Text Message Marketing for Salons

Text message marketing can be an incredibly effective tool for salons to engage with their clients, promote their services, and drive sales. In fact, there are plenty of stats out there that point to the exceedingly high response, open, and click-through rates for marketing text messages.¹ That’s why Vagaro empowers salons with automated SMS text tools that they can use singularly, or pair with emails and/or Daily Deals and other marketing tools to significantly boost the effectiveness of their marketing campaigns overall. Of course, you must be strategic with how, when, and why you use text marketing to promote your salon. Below are some key points to consider when utilizing text message marketing, and how it fits together with your other marketing efforts and your retail strategy. So, buckle up, because this guide will take you through everything you need to know about text message marketing for your salon business!

1. What is Text Marketing and What is it Best For?

Text marketing (also called SMS marketing) is a form of direct marketing where businesses send promotional messages to customers via text messages. It is typically well suited for short, time-sensitive marketing communications: think discount codes, flash sales, urgent business notifications, appointment reminders, etc. It is often used in conjunction with marketing emails to build anticipation for a big upcoming sale or event.

The possibilities don’t end there. A creative salon can use text marketing for quite a bit:

Promotional Offers & Discounts

The most obvious use for text marketing is to send exclusive promotions, discounts, or special offers to your subscribers. This can incentivize them to book appointments or purchase products from your salon.

• Seasonal Promotions: Capitalize on holidays and special occasions by sending seasonal promotions or themed offers to subscribers via SMS.

• Cross-Promotions: Partner with other local businesses, such as spas, clothing boutiques, or restaurants, to offer joint promotions or discounts to each other's customers via text message.

• Birthday & Anniversary Promotions: Send personalized birthday or anniversary messages to customers, along with special offers or discounts as a token of appreciation for their loyalty.

• Limited-Time/Flash Promotions: Pairing text marketing with Daily Deals is an effective, time-sensitive revenue booster that gets subscribers to act fast. Additionally, linking text marketing special sales to your online store is a great way to move product bundles, sell gift cards or clear out excess inventory. Want to learn more about your online storefront and how it can help you sell while you sleep? Click in!

New Service or Product Announcements

You can quickly inform subscribers about new services, treatments, or products available at your salon through text messages. Thanks to the high open and click-through rates of text messages, this helps generate interest and drives sales.

Customer Loyalty Programs

Use SMS to enroll customers in your salon loyalty program to send them rewards, points updates, or special offers based on their loyalty status.

Referral Programs

Encourage customers through text message to refer their friends or family members to your salon by offering incentives or rewards for successful referrals.

Win-back Programs

SMS text marketing can be an effective tool for win-back campaigns aimed at re-engaging lost customers or inactive subscribers.

Feedback & Surveys

Customer data is important, and you can gather feedback from customers by sending surveys or requesting reviews via text message. This helps you and your employees understand client preferences and improve upon your salon’s services.

Event Invitations

Invite customers to special onsite or off-site events, such as product launches, themed parties, or educational workshops hosted by your salon, via text message. Texts serve as great event reminders, creating a sense of FOMO and urgency to sign up.

Educational Content

Share tips, tutorials, and educational content related to haircare, skincare, or beauty trends via SMS to provide value to subscribers and position your salon as a leader in your industry.

2. How to Start Your Text Marketing Campaign

Now that you have an idea of the many things you can use text marketing for, let’s run through how to create an effective text marketing campaign for your salon business.

Determine Your Objective

What is the goal of your text message marketing campaign? Is it to increase bookings, promote a new service or product, drive traffic to your salon's website, or boost sales during a specific period?

Build a Subscriber List

To build a list of SMS subscribers, you’ll need to collect client data such as names and phone numbers from your customers who are willing to receive text messages from your salon. You can do this easily by asking for permission during in-person appointments, through your salon website, or via social media.

This data can also be collected through sign-up forms, surveys, event follow-up questionnaires and similar methods. Looking for custom forms for your salon business? Click in to learn more!

Obtain Permission

It's crucial to ensure that you have explicit consent from individuals before sending them marketing messages. This helps you stay compliant with regulations like the Telephone Consumer Protection Act (TCPA).

Don’t worry—simple automated messages, such as "Message and data rates may apply," “Text YES to opt in,” or "Text STOP to cancel at any time," sent out to new subscribers or at the launch of your text marketing program are enough to obtain explicit consent, provide clear-cut disclaimers and give recipients an out.

Segment Your Lists

Segment your subscriber list based on factors such as past services received, frequency of visits, or specific interests. This allows you to tailor your messages to distinct groups of clients, increasing relevance and engagement. It may seem daunting to split so many clients into so many unique groups, but Vagaro makes targeting specific customers in marketing campaigns easy.

More and more, consumers expect personalized interactions with businesses because it makes them feel valued, understood and prioritized². Segmentation is the first step. Let’s move on to the next one.

Personalize Your SMS Texts

We easily could have included personalization into the message creation rundown provided below, but it’s important enough to warrant its own section. Personalize your text messages by addressing recipients by name and offering customized promotions or recommendations based on their past interactions with your salon.

Robust text messaging software should enable you to personalize your segmented marketing texts and emails with individual client names. This is especially useful when promoting client birthday deals, or just helping them to feel valued as an individual client at your salon.

Set Timing & Frequency

Be mindful of the timing and frequency of your text messages to avoid overwhelming your subscribers. Consider factors like time zones and the typical schedule of your target audience. Between 12:00 PM and 8:00 PM is an optimal timeframe. Also, don’t exceed 10–12 messages per month/recipient.

Test Your Text

Or is it text your test? Anyway, experiment with different messaging strategies, CTAs (call-to-actions), and content variations. Testing can help you identify which elements of your messages are most effective and optimize your future campaigns accordingly. It’s also a way to make sure the message looks and sounds as good as it did in that beautiful brain of yours.

Track Your Performance

Monitor the performance of your text message campaigns by tracking metrics such as open rates, click-through rates, and conversion rates. The beauty of an all-in-one salon software is that its marketing tools are integrated into the rest of the software—including its all-important Reports feature for salon insights.

Reports provide all the info you need to replicate a particularly effective text marketing initiative or improve on an underperforming one.

3. How to Craft Marketing Text Messages (with Examples!)

Okay, now for the text message itself. When it comes to text, remember that brevity and immediacy are key. You want to write clear, concise, and engaging text messages that communicate your campaign's purpose effectively and capture the recipient's attention quickly.

Remember to:

Try to keep your messages within the character limit imposed by most SMS providers, which is typically 160 characters per message. This limit ensures that the message is readable and doesn’t get cut off, especially on smaller screens.

• Start the message with a strong hook that grabs recipients' attention. Use phrases or questions to pique curiosity and encourage them to continue reading.

e.g.: "🌟 Don't miss out! Exclusive offer inside: 25% off any salon service! 🌟"

• Omit unnecessary words and prioritize the most essential information. This includes details about the promotion or offer, how to redeem it, any terms & conditions, and contact information for your salon. Remember, you can link to a website or include a call-back number where recipients can get more information if needed.

e.g.: Get 20% off your next haircut! Book now at Salon Bliss. Limited-time offer. Reply “BOOK” to schedule! 🗓️

• Clearly communicate the value propositions of your salon's services or promotions and explain how recipients will benefit from booking an appointment or redeeming the offer. Emphasize the value of discounts, exclusive deals, or limited time offers.

e.g.: *Treat yourself to a self-care day!*💆‍ Enjoy a fresh color & cut for just $99. You deserve it!

• Create a sense of urgency in your messages with phrases like "limited-time offer," "act now," or "don't miss out" to motivate recipients to act promptly.

e.g.: 🚨*Last chance!*🚨 Our Spring sale ends tomorrow. Save 30% on all hair color services. Book now!

• Incorporate emojis or multimedia elements such as images or GIFs to make your messages more visually appealing and engaging but use them only when they make sense. These should enhance the message rather than detract or distract from it.

e.g.: 🌸 Spring into self-care at [salon name]! Enjoy our special offer: $20 off any salon service. *Treat yourself today!*🌸

• Keep it consistent with your salon's brand, voice, and style. Whether your salon's brand personality is friendly and casual (maybe even a little silly), or more upscale, ensure that your messages consistently reflect your tone.

e.g.: 🌸 Hey, girl! Just [salon name’s] reminder to treat yourself with a [service name + deal]. Get some time on the calendar for yourself!" 🌸

• Include a strong call-to-action (CTA) that prompts recipients to take the desired action, such as booking an appointment, redeeming a discount code, or visiting your salon's website to take advantage of an exclusive offer. Whatever it is they must do, or wherever it is they need to be, make it easy for recipients to know what steps to take next.

e.g.: Ready to refresh your look? Book your appointment today and unleash your inner beauty! Reply “BOOK” now.

Okay, that all seemed like a lot, but when it’s all put together, it might look something like this:

SMS Text (text message marketing) is an effective tool leveraged by salons of every size to effectively connect with and retain clients, increase bookings, and drive revenue. Better yet, it doesn’t take a marketing guru to use! Following the common-sense best practices above will help you strike a balance between your promotional messaging and providing real value to your subscribers, fostering long-term engagement and loyalty. As true all-in-one software, Vagaro offers text marketing and many other effective tools (email, Daily Deals) that help you do exactly that. Sign up for a FREE 30-day trial and discover how you can kickstart your marketing campaigns and run a more efficient & profitable salon!

References:

https://www.luisazhou.com/blog/sms-marketing-statistics/

https://www.mckinsey.com/featured-insights/mckinsey-explainers/what-is-personalization