then modifying it as needed.
Create a calendar for distribution. Whether you’re choosing to invest more time in social media or email marketing campaigns, you’ll need to establish a clear timeline for each task.
Finally, Make SMART goals, which stand for: Specific, Measurable, Attainable, Relevant & Timely.
2. Use social media
Social media is an incredibly effective, free marketing tool. Although social media can seem like a Gen-Z tool to learn new dances or attempt different challenges, it can be the best way to reach your clientele. Think about it this way: As of 2021, 57.6 million people in the UK use social media. Why not take advantage and focus on revamping your social media pages to engage with potential and existing clients? It’s free, after all.
Social media is a great way to build rapport & relationships. Your social pages will also give potential clients a glimpse into your business before they walk through your doors. An active and effective social media presence involves posting regularly and engaging with comments. Not sure what you should post on social media? Share updates about your business and industry-specific tips & tricks, run polls, have giveaways or repost user-generated content from loyal clients. Each post’s description should end with a call to action (CTA) that instructs clients how to engage with your post. Not sure what a CTA should look like? Try something like, “What’s your favourite spa treatment? Comment below!” or “Click the link in our bio to book a consultation.”
When posting on social media, keep in mind the following:
- The average time to catch someone’s attention is 8 seconds. Keep posts visually engaging and captions short & sweet.
- Stay true to your brand voice. To determine your brand voice, think about who your business would be if they were a real person. Classy? Stoic? Calm? Bubbly? Post in that way, consistently, so clients can get to know your business.
- Keep up with trending topics. If it’s relevant to your business, hop on the trend train! Then use hashtags to show up in searches.
Instead of viewing social media as something frivolous and vapid, look at it as one of the most effective tools for acquiring new business. Need some inspiration? Check out our social media post ideas for spas.
3. Encourage referrals
Did you know that a client obtained through a referral has double the lifetime value of one obtained through traditional marketing methods? Plus, you spend significantly less acquiring a referral as a new customer when compared to a client obtained through general marketing methods. When a referral comes into your business, they already view your brand positively because it was recommended to them by a friend or other trusted source. So, why not take advantage and create a referral program to encourage your loyal customers to bring their friends in?
A referral program is easy to establish, a great way to reward clients and a low-cost way to get more business.
4. Build relationships and use your email list
When a new client comes in, your priority should be building a relationship with them to create connections, which compels them to return to your business. One way to do this is by having clients fill out pre-appointment Forms to get to know them & any preferences they may have. If you’re a stylist, this form may include questions about hair goals or inspiration pictures. If you’re an esthetician, ask about skin type or any allergies. You can also have a short section for clients to share their preferences, like whether they’d prefer a quiet appointment or if they have any music requests. Use Vagaro to create customisable forms that match your business’s needs.
Relationship building doesn’t end when a client leaves your salon. After their appointment, send automated follow-up emails to thank them for their patronage, solicit reviews and invite them back, perhaps with a nice little coupon from time to time. You can also send automatic reminders to schedule another appointment if they do not rebook in-house. Invite your email list to any events at your salon and share any limited-time promotions. These may seem like small gestures, but when a client feels welcome in your salon, they’re more likely to return as a loyal customer.
5. Ask for reviews or testimonials
Asking clients for a review may feel a little intimidating. You don’t want to come off as desperate, but you know how much it could help your business. Here’s a secret: Most clients are happy to write a short review if they enjoyed their service. So, how do you get them to leave one? Simply ask! Consider offering a small incentive, like 10% off their next service or a free add-on service when they book their next appointment in exchange for their time. Another great way to ask for reviews is to have an automated follow-up email that politely requests clients leave a review.
No matter what type of reviews you get, whether positive or negative, reply to every single one. When you receive positive reviews, respond with a personalised message of gratitude and invite that client back to your business. If you receive a negative review, respond thoughtfully and with grace. Remain professional and apologise for the negative experience. If there are steps you can take to rectify the situation, do so. This may involve inviting the client back to try your business again or sharing feedback with a staff member.
Do you have any repeat customers with whom you've built a good relationship? There’s a reason they keep coming back to your business, so why not ask them to do a testimonial? A testimonial is like a more in-depth review from a customer that attests to the quality of your business and the services you offer. If you have a client in mind, ask them if they would be interested in providing a testimonial at the end of their next appointment. The result is a nice little video that you & your faithful client can post to social media that can help drive business.
6. Refine your SEO strategy
Search engine optimisation (SEO) is an essential part of any small business marketing plan, as it helps locals find your business and can help your content marketing efforts gain traction. Creating an SEO strategy involves a few steps. First, get into the mind of your ideal client. Then, conduct a few Google searches like “salons near me”.
If you see your business pop up, you’re in great shape. If not, register for a Google Business Profile to appear in these local searches. If your business is on other sites, like Yelp or Apple Maps, be sure your business information is accurate and up to date.
To bolster any content marketing efforts, be sure that any blogs and videos are SEO-friendly. For blogs, you may decide to use a free keyword research tool that can generate a list of topic-relevant keywords that you can use in a post. This can help expand your reach to appeal to a wider audience. If you have a blog, you may consider reaching out to other relevant blogs or businesses for a guest post to help further expand your marketing efforts. And be sure to check out the Vagaro Pro Blog, updated multiple times a week for effective business & marketing tips.
7. Use Vagaro to get more clients
Of course, if you’re looking for more clients, one great resource is Vagaro’s free Marketplace where local clients actively search for beauty & wellness businesses. Plus, if you want to secure the top search result for your local area, you can Get Featured, which pays for itself after the first new client you acquire. Another way you can promote your business is by running a Daily Deal, or a limited-time promotion that brings in 4x the number of new clients.
Vagaro doesn’t just offer ways to help you get found. It has a streamlined booking experience for clients. They can book anytime, anywhere through your Vagaro page or any booking widgets you may have on your personal website, social media pages or business listing pages. An easy-to-use & accessible booking system appeals to clients, and you can get booked whilst you’re off the clock.
Acquiring new clients can seem like a big task. But with the help of technology like Vagaro, it's simple & effective. Make the switch from pen & paper to your business's new best friend. Sign up for a 30-day free trial and see how Vagaro can save you both time and money.
